How to Connect with your Team Members

How to facilitate an activity called Market of Skills which helps distributed teams and new hires to connect and appreciate each other

You have a distributed team and hired a few new people in the last two years? Chances are that team members don´t feel very connected to their peers. The smart managers know that human connection is one key ingredient to a high performing team.

This activity will help team members to connect and appreciate each others work more. It works best with teams of up to 10 people and requires about 45 min of time.

🍏 When to use it?

Distributed teams that need to get to know each other better.

🍏 What is it?

It is an activity where people learn about each others
+ skills relevant for the job
+ other skills that they do NOT need for work
+ and end with appreciation for each others work and strengths

🍏 Result

A warm feeling of being connected and appreciated by others.

🍏 Preparation

Prepare a half-size flip chart paper per person and write their name at the top.

🍏 How-to facilitate it

Intro: In the next activity we want to share what skills everybody has. Maybe someone else in the team knows something that you always wanted to learn or something that helps you somehow.

1. Write down the skills you use for your job. Write one skill per sticky note please.

   Example: Fluent in Java, Certified mediator

2. Give 2 min to do that.

3. Now I would like you to write down other skills you have that you do not really need for your job.

   Take 2 min alone to think and write them down. Write one skill per sticky note.

4. Now every person presents to the team what they wrote. Talk for 2 min to give people an impression.

   It will get lengthy for the late presenters so keep it crisp and stick to the 2 min time frame.

5. After each presentation ask: Do you have any feedback or do you want to add anything? If the team atmosphere is decent and appreciative, this will turn into a warm shower of appreciation for each other.

🍏 Expert tip:

Write the teams feedback on sticky notes and add them on the paper. Use a different color of sticky note to make them visible.