Our Top Ten Team Building Exercises

You've recruited the individual members of your team. You've established your goal. You've developed a plan and a timeline. Now the trick is to get all those unique individuals working together toward the same goal. Given the varied personalities, communication skills and personal agendas individual members bring with them to the team, getting your team to work cooperatively can be a challenge.

In the most productive teams, members are individually and cooperatively focused on Reaching the goal of the team. Members understand the dependencies that the team, that depends on their individual work and affects the quality of the work of others and ultimately, the ability of the team to achieve its objective. Members respect, appreciate and recognize each person's unique contribution to the efforts of the team, but the emphasis on goal ideal cooperative team performance.

construction of outdoor education team has not been all the rage a long time ago. The team will traveloffsite for a "fun" day of rope games and unusual problem solving, typically at an outdoor education center. Unfortunately, too often there was little follow-up and any lessons learned never made it back into the workplace. Today, the emphasis has shifted to in-house team building exercises that can be accomplished at the beginning of a meeting.

Follow these key steps to plan a productive team building exercise:

Keep it simple. It should be quick and easy to set up in a typical meeting room.
It doesn't need to be expensive. You can get a lot of mileage out of basic office supplies or a few items from your kitchen pantry.
The exercise should be geared for normal office clothing or team members should be told ahead of time to dress appropriately.
People have a hard time relating to large groups, so divide the team into small units of 2 to 4 or 6 people. By breaking down barriers and creating partnerships within these small groups, team members will be better able to relate to the larger team.
Instructions must be easy to understand, especially by any non-native English speakers in your group.
Limited instructions may be part of the team building exercise. Forcing people to figure out what to do or how to do something helps team members identify skills and abilities in themselves and their peers that can help them define their roles on the team: leader, facilitator, problem-solver, communicator, etc.
The exercise should engage all members quickly.
It should present a problem that has multiple solutions to allow for creativity, but that can only be solved through collaboration and cooperative action.
You can increase the difficulty level of any exercise by adding a complication such as "no talking," or by speeding things up by asking, "How can you do it faster?"
At the completion of the exercise, it is crucial that a facilitator, often the team leader, lead the team in reflecting on what happened, the choices made, and how they interacted with each other. Team members should discuss what they would do differently next time. Reflection is critical to identifying and reinforcing learning.

Try these team building exercises to get your team off on the right foot.

Scrambled Jigsaw. Before the team arrives, place a jigsaw on each table. To manage the time element, use large-piece children's puzzles of 100 pieces or so. Remove 5 pieces from each puzzle and move them to another table. As the team arrives, divide members among the tables. Instruct teams to fully complete their puzzle, by any means, in the shortest amount of time possible. As puzzles are completed and teams realize pieces are missing, they will be forced to negotiate with other teams to complete their puzzle. This exercise promotes flexibility, communication, negotiation and cooperation.

Creative Assembly. Purchase 3-D punch-out wood dinosaur puzzle kits. Divide the team into groups of 2 to 4. Without comment or instruction, give each group the unpunched puzzle pieces, one complete puzzle per group. Do not let the group see the boxes, pictures or instructions or in any way identify what you have given them. Instruct each group to assemble its project, telling them they can only use what is in front of them. You'll get some interesting and creative constructions, a lot of laughter and some good natured frustration, particularly with the winged dinosaur kits. When time is up, ask each group to describe its construct. In this exercise, creative thinking, brainstorming, problem-solving, cooperation and consensus will certainly get a workout.

Slight of Hand. Divide team into groups of 4 to 6. Hand each group 4 tennis balls. Tell them each person must handle all 4 balls in the shortest time possible. Do this several times, each time asking, "How can you do it faster?" This exercise will progress from the obvious passing of the balls down a line, to around a circle, to some interesting ball drops and hand swiping. Your team will practice cooperation, quick thinking and creative problem solving in this exercise.

Going Up. Divide team into groups of 2 to 6. Give each person one 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper and one 5" strip of masking tape. Instruct each team to build the tallest possible free-standing structure. This exercise promotes cooperation, creative thinking, problem-solving, consensus, leadership and division of labor.

Gnome Dome. Divide the team into groups of 2. Give each group 20 gumdrops and 12 toothpicks. Instruct each group to build a dome. Problem-solving, creative thinking, cooperation (and possibly snacking) will be practiced during this exercise.

