Distributed Team Building Dilemma

We have a training team of about 40 trainers. Some trainers train together a lot, others do not. How can two trainers who come together for the first time do some quick team building on the fly (literally, the day of the training).

The Team Doc Says…

Distributed teams of people seems to be a common theme in organizations these days. The key is to make sure that relationships are built between team members before they ever have an opportunity to work together. That means using all of the technology available to help them build those relationships. Here are some ideas:

• Have a regular (monthly?) conference call with all team members to discuss issues and successes.
• Whenever possible, meet face to face to solidify team member relationships — even if it’s only once a year.
• Use online technology like chat rooms, blogs and wikis to have continuous virtual discussions.

Unless the team training assignment is handled on the fly — scheduled today, conducted tomorrow — at the very least, the team members should pick up the phone and talk. It may not be the most ideal situation, but it will get them through the “first time” bumps.

Best regards,

Denise O’Berry
aka ‘Team Doc’