Getting to Know You

Really knowing your fellow volunteers is a smart step toward building teamwork in your community or in your work environment.  Consider gathering with your housemates and co-workers and discussing the questions below.  You just might discover something surprising about someone you though you already knew pretty well, and, who knows, you might start to feel more like a team.

Supplies needed:  Paper, pens/pencils, open minds.                                                   
Time Needed:  About one hour.

Instructions:  Gather together.  Write the following three questions on a piece of paper and display them somewhere so everyone can read them:


NEEDS:  Expressing your personal, emotional, physical, and/or spiritual needs to one another can help volunteers put the needs of others before their own, it can nurture respect within a community and it can help you understand where each person is coming from- all key elements of teamwork.

GROWTH AREAS: Being honest and openly admitting areas where you fall short can build trust and respcet among community members and, ultimately, build teamwork.

SKILLS/STRENGTHS: Recognizing and putting to use your fellow volunteers' skills and strengths is one excellent way to build teamwork in your community.  Who knows what hidden skills your housemates or co-workers possess?

Each person take a few minutes for each question, answering the "Needs", "Growth Areas" and "Skills/Strengths" questions on separate slips of paper.  Collect all the answers when everyone has completed all three questions.  Make three piles, one for each of the three types of questions.  Then, each person take a turn picking one answer from the "Needs" pile and read the answer aloud.  Everyone try to guess who wrote that answer.  Keep track of how well your community is able to recognize who wrote each response.  Repeat the process for the "Growth Area" question, and,  then, for the "Skills/Strengths" question.

Take a Closer Look: