5 Engaging Closing Activities for Your Next Team Offsite

Trust is the cornerstone of effective closing activities. When trust is lacking, it can lead to a breakdown in communication and a disregard for the desired outcomes. In various fields, trust plays a critical role in ensuring the success of collaborative efforts.

Take the example of a football quarterback and their receivers. The quarterback must have absolute trust in their teammates, believing that they will run the correct routes and be in the right position to catch the ball. Without this trust, the quarterback's throws would be hesitant, leading to missed opportunities and potential turnovers. Similarly, in NASCAR, the driver must trust the pit crew to perform their tasks flawlessly. They rely on the crew to ensure that the wheels are secure and won't detach during high-speed races. Without this trust, the driver would constantly worry about potential failures, affecting their focus and performance on the track.

Trust is also essential in the workplace, particularly between leaders and employees. When employees trust their leaders, they feel comfortable expressing their concerns, ideas, and taking necessary actions. This open and honest communication fosters a collaborative environment where individuals can freely share their insights and work together towards common goals. It enables leaders to make informed decisions, address challenges effectively, and empower their team members to reach their full potential.

In the context of closing activities, trust is vital to create a safe space for reflection and sharing. Participants need to trust that their thoughts and experiences will be respected and valued. This encourages individuals to engage in meaningful discussions, express their key takeaways, and contribute to the collective learning process. Trust also allows for addressing any challenges or issues that may have arisen during the offsite. When trust is present, team members can openly discuss difficulties, brainstorm solutions, and develop strategies to overcome obstacles in the future.

Here are seven example exercises that can be utilized to cultivate trust within a team:

6 Trust-Building Team Activities

Personal History Activity

Objective: To transition elements from the Hidden area to the Open window.

Duration: 15 - 30 mins

Activity:

Request each team member to respond to five inquiries regarding their personal experiences. Sample questions may encompass their place of origin, initial employment, most challenging job, number of siblings, greatest fear, or a personal detail unknown to others. Each participant will openly share these responses with the entire team, including leaders. This activity serves as an excellent kickoff for a team-building session.

Commitment Review

Objective: To transition elements from your Blind Spot to the Open window.

Duration: 15 - 30 mins

Activity:

Request each team member to jot down the most admirable attribute for every individual on the team. Proceed with a person-to-person approach, where each participant reveals their chosen trait to the respective team member. Next, ask each team member to write down the ONE THING that each person should either START or STOP doing for the betterment of the team. Follow the same person-to-person process, allowing other team members to disclose that one thing. Lastly, have each individual make a commitment for the year based on the team's feedback regarding their "one thing." Schedule quarterly reviews for each member to track their progress. It is recommended to conduct this activity annually.

Question Swap Networking

Objective: To facilitate meaningful connections and conversations among team members through a structured question swap activity.

Duration: 15 minutes

Activity:

1. Each participant is provided with three post-it notes.

2. Participants are instructed to write down one open-ended question on each post-it note. These questions should be designed to help team members get to know each other better.

3. Once everyone has written their questions, the networking session begins.

4. Participants pair up and engage in one-on-one conversations for a set duration (e.g., two minutes per meeting).

5. In each meeting, participants take turns asking one of their written questions to their partner and listen attentively to their response.

6. After asking a question and hearing the answer, participants hand over that question to their partner, and the partner does the same, creating a question swap.

7. Participants continue rotating and having conversations with different partners, swapping questions at each meeting.

8. After the fixed amount of time is up, participants place their post-it notes on a wall to create a visual display of the questions asked and answered.

9. This display serves as a reference point and source of inspiration for future interactions and conversations.

Note: It is important to ensure that the questions are respectful and suitable for a professional setting. The duration of the activity can be adjusted based on the number of participants and the desired depth of conversations.

Team Purpose Alignment Workshop

Objective: To help teams align their purpose, define their goals, and foster a sense of clarity and direction in their work.

Duration: 45 mins

Activity:

1. Kick-off: Begin the workshop by introducing the purpose alignment exercise and providing context to team members.

2. Reflection Questions:

   • What is our team's role and responsibilities?

   • What are our goals and how do we measure success?

   • How does our work benefit the company and the larger community?

3. Group Discussion:

   • Facilitate a discussion where team members share their thoughts and ideas in response to the reflection questions.

   • Encourage clustering of similar responses and identify key concepts that represent the majority of the team's work.

4. Team Purpose Statement:

   • Use the wisdom of the group to develop a broad idea of how the team's purpose can be defined.

   • Example format: "Our team [how/what we do] for [specific audience] so that [intended impact]."

   • Have each team member write their own version of the team's purpose statement.

5. Round Table Sharing:

   • Allow each team member to share their individually written purpose statement with the rest of the team.

   • Combine these individual statements to create one collective team purpose statement.

   • Ensure the language in the purpose statement is practical, simple, and explicit for easy understanding.

6. Time-Constrained Decision Making:

   • Set a constraint of 10 minutes for the team to craft a collective purpose statement with no more than 20 words.

