How to have a successful team outing. I am sharing some of my life experiences to tell you about my outings in the hope that it will trigger memories of your work outings.
When I reached a certain age, I heard from my father what all fathers say to their sons. “Time to get a job, son.” So, I went to the local mall to get a job I held for seven years. My best memories of the job were not the job but the Saturday nights. After closing the store on Saturday nights, we trooped over to the pizza place that stayed open later than the actual mall. Even employees not working that night would arrive for the night of the team outing.
It was a chance to get away from the workplace and have non-work conversations, not that there weren't any work conversations. Those conversations were the icebreakers that led to the non-work discussions.
I remember being presented with my Employee of the Route Card award at another team outing (at another job). So, team outings are also perfect places for awards to be presented. This was when I was with the Ringling Circus.
TEAM OUTINGS
In the movie A Beautiful Mind, Alicia says to Professor Nash, “You do eat, don’t you?”
Think about it: any Team Outing can only be completed with food or drink. We all go home and sit in front of the TV to eat. But, eating is a more enjoyable activity with others. Those TV characters are not the best company. They are cheap substitutes for real people. The family meal, where we all sit together to dine, is the best. Those families have a stronger bond as a family. We all started out eating gathered around the family table.
Next in our lives, we find ourselves at school, where we bond with classmates and eat together in the cafeteria. Next came dating. Where did you go? You went out to eat to get to know each other. Lunch at work is much more enjoyable when done with co-workers. How is work more enjoyable? When you have a good friend to work with. How do you bond with a co-worker? Over a good meal with the opportunity to have a conversation.
Activity
When you throw a party, you can throw a bunch of people into a room and hope they mingle. Or, you can increase the chances of social interaction among your guests by having an activity that brings them all together for one goal. Isn’t that what you want them to be doing at work anyway? Working towards a common goal.
In sports, teams have practices. At work, there is no practicing. Yet, I am going to say a team outing is a practice session.
The most well-known party game is Charades. Yet nobody plays it anymore, right? Yes, we do, in a way. Charades have just evolved into another form—a game like Pictionary, where teams draw pictures. For years now, workplaces have had softball teams and bowling teams. A team outing where individuals have their turn. They are not there to watch but to participate, to have their turn. The conversation is: ” Way to go, “I didn’t know you had it in you,” and “You were brilliant.” This conversation extends to their workplace the following day. Praise and encouragement strengthen bonds, increasing pride in the job and the company.
I watched a video on YouTube of people playing a turn-based board game. I was amused as the match seemed to pause while the players broke into a conversation among themselves. It is a game where players enjoy each other’s company while playing the game.
