Template

Team building session template

Time set aside for a team to get to know each other as people and see how they work together — useful when new people join, teams merge, or things feel strained.

60 minutesFor A whole team, with a facilitatorAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. Why we are here5 min
    • What do we want to be different after today?
  2. Something about you15 min
    • What is something about your life outside work that would surprise us?
  3. How I work best15 min
    • When do you do your best work, and what gets in the way?
  4. How we work together15 min
    • What do we do well as a team, and what is one thing to change?
  5. One agreement10 min
    • What will we do differently, starting this week?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Why. Two teams merged in October.

How I work best. Most prefer mornings without meetings.

Together. Good at helping each other; bad at saying no to new requests.

Agreement. No meetings before 11 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Running it well

Ways to change it

RemoteShorter, with cameras on and small breakout groups.
Off-siteAdd a shared activity — cooking, a walk, a game — before the work part.

When to skip it. If the team is in real conflict; that needs a facilitated conversation about the conflict, not team building.

Questions

What is a team building session?

Time spent helping team members get to know each other and work together better, through conversation, activities and agreements.

What activities work for team building?

Sharing how each person works best, solving a real problem together, and agreeing one change — usually more lasting than games alone.

How often should teams do team building?

When the team changes — new members, a merger, a new manager — and perhaps once or twice a year otherwise.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

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