In Part 2 of this three-part series about What's Working for Team Builders Online, Michelle specifically shares Five Tips for Delivering Virtual Keynotes or Playnotes and a few of her go-to activities. Chris also shares some of his successes online and his favorite activity that can be led with any size group at the same time - no breakout rooms required. Virtual team building programs work. Plan with outcomes in mine, remember the basics, know the software and keep participants active. In Part 3 we talk with Dr. Amy Climer about how she creates meaningful learning experiences and opportunities online. We hope you join us!Find the Show Notes with all the resource links HERESubmit a comment or team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE

We've had several questions lately asking us about what's working online for team builders. In Part 1 of a three part series to address this question, we invited our good friend John Losey to help us with some answers. John has been a vital part of our online team building learning experiences and has helped dozens of other online team builders learn and grow. John tells us about starting with a positive and realistic mindset - "The skills that make us good face-to-face team builders do not necessarily make us good online team builders." We need to accept this, recognize the skills needed for online programs and then learn and practice these skills. His method for helping online team builders - intentional guided practice. "We are in the same place we ask our participants to be on a daily basis, out of our comfort zones." With guided practice we can learn in a safe environment and receive needed feedback and coaching to gain the confidence to lead online programs. "We've got to be willing to be bad for a while" and put ourselves out there in order to learn. It's important to also recognize the realities of an online context. Technical difficulties will be the norm. Accept this fact and learn how to problem-solve. Have someone help with the technology so you don't have to remember everything and keep it simple. Stay away from the "shiny objects" until you are comfortable with the basics. And, most importantly, start with your program outcomes in mind and find activities that will work in the online context. Avoid trying to fit an activity you already know into a context that won't support it. You'll need to do the legwork to find and/or create experiences right for the platform(s) you are using. And, it is possible to really enjoy the experience of online programming (just ask Michelle!). In Part 2 (next week) Michelle & Chris share what has been working for them online. Find out more about John and how to get into one of his Guided Practice workshops by visiting his website or sending him an email: Website: https://intowisdomgroup.com/praxisEmail: john@praxistraining.com We hope you join us!Find the Show Notes with all the resource links HERESubmit a comment or team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE

In this episode, Michelle and Chris discuss their past and current experiences with using blindfolds. When using blindfolds (within a common mental model), we can awaken other senses, we learn to rely on and trust others to take care of us and we share common experiences. Not using blindfolds (e.g., during 'trust-building' activities) gives us instant choice and holds us accountable for what we need - we can try to be without sight, but we can change our minds in an instant. (And, what predicates changing our minds?) Michelle and Chris consider 'Trauma-Informed Care' and how this can influence the decision to use blindfolds. They also share some activity ideas related to removing sight as a resource and some creative ways to 'impair' sight without taking it away completely. Overall, it comes down to outcome-based reasoning - what are the target outcomes of a program and will using blindfolds be the best way to reach one or more of the outcomes. We hope you join us!Find the Show Notes with all the resource links HERESubmit a comment or team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE

In this episode, Michelle and Chris discuss their experiences with physically distancing during a team building activity training with local (Colorado) team builders. "It wasn't as easy as we thought it would be!"  was the overall consensus. Michelle and Chris share their preparations for the training, some activities that can be set up before participants arrive and a variety of activities that can be done (after setting up distancing norms) while physically distancing. The biggest take-away for Michelle and Chris was the importance of setting up and following through on distancing norms. Team building at a distance can be done - pre-program preparations, activity set up, slowing down and helping each other stay aware, are all important considerations.  We hope you join us!Find the Show Notes with all the resource links HERESubmit a comment or team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE

In this episode, Michelle and Chris share another processing model (a follow-up from last weeks episode) that is easy to learn and leads to effective transfer of learning. Chris, specifically shares how he uses it to build empathy for behaviors that surface during group work. This model also encourages the use of 'closed-ended' questions and 'why' questions as a way of leading-to-learning. (These types of question are okay to ask! How you ask them is the key.) The current resource discussed in this episode is: Open to Outcome: A Practical Guide for Facilitating & Teaching Experiential Reflection (2nd ed.)We hope you join us!Find the Show Notes with all the resource links HERESubmit a comment or team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE

In this episode, Michelle and Chris share some thoughts about using the, What? So What? Now What? processing model. Find out about: Where the model originated (a Historical overview)How they were first introduced to the modelSome tools that work well with the model, and One way the model has evolvedWe hope you join us! Find the Show Notes with all the resource links HERESubmit a comment or team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE

Pairing up participants is one of the primary skills of a team builder. In this episode, Michelle and Chris share some of their favorite pairing practices:Handshakes (check out THESE VIDEOS)Back-to-BackUsing Playing Cards & Distributing the CardsUsing 'Rhyming Words' PuzzleHog Call Cards, the FUN StretchCompound Words (& Building Trust)Dominos (& Onimod)Find the Show Notes with all the resource links HERESubmit a comment or team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE

In this episode, Michelle and Chris give advice on how to enhance your facilitation skills with additional professional development.  Learn About: Finding a Mentor or Coach'Play Days' with other FacilitatorsConferences that are more specialized in facilitationBooks to help grow your skillsBlogs that focus on facilitationCEU's and higher education degreesOnline coursesFind the Show Notes with all the resource links HERESubmit a comment or team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE

In this episode, Michelle and Chris explain how to lead five different community connection activities that can take less than five-minutes to play. Perfect for helping your team know each other a little better and a great way to get the brains warmed up for the meeting ahead. Learn About: The Ice Breaker Question ExchangeName Letter Opener Spot It & Ubuntu Cards Image Card StoriesConversation Starter ButtonsGreat ways to practice 'connection before content' - when we know more about each other, we are more likely to support and help each other through thick and thin. We hope you join us!Find the Show Notes with all the resource links HERESubmit a comment or team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE

In this episode, we're learning from Michelle about her recent experiences creating, training and leading team building activities virtually. She admits her slow adoption (i.e., resistance) to team building online and then shares how she eventually embraced the challenge and "...now, dare I say, I'm energized by it and actually enjoying it." Her journey (over less than two months) rolled out in stages - 1) how do we 'tweak' activities we know for the virtual world, 2) once we learn the tech, how do we use the features in the 'platforms' to support team building community building/activities for the virtual format, and 3) Creating activities unique to the space and with more interaction - through the tech and activities. Michelle emphasizes, virtual team building, "is going to be part of the new normal in our field." And this can be a good thing. Consider this - we can 'extend' our program contact by meeting, and connecting, with our groups before the face-to-face program in order to get to know each other and start laying out expectations. Then, when we meet in person, we can get right to the interactions that make our programs so powerful - we have more time for the problem solving activities and challenges. "The world is asking us (like we ask our participants) to step outside of our comfort zones to stretch ourselves and learn something new." Finally, Michelle gives us important advice for designing virtual team building programs - what are the difference and similarities between face-to-face and online and how you want to think about billing for these services. And, she gives us a sneak peak at the landscape and some virtual fun ahead. Dive in! Lots of great take-aways. Find links to Michelle's virtual activity ebooks and video replays of her online trainings in the Show Notes HERE.Submit a team building related question HEREMichelle Cummings - Training-Wheels.comSign Up for Michelle's weekly Newsletter HEREDr. Chris Cavert - OnTeamBuilding.com  &  FUNdoing.comSign Up for FUNdoing Fridays bi-Monthly Activity email HERE