Team Building

Organizations desire to do team building for a variety of reasons. Some of the common reasons are listed below. Do any of these reasons apply to your organization?

Team building workshops are custom designed to address specific organizational needs. Interviews, team building assessments, employee surveys are examples of processes used to prepare for a team building workshop. Another option is leadership "360" assessments using the flexible 20/20 Insight Gold Software.

Typically, participants complete a Team Building Assessment that is designed around characteristics associated with high performing teams. The results are used to identify team strengths and challenges, as well as contribute to an agenda based on identified needs and desired outcomes.

Activities are used that allow participants to have fun, yet yield rich dialogue and experiential learning. Activities are also used to help teams identify opportunities for growth, prioritize issues or develop strategies.

Frequently, teams utilize the DiSC Behavior Assessments to identify and understand each other’s behavior style and how, with that information, they can improve team communication and relationships. Additionally, team reports allow members to see how their collective styles impact the culture of the team.

Merlin Switzer is approved as a Team Building Provider by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.

"As Sheriff-Coroner of Tuolumne County, I write this letter recommending Merlin Switzer for a Team Building Workshop facilitator.

Merle spent 3 days with the management group from our Sheriff's Office. He was able to facilitate some excellent communication amongst my staff and helped us to create some highly desired and achievable goals. He managed to keep our large group on task and focused, which at times was a grueling task.

I'm proud to say that our team accomplished three of the four goals that were set during the workshop and are working towards accomplishing the last one. Merle has been diligent in following up with our agency and is quick to officer assistance if necessary.

I would highly recommend Merle Switzer as a facilitator for any leadership workshop. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or require additional information."

"I wanted to take a moment to thank you for facilitating the recent Team Building Workshop for the Fresno Police Department. I was very pleased with the results of this event and I am sure it will prove to be important in the development of my staff.

From the time of our initial meeting, I knew this event would be successful. You took the time to get to know our staff members and quickly gained an understanding of what we were seeking to accomplish. You kept the workshop focused, blending excellent facilitation techniques with purposeful activities. In addition, our group was much larger in number than a typical team building workshop, and you were very flexible and accommodated this large group with ease.

Merle, I appreciate your professionalism and skill in facilitating our team building workshop. Much was accomplished in a short period of time, and I am grateful for your assistance in making this a meaningful and productive experience."

“It was a pleasure working with you on this program from the initial review meeting through the ‘brainstorming’ ideas for our corporate core values. Your presentation skills and material were refreshing and thought provoking. Although everyone was worn out at the end of the day, the entire team gave your participation the highest possible ratings on my post-meeting review form. I especially enjoyed your willingness to listen to what we had to say and yet keep us focused on the task at hand.

Overall, I and our entire team were extremely pleased with the workshop and would not hesitate to recommend your services to anyone.”

“This is to express my management staff’s and my sincere appreciation for the Team-Building Workshop you conducted with us. Your expertise, professional experience and, perhaps equally important, good sense of humor guided us in a crucial phase of the development of our department…The training greatly facilitated our goal of strengthening our organization. We look forward to working with you in the future as our team continues to develop.”

Dan Drummond, Chief of Police

West Sacramento Police Department

Team Building Workshops