Promoting teamwork with well-planned team-building events.
Graffiti Workshop and Creative-Puzzle Painting.
As a new member of b-ceed, I was soon given the opportunity to assist with and lead my first team-building events. This first-hand account offers a brief insight into two creative events I ran. At the “Graffiti Workshop Action Art
” and the “Creative-Puzzle Painting
”, the aim was to encourage teamwork and find new ways forward. It was a fascinating and eventful experience that I would be delighted to share with you.
At the end of August, I was in Wesel and last week in Bochum for two really intensive team-building
events. In Wesel, the group worked together to create several works of art using graffiti, while in Bochum the group worked on a single piece of art together.
Strategic team event with graffiti
The first and most important step in planning a strategic team event is consulting with the client. The number of participants and the venue were not the only factors to consider; the event’s objectives were also important. Before the graffiti workshop, we discussed which objectives should be achieved and which key words should be the main focus of the event. For the client, the team spirit was particularly important at this team-building event. As this was a hotel, these were certainly very important aspects.
Once I realised that I would need to act as a trainer to help the participants achieve the objective, I sought support in advance. A few days before the event, we sat down as a team and ran through the scenario. How should I introduce the guests to the topic? Which key words should I suggest? How should I start a discussion? I was given useful tips and information, which I was able to put to excellent use at the event.
Key words, objectives and team-building
And then we were off. As this was a diverse group, the participants were first asked to introduce themselves to one another, one at a time. The next step was to work out the key words. Using a question-and-answer game, we worked together to establish the most important guiding principles. The group was very reserved at first. However, by involving everyone in a targeted way, even the shyest participant later joined in enthusiastically. The theory section was complete, and we had our key words: team spirit, collaboration and warmth.
An event full of team spirit, imagination and motivation
To step into the shoes of a graffiti artist at the “Action Art” team event, participants first need to complete a few theoretical exercises. Participants had to represent the words “hate” and “love” visually on paper. Sounds easy? Not necessarily, as the challenge was to illustrate both concepts so that their meaning was clear at first glance. Almost all the participants represented the word “love” with a red heart or colourful, flowing lines, while they sketched the word “hate” with lightning bolts or black, illegible lettering. The participants expressed the feelings associated with the words perfectly in their artwork. They now knew how to use colour and calligraphy to represent a word. So it was time to get the spray cans out.
One team – together, everyone achieves more
As lots of small works of art are created during the graffiti team event
I split the group into three teams. Each group was given one of the three key words we had worked out earlier. They now had to use graffiti spray cans to paint their word onto the canvases. But since the three key words were connected in some way, the task was also to incorporate the other two words into each piece. After a brief discussion about how to put a simple word onto a canvas using a spray can, the creative part of the team-building event got under way.
Colourful and imaginative pictures gradually began to take shape. It was fascinating to see how the participants came up with different ideas based on a single word and how they interpreted it. With the help of materials such as stencils and wooden letters, they created lots of wonderful graffiti artworks. To round off the event, I led a short reflection. The groups looked at the other participants’ work. All the groups noticed that the three key words appeared in every piece. The participants now realised that each of the words was important to them. Because without one, the other cannot work. Objective achieved.
Small pieces come together to make a whole – the puzzle
Our colourful, creative team-building Puzzle-Painting event is very similar to our graffiti event. Recently, I had the opportunity to experience and assist with this event too. As with the graffiti workshop, the aim is to work together to create and bring something to life. This client had to create their own giant puzzle
. Can’t picture it? I couldn’t at first either. But it can be done – and the result is unique.
Identity – a sense of belonging
In Bochum, everything centred on the topic of identity. An open question-and-answer session guided the participants towards the key word. As this was a very relaxed and harmonious group, an in-depth discussion developed quickly. That was because each participant’s sense of identity began somewhere different. For some, it started in front of the wardrobe in the morning; for others, only once they got to work.
To agree on a shared objective, the participants were asked to sketch a word and an image on their sheets of paper. What does identity mean to you? This creative team event provides participants with an excellent opportunity to engage with the concept. A wide range of ideas and artworks emerged. But not every artwork would fit on a puzzle. As a group, the participants decided which of the 21 designs best represented identity. This team decision already gave the participants the opportunity to work together towards a shared outcome. While the participants took a short break, we set about drawing the selected designs and words on the blank puzzle.
Achieve a shared goal through innovation and imagination
Afterwards, each participant received their own puzzle piece, which they had to paint using their ingenuity and acrylic paints. There were no set rules; participants were free to let their creativity run wild. Once the participants had decorated all the puzzle pieces, they put them together as a group. The many small individual pieces became one big whole. Participants realised that this approach is reflected in a team too. In conclusion, team success is the sum of its parts.
I led and took part in two truly fascinating team events. I was fascinated by how differently the groups worked and by the wonderful works of art they created. Nevertheless, both groups achieved the goal that had been set and were very surprised by what they themselves had accomplished. Together, they worked towards a shared goal and brought it to life in a creative team event, giving them something they can always look at to see what they have achieved as a team.
More information? Call us on: 040 60942883 or email us at: info@b-ceed.de.
Event Director
