Interactive Workshops for Team Building

This high-energy team-building exercise, often called the "Move It" or "Chair Swap" game, is a staple in corporate training and group dynamics. While it looks like simple fun, it is designed to sharpen reflexes, improve non-verbal communication, and build a sense of collective rhythm within a team. The game is a fast-paced evolution of musical chairs, but with a focus on coordination rather than elimination. The Setup: A group sits in a circle with one person standing in the middle. The Objective: The person in the middle must secure a seat by causing the others to switch. The Trigger: Usually, the person in the center makes a specific movement or call (like stepping on a marked pattern on the floor). This signals everyone to stand up and find a new seat you cannot return to the chair you just left. The Twist: As the game progresses, the speed increases, and participants must rely on quick glances and "unspoken agreements" with teammates to ensure everyone finds a spot without colliding. Beyond the laughter, this exercise serves several psychological and professional purposes: 1. Breaking the "Professional Shell" In a corporate setting, people often stay within their comfort zones. This game forces physical movement and spontaneous interaction, which quickly lowers social barriers and builds psychological safety. 2. Improving Reaction Time and Agility Participants must process a visual or auditory cue and move instantly. It trains the brain to handle sudden changes in environment a direct metaphor for pivoting in a fast-moving business project. 3. Non-Verbal Synchronization Because the game happens so fast, you can't use words to coordinate. You have to read the body language and "energy" of the people around you to see where the open spaces are, fostering a deep sense of team synchrony. 3 Tips for a Successful Session If you are planning to run this at your next office meet or social gathering, keep these points in mind: Safety First: Ensure the flooring isn't slippery and that there is enough space between chairs to avoid collisions. Keep it Short: These games are high-intensity. A 5 to 10-minute session is usually enough to energize the room without causing fatigue. Debrief: After the game, ask the team: "What happened when the speed increased?" or "How did you know where to move without talking?" This helps translate the fun into a learning moment. "Games are the most elevated form of investigation." - Albert Einstein This exercise is a perfect example of how gamification can be used to improve office culture and employee engagement. It’s simple, requires zero equipment (just chairs), and leaves everyone in a better mood for the work ahead. Have you ever tried a high-energy icebreaker like this at your workplace?

3 team building activities to try at your next company offsite. —Leadership team— Have every member of the leadership team answer the following 3 questions in advance: 1. What do I love most about my job? 2. What’s the hardest part of my job? 3. What’s something people often don’t know or misunderstand about my job? Share everyone’s responses as a pre-read ahead of the live session and then lead a group discussion with helpful prompts like: What’s one thing that caught you by surprise? How did it feel to share this with the group? What patterns stood out to you? This is a great way to build x-functional empathy and awareness while surfacing underlying challenges. —Managers— Ask your managers to answer the following Q: On a scale of 1-5, how hard is it to be a manager? Facilitate a live discussion with follow up Qs like, “What’s the hardest part?” and “How does it feel looking around the room and seeing everyone else’s responses?” Then break everyone into pairs for a peer coaching session on a management challenge they’re currently facing. (Link below for template.) This is a great way to foster community and resilience for managers. —Employees— Break everyone into pairs and have them answer the following prompt: What’s a piece of feedback you’ve been sitting on? Provide them with coaching Qs like, “What’s holding you back?” and “How do you think the person would feel if they knew you were feeling this way?” This is a great activity to surface underlying issues, foster communication, and provide a peer coaching buddy your employees can lean on the next time they’re facing a challenge. Looking for more offsite tips and resources? Check out my favs here: - How to coordinate an in-person offsite (including template comms to employees): https://lnkd.in/eMQyHeNa - Leadership team building activities: https://lnkd.in/epGKs9ZH - Low lift management training activities: https://lnkd.in/ea3SPTVN What are your favorite company offsite activities?

