One of the things we love about making chocolate is the similarity it shares with teambuilding. You see, they both require a certain degree of care and the right blend of ingredients in order to produce a winning recipe.
As with any activity, it always begins
with some good old fashioned planning.
For anyone arranging a teambuilding task, the important thing to consider is why it is needed in the first place. Of course, there could a whole host of reasons to team build, from introducing a group to each other for the first time, to improving the communication within an existing team, to simply teaching colleagues a new skill.
The same goes for making chocolate
Before even a spoon is licked, you’ll need an underlying reason to don your apron. This is why there is usually a theme for chocolate-making activities. Are you treating a bride-to-be to a hen party? Perhaps you’re showing your Valentine your true love for chocolate? Or maybe you want to mix things up with a choc-tail party?
Okay, so once you’ve got your plan together you can begin to mix your ingredients. For team building, these are the members of your group and much like following a recipe, there is certainly an art to this.
The trick lies in getting the right balance between your team members, too many cooks spoil the chocolate fondue so to speak. Likewise, if the task involves presenting in any way, you’ll also want to make sure you don’t fall victim to the ‘style over substance’ trap. This is why good teambuilding disperses a good mix of logical and creative thinkers within a team – with each member playing to their own particular strengths.
In order to catch this balance, you need a team leader in charge who understands these strengths and will delegate the tasks accordingly. Once you have people in their best positions, it’s time to pour in some hard graft, mix together with good communication and of course add a splash of creativity. Keeping each team member happy is important – you don’t want to be left with a bitter taste in your mouth, likewise don’t work them too hard or they will burn out. A team that works together in unison is a wonderful thing to behold, and as soon the task nears completion you can sit back and apply the finishing touches.
Chocolate making is a similar alchemic process. However, instead of a team leader you have a head chocolatier; one who also has a clear plan in place, who understands the right balance of ingredients (how many cocoa nibs are needed again?) and who possesses the finesse to produce artistic flourishes.
So there you have it, teambuilding is like creating the perfect chocolate recipe – the end product being just as sweet. And in our opinion, what better way is there to build a team than by making chocolate together!
[Images provided by Moyan Brenn ]
