Real teambuilding involves getting to know teammates as individuals to build trust, rather than focusing on activities. It involves open conversations where people share personal details about themselves, such as important accomplishments, stressors, conflict management styles, and strengths. Starting conversations with vulnerable self-disclosures helps others feel comfortable opening up as well. Understanding teammates beyond surface-level roles and stereotypes promotes genuine connection and cooperation.

1. The Art of Real Teambuilding
What teambuilding is not. It does not involve blindfolds, ladders or rope courses. You don’t have to
toss water balloons, carry eggs on spoons or pass oranges with your chin. And making
everyone wear the same shirt does not make a team either. Those are all things you
can do while you’re teambuilding but they are not going to actually help you create a
cohesive team.
Real teambuilding is people speaking to each other about who they are as people to build trust.
Think about the people you trust. Who are they? Why do you trust them? I would bet you know them
really well. You know the kind of person they are, what their talents are and they’ll have your back.
How can you create that kind of personal knowledge within a group?
Such open conversations may take place during activities like rock climbing. But wouldn’t it be better if
the point of what you were doing was to actually build a team rather than get to the top of a rock and
hope the teambuilding happens along the way? So let’s get real and get to know each other as people.
Pigeon-holing. When we don’t know someone we work with we categorize them by their position.
“He is from sales.” “She is a doctor.” “That’s the new COD.” “Here’s our PT.”
Not very personal is it? So start your teambuilding by having the group get to
know more about each other. Get your team together and go through some of
these conversation starters used by teams to connect with one another as people.
Be open with answers deeper than superficial responses. Trust is formed by showing vulnerability.
Share your answers first and the rest of the team will be more comfortable sharing theirs.
1. What is something about you or important to you that no one on the team knows? (As capt. of
my h.s. cross country team I led daily 7am summer workouts; we each ran 500 miles in 80 days)
2. What kinds of things really stress you out? (When people assume that communication has
taken place. Just because YOU talked for 20 minutes doesn’t mean that I understand, or care!)
3. How do you respond to stress? (I stop delegating & start doing everything myself; I go for a run)
4. What’s your response to personal conflict? (If self-deprecating humor fails then I focus on the
tasks at hand to out hustle them so that I can get leverage to show I’m right, they’re wrong!)
5. Most people are Leaders or Followers depending on the situation. When do you want to lead
and when do you prefer to follow? (I am happy to lead or to follow as long as I understand and
believe in where we are going and the plan to get there. [What looks like resistance is often a
lack of clarity])
6. What is something you are really good at? (I am very good at connecting with people and
connecting people to others based on mutual interests)
7. What skills do you have that might surprise people? (I’m a social media whiz & can edit videos)
8. What skills do you bring to this team? (Answers to this one depend on the team and what
we’ve shared above; do I trust them yet? Do they trust me based on what I’ve shared?)

2. 9. What makes you nervous or hesitant about this job and your role on the CLT?
10. What makes you excited or optimistic about this job and your role on the team?