How effective a meeting will be depends on the tone set in the first few minutes...and it’s up to the person running it to set that tone. Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers gives readers the tools, activities, and advice they need to create the kind of open, energetic, and relaxed atmosphere that lead to effective meetings and serious results. Designed to take the anxiety out of meetings and encourage creative and practical discussion, the book contains meeting starters that will help managers, team leaders, and facilitators: ease introductions for people who don’t know each other • warm up the group before moving them into more difficult territory • generate lively dialogue and sharing of ideas • effectively split attendees up into work groups • expedite brainstorming and promote problem-solving • and more For anyone charged with the task of running meetings, this book is the answer.

Contrary to popular opinion, brainstorming isn't magic. Truly productive brainstorming sessions are dependent on the ability of the leader to create the right environment and let his or her people's ideas flow. Filled with clear, concise guidance and quick, easily implemented techniques, this book provides supervisors, managers, and team leaders the fun, proven activities they need to get idea-packed brainstorming sessions started, and keep them going. Readers will discover how to: ò Ask questions that provoke responses and inspire creativity ò React to and record ideas in a way that encourages participants and prompts more input ò Sort and categorize lengthy lists ò Evaluate ideas ò Prioritize the most useful concepts and expand on them ò And more Containing sample dialogues, as well as resources for virtual team brainstorming, this indispensible book gives readers the activities they need to generate great ideas, fast.

Use technology to increase loyalty and productivity in your employees 50 Digital Team-Building Games offers fun, energizing meeting openers, team activities, and group adventures for business teams, using Twitter, GPS, Facebook, smartphones, and other technology. The games can be played in-person or virtually, and range from 5-minute ice-breakers to an epic four-hour GPS-based adventure. Designed to be lead by managers, facilitators, presenters, and speakers, the activities help teams and groups get comfortable with technology, get to know each other better, build trust, improve communication, and more. No need to be a "techie" to lead these games—they're simple and well-scripted. Author John Chen is the CEO of Geoteaming, a company that uses technology and adventure to teach teams how to collaborate. How to lead a simple, fast, fun team building activity with easy-to-follow instructions How to create successful "virtual" team building that requires NO travel and little to no additional expenses How to engage standoffish engineers, "hard to reach" technical teams, or Gen X/Y teammates with technology they enjoy using Successful technology-based team building can build buzz for your company, build critically important relationships and communication internally, and keep your team talking about it for weeks afterward!

Eliminate the need for time or resources on formal training and get your teams up and running themselves--with only minutes of prep. Between workplace personnel being more culturally diverse than ever before, a generation of employees being raised attached to technology while avoiding human interaction, and an increasing culture of competitiveness that is constantly raising tensions between cubicles, it has become absolutely essential for managers to focus more on camaraderie and building team spirit. Now in its second edition, Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers addresses the problems that drag down group productivity and helps teams: Collaborate successfully Cope with change Solve problems together Communicate better despite cultural and generational differences Boost creativit Leverage diversity Nurture healthy competition Each of the 50 team-building activities in this invaluable resource takes only minutes to prep and uses only everyday office items to get its point across. In just 15 minutes a day, the results will be immediate: sullen teams find sparkle, nervous teams gain confidence, teams of strangers get to know one another. There are even activities to help the virtual team! No one will be left out, and all with leave the activity feeling better about their team and their individual role within it.

Every community has issues or opportunities that need to be addressed. The expert knowledge of community members could be the key to creating lasting change. By making community members into facilitators, Making Change: Facilitating Community Action suggests they can guide community members through the process of making change and to help them determine their goals and methods. The aim of this book is to enable facilitators to identify concerns and address, enable and foster change at the local level through effective facilitation. This book follows a six-stage model for creating change. Beginning with issue awareness, it continues through getting to know the team they are working with, seeking information on the issue and community, through facilitating the planning and community development through evaluation. This book focuses on the human side of the change process while also teaching the practical skills necessary for individuals to reach their goal. Making Change is for people interested in making change to improve their community, including students, community activists, local government and educational leaders.

Your game plan for getting boys on the path to higher achievement Youve seen it in your school: boys struggling to master basic literacy skills, sitting outside the principals office, collecting labels like "hyperactive," getting failing grades. Checked out, kicked out, or dropped out, theyre benched when they should be scoring goals on the academic playing field. As a school leader, Kelley King has walked the talk: she successfully led her own staff to close the gender gap in reading and writing in just one year. In her step-by-step, research-based leadership plan for jump-starting boys achievement, she shares: Critical insight into the brain-based differences between boys and girls First-hand leadership and classroom experiences Ready-to-use activities and resources for leading a successful gap-closing initiative With tips, anecdotes, and more, Writing the Playbook provides educators in all roles with a blueprint for creating schools where boys (and girls ) thrive.

Get remote team members to interact as if they’re in the same room! Whether you’re videoconferencing with team members across the world or e-mailing a colleague sitting ten feet away, the truth is evident: technology has permanently altered the way we communicate. The virtual workplace can facilitate quicker decision making and reduced overhead. But the lack of face-to-face interaction can also impede trust, innovation, and creativity among team members. The Big Book of Virtual Team-Building Games is packed with games and activities for developing productive virtual teams across all digital platforms, including e-mail, mobile devices, web-based conferencing tools, and social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. The Big Book of Virtual Team-Building Games helps you: Build a greater sense of community and reduce conflict Increase levels of engagement Get the most out of more-introverted team members Boost team members’ productivity Make sure that the only thing separating your people is distance. The Big Book of Virtual Team-Building Games is just the tool you need to develop trusting relationships, foster clear communication, and use technology to enhance the team’s connections.