In this remote, WFH time (working from home), teams are feeling disconnected. No more check-ins in the hallway or chatting at the water cooler. Team members need social time, like having a lunch together over Zoom – and allowing their children or pets to come by. Time to get personal and maintain relationships.
Here’s a fun Improv activity you can do at the end of a team or staff meeting. It’s called the APPRECIATION GIFT, from Improv guru @IzzyGesell. One team member hands another a gift, saying, “I’d like to give you this gift of appreciation” – without telling the second person what the gift is. The recipient takes the gift and determines/ makes up what it is, and thanks the giver. For example, “Thank you so much for this coffee maker! I’m so touched that you knew that I needed one, because I mentioned that mine broke last week. I can’t wait to make coffee for all of us when we’re back in the office!”
Or “Thanks so much for this MP3 player! You must have heard that I miss listening to music on my daily walks; that’s so thoughtful of you!”
It’s a fun way to connect and to elicit positive feelings, which helps build/maintain the social fabric on the team.
TRANSFORMATIVE COACH: ABBY YANOW 