Are we on the same Team. As successful as team building ideas and team building Melbourne efforts are as a whole, there are certainly times when the activities do not go according to the plan. Usually these situations are painful and awkward when they occur, but do make amazingly funny stories in the future. Facilitators learn to laugh at themselves (eventually) and know the importance of making every experience a rewarding one that can be used to teach themselves or others in the future. However, the future learning experience pales in comparison to the embarrassment felt during a heated discussion or when team building ideas are rejected or ridiculed. And sometimes, the class is just completely unresponsive, which can be just as bad as if they were mocking the ideas. There are ways to overcome these obstacles that are unique to the profession.
The first rule of thumb is to not take things personally and to not give in to the humiliation. Honestly, a facilitator who would burst into tears at the first sign of opposition is probably in the wrong business anyway. Here are some other ways to ensure you make the most of an uncomfortable situation. Take a Deep Breath It is important to take a mental and emotional step back from the situation to evaluate and gather an unbiased opinion of the present moment. Is it possible that an off-handed remark was meant in good humor and not as an attack on you, the class or another employee? If an offense is ambiguous, choose to forgive and continue as normal.
If you are unsure, but no one else has raised an eyebrow in disbelief, choose to forgive and continue as normal. If you are certain that a comment was disrespectful or otherwise damaging to you or another attendee, address it calmly but firmly. It is appropriate to ask for an apology if you feel it would be warranted. Technical Difficulties One of the most unreliable problems in business, especially for traveling professionals, is the technology required to run the presentation. Sometimes projectors have burned out bulbs, or a flash drive is corrupted or missing, and sometimes a gremlin works its way into the room, destroying everything it touches and you have to just go on with the program.
This can be humiliating for a presenter or public speaker, and it can really hinder the progress of the team building exercise. Stay calm and ask if anyone in the room is an information technology specialist. If not, make copies of the presentation that you printed???just in case this problem occurred.
Are we on the Same Team is a question many ask, but at Teambuilding Australia we deliver the solution.
