It can be difficult to find unique, effective team-building exercises for your group to participate in. My organization decided to do round-robin painting, and I’m convinced that executed correctly, this activity can be a fun way for all ages to build relationships and practice working as a team.
The basic format is as follows: Every team member is seated in a circle with their painting medium in front of them. Each person begins on their own painting, however after a specified amount of time each person moves to their left or right (whichever you prefer), leaving their canvas behind. At their new station, each participant adds to their new painting medium. This goes on until every one has painted on every one else’s canvas. At the end of the day, every team member takes home the original canvas that they brought…which is now a complete work of art! Here are a few tips to make sure this activity goes smoothly and without a hitch.
Allow everyone to bring whatever they would like to paint on…an old wooden chest for example, or a functional but plain vase. For those that would like something else, most hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot offer sheets of plywood for just a few dollars. These can be just as fun to paint on as an expensive canvas.
Vary the time spent at each painting station depending on the size of group. Five minutes at each canvas might be good for a larger group, or possibly fifteen minutes at each station for small groups. Unless your team is full of creative types, this activity might not be that much fun after an hour and half! Another idea is change the time spent each time you rotate. So perhaps your team spends five minutes on the first canvas, ten on the next, and only two on the one after that. Not letting everyone know how long they have on each canvas can keep things pretty interesting!
Make sure you have plenty of paint! Nothing spoils a round-robin painting session like running out of the goods. I suggest having each participant bring three to four bottles of acrylic paint in various colors with them to share with the group. This will keep costs down for the organization as well.
Set the mood by bringing a CD player, and encourage people to contribute mix CDs of their most inspirational music to be played during the painting session.
Lastly, find a venue that’s paint-friendly. You may put down plastic and newspaper in your conference room, but chances are paint will get some where (unless you’re dealing exclusively with responsible adults). Contact your local university art department and see if they have a room you could rent inexpensively for an hour or two. They may even be able to provide easels!
round-robin painting can be great way to let your team’s creative energy loose, and work together to create a work of art for everyone to carry home. Happy painting!
