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Team dynamics workshop

This workshop on teamwork and team dynamics is designed to

- Support teambuilding and grow team cohesion within the group

- Help to reach a better understanding about what makes a team and how it functions

Suggested number of participants: 8-20

TIME LENGTH

09:00 10m

09:10 15m

09:25 10m

09:35 20m

Teamwork

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 09:55 30m

10:25 20m

10:45 30m

11:15 20m

Team Dynamics

11:35 15m

11:50 15m

12:05 40m

12:45 15m

13:00

TOTAL LENGTH: 4h 00m

MATERIALS:
 Flipchart with Tuckman's 5 step model in Stages of Team Dynamics
 20 sticks of spaghetti per team in Marshmallow challange
 one yard of tape per team in Marshmallow challange
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 one yard of string per team in Marshmallow challange
 A timer that is visible for everyone in Marshmallow challange
 Flipchart with session goals in Introduction
 Post-it notes x 2 in Expectations | Exercise
 Markers in Expectations
 Empty flipchart just with the title: Expectations in Expectations
 4 tables in Exercise
 Two sheets of paper and a pen for each group in Common and Unique

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Team dynamics workshop - block details

Introduction

09:00 | 10m
Introduce yourself and the goals of the training, ground rules.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
-

MATERIALS
 Flipchart with session goals

Icebreaker: The Group Map

09:10 | 15m
Ask people to place themselves on an imaginary map laid out in the room representing the country according to where they grew up. Ask
them to share one internal value they got from that place, and why is that important for them. Encourage people to share a short story if they
want

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Participate in the icebreaker yourself, and start with your own example to demonstrate. Make it not longer than a minute per participant

INSTRUCTIONS
This icebreaker can be useful for any group session where participants are coming from different geographical regions, either within a certain
country or internationally.
Make sure you have a big enough room for this activity, depending on the group size and the geographical diversity of your group.
1. Explain that the area available for the exercise will serve as an imaginary map, representing a certain a certain region / country /
continent / the world - depending on which is applicable to your group. Show were is North on the map.
2. Ask participants to move to the point on the map where they grew up. (You may modify it, e.g. Where were they born, or where they went
to school).
3. Ask a reflective question to participants, something that helps them to open up and they are happy to talk about. 
One of my favourite questions is: "Think about what is valuable for you that you got from growing up there, something that you took with
yourself. Not an object, but a value or characteristic feature. Explain briefly why is this important to you."
For this question, people tend to reflect on some positive memories, and often give answers such as: love of nature (as they e.g. spent a lot of
time outdoors), lively family atmosphere (e.g. if they had a big family), the value of teamwork (e.g. if they practised a team sport
competitively).
Give them about a minute to arrange themselves on the map and think about their answers
4. Ask participants to share one-by-one: where did they grow up, and what they took from there.
If you have time, encourage them to share a short story why was this experience important to them (but only of the want to share)

This exercise helps to discover people some common points they have, e.g. having been born in the same region, or playing the same sports,
having big families, etc..

Tips:
 It can be useful if you take the first turn with speaking and show an example of what depth and length of answers they might give

 If the first one or two answers are too fun or too serious, it can easily bias the rest of the people.

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Expectations

09:25 | 10m
Collect and clarify expectations of participants:
 Hand out post-its and markers to each participant.
 Give then 2 minutes to write their main expectations on the post-its.
 After 2 minutes, ask them to share their expectations one-by-one, and put their post-its on the flipchart

MATERIALS
 Post-it notes
 Markers
 Empty flipchart just with the title: Expectations

Common and Unique

09:35 | 20m
Create groups of 4-5 people, and let them discover what they have in common, along with interesting characteristics that are unique to a
person in the group.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
See full description under Block details

MATERIALS
 Two sheets of paper and a pen for each group

GOALS
It promotes unity as it gets people to realize that they have more common ground with their peers than they first might realize.

As people become aware of their own unique characteristics, they can also help people feel empowered to offer the group something unique.

