This week, we tried something a little different when delivering a team-building session, with the fantastic helpline team at Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association.

We stepped away from the usual formats (no PowerPoint slides in sight) and got hands-on with a simple but powerful activity: building paper boats.

At first glance, it was light-hearted and fun (and that's also part of what we wanted from the activity as trainers?). But what unfolded was a great reminder of what teamwork is really about:

Collaboration: lots of sharing ideas, testing approaches, and learning from each other.

Creativity: finding new ways to solve a simple challenge.

Communication: aligning quickly under time pressure and rewording an idea if it did not land with the person the first time.

Resilience: when things didn't quite go as planned (tape not sticking, some boats didn't float / fit in our bucket !!)

What stood out most in addition to the final designs, was what was shared when we asked how the pairs worked together. We got this crazy long list from the team of all the things they implemented, understood, adapted and collaborated.

Sometimes, the best way to strengthen a team isn't through complex strategies, but through simple, engaging experiences that bring people closer and encourage them to think differently.

What we ended up with was Noah's Ark, Ariel & Ratty (see image)
(and please don't judge me for the brand advertising on these boats, let's reframe it as recycling)