Businesses often ask employees to complete projects that require they work as a team. Working together has many benefits, including the possibility to create new friendships, a sense of group accomplishment and distribution of responsibilities. Conversely, teamwork also may cause tension and anxiety among employees because of poor communication.

Effective communication can eliminate much of the stress and negative feelings sometimes associated with working closely as a team. Businesses should encourage their employees to communicate with one another clearly when working together. This is especially important for smaller companies, whose employees often must work closely with one another.

At the end of this workshop, participants should be able to:

• Understand the different kinds of teams
• Discuss the necessary steps to develop team norms
• Use the Gradients of agreement in meetings
• Identify team player styles of their colleagues
• Discuss ways to become a better team player
• Explore different ways for building team trust
• Examine two models of team development
• Identify common communication problems that may be holding them back
• Develop skills in asking questions
• Identify what their non-verbal messages are telling others
• Develop skills in listening actively and empathetically
• Enhance their ability to handle difficult situations
• Deal with situations assertively

Course Outline:

Introduction and Course Overview

You will spend the first part of the day getting to know participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

Defining Teams

To get started, you will guide participants to define what a team is and what different kinds of teams there are. You will also have participants demonstrate synergy through a simple exercise.

Establishing Team Norms

This session will look at some of the benefits and pitfalls of teams. We will also discuss establishing team norms: ground rules that a team can use to help them work together.

Working as a Team

During this session, you will have participants look at a tool called the Gradients of Agreement. You will also discuss how it can help them interact with their teammates.

Glenn Parker Team Survey

During this session, participants will complete a survey constructed by Glenn Parker, a business consultant who has done a great deal of research on teams. This survey will help participants identify their team player style. Participants will then work in small groups to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their style.

Building Team Trust

Trust is one of those mainstay virtues. It is the bond that allows any kind of significant relationship to exist between people. In small groups, participants will discuss some basic ways to establish and build trust on their team.

The Stages of Team Development

Every group of people, whether they are a team or just a group working together, grows and evolves. We will spend this session looking at Tuckman and Jensen’s four stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing.

Towers

Another way of looking at team development is the TORI model. Participants will experience this model through a fun exercise.

Communication

If a team is going to succeed, they must be able to communicate well with each other. This session will cover some basic principles of communication.

Becoming a Good Team Player

There are some skills that participants can develop to become better team players. In this session, we will discuss some Really Useful Attitudes and some Really Useless Attitudes.

The Ten Commandments of Positive Relationships

During this session, participants will explore ten ways to build positive relationships, including using uplifting messages.

Self-Awareness

Knowing your fears can help you address them. Participants will complete a self-confidence assessment and then the group will discuss fears and solutions.

Communication

During this session, you will help participants identify their strengths and weaknesses through a personal exercise and a role-play.

Communication Barriers

After a large group case study, participants will work in small groups to discuss barriers to communication. Participants will also complete a short exercise to illustrate how these barriers apply to everyday life.

Asking Questions

This session will examine questioning skills (including open questions, closed questions, and probing) through a lecture and a pairs exercise.

Listening Skills

Participants will work on their listening skills by participating in two quizzes and a role play. We have also provided two lectures for the trainer.

Remembering Names

To start the second day, participants will complete a list of the names of other participants. Then, the trainer can segue into a discussion on tips for remembering names.

Body Language

To begin this session, the trainer will talk about the idea of body language in a lecture. Then, participants will complete a small group exercise and a large group exercise to explore the concept further.

Jo-Hari Windows

The Jo-Hari Window is a way of looking at our self-awareness and our ability to ask feedback of others. We will look at the Johari Window in detail during this session.

Self-Image

During this session, we will look at the things people determine from your appearance. Participants will explore this idea further using the pictures gathered from the pre-assignment. The session will conclude with a self-evaluation exercise.

Frame of Reference

This session will explore our frame of reference and the assumptions that we make through a lecture, large group exercise, and group discussion.

Five Approaches to Relationships

We will begin this topic with a short lecture. Then, participants will explore a particular approach of their choice in a small group. Next, each group will report their findings.

Assertiveness

How we see ourselves has an impact on how we interact with others. Through lecture, case studies, and discussion, this session will investigate ways that participants can improve their self-image and thereby deal with difficult situations assertively and positively.

Workshop Wrap-Up

At the end of the day, participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.