Your team communicates in many different ways: face-to-face, Skype, instant message, and by email. But does it do so effectively?
Poor communication lies at the root of many team problems. It can lead to mistakes, quality issues, conflict, missed deadlines, and lost opportunities. That’s why it often pays to help people develop their in-team communication skills.
No matter how well your team communicates, using group activities to strengthen existing skills can be an enjoyable way of developing good working relationships. They’re especially useful for building relationships and improving communication in new teams, and for solving communication issues within existing teams. Activities that focus on communication can also help people develop problem-solving, creativity and leadership skills.
To test how your team communicates outside of their typical environment, consider booking a room at Escape Games PDX. This is a great activity that requires leadership skills, teamwork, logic, and patience. It gives your team a chance to have fun, and is ideal for both small and large groups.
Here’s how it works: Team members will be “locked” in a room for one hour. During that time, they have to find hidden objects, solve puzzles, and figure out clues to locate the key that will set them free. And it isn’t easy, only 30% of players actually make it out before the hour is up.
Escape Games PDX has 3 different room themes that will challenge even the most savvy of players. Some groups choose to play one room, take some time to debrief and then come back afterwards for another round to see if they can beat their original time. Alternatively, you could mix up the team members to see if communication is just as effective with different people that they may not work as closely with on a day-to-day basis.
When talking with your team after this exercise, here are some questions to ask:
- How did participants communicate within the group?
- Were there any miscommunications? If so, what happened?
- How did their listening skills change and adapt when under time pressures?
- Which strategies worked? Which didn’t?
- How can they use the lessons from this exercise at work?
So, remember, a team that communicates well together is more effective, more productive, and more successful — not to mention happier and more fun to work with!