Category Archives: Educators Teambuilding

How to Motivate Your Team with Numbers

I was reminded of an important technique you can use to motivate your team while talking with my son about the basketball camp he attended this week. One of the things that makes him a good player is intrinsic motivation – he practices on his own because he just enjoys getting better.  He doesn’t do […]

Assigned Seats Are Even More Effective Outside of Schools

Teachers have used assigned seats for decades to arrange and organize students in their classrooms, because it was convenient.  In my classroom, I used to assign seats and would switch up those assignments at different points during the year to allow students to interact and build relationships with people that they otherwise likely wouldn’t have […]

8 ways to get your team to listen (when you don’t have a whistle)

The truth is that whistles aren’t necessary. As a young coach, I thought I needed a whistle to get my players’ attention and ensure they were listening to me. Turns out, a few years into my coaching career I learned that it wasn’t the whistle that truly earned their attention.  Sure, it was disruptive and […]

Five Greatest Qualities of an Effective Event Facilitator

If you are searching for an effective event facilitator to help with any group productivity meeting, there are a number of things you should consider. A strong facilitator will discuss goals with the meeting planner and have a thorough understanding of the meeting’s purpose prior to his or her arrival.  It is vital that the […]

9 Spartan Race Lessons on Leadership and Teamwork

A few weeks ago I experienced my first Spartan Sprint. The “Sprint” is a 4-5 mile obstacle course race created by Joe De Sena, an entrepreneur and extreme endurance race enthusiast.  In 2012, Outside magazine designated it the “Best Obstacle Race,” and hundreds of thousands of people have participated in Spartan race events around the […]

4 Steps to Create REAL Impact at Your Next Event

As a meeting professional, you want to create real impact at your event, but all too often people look back after attending a conference or an annual meeting and, even though they may have had a few nice conversations and taken a few interesting notes, feel like it was all just empty calories? Cake, or […]

What Drives Engagement and Motivates Employees?

As a team leader, it is important to be aware of what drives engagement and motivates your employees and teammates. Most leaders are familiar with the 2013 Gallup poll that suggested “70% of American workers are ‘not engaged’ or ‘actively disengaged’ and are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and less likely to be productive.” Employee […]

Top 20 Fun Conference Theme Ideas to Inspire Teamwork

Are you looking for fun conference theme ideas to inspire teamwork in your organization? If you are planning an annual meeting or event, one of the things you want to decide on early in your planning is a theme that will tie all of your speakers and breakout sessions and activities together under one main […]

Team Trust is Like a Three Legged Stool

Trust is not a feeling. It is a conclusion people reach after watching what you do. I have spent twenty years on basketball courts and corporate stages studying the same question. Why do some teams pull together under pressure while others fall apart in adversity? The answer almost always comes down to trust. Not talent. […]

UConn Basketball and a Championship Lesson in Patience

The 2014 men’s basketball national championship was a well-documented contrast in team dynamics. The UConn starting five consisted of two seniors, two juniors, and a sophomore, while Kentucky started five freshmen – most of which likely planned to use the game as a springboard into the NBA draft. And more than a story of free […]