Ask Katie: The building blocks of team building

The gang's all here, now let's put the "fun" back in "fundamental team building!" (Photo: Shutterstock.com) Q: I want to do some team building with my team, but I don't know where to find good resources. Where should I start?

A: According to a recent Gallup study, close friendships at work can boost employee job satisfaction by 50 percent (whoa!), so you're on the right track!

The first thing to consider is your end goal. Are you seeking general team bonding, or are you looking to improve communication or problem-solving skills? Identifying the end goal will help you narrow down your choices.

Personally, I recommend planning a team building activity on a quarterly basis. Communication skills training should also be done quarterly, and if you can combine the two, even better. Team building activities often make people anxious; they worry it'll be awkward. To mitigate that, select 10 to 15 activities that you like and let your team pick which ones they want to do each time.

This list from the Wrike Blog includes a defined purpose for each activity (think end goal here). This gem, provided by the When I Work Blog, provides 32 “epic” team-building activities. The final resource comes from Cake HR-It's a list of 50 motivating team activities.

Now go have some fun!

Katie Adams, CVPM, is director of Curriculum Development at IGNITE Veterinary Solutions. Got a question for Katie? Email us at firstline@ubm.com.