"What do you do?" is a common question asked when people first meet. This question is asked because it is socially safe and is not too personal. However, if we really want to get to know someone, a better question would be "What energizes you?" or "What drains you of energy". The answer to this question provides insight into passions, dreams, sources of happiness, joy and activities and practices that put a person in the zone or in flow.
I facilitated a "Speed Dating" activity to support the forming stage of team development for the North Toronto JUEL Basketball Team. It was a fun an engaging opportunity for players to get better acquainted. The activity took about 10 minutes and the returns were great. Each "Speed Date" was 1 minute long. Players sat across from a partner; kept eye contact; introduced themselves and each player had 30 seconds to share the things that energize them. After one minute one line of players would rotate and a new "Speed Date" would start. Players who had been training together for several months, learned new interesting important information about their teammates.
This activity honours the "forming" stage of team development by helping to create connection between athletes and encourages athletes to tell something positive, but revealing about themselves. The load of eye contact was added to challenge players to take the connection further and even demonstrate some trust with their teammates.
The players really enjoyed the activity and were excited about what they'd learned about each other throughout the process. They found that they have a lot in common. They also learned some interesting things about a fellow teammate that peaked curiosity and will encourage players to learn more about each other outside of this activity.
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