New Year Team Building Activity

Try this new year team building activity inspired by my colleague, Victoria Labalme:

1. Distribute four index cards to each team member.
2. On the first card, have them write the headline “GREAT” and then set the timer to 2 minutes.  Explain that they have two minutes to scribble down all the things that were GREAT about work/the team during the previous year.  Then start the timer and call time after 2 minutes.
3. On the second card, have them write the headline “CHALLENGES” and set the timer to 2 minutes.  Explain that they have two minutes to scribble down all the CHALLENGES they encountered at work/on the team during the previous year.  Then start the timer and call time after 2 minutes.
4. On the third card, have them write the headline “MORE OF/START” and set the timer to 2 minutes. Explain that they have two minutes to scribble down all the things they think they/the team should do MORE OF or START doing during the year.  Then start the timer and call time after 2 minutes.
5. On the fourth card, have them write the headline “LESS OF/STOP” and set the timer to 2 minutes. Explain that they have two minutes to scribble down all the things they think they/the team should do LESS OF or STOP doing during the year.  Then start the timer and call time after 2 minutes.
6. Then do four different lightning rounds (where each person shares ONE thing they wrote on the card and keep going around until they have shared all their ideas) focusing on GREATS first, then CHALLENGES, MORE OF/START, and finishing with LESS OF/STOP.  (Hint:  If challenged for time, you can also space this out if having a longer meeting or kick off future team meetings with a lightning round).

It’s a great opportunity to celebrate the wins of the year, find out what is top of mind, and creatively set some opportunities for improvement.  Give it a try and let me know how this new years team activity goes!

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For more team-building activity ideas, check out Kristin Arnold’s book, Team Energizers.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Kristin Arnold

KRISTIN ARNOLD, MBA, CSP, CPF|Master has been facilitating meaningful conversations between executives and managers to make better decisions and achieve extraordinary results for 25+ years. She's a leading authority on moderating panel discussions and passionate about finding the perfect olive to complement a vodka martini.