Category: Kingmakers Team Bonding
How to be an effective facilitator
6 Tips from Kingmakers Game Guides
1. Find the balance between gameplay and team interaction.
“Leave space for people to simply chat and enjoy themselves. The game is a vehicle for enjoyment, not the centerpiece.” – Caleb
“Striking the delicate balance between moving the game experience along and disappearing into the moments of humor and joy requires equal parts art and skill. There is always a point where the room reaches synergy and people start to relax and joke and enjoy the space and my goal as a facilitator is to guide us to that point where the magic unfolds.” – Sarah
2. Remember everyone shows joy in different ways!
“There are many ways to facilitate joy for all.” – Sophie
“We shouldn’t expect one group’s ‘fun’ to look like another’s. There’s no need to judge how anyone experiences joy. Facilitators provide the experience and there is freedom of discovery for each group of participants.” – Caleb
3. Be fully present!
“Each event is a new and unique group of people, so anything can – and does – happen! The event is a special time and space that will never happen again in exactly the same way, so it’s an opportunity for discovery.” – Amie
4. Lean into the inside jokes.
“My favorite part about facilitating is where everybody starts to laugh, and the group finds an inside joke. It’s fun to have something that only one particular group will understand, it makes the memory really special.” – Caleb
5. Create a comfortable environment.
“It’s so important to create an environment in which individuals feel happy to participate. I see the cultivation of a warm atmosphere as being incredibly important for people to feel like they can take a risk and experience their own voice being heard in a way that is respectful.” – Amie
“I love watching participants open up and start to smile as the games go on. By the end people are laughing and new connections are formed among people who might not have met before.” – Sophie
6. Consider the bigger picture.
“I love that Kingmakers gets to curate laughter and play experiences which allow participants to let their humanity shine. These are moments that remind us we are more than what we do or produce, that our mere existence brings joy.” – Sarah
Facilitators are the most important part of the Kingmakers team.
Kingmakers Game Guides set the tone for participant engagement, teach games clearly and effectively, facilitate best-fit energy for participants, provide technical support, and make decisions behind the scenes to ensure streamlined experiences.
The Game Guide is the humble teacher (sharing the rules), the fair judge (the keeper of points), the efficient board (physically controlling cards or pieces), the encouraging cheerleader (rooting for individual or group success), and ultimately, the nimble facilitator of the participant experience.
Why is this flexibility important?
Each team is incredibly unique!
While the game itself provides an initial structure, it’s the Game Guide who sets the pace and focus of the game and leads the participants through the experience that best fits them.
Our Game Guide Caleb put it best when he said, “The game is a vehicle for enjoyment, not the centerpiece.”
Our expert facilitators create the environment for participant connection, thoughtfully navigating a team’s dynamics, history, and hierarchy.
Some teams thrive in a competitive environment and want to move quickly through rounds, engaging with one another in a lively discussion with a specific and important goal. Other teams may play the same game slowly, sharing anecdotes and laughter in the middle of a round and being only mildly interested in the competition aspect. Both team personalities (and every other team dynamic that exists) are valid and lead to meaningful connections.
Looking for tips on how to be an effective facilitator? Read what our Game Guides have to say!
6 Tips to be an Effective Facilitator
Kingmakers Solutions
Intro Event
Looking for a quick and easy way to take a break with your team?
Experience with your team what business leaders around the country are saying is the perfect team bonding for our times.
Your team will leave this event excited, energized, and laughing about it tomorrow!
Kingmakers Intro Event is an interactive, online board game experience designed to bring your team together with laughter and play.
Discover
- The unique power of board games to spark joy, connection, and inclusion;
- How expert external facilitation makes a difference in the virtual environment; and,
- How virtual work can be even better through the magic of play!
“It was great to be able to participate instead of plan!” – Adult and Child Health
Includes
- 60-minute virtual event, hosted on Kingmakers virtual platform
- Fully facilitated and structured start to finish by a Kingmakers Game Guide
- Easy booking process with electronic payment
- Communication plan for participants with tips for maximum engagement
“Great way to de-stress during work from home!” – CoverMyMeds
The Intro Event is developed for new clients only and for teams between 6 and 24 people with an established and consistent working relationship who are looking for a fun break in the workday.
Think you need a more customized Kingmakers Solution for your team or organization? Talk to a Kingmakers Client Success Manager about your engagement needs!
“Your team is amazing! Would love to work with you again!” – Nike
Kingmakers offers three unique solutions based on the needs of your team or organization. Expert, external facilitation and board gameplay are the core of each solution.
Intro Event
A quick and easy way to take a break with your team!
Experience with what business leaders around the country are saying is the perfect team bonding for our times.
Kingmakers Intro Event is a 60-minute virtual event, fully facilitated and structured from start to finish by a Kingmakers Game Guide.
Designed for 6 – 24 participants.
“We’re a new team working together, so the time gave us a good opportunity to relax, joke around, be a little competitive, and get to know each other.” – Edify
Team Solution
A series of Team Bonding Events developed for your unique team.
