Activities

Virtual Team Building Events

Activity Description

Activity Overview

9 Elements is a powerful activity designed to form relationships and build trust among team members.

There are 2 variations to this icebreaker. The first variation is designed for teams who want to get to know each other better. The second variation is formulated for teams who want to explore how they are working together as a team.

Objectives

  • To grow relationships and trust among team members.

Materials Needed

  • A copy of the 9 Elements worksheet for each participant.

Step By Step Instructions

Variation 1

Objective: To form relationships by evaluating and sharing our significant life areas.

1. Hand each participant a copy of the worksheet and a sheet of dot stickers (with red, green, yellow, and blue dots).

The 9 Elements for this variation are Adventure, Career / Profession, Community Service, Creative Outlets, My Environment, Family & Friends, Health & Fitness, Personal Growth, Spirituality.

2. Instruct participants to evaluate their current status for each dimension in the grid.

Participants should place a colored dot (using the key below) on each of the 9 elements. Only give them two minutes with no time to overthink it. Tell them, to just listen to their gut.”

  • Green Dot = I’m squashing it!
  • Yellow Dot = I need to work on this a little.
  • Red Dot = Yikes, I need to work on this a lot!
  • Blue Dot = This is not a priority right now.

3. Ask participants to share about one element they put a green dot and one that they put a yellow or a red dot.

Give each person 2 minutes to share (allow them to disclose at their own comfort level).

4. Optional debrief questions below (5 minutes debrief may be sufficient).

  • What did you learn about each other (or our team)?
  • How can we support each other to improve our red and yellow areas?

Variation 2

Purpose: To build relationships by evaluating and sharing perspectives of how the team is doing in significant areas.

1. Give each participant a copy of the worksheet and a sheet of dot stickers (with red, green, yellow, and blue dots).

The elements for this variation are Communication, Attitude, Trust, Role Clarity, Alignment about Processes, Accountability, Supportive Relationships, Meeting Deadlines, Quality of Work.

2. Instruct participants to evaluate their perception of the team’s current status for each element in the grid.

Participants should place a colored dot (using the key below) on each of the 9 elements. Only give them two minutes with no time to overthink it. Tell them, “Just go with your gut.”

  • Green Dot = We are crushing it!
  • Yellow Dot = We need to work on this a little.
  • Red Dot = Yikes, we need to work on this a lot!
  • Blue Dot = This is not a priority right now.

3. Ask participants to share about one element they put a green dot and one that they put a yellow or a red dot.

Give each person 2 minutes to share (allow them to disclose at their own comfort level).

4. Optional debrief questions below (10-30 minute debrief).

  • Where are we all in agreement about our team?
  • In which dimensions do we have the most variation in our perspectives?
  • Which yellow and/or red area(s) do we want to improve the most?
  • What can we do to improve our yellow and/or red areas?

The beauty of this activity is people can choose how much they want to disclose. Regardless of how open each participant is, the team will learn more about each other and/or how the team is doing.

Also, this is totally flexible because you can change the 9 elements to work for your specific group.

Please share any additional ideas you have in the comments section below.

The 9 Elements Team Building Activity

Basic Details
Property Type : Team Building
Listing Type : Placeholder
Activity Type : Team Building
Focus On : Communication, Collaboration, Having Fun
Outcome Based : No, just fun
Facilities : Indoor, Outdoor
Props Required : None
Duration : 26+ minutes
Exertion Level : Low
Group Size : 1 - 8, 9 - 16, 17 - 30, 31+
Age : Youth, Adults