Coaching Team Building Activities

Coaching is one of the more difficult forms of communication and is often overlooked.

Typically, we communicate in a way that is most comfortable and makes the most sense to us. We do what is 'normal' to us.

However, when coaching, we need to communicate in a way that makes the most sense to the person who is listening. The exercises below emphasize the need to be both coach and coachee.

In truth, if we all communicated all the time in coaching mode, we would be much more successful in all areas of our lives.

China Syndrome, $99.95

This event is often considered impossible in the beginning. To solve it, the participants will need critical thinking, excellent coaching and communication skills, shared leadership and perseverance.

This is a challenging activity that works well with organizations that have cross-functional rolls that support one common product or service. It addresses the issues of alternate leadership and support roles that help accomplish the larger task.

A glimpse into China Syndrome:

The group must prevent a 'China Syndrome' from occurring by pouring the contents of one bucket into another using only the materials provided and staying outside a large circle. Any person using the materials must be blindfolded. Given a short timeline, this event can challenge ANY group.

Ideal For: Coaching, problem solving, critical thinking, communication.

Get It Together, $74.95

The purpose of this exercise is to practice clear communication and develop keys to trust during challenging and confusing times.

This event will remind people in each position what the other role feels like and lend insights to improving relations between the two.

A glimpse into Get It Together

After pairing up, one blindfolded person goes into a large circle to retrieve certain items, with only their partners instructions as guidance. The catch here is the partner must stay on the outside of the circle. Still seems fairly simple until all the pairs are in the middle at the same time.

This activity is a step beyond our Trust Walk team building exercise and helps participants experience the need for trust, the need for planning and the difficulties of communicating while being both coach and coachee.

Most importantly, this is fun!

Ideal For: Coaching, trust, communication.

Learning Maze, $129.95

A step into the unknown and a fascinating peek into group processes !

Do you have wonderful thinkers but do they buckle under pressure in unforeseen business situations? Do mistakes get swept under the carpet and forgotten? Does your group shy away from risks?

We have all heard the adage “learning through our mistakes”. Teams can now experience it through Learning Maze. Facing unforeseen situations is common in organization but it is important for a team to learn, grow and move ahead from the experience. If you want your team to discover how, then try out Learning Maze.

A glimpse into Learning Maze:

Teams usually have a very good time as they balance their way through the stones. As the name suggests the game literally involves stepping through an array of stones in solving a problem.

The planning processes that each of the teams go through in dealing with the challenge can be fascinating for the facilitator. You will also gauge the manner in which your teams deal with their mistakes and will be able to identify the individuals who discover these mistakes within each team.

Ideal For: Coaching, communication, group processes.

Search & Rescue, $99.95

Will your group put all your eggs in one basket or take smaller risks?!

The goal here is to have the entire team involved, demonstrate the power of teamwork and show the interdependence teams have. Each perosn is needed to accomplish the goal and with a tight timeline, easily simulates projects at work.

A glimpse into Search & Rescue:

The group must make fast decisions about how many people to save from various places within a circle in a short amount of time. Remaining outside the circle, the group must guide a plane onto landing platforms inside the circle. The more difficult landing platforms have more people on them so the group must decide quickly whether to try for one large platform or several smaller, but easier platforms.

Ideal For: Coaching, problem solving, critical thinking, communication.

Trust Walk, $99.95

Trust Walk is about leading, following, trusting and communicating.

Many leadership styles emerge during this event. Whatever the experience, the Trust Walk is a powerful learning opportunity.

A glimpse into Trust Walk

After pairing up, each individual takes turns leading the other person through obstacles - we provide 100% safe, but very real, mouse traps and rat traps - and overcoming adversity. While a very simplistic activity, many people find it difficult to trust their partner and find they will 'cheat'.

Because it is so simple, very few people take the time to strategize or find out exactly how far 'X' number of steps is for their partner. This create the scenario for a great lesson in coaching -- we need to communicate with other people the way THEY hear it best, not the way WE hear it best. This is an activity every manager should master before going back to work!

With several variations, you can run this activity with both pairs alone and then all the pairs together at the same time to create a completely different level of communication.

We do not recommend driving a motorized vehicle during this event!

An advanced version of this game is Get It Together!