The “Checklist for trainer in teambuilding exercises” offers 11 points to verify before and during your team-building exercises and activities. Spread the advice!

1. Checklist for trainer
in teambuilding
exercises

2. Just preparing a series of
icebreakers and
teambuilding exercises is
not enough if you do not
take into consideration the
following aspects:

3. 1. Every participant is different, and every one
of them has a different level of understanding
and emotional condition when they begin the
course. Research your audience, for example
you want to use a certain element in an
exercise but you may discover that one
participant has a phobia for that particular
element. Be prepared before encountering
these awkward situations. Don’t base your
research only on age; you may be surprised by
the results.

4. 2. Always buy more resources
than planned. You can never know
what part of your logistics may fail
you, what material may break
before or during or the way the
participants will handle the
resources.

5. 3. Adapt your teaching style by the
learning styles of the participants.
Remember everyone is different
and understands things in a
certain way. People may react
differently in different contexts.

6. 4. Timing is essential. Offer time for
discussions, recreation and the
unexpected. Don’t group together too
many physical exercises. The best
proportion for a team building program
includes: 33% physical exercises, 33%
experiential learning and 33%
discussion and traditional exercises.

7. 5. The scope of a teambuilding is to
reach certain objectives. Remember
them when choosing an activity.
Don’t choose an exercise because it
is funny or popular but because it
covers a need of a team or reaches
an objective of the teambuilding.

8. 6. Allocate sufficient time for the
teambuilding. A well prepared
training can take from 2 to 5
days. If the time allowed is less
than half a day then it beats the
point of the entire teambuilding.

9. 7. BANG at the beginning and end. Start
the teambuilding with well-prepared
icebreakers that will set the mood for the
course and allow people to relax and fin
a comfort zone. At the end of the
sessions, inspire and motivate them to
set in action the lessons learned during
the course of the activities.

10. 8. Make a logistics list, prepare
your material ahead of time,
double-check them and learn
to use materials that you
haven’t worked before.

11. 9. Debrief after each
exercise and ask
participants to make notes
of their conclusions in a
Learning Log.

12. 10. Never presume that
everyone will be able or
accept to do a certain task,
especially if it implies a risky
activity. Prepare sub-task,
which a person can handle.

13. 11. Everyone is equal during a
teambuilding, therefore do not allow
participants put pressure or hassle other
participants. Often, people in
management positions give orders just
because of their position outside the
game. Do not hesitate to remind
everyone this is a group activity, where
everyone has the same position.