Using Games to Foster Teamwork
Focusing members on the benefits of working together
Members will face many situations where teamwork plays a critical role: whether it's working together on an environmental project that requires lots of strong hands or inspiring young people to collaborate on a community service project.
By not providing opportunities for cooperation, we run the risk of further polarizing people, increasing misunderstandings, and sabotaging our own best efforts at implementing positive change.
Using games and other collaborative activities in trainings can be a great way for members to practice cooperation.
A list of "do's":
When modeling the exercises, it's important to:
- Be playful at the right times.
- Believe in people and focus on the positive.
- Understand that many group members may be reluctant to join in or may be afraid of "looking stupid."
- Emphasize that the leader is willing to take the same risks as the other participants-he or she plays as well as facilitates.
- Be willing to relax and have fun.
These resources can help you successfully facilitate game activities:
- Stages of a Game outlines essential components of any game activity and includes useful tips for facilitating games in training.
- Leave It at the Stream illustrates how to use "feed-forward" instead of feedback to get good results.
See Member Team Projects for ideas and resources for projects that further develop teamwork while getting the job done.
For additional team tools, visit Teampedia, a collaborative encyclopedia of team building activities, icebreakers, teamwork resources, and tools for teams that anyone can edit.
Go on to Using Reflection Activities
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