This is a useful introduction activity, especially if people are suspicious of ‘team-building’ activities, because it gets straight to the point of give-and-take.

How to do it

As the facilitator, explain that everyone brings ‘gifts’ to the table — their skills, knowledge, experience — but they also need ‘hooks’: things they need to stay interested and engaged in the outcome of whatever it is you’re meeting together for.

Make sure everyone has sticky notes (or access to a digital whiteboard if meeting remotely), give them a couple of minutes to write down their gifts and hooks, and place them in a common area: either a whiteboard or the digital whiteboard. Ask everyone to share what they wrote.

Then, ask everyone a couple of questions to get them thinking about the group dynamic for the work ahead: What does this tell us about our team? What do we need to keep in mind as we work together?

Source: Michael Wilkinson