Ideas For Teambuilding Activity In DSM Area

carvers4math

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Mar 15, 2012
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Having done and led some team building exercises, your facilitator is pretty key in this process.
If they can't pick up on the cues and help the group deal with them, they are not good at what they do.
That being said, it usually takes more than just a couple of hours to work out issues.

I have never worked anywhere that had anything more than the office Christmas party, but I have worked in some toxic environments and feel like it is at least better to try something like this than not. One of my kids started a new job during Covid and was work from home solely for months, so their Top Golf team building was the first time he even saw many of the people he works with.
 
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coolerifyoudid

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My work is holding a regional meeting in Des Moines in a few weeks. We have a few employees that work locally, but almost everyone is coming from out of town. We will have a group of about 20-30 people. We are staying near the airport.

I've been charged with finding a good social/team building event in the evening. Does anyone have good recommendations?

For reference: we did TopGolf in KC and axe throwing in Houston last year.

I appreciate the help!

Combine these. Go to Willow Creek and throw axes at people trying to putt.
 
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Joe4Cy

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My work is holding a regional meeting in Des Moines in a few weeks. We have a few employees that work locally, but almost everyone is coming from out of town. We will have a group of about 20-30 people. We are staying near the airport.

I've been charged with finding a good social/team building event in the evening. Does anyone have good recommendations?

For reference: we did TopGolf in KC and axe throwing in Houston last year.

I appreciate the help!

You can DM me and check out What I Do - Van Haecke — Inspire Me Mr V
 

TitanClone

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Team building is dumb and worthless…. have no idea why companies waste their time and money on them.
I love getting wasted with my co workers at Up Down or Top Golf here in KC. Easy excuse to get out of the office and let the boss be extra candid.
 

mj4cy

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Team building is dumb and worthless…. have no idea why companies waste their time and money on them.

Not sure if you're serious....

Personally, anytime we've had conferences or team building things in my career, the bonds created seem to grow trust and the idea of "hey these are great people I want to help them succeed" and vice versa. Chatting with a coworker or client over beers is such a disarming way to keep it relaxed and get to know someone on a personal level. Just the sense of community and that you have a common goal with people...in the end its a small investment for the morale boost.
 
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houjix

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I feel your pain OP. I am tasked with something similar for a late-March conference in KC for about 40-45 people. The problem is the planning group wants it to feel unique to KC. There are a few options, but with a relatively limited budget, the conference being mid-week, several of the unique to KC places like museums being closed in the evening and not really doing private tours thanks to Covid, it has been challenging.
 

mramseyISU

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I feel your pain OP. I am tasked with something similar for a late-March conference in KC for about 40-45 people. The problem is the planning group wants it to feel unique to KC. There are a few options, but with a relatively limited budget, the conference being mid-week, several of the unique to KC places like museums being closed in the evening and not really doing private tours thanks to Covid, it has been challenging.

Paintball in a cave could be fun for your group.
 

NickTheGreat

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We rented the go kart place in Grimes, and I think everyone had a good time. Company golf outings in the past have been fun, though we haven't done that in a long time.

I did that at a former employer not too long after it opened. It was fun, and with 20-30 people, there's plenty of non-driving time for the teambuiliding

Escpae room would be fun, but not sure that works with so many people.
 

coolerifyoudid

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I feel your pain OP. I am tasked with something similar for a late-March conference in KC for about 40-45 people. The problem is the planning group wants it to feel unique to KC. There are a few options, but with a relatively limited budget, the conference being mid-week, several of the unique to KC places like museums being closed in the evening and not really doing private tours thanks to Covid, it has been challenging.

Not to brag, but KC did have a near-record number of gun-related homicides last year. You could split into 4 groups of 10, staple $5 bills to your clothes and see who makes it the walk from Ingleside to the Short Stop at 41st and Prospect with the most teammates intact.

Or barbecue works too.
 
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NWICY

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I feel your pain OP. I am tasked with something similar for a late-March conference in KC for about 40-45 people. The problem is the planning group wants it to feel unique to KC. There are a few options, but with a relatively limited budget, the conference being mid-week, several of the unique to KC places like museums being closed in the evening and not really doing private tours thanks to Covid, it has been challenging.

The BBQ bus was really fun but not cheap, did it pre-covid really enjoyed it. Don't know if it still exists.
 