A fun and easy way to kick off any training, workshop, or session (instead of cringe icebreakers!). I'm calling it 'Rapid Naming'-a fun team-naming exercise that gets everyone bonding and energized. It's an adaptation of the brainstorming exercise called 'Crazy 8's', which I absolutely LOVE. Here's how you run it: Get Ready (1 minute): Divide people into groups of 3-4 and explain that the goal is to come up with a team name that represents their group. Crazy 8’s Brainstorming (3 minutes): Hand out pieces of paper and have everyone divide theirs into 8 sections. Give them 3 minutes to jot down 8 different team name ideas—one in each section. Encourage them not to overthink it—just go with whatever comes to mind! Share Ideas (4 minutes): Now, let the group share their favorite name from their list of 8. As a team, discuss and narrow it down to a few favorites that everyone likes. Vote (2 minutes): Time to vote! Have everyone pick the name they like best. The one with the most votes becomes the team name. Get Creative (7 minutes): Here’s the fun part! Grab a big piece of paper and some markers. Have the group write their team name in the center and decorate it however they want—make it colorful and unique! Show It Off (5 minutes): Each team nominates one person to present their name and the decorated poster to the whole group. They can share why they picked the name and what their design represents. After all the presentations, hang the posters around the room so everyone can enjoy them during the workshop. TIP: It’s helpful to ask each group to assign a facilitator within their group to keep track of time and ensure everything is running smoothly. This is especially useful if you’re facilitating this on a large scale! Let me know what you think of this one :)

The most valuable leadership lesson I ever learned came from watching a science teacher, not a CEO. Last week, I observed a classroom where students were completely captivated for 90 straight minutes—no phones, no distractions, just pure engagement. The teacher wasn't using advanced technology or expensive materials. She was simply applying engagement principles that most corporate leaders completely miss. 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 #𝟭: 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Instead of telling students about static electricity, the teacher created a visual demonstration that made the concept impossible to ignore. The impact was immediate and undeniable. Application: Stop telling your team about strategic priorities—show them through concrete examples that make abstract concepts tangible. 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 #𝟮: 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 The teacher created wonder and curiosity first, then delivered the scientific explanation. By leading with emotion, she ensured students were primed to receive information. Application: Create emotional investment before data dumps. The quarterly numbers matter only when people care about why they matter. 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 #𝟯: 𝗦𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 Each experiment built upon the previous one, creating a narrative arc that pulled everyone forward. No random collection of facts—a deliberate journey. Application: Structure your meetings, presentations, and communications as chapters in a compelling story, not isolated information packets. I immediately implemented these principles in my leadership approach: • Replaced our text-heavy quarterly updates with live demonstrations of our impact • Restructured team meetings to start with customer stories before metrics • Created a narrative arc for our strategic initiatives that builds momentum The results? Team engagement scores up 32%, meeting participation increased by 47%, and most importantly, our strategic priorities are now universally understood and embraced. The best leadership insights often come from unexpected sources. What non-business context has provided your most valuable leadership lesson? ✍️ Your insights can make a difference! ♻️ Share this post if it speaks to you, and follow me for more.

Inclusion isn’t optional when it comes to strategy work - it’s actually how you get to better strategy. One of the most effective ways I’ve seen teams unlock inclusive strategy development is through LEGO Serious Play. This is what we’re currently having a lot of fun with at UNICEF UK to develop our next three year strategy. It works because: - Everyone contributes by design. It’s not a workshop where the loudest voice wins. Everyone builds, everyone shares, and everyone gets heard. - It supports different thinking styles. You don’t have to be the fastest talker in the room to shape the outcome - people can communicate through models, metaphor and story. - It makes the invisible visible. Assumptions, risks, tensions and dependencies show up in the builds so the group can work with what’s really going on, not just what’s easiest to say. - It reduces jargon and increases clarity. When you have to “show it”, strategy becomes concrete, shared and easier to act on. - It creates a story people can retell. The models become anchors for a narrative: who we are, what we’re up against, what we’re choosing, and what we’ll do next. For me, the biggest shift is that strategy stops being something that gets presented to people and becomes something that gets built with them. If you’ve used LEGO Serious Play (or other hands-on facilitation methods) in strategy, I’d love to hear what you noticed. #strategy #leadership #inclusion

