Team Building

One of the popular activities requested by corporations is TEAM BUILDING.

What is team building? The term refers to a wide range of activities that are presented to a group of people with the intention of improving performance. This can range from simple bonding exercises to complex simulations. The main goal is to bring out the best in a team to ensure self development, positive communication, leadership skills and the ability to work closely together as a team to problem solve.

People in every part of a company speak of building the team, or working as a team. Belonging to a team is a result of feeling part of something bigger than you. In a team-oriented environment you contribute to the overall success of the company. You work with fellow members of the organization to produce these results.

Reasons for team building:

  • Improve communication
  • Making the workplace more enjoyable
  • Motivation
  • Getting to know one another
  • Learning one’s own strengths and weaknesses
  • Improving productivity
  • Practicing effective collaboration with team members

Team building exercises may be adapted for any setting, young or old, large or small and across cultures. We at Yankee Lady would like to help with these exercises and would be happy to supply one of our beautiful ships as your Toronto venue.

Not only can we assist (if you want us to!) with facilitating your activities, or suggesting games to play, we can follow the work with a fun and relaxing Toronto Harbour cruise with food and beverages.

So the next time you are considering doing a team building event, consider a boat cruise on one of our lovely yachts as the destination. Call us at 416-868-0000 or email us for further information.

TEAM BUILDING GAME (Suggestions)

Chinny Chin Chin
2 or 3 teams of 10 (or other even number) One piece of fruit for each team (orange, large lemon, etc.)

How to play: Have the teams line up in lines, one person behind the other. Give the first person in each line a piece of fruit. The object of the game is to be the first team to pass the fruit up and back down the line by passing it using only their chins (no hands). If they drop the fruit they must start again at the beginning of the line. If anyone uses their hands, they must start over at the beginning.

DO THE LIMBO
Have everyone line up in one line, short people up front. Have one person demonstrate the correct way to do the LIMBO, chest and face toward the ceiling. Have each person LIMBO under the pole. Depending upon time, lower the pole slower or faster. Eliminate those doing the LIMBO improperly, or who can’t make it beneath the pole.

MUSICAL CHAIRS
Use one less chair than number of participants at the beginning. Line the chairs up the middle of the floor, side by side with every other chair facing the opposite way. Start the music. The participants must walk around the chairs in the direction you choose while the music is playing.
Suddenly shut the music off and everybody must try to find a chair. The person standing is out. Take out a chair and do the same process again. Keep it up until there is only 1 chair and 1 person sitting in the chair. That person is the winner.

LOST AT SEA
You have chartered a yacht with friends with a hired and experienced crew. Unfortunately, in the mid Atlantic, a fierce fire breaks out, the crew are lost and the yacht is destroyed and is slowly sinking. Your location is unclear. Your best estimate is that you are many hundreds of miles from the nearest landfall. You and your friends have managed to save 15 items, undamaged and intact after the fire. In addition, you have salvaged a life raft and a box of matches.

Your task is to rank the 15 items in terms of their importance as you wait to be rescued. Each team must rank each item from 1 to 15 in importance. Have everyone put into teams to collaborate on what they feel is important and then each group presents.
Each group will share their thoughts and ideas, discuss with each other why they have different scores, etc. And was this enough to survive. Expert analysis is provided for what is deemed the best answer (made by Transport Canada/Coast Guard) and why.

You’d be amazed at what people come up to. The 15 items are:

  • A Sextant
  • Shaving mirror
  • Mosquito netting
  • 25 liter container of water
  • Case of rations
  • Maps of the Pacific Ocean
  • Floating seat cushion
  • 10 litre can of oil
  • Small transistor radio
  • 20 square feet of Opaque plastic sheeting
  • Can of shark repellent
  • One bottle of 160 per cent proof rum
  • 15ft of nylon rope
  • 2 boxes of chocolate bars
  • A fishing kit.

We will provide the sheets for you.

GUESS WHO I AM
Each person has pinned to their backs,(do it as they board the boat) a piece of paper with a name on it. E.g. CN Tower, Britney Spears, Pearl Harbour, etc. It can be the name of a famous person, place or thing. The person does not see it, and must ask of his fellow players questions, so he can guess who he/she is. This is an ice breaker and makes people talk to each other. If you want to put a score to it….perhaps, the first 5 people who guess correctly will be awarded points or a prize.

FIND MY OTHER HALF
Similar to Guess Who I am…however, people are given a piece of paper with a name on it…they see it, but they must find others in the group who are teammates….e.g. Lois Lane and Clark Kent; CN Tower & Toronto; Eiffel Tower & Paris; Mutt & Jeff; etc. Makes people find another person…and go searching.

INTERESTING CONNECTIONS
You have five minutes to discover an interesting, surprising and separate connection you share with each person in your team. A different connection with each person, not a single connection that every team member shares. Interesting and surprising does not include working for the same company, living in the same city or the same colour of hair.

Try to find a connection or something in common that surprises both of you. The purpose of the exercise is to ensure that each person of the team ask some questions and gives some answers about themselves and all other team members, and so gets to know each other better.

TORONTO HARBOUR QUESTIONNAIRE
Each person, or team is given a questionnaire (multiple guess) that has questions pertaining to the boat, the harbour and the staff on board. You have to get the answers by looking around, and putting in the correct answers. Team/person with the most correct answers (or soonest to complete totally correct) wins the prize or points.

NAME THAT TUNE
A Musical guessing game…themes from old TV shows etc. The DJ runs this game. You have to write down the names of the songs, and the team with the most correct win.

THE DICTIONARY GAME
Fool other teams into choosing your team’s definition. Goal: to get the most points by choosing the correct definition or fooling the other team into choosing your definition. Provide pen and paper for each group. Split everyone into groups Pass out a work sheet with words (we have the list). Each team will need to create definitions for each word.

The object is to create the most dictionary-sounding definition, even if you don’t know what the word means. After about five or six minutes, collect all the worksheets. Read the first word aloud. Read all of the team’s definition s for the word, including the correct word definition.

Each team has to choose which definition they believe is correct. If the team picks the right definition, they get 1 point. If a team’s definition gets chosen by other teams, the team with the definition will get 2 points for every team they fool. Continue with the rest of the words. The team with the the most points wins the game.

We want to be part of your team building!

Boat cruises and dinner cruises for Corporate Events, Weddings and all types of Private Parties.

Yankee Lady Yacht Charters Office
249 Queens Quay West, Unit 110
Toronto, ON
M5J 2N5
Phone: 416-868-0000
Fax: 416-868-0072

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