Every other month, our team converges for a 2-day mini retreat to bring our dispersed team together from around the country. One day is more priorities-focused: determining department objectives, collaborating on special projects, and strategizing goals for the future. The other day is objectively more fun: we celebrate successes, share personal anecdotes, and snack on lots of food. Well, we pretty much eat a week’s worth of food the entire time we’re together. Team members take turns rotating ownership of retreat planning, infusing their personal touch into the agenda items, team building activities, and food choices. This retreat’s team activity combined creativity with vulnerability and helped us get to know one another on a deeper level.
Materials Needed:
- 1 Large Flipchart Sheet or 4 Pieces of Printer Paper (per person)
- Markers, Crayons, or Colored Pencils
Prompt/Questions:
You can write any 4 questions that fit your team personality or level of comfortability.
- What strength/skill set do you bring to the team?
- What is a goal of yours (personal or professional)?
- What annoys you most at work (or in a team situation)?
- What is great about this team?
Directions:
For remote/dispersed teams: Use a whiteboard tool in Zoom or Teams
- Give each team member a piece of flip chart paper (or 4 sheets of printer paper) and some markers.
- If using flip chart paper, have them draw an X and Y-axis to divide the paper into 4 quadrants.
- Direct team members to draw (not write) their response to four question prompts (putting each response in a separate quadrant)
- One-by-one debrief: Have team members work through one question/prompt at a time, and debrief after each question before re-drawing
- Comprehensive debrief: Give team members 5-10 minutes to complete all four quadrants, then debrief all responses, one question at a time
What We Learned:
🫂 At our core, our team CARES about each other
🤝 We committed to honoring each other’s goals and holding each other accountable
⚖️ Our strengths complement one another and help keep us on track while still prioritizing fun
😈 We have similar annoyances
🥸 Some of us are better at drawing
