The Demographics of Team Building

Trying to Decide How To Choose The Right Team Building Event For Your Group. Be Sure To Consider The Demographics of Your Group

Many times when we get calls from someone interested in organizing a team building activity we hear things like, “My boss loves ropes courses. Do you have anything like that?” Or, “I’ve been there and done everything, wow me with something I’ve never seen before.”

Now, I’m not saying that you should ignore what the boss wants. And, we pride ourselves on coming up with concepts that are, well, “wildly different!” But, I always want to ask these people, “What are the demographics of your group and what would make them happy?” After all, getting a big cheer from your group for the wonderful experience they had makes your boss happy and makes you look like a rock star, right?

So, today I’m going to encourage you to keep the demographics of your group in mind when planning your next team building event. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What is the age range? Have a younger group? Maybe they’d love to make videos to rival those posted on YouTube in one of our Make a Scene events. Have an older group? It doesn’t always mean you shouldn’t go active (see my colleague Mac’s story below), but it does lead to the next question, which is…

• How physically active is the group? Would they be keen to run relays? Or, is something more sedentary, like decorating plant pots to donate to the elderly in a nursing home, more their style?

• What’s the male vs. female ratio? Just because there are men in the group doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy something like our Icing on the Cake decorating competition – remember, the Cake Boss is a man! But, if the group is mostly male, they may be more at home with an event like our Spud Racer activity where they make racecars out of fruits and vegetables, which will remind them of their scouting pinewood derby days.

• Are they a shy bunch that would cringe at the thought of having to stand in front of their peers and compete in a Karaoke-style Raise Your Voice competition? Or, are they more outgoing
• How will they be dressed? Women in short skirts, high heels and perfectly coiffed hair may not appreciate our With Flying Colors event, which is a blast, but has players visiting activity stations and getting color thrown on them if they complete the activity successfully!

• Do they all speak English well? If not, Treasure Hunts with cleverly worded clues may not be the ideal event for them.

Think about your group and they’ll thank you!

An Oldie But A Goodie… Team Building For Older Adults

As referenced above, Mac learned that being older doesn’t always mean not being active! During a recent Beach Dash event, a series of beach-themed relays, she noticed the flowery green lei team had a gentleman who was over 80 years old!  She worried about how he’d do, but whenever a new game was introduced, there he was riding a pool noodle, Hula-Hooping, or tossing fish into a team member’s hip baskets right along with the best of them. His team’s beach song presentation did not disappoint either.  Each man on the team took the stage with a beer in their hand (a practical prop, of course), and perfectly-timed choreography to go along to with their original composition.  Although he was not the lead singer during their song, his enthusiasm was contagious! This one man’s spirit kept his team motivated, got him voted most valuable player and ultimately his team went on to win the gold!

A Doggone Great Visit with Orlando Health

Just as you have to keep your group’s demographics in mind when planning your team building event, if you’re doing a charitable event, keep the charity in mind! What do they want and need? To find out, Jane met with Theresa Eber, Manager, Corporate Giving for Orlando Health Foundation /Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation to ask what they could use. They spent over an hour brainstorming new charitable team building concepts that would help the organization impact lives.  A tour of their campus is being planned to inspire us even more when it comes to making our CSR events that much more impactful.

On a side note, Jane even got inspired to see if her dog, Duke, could become a therapy dog. In Jane’s words, “He has a gentleness about him and people tend to love him when they see him.” Is she partial? See the picture below and let us know what you think!

Aww…Moments

We had a couple of tearjerkers this week when…

…Mac’s client couldn’t stop crying after her group assembled care packages for the troops, which made her think of the many friends and family members she knows who are serving.

… 150 kids were jumping up and down when Aeme dropped off TOMS shoes one of our groups decorated and donated to the Jack & Jill Center. Watch this space, as rumor has it we’ll get pictures of these kids in their new kicks next week!