Join the ranks of excellent team leaders who are utilizing Kingmakers Team Bonding as a tool to develop and maintain strong working relationships.
Kingmakers Team Solution includes three or six virtual events, an Engagement Plan, and an Engagement Results Package including testimonials, event success data, and team photo.
Designed for 6 – 24 participants.
What was your favorite moment from the event?
“Knowing how much we are appreciated by [our Director].”
– Covering Kids and Families
Enterprise Solution
A strategic relationship aligned with your organization’s virtual engagement goals.
From consultation to implementation, Kingmakers offers a variety of expertly managed and facilitated events to spark joy, connection, and inclusion.
Work with a dedicated Client Success Team throughout the quarter to develop and execute your Engagement Plan. Your unique company culture, organizational structure, and priorities matter.
Beam Dental Summer Social
“It was so fun and engaging.”
“Flawless execution.”
“I thought that the showcase event was a really unique way to get people interested! It was a really fun way to end the day!”
“Our Game [Guides] were so skilled at balancing the structure of game rules with the fun of a casual experience!”
Favorite Moments:
“Playing with people in my company I didn’t know. Let me get to know them better.”
“The final round, so fun watching everyone and cheering them on!”
Kingmakers Solutions
Enterprise Solution
Your company is FULL of talented individuals who are motivated by your mission and values.
You need a way to connect your awesome people to each other so they can continue to collaborate and innovate, no matter what part of the organization they support or where they are located.
Take a proactive and holistic approach to virtual company-wide engagement with Kingmakers Enterprise Solution.
Kingmakers Enterprise Solution is a strategic relationship aligned with your organization’s virtual engagement goals.
From consultation to implementation, Kingmakers offers a variety of expertly managed and facilitated events to spark joy, connection, and inclusion.
“The Kingmakers experience helped us lay more of a positive foundation moving into an upcoming project. I got feedback afterwards that the team loved it and was looking forward to working together which is great feedback to receive.” – Cheryl, IGS Energy
Two Steps
1. Consultation and Engagement Plan
Let’s create a plan!
A customized Engagement Plan with strategic recommendations to proactively address your organization-wide goals in the virtual workplace.
Included: starter consultation, Engagement Plan, review and revisions
2. Team Bonding Events
Put your Engagement Plan in action!
A variety of expertly managed and facilitated events aligned with your company calendar.
Included: event management, event implementation, evaluation, and ongoing consultation
“Someone told me today they “have so many stories about their co-workers from the games.” THAT absolutely makes the experience valuable. Nearly half of our team is new and that half hasn’t been in the office to really engage with coworkers to build a relationship” – Scott’s Miracle-Gro
Connect Anywhere
Holiday parties, All company gatherings, Leadership development initiatives, Internship cohorts, Recurring game hours, Onboarding classes of new hires, Summer social events, Board appreciation, Client relationship management, etc.
Interested in experiencing a Kingmakers event for your 6 – 24 person team? Check out our Intro Event.
Talk to a Kingmakers Client Success Manager about your engagement needs!
“I can only say positive things about everyone at Kingmakers. Flawless execution, entertaining from beginning to end, and always wearing a bright smile to cheer everyone on.” – Deutsche Bank
Kingmakers Solutions
Team Solution
Looking for a meaningful way to spark joy and foster belonging within your team?
You know better than anyone that team culture takes time and intention to build, especially in the virtual world.
Join the ranks of excellent team leaders who are utilizing Kingmakers Team Bonding as a tool to develop and maintain strong working relationships.
Kingmakers Team Solution is a series of Team Bonding Events developed for your unique team.
Each board game-centered experience is developed based on your team’s dynamics and engagement goals.
Discover
- The unique power of board games to spark joy, connection, and inclusion;
- Why intentional events over time make an impact on daily work;
- How expert external facilitation builds and strengthens relationships; and
- How the virtual space can be an effective tool for creating an equitable environment.
“Tailored to the personality and size of the team with a lot of thought put into it by the Kingmakers crew.”
– Root Insurance
Events
- Series of three or six virtual events, 75 – 90 minutes each
- Fully facilitated and structured start to finish by a Kingmakers Game Guide
- Supported by a Kingmakers Tech Guide, hosted on Kingmakers virtual platform
- Designed for 6-24 participants
Engagement Plan
- Initial Consultation with Client Success Team and periodic engagement reviews
- Participant Communication Plan with schedule and copy
- Engagement Results Package including testimonials, event success data, and team photo
“…we are very intentional about the type of culture we build during our programs. This activity helped us strengthen that culture with our participants.” – Rela Leadership
Looking to create an Engagement Plan for more individuals?
Our Enterprise Solution is tailored to the needs of your organization and can accommodate a variety of engagement goals, use cases, and event logistics.
Talk to a Kingmakers Client Success Manager about your engagement needs!
With [our Game Guides] it turned the afternoon into the best team-building event I’ve ever experienced with our department. – Abbott
Kingmakers’ virtual, participant-centered experiences enhance joy, connection, and inclusion through facilitation and board gameplay.
How do we ensure our solutions create intentional, efficient, and authentic engagement for your team? Facilitation and game play are the key!
