Interactive Team Building — Take The Fun To The Kitchen
I remember the worst team building exercise my company ever put us through…
We were all piled into a conference room and given surveys.
There were various items listed: born in August, wears glasses, speaks more than two languages, etc.
It was our job to run around the room, getting signatures from the people who fit each description, and whoever finished first won a small prize.
Those of us who were new were handicapped compared to the veterans on the staff, and we were a bit timid as well.
The entire exercise consisted of us tapping people on the shoulder and asking them if they fit whichever description we were after.
By the time it was over, nothing constructive had happened.
Sure, I knew that my boss liked to surf, but that was about it.
I was no more a member of the team after we finished than I had been before I started.
Part of what makes team building exercises of this nature unsuccessful is that they are done in isolation.
You take your paper and, by yourself, approach your co-workers individually. The process lacks genuine interaction, and it can be intimidating for those who are new members of the team you are trying to build.
Doesn’t this sound all too familiar to you?
The goal of a team building exercise is to build a team identity among your employees.
This identity cannot be fostered through isolating exercises.
It requires something interactive, something where they must act as a team.
An excellent way to get some teamwork going is to enrol your staff in a team building cooking class.
When you are cooking together, you rely on each other and must assume roles that benefit the whole, much like you are hoping your employees will do while on the job.
And unlike many other team building options, they are working towards a concrete goal.
You cannot hold an understanding of your co-workers learning styles in your hands, but you can hold a plate filled with delicious food; concrete goals make it easier for employees to take on the task at hand and find the meaning in it.
What are some skills your employees can learn in the kitchen that will also apply to their work?
First of all, to work together and complete a meal, you must delegate the tasks.
Each person must take on a small part that leads to the complete, final goal just as they would at work.
Also, communication is critical.
From asking for help to keeping everyone aware of time constraints, you must articulate yourself in the kitchen.
Work in the kitchen must happen quickly but still be done thoroughly, which requires making a plan and seeing it through.
Directions must be followed, step-by-step.
However, there is also room for creativity and the mixing of ideas.
Which, when you think about it, sounds like a very productive work environment.
To learn more about interactive team building through corporate cooking classes, contact Cooking Class Singapore today.