There’s never a bad time to build morale and encourage cooperation on your team at work, and the beginning of the year is especially perfect. People will be relaxed and have a new lease on life after the holiday season, so they may be more receptive to new experiences and ideas. Plan a team building event to capitalize on their positive attitudes and instill lessons that will help them (and your company) succeed in the coming year.

Tips to Creating Off-Site Events for Company Culture

One of the best ways to create a successful and memorable team building event is to take everyone off-site and give them a change of scenery. When they’re away from the office, it will be easier for everyone to engage in activities they normally wouldn’t do. Some off-site activities will feel more like a special treat instead of a learning experience. That makes it easier for your employees to relax and get into the event. When people buy into the experience, the learning comes more easily.

Another benefit of getting away from the office is it helps people get their mind away from the day-to-day. No one will get distracted by a work call or try sneaking back to their desk to check emails. People can also let go of their differences when they’re away from stressful situations that may cause disputes.

Tips for Team Building Events

The best team building events give everyone a role to play. Sailing is excellent in this regard because it is physical and requires everyone to work together as they adjust to shifts in the wind. The constant coordination required to sail successfully makes everyone communicate efficiently. There is a critical need for leadership in this scenario as well as cooperation on the part of everyone involved. Your employees will have no choice but to work as a cohesive unit if they want to sail well, and their successes will demonstrate the value of effective cooperation. A good sailing experience should make sure there are no redundancies and that everyone understands they have an important role to play.

If you want to make the experience a little bit more exciting, create a contest at your next team building experience. For a sailing outing, that means you should split the office up into two or more teams for some friendly competition. The desire to win will encourage everyone to give it their best effort. This creates more of a willingness for everyone to work together even if they have a personal difference. It also teaches your employees how rewarding it can be to compete and win as a team. They’ll work hard to overcome problems when their pride is on the line, whereas it’s easier to give up when there’s nothing at stake.

Have scheduled downtime afterward. If the group activity is something strenuous, like working as the crew on a sailboat, people may be tired at the end of it. Treat your worn out employees to a meal, a drink, or another relaxing activity so they can reflect together on what they just learned. The chance to talk about the experience will help everyone absorb the key takeaways from the team building activity. A social environment can be helpful even if the event itself is a leisure cruise or something else relaxing.

How to Use Sailboats and Cruises for Team Building

At Windward SeaVentures, we specialize in creating productive off-site team building events for all types of groups. Our experiences are so uniquely fun that your employees may not even realize they’re working on their cooperation and communication. Contact us today to learn more about our corporate team building activities.