Creating connection after time apart

When you plan your next face-to-face event – and we suggest starting now because as the restrictions lift, demand will be high – you will probably want to think about how people reconnect with work colleagues they have only seen remotely over the past few months.
 
The temptation might be to put a large sum of money behind the bar, but if you want something more imaginative and useful to your business you might want to consider some of these suggestions:
 
Helping people to be comfortable with the unexpected.
 
We have developed our long experience of improvisation into an easy series of confidence-building exercises that help people address issues around collaboration, conflict and fear of failure. Whether you want to bond people together in a spirit of fun and laughter, or if you would like to use our Applied Improvisation sessions to create innovative solutions to difficult problems, we have what you need.
 
Talk is cheap, but it offers great value.
 
The endless Zoom calls of the lockdown have been interaction, but they haven’t been talking. Talking is a whole body experience – the countless gestures, postures, moves and glances that happen in real life can’t be replicated virtually. Make the most of people being in the same place, at the same time and allow them to talk. We can help you run an Open Space or run other activities that encourage the sharing of ideas. 
 
One of our recent clients summed up what we do nicely: “we use storytelling techniques to create an environment of trust that allows people to make better decisions”. If you would like us to do that, get in touch, but whatever you do, it pays to use a professional facilitator. Someone from outside your business doesn’t have any agenda, can react honestly to tensions to which others have grown accustomed and can ensure that everyone is heard, not just those with the loudest voices.
 
Make the most of the time apart.
 
Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but it also lets people reassess what they value from their work environment and relationships. This has been a long time apart and if habits can be made or broken in 21 days, there has been more than enough time for things to change in how your team interacts and collaborates. 
 
People will have views on what they want for the future. Let them share their ideas and you will be able to forge a better working relationship by acting on the thoughts that come out.

​This is our area of expertise. If you need any help, get in touch.