A Team Connection Activity To Bond Over

Reading Time: < 1 minutes

One of the hardest parts about working on a remote team is finding ways to connect, build trust and bond.

No matter how smart, hard-working or creative your team members are if you don’t have reciprocity and trust, you cannot work together well. A close-knit, high-trust team is also more productive.

Team-Building and Personal Sharing

Setting the stage for open, trusting, creative interaction among teams is crucial to the success of this activity. Disclosure exercises, personal sharing, and team challenges can help to establish the supportive, cooperative environment that you seek. Here is one example of a personal-sharing activity:

Preparation.

In an offsite location, each participant brings three items that represent something of profound importance in his or her life, past or current.

Process.

Each person in turn stands in front of the group and shows one item at a time, expressing why this is fundamental to who they are. The item should be carefully passed through the group as the owner talks about its relevance.

Outcome.

With these disclosures, people come to know each other better. The sharing activity personalizes each role on the team and trust increases.

Key to Success.

Allocating a specific duration for this team-building activity is important. You can be hard-hitting at 1 minute per item or allow a total of 10 minutes per person, which gives people time to share more significant information if they are so inclined. If you choose the longer format, you would let about three people speak during any one session and then repeat the process throughout the day until everyone has had time to share.