Year after year, I see pictures of work teams and their costumes. People dressing up and have an excuse to be silly and it only recently dawned on me that Halloween is another opportunity for team forming which requires very little effort.
I am the first to admit that if given the choice, I would not dress up however if my team is doing it then I feel obliged to dress up. I would be reluctant at first and find it useless however once in it, it brings a sense of togetherness and team pride. There is a great sense of pride when individuals work as a team and participate in a company event which allows them to be silly and break down individual self-imposed barriers.
As a team facilitator, I asked myself the following questions:
- How can you influence teams to participate?
- What are some simple techniques which will allow teams to take advantage of this situation and use it as a team forming exercise?
Even though Halloween just recently past, I still wanted to share some insights which I believe will help you lead your team through this fun team forming exercise:
Prior to event:
- Let the team decide the theme
- Costumes are mandatory
- Costumes do not need to be excessive as they can be just a single accessory however it is important that each member participates
- Plan to have a spare costume:
- Bring a spare outfit for the team member as I have seen and heard a few times that once they see other people dressed up they feel left out, their one accessory won’t cut it and now the want to participate.
- Ensure it is inclusive
- Make the planning fun and light hearted
If not company wide, ensure:
- That your team’s intentions are communicated to the leadership group and once approved, ensure that the rest of the company knows
- Allow other people to join in, however try to keep your team as intact as possible if going with team themes
During the event:
Two words: Enjoy it
After Event:
- Conduct a retrospective by asking people to share their fondest memory
- Print out pictures and ask each member to pick their favorite picture and explain to the team why they choose it
- Take the chosen pictures and put them in a poster and hang it up for the team to see and remember the fun times.
Can you share your Halloween experiences? What have you used to for team forming?
Either leave your comments below or connect with Myself (Twitter / Linkedin) or with Jesus Mendez (Twitter / LinkedIn).
If you are a fan of these articles, please check out Jesus’s book Forming Agile Teams.
We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your stories and experience!
I was walking by one team’s area the other day and noticed that they had lab coats hanging on the back of their chairs–apparently they had all dressed up as doctors for Halloween. They took some group photos together, which are also posted in their space. It’s nice to see a team bond like that and creating a shared history beyond the work itself. 🙂
Hi Allison, that’s funny and you’re right about seen that type of behavior in a team. Something good must be happening between them, that’s for sure. Thank you for sharing your comments with us. Willing to hear more about you and your teams. Cheers, Jesus
Hello Allison,
That is amazing, it is a great sign that a team believes in one another. The key is not only the event but how it is remembered afterwards, therefore it is great to see that they posted the pictures for everyone to see.
Did your team celebrate? Are you able to share the pictures?
Thank you for the comments.