1. Prior to the meeting give every team member a wall card or large Post-it and ask them to write in felt pen in large letters their Wish answering the following question: “If I could change anything about the team’s mission/goal or way of working or about the way team members interact with each other I would….”
2. Encourage team members to be open, honest and imaginative and then return the card to the activity leader without their name on it. You may like to set up a special “in tray” so that the wishes can be deposited there anonymously.
3. The activity leader will stick the cards on the wall and facilitate a discussion and action plan during the meeting.

1. There are a number of issues that commonly occur within teams; the checklist gathers these issues into 10 categories and suggests a number of questions that can be raised to both diagnose underlying problems and for improving future performance.
2. Identify an important issue that was recently decided upon in the team or one which you are facing now. (You should reach consensus on the problem but it is prudent for the activity leader to have identified one in advance in case the team members do not come up with a relevant issue.
3. The activity leader issues the checklist of questions to individual team members.
4. Individual team members, or the team as a whole, should read the checklist and answer the questions to gain a better understanding of how well your team makes decisions.

1. The activity leader discusses the importance of positive relationships with stakeholders.
2. Use brainstorming to generate a list of key stakeholders. (See APPENDIX 1)
3. Remind the team of the rules of brainstorming – to generate as many ideas as possible without criticism by anyone. Run the brainstorming session for as long as you can generate new ideas.
4. After the team has finished brainstorming distribute building bridges handout to the team.
5. Divide the team into smaller groups and ask these groups to complete the handout for the key stakeholders.
6. After 30 minutes the team is to prepare a flip chart and present back to the rest of the team.

1. Distribute copies of the ‘Much in Common’ Activity form to every team member. Ask each team member to find a partner and instruct them to find out as many things in common as possible within 2-3 minutes.
2. At the end of time ask them to find a new partner and repeat the process two more times.

1. Select a volunteer from the team and ask them to come to the front. Give him or her Diagram 1. The volunteer must sit with his or her back turned to the team, but in such a way that they cannot see the diagram.  The volunteer describes the diagram in detail so that the team members can draw the diagram as described. They may not ask any questions. The volunteer decides when he or she has given them enough information.
2. When this step is completed, share the results of the team members and compare it with the original. Did anyone get it right?
3. Select another volunteer from the team and ask them to come to the front. Give him or her Diagram 2.  This time the volunteer can face the team, but in such a way that they can not see the diagram.  The volunteer describes the diagram in detail so that the team members can draw the diagram as described. However this time the team may ask as many questions as they like and seek clarification. Again, no communication other than oral communication is permitted. The team decides when they are satisfied and have no more questions.
4. Share the results and compare with the original.

1. Team members need to imagine that they have just been marooned on a desert island. This is an unusual desert island and they are able to select six well known people to come with them. These may be well known personalities from public life or television to be marooned with. Team members have five minutes to write down the names.
2. Each member in turn then tells the rest of the team who they selected and their reasons for making such a selection. Write the names on the flip chart.

1. Distribute one blank Bingo card to each team member. If there are not enough, two or more people may need the same card (in which case there may be more than one winner for a particular game).
2. Read out the quotations randomly from the list (if you like you can cut up the quotes and draw them out of a container). Wait until team members have had time to digest the significance of a quotation. You may like to discuss each quotation as you go. After each, read out the author. If team members have that name on their card they can cross off that name.
3. The first person to complete their card wins.

1. Hand out a Population Control Worksheet to each team member and ask them, without discussing with anyone, to rank the countries in order of population size from 1 (highest) to 15 (lowest).
2. Divide the team into groups of five or six persons each and ask them to discuss and come to a group consensus on the right answer.
3. If you like you can record the group results on a flip chart.
4. Hand out the answer sheet.

Instructions:

1. Distribute blank copies of the ‘Coat of Arms’ to each team member on A3 paper, or ask team members to draw their own on a sheet of flip chart paper.

2. Sometimes teams can have difficulty getting started on unfamiliar creative tasks – so the activity leader should prepare one or two ideas to get the discussions started.

3. Ask the team member to draw their personal Coat of Arms as follows:

• In space 1 – ask the team as a whole to draw something that characterises a recent peak performance (e.g. a project completed, school built).

• In space 2 – draw something about yourself that few people know (e.g. I can play the trumpet).

• In space 3 – draw a symbol of how you like to spend your spare time.

• In space 4 – draw something that stands for your own personal beliefs and values (e.g. honesty above all).

 4. After 10 minutes ask each person to pair up and discuss their Coat of Arms with their partner.

5. Ask as many team members as you have time for to describe their Coat of Arms to the rest of the group.

Prior to the session put the following questions on a flip chart:

• Does the team really seek to make decisions that are acceptable to all team members?
• Are differences of opinion freely expressed or are decisions made by one or two team members?
• What impact does this have?
• Does the team think it is important to make sure everyone has an influence?
• Are there some decisions that should only be made by one or two people?

1. The activity leader discusses the importance of striving for decisions that are acceptable to all team members and the likely impact this has on team performance.
2. Think back to recent projects or tasks and the way the team has made decisions in the past and answer the questions on the flipchart honestly.