Group activities can be useful when working with students or with employees within a company. If you have been using the same activities for a period of time, you might want to take a step back to really examine the effectiveness of them. For example, all group activities probably have some strengths and some weaknesses. By identifying these strengths and weaknesses, you can help improve the effectiveness of the activities, which will be beneficial to the students or employees who are part of the groups.

Look at the outcome of the group activities. For example, if the activity is meant to encourage bonding amongst employees, the result would be whether or not anyone has become friends. If not, then you know that’s a weakness of the activity. If they are, then it’s a strength.

Observe the group activities in action. This is an excellent way to find the strengths and weaknesses. By observing, you can see who is participating, how well the group is following directions and whether the group seems to get easily distracted.

Talk to the people involved in the group activities. They are your best resource for finding out the strengths and weaknesses. Ask each how they feel about the activities, what they enjoy and what they would change.

Examine the dynamic of the groups you’ve put together. Diversity in a group, such as varying levels of employees and different genders, is usually a strength, while groups that are not diverse are a weakness. Also, groups tend to do best when they are limited to six people or less.

Check out your own directions for the group activities. They might be vague or tough to understand. If your own objectives for the activities isn’t clear, then there are likely weaknesses in the activities that could be avoided with clearer instructions and a well defined purpose.

Tip

If you’re worried group members won’t be honest about weaknesses of the activities, use an anonymous questionnaire to get feedback.