Facilitation
The art of centering a group’s experience, needs, and joy
Expert, external facilitation allows events to be participant-centered. Facilitators read team dynamics and shift energy in real time.
This is a key differentiator of Kingmakers Team Bonding Solutions. Most of our competitors offer performative or broadcast-based team bonding experiences. THEY are the center of the event not the participants. Our job as facilitators is to constantly center the conversations, concerns, and energy of individuals to match the goals of the team.
“Honestly, I was beat and not interested in participating at all, but since I organized it I felt obligated. I ended up really enjoying it and having a great time. I felt re-energized by the experience and got to make some deeper connections with our participants” – Lilly Endowment
“I loved the energy – it was enthusiastic without being too over the top” – Scotts Miracle-Gro
Game Play
Use of tabletop board games adapted to the virtual space
The format of game play creates a low-stakes space for personal sharing and problem solving, allowing events to be both lighthearted and meaningful.
The mechanics of board games make it an incredible platform for equitable and engaging team bonding. Turn-based play ensures all participants have the opportunity to engage and the team steers the pacing of the event. Because board games don’t have fixed outcomes, each experience is customized by participants’ choices.
“The game itself was a great balance of intellectually challenging but easy to pick up once we got going.” – Edify
“The games and positive/upbeat environment enabled everyone to let their guards down and just enjoy and get to know one another a little better.” – IGS Energy
What are the key elements that make playing a game at work fun and not painfully awkward?
We got asked this question in a recent interview and WOW! This highlights the experience (and fear) of so many team leaders. No one wants to be responsible for the painfully awkward Zoom Happy Hour or team hangout where conversation feels like pulling teeth.
You know that intentional socializing time with your team is important, but it’s a challenging task to create that effortlessly fun experience for everyone (including yourself).
3 Tips for Genuine Fun!
1. Expert, External Facilitation
Tag someone outside of your team to run the event!
Whether you pull from inside your company or work with Kingmakers, expert, external facilitation changes the event dynamic for the better. Think of this person, the facilitator, as the person who guides the experience.
An external facilitator is uniquely positioned to bring a fresh and unbiased perspective outside of your internal workplace dynamics. They are the person who reads the virtual room: if someone is feeling uncomfortable, embarrassed, or hesitant for any reason, they know how to redirect and reframe the situation!
When you take on the role of the facilitator (as a part of the team yourself), you miss out on the opportunity to engage fully in the experience and create your own connections. Facilitation is a lot of work when you’re trying to enjoy the moment – knowing when to adjust strategy in real time to increase engagement is a whole job itself!
2. Structured Events
Craft your events without down time so that each team member is engaged all the way through! Structure? That’s not fun… Ok, hear us out, though.
Structuring the event from start to finish is incredibly helpful in absorbing any awkwardness.
Unlike a happy hour or party environment, your team won’t have to rely on existing interpersonal relationships in order to create new shared memories. Different personality types can thrive in an environment with a plan, whereas loose event structures tend to be great for only bolder personalities.
3. Board Games
Base your virtual team bonding time around a board game to connect in a playful, low stakes, and accessible way.
Game play naturally creates a space for social connection; there is less pressure interacting with an objective in mind rather than needing to fill the space with conversation. The conversation gets to flow naturally!
Nostalgia is powerful! Your team members have likely played a board game in the past and that familiarity allows them to let their guard down. Games are not a measure of intellect or physical ability. Through their mechanics and turn order, well facilitated games offer an equitable experience for your team.
Team Bonding Solutions
General FAQ
1. How can you determine what kind of fun is right for my organization?
We’re excited to chat with you in our 30 minute Discovery Call. A Kingmakers team member will learn about your engagement needs (big or small) and connect you to the Solution that fits your team’s personality, hierarchy and budget.
2. How do you play a board game virtually?
We have chosen games that lend themselves to being adapted to Zoom and create the right kind of engagement among your participants.
Our team then tests digital game play and trains on engaging online facilitation. There is usually a dedicated screen for the game board, pieces, and / or cards, and your Game Guide ensures that game play flows smoothly.
3. What kinds of games can we play?
Over our eight-year history, our team has played thousands of board games and has led hundreds of companies through board game-based team bonding events. We are experts at selecting engaging and interactive and accessible games.
Our facilitation takes into consideration the dynamics that you share about your team and your event goals. We like to keep the game selection a surprise so that everyone arrives at the event on a level playing field.
4. What if my team is introverted or doesn’t like to play games?
A direct quote from a self-identified introvert: “I felt like [the games] are good for more introverted types who might be more reserved. I was a bit tentative coming in b/c I’ve been put in situations that were way out of my comfort zone with games, but these were fun.” – CoverMyMeds
Kingmakers has facilitated game play for all kinds of teams over the years. Our training is centered on making game play accessible and fun for a wide range of teams and their unique personalities. We consider your team’s dynamic and the goals of your event when choosing the right game(s).
We always encourage team leaders to be advocates for game play and encourage their colleagues to lean into the experience for maximum fun.