Cyclonepride

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I did that at a former employer not too long after it opened. It was fun, and with 20-30 people, there's plenty of non-driving time for the teambuiliding

Escpae room would be fun, but not sure that works with so many people.

I think we probably had 40 people including kids, and rented it for 2 hours? Most were able to race 3 or 4 times
 

Bipolarcy

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Oct 27, 2008
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Team building is dumb and worthless…. have no idea why companies waste their time and money on them.

We split into groups and sat around a table one time writing about our feelings on pieces of paper, then sharing our "findings" with the rest of the group. The questions ranged from what was going on the last time you felt really happy to name an accomplishment that you were extremely proud of. (One guy said the time I kicked my drug habit).

After about 5 seconds of this crap, I knew it was bullsh!t and my body language (probably more so my mouth) let everyone else know what I thought about it. They finally just kicked me out of the group session as I became more and more vocal about how dumb it was to discuss one's feelings in front of people you barely knew.

I was throwing out bullsh!t answers anyway after hearing the guy say the time I quit drugs, so every subsequent offering I made to the group was more and more outrageous and made up and these idiots wrote it down anyway.

Team building? More like now I know all your deepest darkest secrets and I'm disgusted by you.

This is the time I had an epiphany and realized most people are sheep and will do anything you tell them. I was always skeptical about how cults could form. Why would people let others manipulate them like that? Well, this exercise put those doubts to rest permanently.
 
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CascadeClone

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We split into groups and sat around a table one time writing about our feelings on pieces of paper, then sharing our "findings" with the rest of the group. The questions ranged from what was going on the last time you felt really happy to name an accomplishment that you were extremely proud of. (One guy said the time I kicked my drug habit).

After about 5 seconds of this crap, I knew it was bullsh!t and my body language (probably more so my mouth) let everyone else know what I thought about it. They finally just kicked me out of the group session as I became more and more vocal about how dumb it was to discuss one's feelings in front of people you barely knew.

I was throwing out bullsh!t answers anyway after hearing the guy say the time I quit drugs, so every subsequent offering I made to the group was more and more outrageous and made up and these idiots wrote it down anyway.

Team building? More like now I know all your deepest darkest secrets and I'm disgusted by you.

This is the time I had an epiphany and realized most people are sheep and will do anything you tell them. I was always skeptical about how cults could form. Why would people let others manipulate them like that? Well, this exercise put those doubts to rest permanently.

That's not teambuilding. That's family therapy. Were they trying to resolve some horrible team dynamics or hostility in the office??

I've always had good experiences with teambuilding stuff. Ropes course, board games, golf, bowling, personality profiles, etc. Even when it was bad/dumb, we all kind of bonded together around the stupidity of the guy running the show.

I know some of you have / have had terrible experiences with the environment at your employer. I would just encourage you to get tf out. Some companies just foster a terrible atmosphere or treat employees like garbage. Others are great. Get OUT if you are in a bad one!
 

throwittoblythe

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Apparently "team building" is a bit of a triggering phrase for some.

I'm using that term to describe "We are having a company meeting and need something fun to do when we're done with the business of the day." I'm not talking trust falls or inspirational speakers, just a fun place to take a large group of people who happen to work together.
 
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Bipolarcy

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Oct 27, 2008
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That's not teambuilding. That's family therapy. Were they trying to resolve some horrible team dynamics or hostility in the office??

I've always had good experiences with teambuilding stuff. Ropes course, board games, golf, bowling, personality profiles, etc. Even when it was bad/dumb, we all kind of bonded together around the stupidity of the guy running the show.

I know some of you have / have had terrible experiences with the environment at your employer. I would just encourage you to get tf out. Some companies just foster a terrible atmosphere or treat employees like garbage. Others are great. Get OUT if you are in a bad one!

No. The woman who conducted this exercise was the aunt of one of the salesman and she did this for a living. I guess the salesman casually brought her up to the boss and he thought it would be a good idea to hire her to do her thing with us. Only problem was her thing was bullsh!t and I still can't believe I'm the only one who noticed it. The emperor had no clothes.
 

CYdTracked

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cyclonespiker33

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No. The woman who conducted this exercise was the aunt of one of the salesman and she did this for a living. I guess the salesman casually brought her up to the boss and he thought it would be a good idea to hire her to do her thing with us. Only problem was her thing was bullsh!t and I still can't believe I'm the only one who noticed it. The emperor had no clothes.
Maybe you're just an ahole?
 

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