Building
New Team Members
By
Jeffrey Giles
As most of you know,
building a good team begins with its members. And building good team
members begins...In The Beginning! The very first meeting with your
new team members is critical to establish the future they have with your
team! They must feel welcome; they must feel the privilege! This will
help to establish ownership in the team and help to build within themselves
the desire to continue your traditions of excellence.
10 Ideas for Building
Good Team Members
1. For your very
first team meeting, have a "Welcome New Members Party!" A cake,
punch, name badges for each rookie and small gift to make them feel a
part of the "sisterhood." Very ceremonial!
2. Play a mixer
game with all the girls to break down those uncomfortable rookie/veteran
walls. Make that very first meeting with the veterans and rookies strictly
fun.
3. Assign mentors
to each new member. Make the announcement a big deal! Set up a time
for mentors and rookies to get acquainted. Allow this time to be fun
and special. A tradition!
4. Have mentors
explain to the rookies all of the traditions of their team that makes
being a member so fun. Explain the excitement of winning and their traditions
of excellence on their own campus. Have the veterans explain how the
new members can fit into and become a part of these traditions.
5. Have rookies
explain to their mentors what they think they can bring to the team to
help make them better.
6. Assign Secret
Sis’! Make sure that veteran members really make an effort to welcome
new members. Make being a member FUN!
7. Assign new members
a pep rally dance or some dance where they can dance as a "rookie"
group. Have them choreograph and polish this dance. This will help them
feel a sense of responsibility and force them to take the reins of leadership
as a group. This further bonds each of the new members together as a
class as well. Make sure that the veteran members are HIGHLY supportive
of their efforts.
8. Ask the rookie
class to make special collages of pictures from the adventures of their
first few events together. This collage could be displayed in the dance
room. This can also be another group activity away from practice. The
more professional looking collages can also be used for display as a means
of public relations to entice eighth graders/prospective members to try
out for your team.
9. Keep a team
scrapbook. Have a section specifically for new members. Make the "rookie"
class responsible for that section. Each class should make an effort
to portray the fun and pride of being a member. This book could also
be used as PR in later opportunities with prospective members.
10. Assign the
"rookie" class a fundraiser. This fundraiser is for the "rookie"
class only! Perhaps the proceeds could go for a new outfit for contest.
This would help veteran members to be supportive of their efforts in as
much as they will benefit from the proceeds as well. Keep tally of the
results each year. Challenge the class to beat the total from the year
before.
These ideas, as with
any, are only as successful as the effort that is put into them. A member
that has a sense of ownership in the team will take a greater sense of
pride in its success. The success they feel at the end of the year, then,
can be measured by how good they felt...in the beginning.
Best
of luck to each of you and have a great year!
Jeffrey
Giles
- HTE Dance and
Spirit Group founder and CEO
- Motivational
Speaker and Team Building Expert
- Guest writer
and speaker for DTDA and other dance/drill organizations
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