Poisonous Web. Stretch a piece of rope across a door frame, securing it to the frame or connecting wall with duct tape. You'll need two pieces of rope, one 3 feet off the ground, the other 4 1/2 feet off the ground. You are creating a "window" 18 inches wide that you describe to the team as a "poisonous spider web." The team must work together to get all members through the opening without touching the ropes. They must go through, not under or over the ropes. If a team member touches either rope, the entire team must go back to the beginning and try again. This exercise builds cooperation, leadership, creativity and problem-solving. It also forces team members to trust and depend on each other.

Hang Ups. Hand each person a wire coat hanger. Tell the group they may work individually or create their own groups. Instruct them to make something useful from their coat hanger. Set a time limit of 5 to 15 minutes. Ask each person/group to describe his "tool" and its use. This exercise will indicate which of your team members are natural leaders or born socialites as well as which are more shy and may need to be drawn out when working with the group.

In the Picture. This is another puzzle game. Divide the team into groups and give each one a jigsaw puzzle from which you have already removed one piece. Each team will complete a puzzle with one missing piece. Ask each team what this represents in terms of the team. You're aiming for discovery of the importance of each individual to the successful accomplishment of the team's goal, but you may get some interesting responses about proper planning, supply officers and quality control.

All Aboard. This is another physical game. Depending on the size of your team, place a 1-foot to 3-foot square of cardboard on the floor, or mark off a square with masking or duct tape. Draw numbers, one for each team member. In order of the numbers drawn, team members must stand in the square. As the number of people in the square increases, members will have to work together and get creative to get everyone aboard. This exercise practices cooperation, problem-solving and leadership.

Bridge the Gap. Divide the group into teams of 2 to 4. Give each group a small ball of modeling clay and 12 toothpicks. Instruct them to build the longest cantilever bridge they can. Award points for speed of construction, length of bridge, ability to stand without tipping over and ability to hold weight (to measure this, stack quarters until the bridge tips or breaks). Team members will practice creativity, problem-solving, consensus (and manual dexterity).

To be successful, teamwork must be more than a method of dividing up the work to get the job done. Teamwork must embrace a cooperative attitude of mutual respect, shared responsibility and open communication. Teamwork recognizes each team member's individual contribution to the team in the context of the interdependency of those Cooperative research efforts in the team's goal.

If you have a vacation to improve your health?

If sleep, nutrition and exercise, the basis for the maintenance of health, because that would be taking a vacation is the best way to maintain and improve health.

The reason for this is that in everyday life we try to work, family and household balance responsibilities. The time we have to achieve this important, but basic hygiene is limited. If you are on vacation, you have plenty of time in the world to access and enjoy these activitieswithout even acknowledge that you have to do the right thing.

Many of us are in a job where our physical movement is limited use for longer periods. Then when we get home, we will sit for hours watching television. The last thing we want is to go to the gym or walking the dog. If your used to sit at a desk all day, then, of course, the extra calories with extra activity helps burn on vacation.

Yourarely are inactive during a holiday. There are new and interesting things to do and makes your days exploring your destination, increasing physical activity without realizing it. Much of this exploration will be spent outdoors. Walking through the place of your sunshine holiday and new experiences is not just a good practice, but it is the ideal way to relax and unwind. Activities such as beach or swim in the sea are often amusedTourism and fun exercise rather than a task. not at work or air-conditioned meeting room from the stifling heat - you can even breathe the fresh air.

If your vacation in a resort or retreat, you can also more likely in activities such as yoga or meditation classes or use services to intervene, is not normally used as massage therapy and healing. These activities have recognized the health benefits like stress reduction and relaxation. It seems that peopleto participate in these practices to calmer and more positive outlook appear to have to live. There are more opportunities to sleep and rest your mind on vacation. Although it is important that the mind is active, it is equally important to give him a break. And 'well known that if you do not get a good night's rest, you just can not function properly and experience poor memory and inability to focus properly. I spent countless nights lying in bed with eyes wide open allNight, tossing and turning, no job to go out of my head. more fresh and bright cheerful (usually - When on vacation, they suddenly have the ability to drift easily and be able to sleep inside It 's clear to see when you go back to college after being on holiday, have a look best work the blessed fruit of a tan), seems to work and perform better.

fresh seafood and local fruits and vegetables are also sold to many destinations. In the warmerWeather is also tend to light meals like salads and fish-stick, so give your body a break from many of the fast-food options that are forced to do after work Resorts. Restaurants also have the obligation to ensure that your dish look colorful and inviting, and that often means more vegetables and salads on the plate.