INSTRUCTIONS
Form groups of five to eight people and give them two sheets of paper and a pencil or pen. The first part of the activity is Commonalities,
where each subgroup compiles a list of the things they have in common. In order for it to make the list, it must apply to everyone in the
subgroup. You want to avoid writing things that people can see (e.g. “everyone has hair,” or “we are all wearing clothes”). Try to get them to
dig deeper. After about 5 minutes, have a spokesperson from each subgroup read their list.
Then, depending on your goals for the session, you can have half of each subgroup rotate to another group for Uniquities or you can leave
everyone in the same group. On the second sheet of paper have them record uniquities, meaning that each item applies to only one person
in the group. The group tries to find at least 2 uniquities for each person. After 5-7 minutes, you can have each person say one of their
uniquities or have a person read them one by one, having others try to guess who it was. (Again, you want to go beyond the superficial,
avoiding those things that people can readily see).

Teamwork

Marshmallow challange

09:55 | 30m
In eighteen minutes, teams must build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string,
and one marshmallow. The marshmallow needs to be on top.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Prepare the materials per team (see under Block details)

MATERIALS
 20 sticks of spaghetti per team
 one yard of tape per team
 one yard of string per team
 A timer that is visible for everyone

GOALS
Create an intense teamwork experience that serves as basis for debriefing

INSTRUCTIONS
Create teams of four participants, explain the task below and run the challenge.
The task is simple: in eighteen minutes, teams must build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape,
one yard of string, and one marshmallow. The marshmallow needs to be on top.
Emphasise the following details of the instructions:

 Build the Tallest Freestanding Structure: The winning team is the one that has the tallest structure measured from the table top surface
to the top of the marshmallow. That means the structure cannot be suspended from a higher structure, like a chair, ceiling or chandelier.

 The Entire Marshmallow Must be on Top: The entire marshmallow needs to be on the top of the structure. Cutting or eating part of the
marshmallow disqualifies the team.

 Use as Much or as Little of the Kit: The team can use as many or as few of the 20 spaghetti sticks, as much or as little of the string or
tape. The team cannot use the paper bag as part of their structure.

 Break up the Spaghetti, String or Tape: Teams are free to break the spaghetti, cut up the tape and string to create new structures.

 The Challenge Lasts 18 minutes: Teams cannot hold on to the structure when the time runs out. Those touching or supporting the
structure at the end of the exercise will be disqualified.
 Ensure Everyone Understands the Rules: Don’t worry about repeating the rules too many times. Repeat them at least three times. Ask if
anyone has any questions before starting.

After the clock runs out, ask everyone in the room to sit down so everyone can see the structures. Measure the structures and announce the
winning team.
After the challenge is finished, move on with the debriefing (using the attached ppt for the next block)

Source: Tom Wujec - Marshmallow challenge

TED video and Group discussion

10:25 | 20m
Show TED video of Tom Wujec, facilitate a group discussion afterwards

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0_yKBitO8M

Debriefing

10:45 | 30m
Show debriefing questions and instruct to:

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1) Reflect alone (5 mins)

2) Sharing within team (10 mins)

3) Triad discussions with extra questions about roles (3*3 mins)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
See debriefing questions attached

Coffee Break

11:15 | 20m

Team Dynamics

Stages of Team Dynamics

11:35 | 15m
Give a brief overview of Tuckman's 5-step model.

Find an example from the previous conversations of the groups & link the different stages to that.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Have a flipchart prepared with the model.

MATERIALS
 Flipchart with Tuckman's 5 step model

Group discussion: team vs. group

11:50 | 15m
Discuss in two groups, give 5 minutes for group discussion, then each team presents the outcomes.
Leading questions:
 What makes a team?

 What makes a group?

Exercise

12:05 | 40m
Engage participants in the model by having them act out each stage of the model, and then conduct a debriefing discussion.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
See more details on full block view.

MATERIALS
 4 tables
 Post-it notes

GOALS
Provide an activity where participants can actively engage with the Tuckman's theory.

INSTRUCTIONS
Four corners of the room represent each stage.
Get participants into 4 groups, one in each corner. They have to act out a one-minute scenario to demonstrate/illustrate for the rest of the
group a team that is working at that stage.
Give 10 mins to prepare. Before watching the performances, give post-its to note what they were thinking or feeling at that time.
After the 4 performances, review with whole group at end to highlight what they noticed and what they might do in that team, at that stage,
to help the team dynamic work well and move forward.

Closing circle

12:45 | 15m
Cross-check expectations

Ask feedback