4 Exciting Exercises to build Communication Skills
It doesn’t matter whether you’re an employer, an entrepreneur, or a manager, the importance of communication skills could never be underestimated in any trade.
In any business, the dearth of communication skills could lead to conflict, lost opportunities, productivity issues, and mistakes. Consequently, there is a large number of business owners who employ techniques to raise the communication skills of their employees.
Although there are numerous techniques available in the market, not all of them will suit your organization. Depending on its size, complexity, workforce and location, every organization requires different methods to build effective communication among its workforce. Australian corporate training and keynotes company Afterburner Australia have declared that there is more to communication that just words when it comes to inter company dialogue.
However, as you will gauge from the below-mentioned techniques, they belong to the category of “one fits all”. Therefore, no matter from where you belong, these techniques will prove to be helpful for you.
Here are 4 exciting communication exercises to build communication skills and team building:
Exercise 1: Form a Bridge
Divide the participants into two separate teams and if possible, erect a barrier to bar them from looking onto the work of the other team. Now, ask both the teams to form one-half of a bridge with the help of cardboard. Both teams should be restricted to communicate verbally with each other. Allow every team to take as much time as feasible to form a bridge which is similar to that of the others.
Benefits:
When you bar both teams from seeing the work of each other, you will be forcing them to enhance their verbal communication skills. When they will know that verbal communication is the last resort for them, they would try different methods to be more effective in their communication. As a result, you would enhance their problem-solving skills.
Exercise 2: Blindfold game
Before starting this game, scatter objects around the activity room in front of both the groups. Ask both the teams to voluntarily announce their team member who will do the task. When that member is selected, ask him/her to put on the blindfold.
Starting the game, you will ask the blindfolded member to navigate through the room. In this task, the members who are sitting out should help their blindfolded team member by verbally navigating him through the room. Make sure that every member of both the teams does this task.
Benefits
In addition to building trust between the team members, their communication and listening skills will also be improved via this technique.
Exercise 3: Card pieces
Take a playing card and divide it into four triangular pieces. Mix all the pieces with one another and put them in 3 envelopes.
Handover these envelopes to the teams and ask them to sort out all the cards in the correct pattern. Whichever team takes the shortest time to do this task will win the game.
Before starting this game, make sure that there are three teams available at your disposal. Each team will have three minutes to complete this game after which their cards will be counted.
Benefits
As you might guess, this is a game which requires brainstorming. Moreover, it will create a sense of healthy competition among the teams.
Exercise 4: Develop listening habits
Before laying out the specifics of this task, make sure that the participants are divided into numerous teams with each team consisting of two members each. After calculating the number of teams, take as many index cards and write on them different topics. Handover these cards to the teams and ask each team member to talk on that topic for at least 2-minutes.
Benefits
As human beings, all of us develop different affinities towards different things. While developing an opinion is a healthy habit, our opinions could sometimes hurt the sentiments of others. Therefore, by indulging the participants in this technique, you’ll create in them the courage to listen to each other’s opinions with open minds.
For more information visit https://www.afterburneraustralia.com.au
In any business, the dearth of communication skills could lead to conflict, lost opportunities, productivity issues, and mistakes. Consequently, there is a large number of business owners who employ techniques to raise the communication skills of their employees.
Although there are numerous techniques available in the market, not all of them will suit your organization. Depending on its size, complexity, workforce and location, every organization requires different methods to build effective communication among its workforce. Australian corporate training and keynotes company Afterburner Australia have declared that there is more to communication that just words when it comes to inter company dialogue.
However, as you will gauge from the below-mentioned techniques, they belong to the category of “one fits all”. Therefore, no matter from where you belong, these techniques will prove to be helpful for you.
Here are 4 exciting communication exercises to build communication skills and team building:
Exercise 1: Form a Bridge
Divide the participants into two separate teams and if possible, erect a barrier to bar them from looking onto the work of the other team. Now, ask both the teams to form one-half of a bridge with the help of cardboard. Both teams should be restricted to communicate verbally with each other. Allow every team to take as much time as feasible to form a bridge which is similar to that of the others.
Benefits:
When you bar both teams from seeing the work of each other, you will be forcing them to enhance their verbal communication skills. When they will know that verbal communication is the last resort for them, they would try different methods to be more effective in their communication. As a result, you would enhance their problem-solving skills.
Exercise 2: Blindfold game
Before starting this game, scatter objects around the activity room in front of both the groups. Ask both the teams to voluntarily announce their team member who will do the task. When that member is selected, ask him/her to put on the blindfold.
Starting the game, you will ask the blindfolded member to navigate through the room. In this task, the members who are sitting out should help their blindfolded team member by verbally navigating him through the room. Make sure that every member of both the teams does this task.
Benefits
In addition to building trust between the team members, their communication and listening skills will also be improved via this technique.
Exercise 3: Card pieces
Take a playing card and divide it into four triangular pieces. Mix all the pieces with one another and put them in 3 envelopes.
Handover these envelopes to the teams and ask them to sort out all the cards in the correct pattern. Whichever team takes the shortest time to do this task will win the game.
Before starting this game, make sure that there are three teams available at your disposal. Each team will have three minutes to complete this game after which their cards will be counted.
Benefits
As you might guess, this is a game which requires brainstorming. Moreover, it will create a sense of healthy competition among the teams.
Exercise 4: Develop listening habits
Before laying out the specifics of this task, make sure that the participants are divided into numerous teams with each team consisting of two members each. After calculating the number of teams, take as many index cards and write on them different topics. Handover these cards to the teams and ask each team member to talk on that topic for at least 2-minutes.
Benefits
As human beings, all of us develop different affinities towards different things. While developing an opinion is a healthy habit, our opinions could sometimes hurt the sentiments of others. Therefore, by indulging the participants in this technique, you’ll create in them the courage to listen to each other’s opinions with open minds.
For more information visit https://www.afterburneraustralia.com.au