A well as the three already mentioned health benefits, support keeing abruptly on vacation in your mind. My mother and father have always maintained that aimportant key to health is to make your mind active. They are eternal newspaper sits at the kitchen table hanging over their crossword puzzles and Sunday to try to deceive each other in the quiz, you say that this works well is intended to keep alive their brains and go. When on vacation in a foreign country or unfamiliar place, you're probably a strong interest in learning about other cultures, customs, languages and history. And the satisfaction of thenew things to learn, I felt that our mind can help keep the disease active.

Thus, a long journey to help increase physical activity, eating more nutritious meals and quality of sleep and rest. A holiday also keep your mind active by doing new things, meet new people and visiting new places.

My recommendation is to break the monotony of everyday life. Update to fuel your body and mind and strength. A decent holiday can be so good for you asVisit the doctor, so if you're the boss because you need some free time, tell him that you agree to an appointment booked with the doctor more.

One last thing, make sure you get a good deal for the cost of holiday. This minimizes post-vacation disappointment when you receive your monthly statement and face to face with the financial result of excessive spending during your stay away face. Keep your eyes open for deals and business travelCompensation for your holiday impulse purchases.

Inventing the Best Puzzle Game Ever

Most people who love games have a favourite puzzle game and their attachment to it is usually of the highest levels of devotion. Mention the words 'Braid' or 'Portal' and many people glaze over with a warm affinity radiating from their person. People connect with a puzzle game in a unique way and it is a genre that could arguably be the most time-absorbing of all.

One of the most successful aspects of Portal, for me, was the occasional moment where you felt like you were botching your way through with an unscripted action that you just found worked for you. Then when you saw someone else play through the same stage you thought 'aah, why didn't I think of that' still unsure wether that was what the designers intended.

I find it boggling how people can come up with so many ingenious puzzles. I would like to see a game invent a situation with multiple unscripted solutions; much like Portal's accidental answers but with even greater variety. A puzzle where players with different mindsets would naturally gravitate towards different tactics. So, for example, one person who fancied themselves as a bit skillful might simply throw an object at the target, whereas somebody with a more 'Tetris' inclination might pile items up until it was possible to climb and reach it, or somebody else might fashion items into a device long enough to reach the object from the ground. This is perhaps a simplistic and not wholly brilliant example (that's why I'm in awe of people who devise these clever puzzles) but you get the point I'm making.

I think puzzles can be complicated if they are fashioned around familiar concepts and items. Gravity, light, shadow, liquids, gas, fire, reflections etc. are all things people recognise and understand. They have differing natural properties and they interact differently with other elements. Puzzles could involve factors that people have an understanding of outside of the laws set by a video game. When a 3 foot wall prevents you from progressing, suddenly you feel like your imagination isn't in control but instead you are simply being asked to understand the person setting the problem or the confines of the game. If you are presented with a problem in which you find yourself thinking 'this might work depending on how sturdy this item is, or maybe I could balance this long enough to do this' and make educated judgments on what you think should be possible before trial-ing it out, it would create a huge sense of achievement to feel like you have overcome something by finding your own solution rather than cracking what someone else intended.

The task of creating a problem without linear solutions would seem to be incredibly difficult. Getting the balance right between a pointlessly simple answer and a completely obtuse one, would be nigh-on impossible to judge if you are hoping players will find their own method of achievement. I guess there has to be some kind of limitation to maintain a healthy balance of difficulty with a puzzle game. It's the unscripted, accidental discoveries that I find particularly enjoyable in games. I like to see goals scored in a footy simulation that involve a deflected shot running through someone's feet before a defender clears the ball only to see it re-bound off the back of another players head and into his own net. Glorious! You can't program instances like that.
Or in some on-line games when teams of players formulate their own plan and cunningly capture their opponent by guiding them into a manufactured blockade. That kind of freedom and creativity adds an enormous sense of power to a playing experience. If a puzzle game could somehow encapsulate these different aspects, it would surely be something to behold. Unfortunately my feeble brain doesn't have enough muscle to flex in this direction, so I'll have to wait and see where the genre is taken next. Portal 2 should hopefully be a good start.