   • Encourage productivity and concise communication during this process.

7. Presentation and Celebration:

   • Each team selects a representative to present their collective purpose statement to the entire group.

   • Celebrate the creation of the purpose statement and display it prominently in the workspace for ongoing reference and inspiration.

Note: Adjust the duration and specific questions according to the needs of the team and the desired level of depth in the discussions.

Understanding Personal Motivations

Objective: Enhance team communication and facilitate a more effective approach among team members for success in both work and personal interactions by consolidating insights from various sources.

Duration: 15 - 30 mins

Activity:

Request each team member to complete a DISC and Driving Forces profile assessment. Engage a trainer to provide an overview of the assessment's significance and the most effective communication strategies for different personality styles. The trainer will conduct exercises to elucidate personality traits, strengths, weaknesses, and develop plans to mitigate potential conflicts. Consider displaying the DISC profile graph visibly, such as outside each individual's workspace, to facilitate easier communication with others.

Context Mapping Workshop

Objective: To provide teams with a comprehensive understanding of the organizational context and foster cross-functional collaboration.

Duration: 45 mins

Activity:

1. Introduction:

   • Explain the purpose of the workshop, which is to gain a holistic view of the organization's context and encourage collaborative actions.

2. Context Mapping Sheets:

   • Hang six sheets of flip-chart paper on a wall in a two-row, three-column format.

   • Label each sheet with the following categories: Customers, Sales & Marketing, Engineering, Payments & Compliance, Uncertainties, and Trends.

3. Functional Team Mapping:

   • Instruct each functional team to break off and fill out their respective sheets based on their expertise and knowledge.

   • Each team focuses on gathering relevant information and insights related to their assigned category.

4. Presentation:

   • Each functional team presents their filled-out sheets to the full group, sharing key findings, customer needs, market feedback, technological considerations, compliance factors, uncertainties, and emerging trends.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration:

   • Assemble cross-functional teams, ensuring representation from each functional team in each group.

   • Prompt the groups to reflect on the presented context and discuss the actions they can take as a team based on the acquired data and insights.

6. Action Planning:

   • Facilitate a discussion where each cross-functional team identifies and plans specific actions or initiatives they can undertake to leverage the gathered context.

   • Encourage creativity, collaboration, and alignment among team members.

7. Conclusion:

   • Wrap up the workshop by summarizing the discussed actions and emphasizing the importance of cross-functional collaboration in leveraging the organization's context for success.

Note: Adjust the duration of each phase based on the number of functional teams and cross-functional groups, as well as the depth of discussion and planning required.

Organization Ideation and Presentation Workshop

Objective: To encourage creative thinking, generate innovative ideas, and foster collaboration within the organization.

Duration: 60 mins

Activity:

1. Introduction:

   • Begin the workshop by providing an overview of the session's purpose and context.

   • Present relevant company insights or trends to set the stage for ideation.

2. Team Formation:

   • Randomly assign team members into small groups.

3. Ideation:

   • Each team engages in a mind mapping exercise or uses the 'How/Now/Wow' framework to explore ideas related to the selected area or topic.

   • Encourage teams to think freely and capture all ideas by creating branches and adding new elements on nodes.

4. Idea Selection:

   • After the ideation phase, teams vote on their top idea or concept.

5. Project Planning:

   • Teams are given 10 minutes to expand on their top idea and establish a high-level project plan.

   • The plan should include key activities, milestones, and potential resources required for implementation.

6. Presentation Preparation:

   • Each team selects a presenter who will share their idea with the entire organization.

   • The presenter should prepare a concise presentation to showcase their team's idea and project plan.

7. Presentation and Q&A:

   • Presenters deliver their presentations to the full organization, highlighting the selected idea and the project plan.

   • The rest of the group has the opportunity to ask clarifying questions to gain a deeper understanding.

8. Next Steps:

   • Outline the next steps for implementing the selected ideas or concepts.

   • Discuss how the organization can support the chosen initiatives and assign responsibility for further action.

Note: Adjust the duration of each phase according to the complexity of the topic, the number of teams, and the desired level of detail in the discussions and presentations.

We understand that planning team activities for offsites can be a challenging task. That's why we're here to lend a hand! With our extensive experience in organizing hundreds of team offsites, we are confident in our ability to assist you in planning engaging and impactful activities that will meet your team's needs.

Whether you're looking for icebreaker exercises, trust-building activities, problem-solving challenges, or any other specific type of team activity, we have you covered. Our team of experts can provide valuable insights and tailor the activities to suit your unique requirements.

Don't hesitate to schedule a consultation with us. We are passionate about helping teams thrive and fostering a positive and collaborative environment. By working together, we can create a memorable and productive team offsite that will strengthen bonds, improve communication, and drive success.

Let us take the stress out of planning team activities, so you can focus on maximizing the benefits of your offsite. Reach out to us today and let's embark on this journey together!