The transformative power of story telling as a methodology for teambuilding and building a healthy organisational culture
Last week I facilitated a teambuilding session in Harare, Zimbabwe with an international capacity building organisation with country offices in several countries. This session brought the team together in person - over 40 people gathering in a large tent which was set up in the beautiful gardens of their office premises. This was the ideal setting for several rounds of storytelling and sharing in small intimate groups. Coupled with an active listening exercise the group found that the qualitative listening helped to change the dynamic between them and those who shared their stories felt a deep respect from their colleagues as they were each given their space to be heard fully. Some were also surprised how much they learnt from each other - especially for those who were working in different departments of the organisation - the lesson being that we all have wisdom which can be revealed when the conditions are conducive. This set the tone and was a strong foundation to build the re...