Earlier this week, the IT team participated in a team building and communication workshop, affectionately called GUTS (Group Unity Training Sessions), presented by ComedySportz Indianapolis.
We were fortunate to have the co-founder of ComedySportz Indianapolis, Ed Trout, and highly skilled ComedySportz player, Beth Perdue-Outland, lead the engaging, interactive, and entertaining activities and open our eyes to what we could learn. Ed shared that there are five pillars at ComedySportz to keep everyone focused on what matters most, and the pillars are what enables their success. The five pillars are:
- Pay close attention to others
- Find ways to agree on the reality of the situation
- Work as a team
- Fully commit to the things we do
- Have fun and find joy in what you do
Many memories were made during this workshop, which made it possible to create a common platform for conversations to be had in the future about teamwork, communication, fear of failure, and risk taking. Here are a few of the activities we participated in and the lessons they offered the group:
Snap, 2, 3 – In this game, a duo was to alternate between counting and hand motions that increased with complexity as the activity progressed. While seemingly simple, the task was difficult until the partners understood how best to work together and find their own cadence and path to success. It taught us the value of paying attention to our team member, and though the relationship may get off to a rocky start, success can be found when the team is focused on the same goal.
Everybody Go… – This silly activity consisted of the large group standing in a circle and one at a time, a team member would make a sound and some kind of gesture that the entire group would agree to do and then mimic it as closely as they could. Often funny and creating many laughs, the group realized that even though they were doing something silly there was strength in unity and it didn’t seem so silly when you had buy-in from the group. It really shows others that you respect them when you’re willing to be foolish with them!
Storytelling – The simple instruction to this activity was to again sit in a large group circle and one person at a time, continue to tell the story by sharing just one word. Here we learned the value of listening, not just to the few people in your immediate vicinity, but to the entire group. There was no singular right word; one person’s contribution was equally as valuable as all others telling the story. It wasn’t best for the team for one person to show off by being the funniest or to stand out, but rather the value was in the entire story.
Last Letter/First Letter and What I Heard Was – These exercises were done in partners, requiring each pair to open up to one another and employ close listening skills. Often times in the rush of the day, we don’t get time to say what we really want or are trying to say and, for similar reasons, don’t listen to the entirety of what someone else says. Team building starts with communication and showing respect to others by valuing what they have to say and beginning to understand the unique perspective they bring to the table.
At the end of the day, Ed left us with a ComedySportz motto, “We play to win, but don’t care if we lose.” This mindset keeps work joyful for them; yes, the goal is to win and make the show enjoyable for the audience, but it can only be had when the individual players put their personal ambitions aside. This approach to success ends up with a win for everyone!
If you’d like to participate in a similar activity, here is a link to their website with more information: Comedy Sportz Team Building.