TEAM BUILDING AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS SEMINAR

               Aside from attending to minor and major field trips, participating in the Team Building and Interpersonal Skills Seminar is part in our FTS. This seminar includes many activities in which you will interact to everyone that are part in the class. Somehow, I got an idea with this kind of seminar since I have some friends who have tried it and told me about this. Based on what I had heard, it was really great and it will really help you to easily get along with the people who are also in the class. With this seminar, it will build a bond to the class so the field trip will be more fun. I’m not really excited at first with this activity. I attend this seminar for the main reason that it was a required and we will just deal with it. I attend this seminar since according to them, it’s really a helpful one for the group to know each other so that, there will be less problems regarding with how we deal to everyone when we will participate in our major fieldtrip. I’m expecting that I will just do whatever we are instructed to do and will just call it a day in the end of the day. But, as the seminar was finished, I find it really fun and just prove of what I heard about this activity.

                As the seminar starts, I got nervous and I didn’t expect that. I’m just carried away with my thoughts in how I will approach our classmates which I didn’t really know. Though their faces were familiar and I can name some of them, but I don’t know who they really are since our group are made up of two groups which are from evening and day class. This uneasiness dissolves as we start our first activity. We start our activity in forming a group. Each group has a mix of day and evening students which has the aim to know others aside from the usual classmates we have. As we were able to group ourselves, knowing the names with the members happen. We were also asked to do an activity and it was naming our group. I find this activity so fun because of the kind of people that surrounds me that time. I could say that our group was one of the energetic groups because all of us jive in bringing up some ideas regarding with the activity that was ask to us. It was really funny to name a group. I was helplessly laughing in that time when we agreed to name our group as “The Winx Club”. It was not the original name of our group and it was supposed to be name as “The Powerpuff Girls” but, since we are seven in the group and there were one and a half males in the members, we decided to change it as “The Winx Club”. According to our leader, the new name in our group is perfect since it was based in a cartoon series that includes both female and male fairies so we just decided to put it in that way. After the naming of our group, we perform the activity which is providing the expectation and contributions of this activity. I was enjoyed in doing that activity to the fact that we’re getting along with each other and ignores the shyness we have. Aside from knowing them through getting along and observing to them, I enjoyed listening to the other group’s ideas. I was amaze that each of us has common ideas regarding with the expectations and contributions with this activity. The ideas that we just shared in the whole class means that each of us was willing to make this seminar exciting and successful.

                After sharing of thoughts about the first activity, we proceed to the second activity which was the original first activity or the first session and it was called as the Paperclip Story. It was interesting as to its title. Since it was a paperclip story, each of us was provided some paperclips and we were ask to choose a color that represents us. We were also instructed to form a shape that signifies the real us. I could say that this activity was a great one. It let us see the real us and know much more our classmates. Each of the paperclips has own meaning of it. With its color and the formed shape, it has own significance that needs acceptance and understanding. Part of the activity is to share why you formed that shape and why you chose that color that signifies you as a being. From this activity, I was able to know how my co-members understand their selves and it amaze me how brave and willing they are to show their real selves. I was able to understand that all of us are unique. One of us her personality depends to the people that surround her. One is an open-minded person, one has passion in music, and many more things that can be relate to ourselves basing the shapes we form with our paperclips. With this activity also, I was able to evaluate if I really know myself. At this point, I could say that I can’t really say that I already know myself but at least, in this activity, I can state few things that I know in the present me. After the sharing about ourselves with the paperclips, we combine those paperclips to form a new story which was instructed to us to do. It was really fun to do. We hardly laugh of the ideas that we have and were happy to find out that even though we are very unique to each other, we can be one as a group. After the long conversation, we form a well artistic image. It was really an abstract art that only the seven of us can understand. Well, we just ignore the art factor of it and just gave the emphasis in the story. So, it was about us who just helping each other to finish what we have started in this subject. In short, it was about how we help each other as a team.

                The second session was the dining table thing. In this activity, we must draw a family dining table set-up and share also what kind of set-up we had drawn. As I draw my own dining table set-up, I’m just happy of reminiscing the times when I was a child, on how I understand why our dining table set up is like that. I also remember many things in the past as our family grow, starting from the moments that I have a baby sisters and brothers and as we became seven in the family. After we draw our own dining table set-up, I just said to myself that I’m lucky enough to have a family like I have now. I can say that my experience regarding with my family is common. Though we encountered many problems, compare with the stories that I had heard from my group mates in that time makes me say to myself that I was very lucky to have family that I have now. As I lend my ears and began to listen to them, I realized that one of the factors that affect the attitude is the family background itself. I discover that there are few of us have sad stories hiding from their cheerful attitude. There are some of us shared their stories like how their family becomes a broken family. How they suffer from being left by a father in many times and just stand up, continue his life with a bright outlook in life. I can’t imagine if ever I will wear their shoes and can smile as what they are showing every day. I felt sad as I heard their story but I was also amaze how they can smile even though they that kind of family. I was amaze on how they were brave to face life and continues to go with the flow. From this activity, I learned that judging a person without knowing why his like that, why he acts like that is not right. We must think and understand first that maybe there’s a reason why he or she has those kinds of attitudes because of some personal issues like family issues. 

                After the sharing of the sad and happy stories about the dining table, we proceed to the team building activity which makes the whole class enjoyed much. The team building activity was through playing games with different members as the game will change. The first game was the “Connected”, I’m not sure of the title of the game we played but I remember that it has “connect” or “connected”. For the first time, I belong to a group were I don’t really know my group mates. There are few of them that I know them through their faces and names but it was my first time to talk end be with them. Actually, the game went fun and good. All of us are like crazy, jumping all around and shouting to the other members to move the cord to their body as fast as they could. Though we lose the game, being with the other people who you just knew is like you won since you gain friends which is very helpful to make the FTS successful in the future as we go together to attend the major field trip. The next game was the blowing of the paper fish. Another set of members were made in that game. In this activity, we disregard the shy that is within us and just go with the flow with effort. We were able to talk in the group, making some suggestions on how we control the game and reach the goal to win. I was surprise that there are some of us were very opposite when you look at them. I thought that our classmate was very a quite person and cannot do the blowing of fish and make some moves to make it to the goal but to my surprise, he was the very active person in our group and made our group to win this game. In this game, we really put our efforts not only for doing the activity but the effort to communicate and understand each other. I could say that with this activity, it helps us to have good communication towards others that is very useful in the FTS field trips and other activities soon. The last game is the very funny and the most part that I enjoyed. In this game, there were changes of members so again, we have different members in a group. We were ask to have a handkerchief that will be used to cover our eyes. This game is a game that needs great communication and cooperation in the group since you will need to listen carefully for the same sound that will be assigned in a group. For our group, we have the cat sound, others has the dog, fox, and many more. As the game started, all of us is shouting with the assigned sound we have to make, and it was very difficult to find your group hearing different kind of animal sounds. At first, I thought it was really difficult but as I find one of my group mates, it was easy to find others since two of us put our efforts. If at first, I wasn’t moving due to the reason that I was afraid to fall in the front of the stage, I was able to face it since I’m with my group mates. The answer to find your group is just to trust yourself, follow what has been said in the meeting, cooperate, and do have the good communication. The additional thing that you must also have is never let go with your group mates and I guess it’s the reason why we won. We won because we hold to each other.

                Even though we felt like the three games is not enough to satisfy us and we're like child that just want more games, I could say that it was enough to somehow improve the bond within our class. Though not all was not given a chance to group different classmates and to be with them, I’m sure that each of us had a great time not only to the group of people that we only known before but also for the people we newly know. From these games also, we develop some skills that is very helpful in the FTS. FTS doesn’t only require individual efforts but a group effort to make it successful. I learn that cooperation and understanding to each other is very important for a group. It’s really a big help as we go to the minor and major field trips not only to enjoy more the activities and the trip but also to learn together and stick together as one. With all the activities we had in that day, though it was a tiring day, I was very thankful that I was able to attend that kind of activity. As we learn to accept others, understand each other, and being bonded in that day, makes a difference. A difference that even though we are very unique to each other, we can solve whatever problems may arrive soon and we can be happy and be bonded together.