I’ve worked with more than 50,000 participants in and from more than 150 countries, doing team building, trainer of trainers, and tech tool training.
I’ve held workshops with hippos, whales, and waterbuck nearby. (That’s a waterbuck above at a recent training by the way.)
I carried on when the training facility roof collapsed from torrential rain, and when the compound was attacked.
I’ve seen a thing or three.
What I’ve come to know is that people, regardless of their passport country, want to both stand out and fit in.
People need recognition and a sense of belonging.
Teams can enhance this or trash this.
Working with teams to help them work better together has been the privilege of a lifetime.
I’m all about creating spaces where it’s safe to have fun, work hard, learn, laugh, and lead.
One of my secrets to successfully working with teams is using simple tech tools that amp up engagement, curiosity, and learning.
Like this simple tool that’s always a hit, no matter where I’m working or who I’m with.
After the group is comfortable with each other, at the end of the day for example, I’ll ask folks to draw a picture of themselves with the caveats that the drawing needs to be:
- a full body picture
- facing front
- and no judgment (adults can get funky about being asked to draw)
I let people know that people will be seeing each other’s drawings.
Then I work the magic.
I pick several drawings and animate them.
The next day, to start off the workshop, I’ll show the animations, and have people guess which team member’s drawing it is.
Surprise and delight is a wonderful thing.
It never fails to engage and pique people’s curiosity.
(Both of which are superpowered, high-octane, enhancers of learning.)
Try animating yourself and your colleagues the next time you need a break, some amped-up engagement, or a laugh or three. Your team will thank you for it.
Now go on and learn, laugh, and lead
Learn
- Go to the website Animated Drawings, upload your picture, and follow the simple prompts.
Laugh
- Check out this second example.
Lead
- Try the exercise with your team.
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