Recently we used three interesting ways to get to know each other that I would like to share with you. The described formats use different perspectives and help to discover various areas. Investing in learning more about a team member is a crucial element to build trust, that you need as a base for building a high performance team.
Format #1 – Warm Up with some facts about you
This exercise can be used in workshops and sessions where you need a fast way to get to know each other.
You ask everyone to collect some simple facts (in my example: Name, in company since, previous experience, What is your symbol for the team, a unique fact) and take a note on a sticky note.
Everyone presents their facts and pins their sticky notes on a previously prepared wall. I highly recommend keep all facts available during the ceremony as people can remember from time to time and it’s likely that they will talk about it during breaks.
This is how it could look like:
Name | at <company> since | previous | a symbol for the team | a unique fact about me that no one else has in common in this group |
Sebastian | 2015 | zooplus, delvin, msg | enabler | living vegan since 6 years |
… | … | … | … | … |
Timing: Take Notes 3′ + 3-5′ per team member to present their facts.
Format #2 – Childhood impressions
Based on the great book – The Five Dysfunctions of a team – we used the childhood impressions exercise to discover a new perspective from everyone. In this exercise you ask everyone to share:
- Where they were born and raised (let them show it on Google Maps and e.g. build a route that shows their journey)?
- Whether they have siblings and in what age order they are?
- What was a unique challenge or unique impression during childhood?
- What was their 1st job and what the worst one?
Let everyone present their information. You can either do it solely in a verbal way or again take notes and present the notes (I prefer the latter way as it can be used throughout the ceremony and in a summary afterwards).
Timing: 5-10′ per team member. I recommend to use e.g. Google Maps to visualize everyones journey.
Format #3 -10 things…
A challenging request to open 10 things:
- What you like most doing in your job. (10 things)
- What you like most doing in your spare time. (10 things)
Everyone takes two A4 sheets – one for job and one for spare time – and takes notes. Provide enough time and thinking space and “force” them to deliver 20 things. Again everyone presents results to the group.
Afterwards put the sheets on a wall and keep it available during the ceremony.
Takes a bit longer but brings quite a lot of input to discover from everyone. I think it works in a group up to 7-10 (larger groups could be split).
It could look like this:
Timing: Take Notes 15′ + 10′ per team member to present their facts.
Just three simple ways to discover more about each other. Please plan enough time and don’t rush these exercises 😉
Maybe you’ll use one of it in your next retrospective?
Can you add more formats to get to know each other? Or did you maybe already use the described ones? What is your experience with it? Thanks for sharing it with your comment
Thanks for Scharping.
Three other things I love to do:
1. Hashtags per person: quick and versatile dependend on the question asked.
2. Impromptu networking to get people that dont know each other right into deep discussions and
3. Build yourself as a Superhero: ask everyone for their super-power, side-kick-character and their worst nemesis or arch-enemy.
Thanks for the great extensions. I’ll try these versions soon too 🙂
One of my team loves to play “Tell a lie”: You tell your team mates 3 facts about yourself (they don’t know yet), but one fact is not true. These facts are written down on post-its. During the first round you present your post-its, in the second round the team decides which might be the lie. In the end the truth gets revealed.
Very funny game with sometimes quite surprising outcomes about your coworkers lives and their power of imagination.
Great insight, thanks for sharing. I used it already too and it is really interesting to see your teammates in a new perspective and discover new hidden talents.
Another nice way to get to know each other: Everybody takes out his keyring and shares the story it is telling about himself. It can reveal some very personal stories and also reflect parts of one’s personality.
Thanks for this idea. Will be even more interesting with a huge amount of keys on the keyring 😉
http://www.scribd.com/doc/350735763