Disengaged teams kill productivity and profits. Your leadership questions can change everything. 7 years ago, I pursued a professional coaching certification to be a better leader. It has changed the way I lead. Today I work with leaders and teams to help them enhance team engagement. A highly engaged team drives high performance. So there's 10 types of coaching questions I have put together to help leaders improve team engagement. 10 types of coaching questions leaders use, to improve team engagement 1️⃣ Open-Ended Questions → Encourage expansive thinking and prevent "yes" or "no" answers. → Example: "What are some approaches you think we could take to achieve this goal?" 2️⃣ Clarifying Questions → Ensure understanding and encourage deeper exploration. → Example: "When you say the timeline is tight, what specific challenges are you anticipating?" 3️⃣ Reflective Questions → Help the team member assess their own thoughts or actions. → Example: "How do you think your approach impacted the team's outcome?" 4️⃣ Empowering Questions → Build confidence and ownership of decisions. → Example: "What resources or support would help you feel confident moving forward?" 5️⃣ Goal-Oriented Questions → Focus on objectives and desired outcomes. → Example: "What would success look like for you in this role?" 6️⃣ Challenge Questions → Push boundaries and encourage innovative thinking. → Example: "What if we approached this problem from an entirely different angle?" 7️⃣ Feedback-Oriented Questions → Invite constructive input and foster two-way communication. →Example: "What’s one thing I could do differently to better support you and the team?" 8️⃣ Future-Focused Questions → Encourage forward-thinking and vision-setting. →Example: "Where do you see this project or our team a year from now?" 9️⃣ Performance-Based Questions → Evaluate current work and identify areas for improvement or celebration. → Example: "What do you think went well in your last project, and what could have been improved?" 🔟 Solutions-Focused Questions → Guide team members toward actionable steps and creative solutions. → Example: "What options do you see for addressing this challenge?" Leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions. Start your team's transformation today. ♻️ Share this to help leaders ask the right questions. Follow Adeline Tiah 謝善嫻 for content on leadership culture, future of work and Life 2.0

Neurodiversity 101: How to host neuroinclusive meetings/conferences Creating neuroinclusive environments in workplace meetings can significantly improve engagement and productivity, especially for those with neurodivergent traits. Here are some practical tips on how to make your meetings more accessible and comfortable for all participants. Alternative feedback methods Not everyone is comfortable with handwriting feedback due to difficulties such as dysgraphia. Offer alternatives like setting up a camera for verbal feedback or using digital tools like voice-to-text applications. This ensures that everyone has the opportunity to contribute in a way that suits them best. Could you use Post-IT for some....different ways on offer... Polling on phones? Warm up a cold room! Start meetings with some warm-up time to help attendees settle in if they are new to the event/place/meeting. Plan for regular breaks and be flexible with how time is spent to accommodate different needs. This flexibility can help maintain focus and reduce stress for those who might feel overwhelmed by long, uninterrupted sessions. Does every meeting need to be 60 minutes? Who needs to be 'in the room' and who could be attending just as well virtually? Who doesn't need to be there at all! Consider the environment Pay attention to the lighting, temperature, and surrounding noises in your meeting space. Adjustments in these areas can help prevent sensory overload and create a comfortable environment for all attendees. Accessibility of materials Provide transcripts of talks and make recordings available to attendees. For presentations that include a lot of information, avoid asking for immediate decisions. Instead, provide a written version of the details and allow time for consideration. This helps attendees process information at their own pace and contribute more effectively. Thoughtful seating arrangements Keep seats at the end of rows in conferences free so that attendees can easily get up and move without disruption. Also, consider arranging some seating around the edges of the room for those who are uncomfortable with movement behind them. Structured discussions In group discussions, keep the groups small and give everyone time to express their opinions without interruptions or unsolicited questions. This structure helps to ensure that all voices are heard and valued. Encouraging feedback post-event after a conference or training event Recognise that some individuals may feel uncomfortable voicing their ideas or questions during the event. Encourage feedback after the meeting via different channels, allowing for more thoughtful and inclusive participation. What else do you suggest?

