Recently, Next Gen was in New Jersey working with a team of NJ County Employees on team building in the workplace.
The activity was a ton of fun, and based on the feedback forms, exceedingly useful for the employees in terms of working better as a team.
The day started with some icebreaker games and getting to know one another activities. I got the chance to learn a bit about the community and got a sense of how each person saw themselves.
Once the attendees had a sense of how the day would flow, we started with an "impediments" activity. This is where the employees got a chance to write down and reflect on the common problems that can get in the way of having a fulfilling, productive workday. We had a discussion about the issues, and put everything on the table.
After a snack, we got into the gaming part of the workshop. Now that we knew what the impediments were, we started to consider some of the skills a person could use to overcome said difficulties. When the players got around the table, they found out they were playing a game entitled "Unlocking the Portal", a sci-fi game about a zombie apocalypse. To win, players needed to work together in order to find the necessary clues to unlock the game, and push the zombies back into the portal and away from their homes.
The players had a tremendous amount of fun. Selfishly, it was amazing to see their smiling faces- who knew a corporate training or professional development opportunity could be this fun (well, I did, I suppose!!!!)?
When we were done with the game, I asked the players to reflect on the skills they needed to win the game. I also asked them to compare their demeanor from the game to that of the work day, and asked them to see the overlaps as well as the differences.
In the end, the attendees realized that they often have skills they don't consider during the workday. I shared parting pieces of wisdom about better teamwork, including points about harnessing strengths, harnessing those people around you with differing skillsets, and being goal oriented.
The event was a rousing success, so much so that Next Gen will be returning for several more workshops.
If you or someone you know has interest in gamified, corporate events, please reach out using the contact form, or directly through email at jfishman@nextgengaming.org
Enjoy the rest of the photos!
