6 Basic Tips For A Successful First Team Meeting of the Destination Imagination® (DI) Season
Whether you are a brand new Team Manager (TM) or have been around DI for a few years, the very first team meeting of each season brings with it as much uncertainty as it does excitement.
Many articles have been written with different advice about best practices for a successful and productive first team meeting. Wisconsin DI (WIDI) is here to share a few of the top tips to help ease the anxiety and build the excitement, all at the same TIME!
1) Before the meeting: preparation is the key.
The TM should read through the Rules of the Road (ROR), Roadmap, and Team Challenges before meeting with your team. These are available for download in your DI resource area.
The Rules of the Road: Published by DI each season and outlines the rules and procedures required to participate in a tournament, regardless of a team’s chosen Challenge. Unless otherwise stated, ROR applies to ALL teams participating in the DI Challenge program.
Even experienced teams/TMs, should review the ROR to learn the details of the Challenge Experience, to prepare for tournaments, and to make sure your Team Challenge and Instant Challenge solutions fit within the rules. Your team should refer to this resource often throughout the season.
Roadmap: The Roadmap will help you manage a team throughout the season. Roadmap has everything from teaching the creative process to team building activities and Instant Challenges (IC), to understanding your role as a TM to a meeting schedule to tournament prep and more!
Select appropriate resources and suggestions from the Roadmap to help you meet your team’s needs throughout the season.
2) Do an ice breaker/team building activity
Do a team building/ice breaker activity so the team members can get acquainted/reacquainted. This can help you and your team to feel each other out.
A quick Internet search with yield 100s of activities. WIDI has 4 quick and easy activities that require little to no materials and can be used by teams in any age group. More activities will be added as the season goes on.
3) Discuss expectations and establish team meeting rules.
The team can make sure they are all on the same page as far as what to expect from each other during the season- time commitment, respecting each other, behavior, etc . Some teams create and sign a contract for themselves.
4) Watch the Challenge preview video
Have your team watch the preview video and read the previews together so they can then chat with each other about what attracts them to a particular Challenge (or not).
5) Read through the Challenges.
If there is time at this meeting, the team can choose to start reading through the Challenges that interested them after watching the preview video so they can choose which one they will solve.
6) Develop an action list.
The team should create a list of action items they wish to accomplish before and at the next meeting.
Most of all have fun!