Training Day Five: 8/22 (Team Building)

After a fun filled day at the Jersey Shore, we started out our Sunday with team building exercises (Team Building Exercise '99 anyone??). These exercises were led by Mike Abdallah from Student Life Marketing. The first exercise we did was one you may have experienced- each person is given a mat and has to cross over water or lava without touching anything but the mat, aka if your feet touch the floor you have to go back to the beginning. So all 7 of us strategized and thought we had a decent plan- each person would pass the mats up the line and everyone would step up the line, continuing until we reached the other side. This went well until we lost one mat, and then another and 3 of our team got sent back to shore.


Because we did not want to lose the challenge, we had to think of a new way to get everyone, not just the people who still had mats, across the water. Through scooting alone, and alternating, everyone got across except Joelle. We had 2 mats left. The first one hit the water, so it did not count. We then had to think again, and ended up rolling the mat and tossing it like a football. Joelle caught it and we all cheered, then she dropped it to the ground and we lost the challenge because the mat was not being touched! It was funny, but also taught us that we need to think about all team members and how we can help them succeed, and how each person can contribute unique ideas that create a viable solution.

We did some other team-builders, including a timed number sequencing drill, where we learned how important it is to ask questions about the problem before attempting to solve it, and listen carefully to directions when given. We also did an exercise where half the team could not speak, and we had to rearrange the order we were standing in. This frustrated me because I couldn't talk and couldn't figure out a way to communicate my thoughts, but also reminded me of the importance of listening to others. We eventually found the solution, but it took a lot of do-overs and group communication.



We did some other exercises that day, but more importantly were able to connect the skills we practiced during team building to the management style discussion we had later. We talked about things we were worried about, how we would treat each other and crew, and the importance of recognizing people for doing things right. Overall, it was a helpful day, and I learned a lot. There is so much to learn in such a short period of time, and much more to learn on the job! It is overwhelming at times, but I am confident that we will pick it up. As they say, practice makes perfect.

Ali