This week, I facilitated a manager workshop on how to grow and develop people and teams. One question sparked a great conversation: “How do you develop your people outside of formal programs?” It’s a great question. IMO, one of the highest leverage actions a leader can take is making small, but consistent actions to develop their people. While formal learning experiences absolutely a role, there are far more opportunities for growth outside of structured settings from an hours in the day perspective. Helping leaders recognize and embrace this is a major opportunity. I introduced the idea of Practices of Development (PODs) aka small, intentional activities integrated into everyday work that help employees build skills, flex new muscles, and increase their impact. Here are a few examples we discussed: 🌟 Paired Programming: Borrowed from software engineering, this involves pairing an employee with a peer to take on a new task—helping them ramp up quickly, cross-train, or learn by doing. 🌟 Learning Logs: Have team members track what they’re working on, learning, and questioning to encourage reflection. 🌟 Bullpen Sessions: Bring similar roles together for feedback, idea sharing, and collaborative problem-solving, where everyone both A) shares a deliverable they are working on, and B) gets feedback and suggestions for improvement 🌟 Each 1 Teach 1:  Give everyone a chance to teach one work-related skill or insight to the team. 🌟 I Do, We Do, You Do:Adapted from education, this scaffolding approach lets you model a task, then do it together, then hand it off. A simple and effective way to build confidence and skill. 🌟 Back Pocket Ideas:  During strategy/scoping work sessions, ask employees to submit ideas for initiatives tied to a customer problem or personal interest. Select the strongest ones and incorporate them into their role. These are a few examples that have worked well. If you’ve found creative ways to build development opportunities into your employees day to day work, I’d love to hear what’s worked for you!

Making the right choices when event planning can be the difference between being inclusive or not. Here are five simple, free choices you can make that can help… Choose to tell people your food options in advance. This helps people plan around allergies, dietary requirements, cultural needs, or just personal preference without stress on the day. It also avoids people having to ask awkward questions or go without food altogether. When people know what to expect, they can focus on the event rather than whether they’ll be able to eat. (Nothing strikes more fear in my heart than someone saying “that looks like something chicken-ey”) Choose to send an attendee list in advance, to everyone attending. This gives people a chance to prepare socially, which can make a huge difference for neurodivergent attendees or anyone who finds networking difficult. It also helps people identify who they want to speak to and reduces the pressure of walking into a room full of unknowns. For some, that preparation is what makes attending feel possible in the first place. Choose to send all presentations in advance, or use QR download codes on the day. This allows people to access content in a way that works for them - whether that’s using screen readers, adjusting formatting, or simply reading ahead. It also takes pressure off needing to process everything in real time, which isn’t accessible for everyone. Having materials to refer back to improves understanding and inclusion for all attendees. Choose to stick to your meeting agendas and don’t sacrifice lunch or break times for over running sessions. Breaks aren’t a luxury - they’re essential for energy, focus, and wellbeing. Skipping them disproportionately impacts disabled people, parents, and anyone managing health needs or fatigue. Keeping to time shows respect for people’s needs and helps everyone engage more fully throughout the day. Choose to make using microphones mandatory, not optional, and don’t let speakers speak without them. Not everyone can hear clearly, even in smaller rooms, and relying on volume alone excludes people. Microphones also support those using hearing aids, live captions, or recordings. Making this a firm rule removes awkwardness and ensures consistent access for everyone in the room. Spoiler, even if you think you have a loud enough voice, you don’t. Any others you’d add?

Great training does not happen by chance. It happens by design. After years of conducting workshops across industries, I have realized something simple but powerful. People do not learn when you speak. They learn when they engage. The most memorable programs I have delivered, the ones people talk about months later, all had one thing in common. Participants did not sit and listen. They moved, reflected, discussed, practiced, and applied. Here are the seven training methods that consistently create the strongest learning experiences for teams: 1. Experiential Activities People learn best by doing. Simulations, team challenges, and real scenarios create instant connection with the concept. 2. Case Studies Real stories make learning real. When participants analyze situations they relate to, insights come naturally. 3. Role Plays This is where theory becomes skill. Whether it is feedback, negotiation, or communication, practice builds muscle memory. 4. Group Discussions People bring more wisdom than any slideshow ever can. Peer learning is one of the most underrated tools. 5. Games and Gamification Competition adds energy. Games break inhibitions and make even serious topics enjoyable. 6. Video Based Learning A thirty second clip can spark more reflection than ten slides. Videos trigger emotion and emotion drives change. 7. Reflection Tools Journaling, self assessments, feedback rounds. This is where participants internalize what they have learned and turn insight into action. A training session is not a presentation. It is an experience. The richer the experience, the deeper the learning. If you want to conduct engaging training workshops for your organization, connect with me