Have you ever worked with cheerleaders who are Resistant To Change     Stressed Out     Not Communicating      Overwhelmed              Not Working Together      Complainers       Rumor Spreaders           Back Stabbers                                                  Whiners                  Stubborn Hard-heads       Blamers          Unmotivated          Negative Nellies   Team Bonding and Team Building. Synonymous, but not the same. We’ll touch on both as they overlap. Bonding is about belonging, team spirit and just getting to know each other. You want to perform bonding events that are designed to create team experiences that bring the team together. You want to stimulate team identity and school spirit. The events and activities need to be fun and or adventurous so they are long remembered and the experience creates a common bond between your cheerleaders. Take pictures, lots of pictures. Shared laughter and the spirit of fun generates a bonding process in which people feel closer together--especially when laughing in the midst of adversity. This emotional glue enables team members to stick together on the tough days and when members of the team need each other to complete a project and assure a job well done. Why You need to acclimate or assimilate the new team as they come together for the season. Some may have cheered together before (good thing or not). Others may be new to the school or new to the area not just the team. create a positive group atmosphere help them to relax              energize & motivate              help people to get to know one another              break down the social barriers help people to think outside the box   An important factor in the team bonding process is trust. Add Trust building activities that -develop mutual respect for each other and their level of skill                               -encourage openness, private thoughts shared stay private to the team whole       -understanding and empathy for each other and the organization   *Occasionally divide into sub-groups for maximum involvement. *Involve the whole group. That may mean taking the quiet ones aside for a special moment or two. *Get up and move around. Change the seating assignments. Go outside. Cheerleading attention spans can be short. *Your team bonding and building agenda should include activities and lectures that help to develop good communication and teamwork skills. Start to develop and build your new team Trust building activities help people to develop mutual respect, openness, understanding, and empathy, as well as helping to develop communication and teamwork skills. Open Communication A lighter atmosphere, and a coach who shares humor with the team, is a powerful tool in opening up the channels of communication. It frees team members up to communicate openly, without fear of reprisal. This is especially important when a cheerleader knows that his/her opinion differs from that of the coach or the administration. Trust One of the by-products shared laughter and good open communication is a growing sense of trust. This is also, of course, partly a result of the emotional bonding that occurs through shared positive humor. When comfortable and open communication is lacking, it breeds a sense of distrust, and there is no way that a team can function effectively when this occurs. Without trust, communications can quickly become defensive or distorted, setting up future misunderstandings. Improved Morale When teams have fun on the job and share laughter, they enjoy their work more. And cheerleaders who like their jobs work more effectively together. Reduced Stress By reducing daily stress levels, humor and a lighter attitude help sustain the focused mental state required to do their job effectively when under pressure; it allows you to get a lot done and get it done quickly. You want to build synergy, a whole that is the sum of its parts. You want cooperation for you and amongst them by having the same aim. Everyone needs to stay flexible to work as a team.     TIPS FOR YOU 1. Be flexible. The unexpected can be your greatest moments. 2. Be well-prepared. Back-up props, back-up activities, back-up agenda, back-up everything. 3. Leave your ego outside the room. Follow the flow of the group even when it goes off your course. 4. Tell personal stories that are true and make a point. 5. Anticipate resistance, deviations, and mistakes. How you handle these impacts the whole day and is usually where the learning takes place. 6. Pause often. Whether after a sentence, after an activity, or after a de-brief, allow your cheerleaders to think and reflect. This is the time when they come up with their own solutions and lessons. 7. Involve the whole group. Design the learning so that the learners focus on themselves and each other. You create the learning experience ---- and then step back. 8. Keep the day fun, fun, fun. And always close with high impact. 9. Expect resistance. That’s where much learning takes place. 10. Allow emotions to surface. That’s OK. Experts say that is where most behavioral change takes place. 11. Follow the group’s lead, momentum, and topics, not yours. 12. Lead by example: facilitate without judgment or finger-pointing. 13. Say aloud participants’ names, validate their thoughts, and allow discovery to be theirs, not yours. 14. Maintain an atmosphere of trust, safety, and confidentiality at all times.