A Team & Empathy Building Exercise for You

refine+focus is all about real, authentic connection. It’s the backbone of our culture, we practice it every day with our team, and we celebrate it with special team building projects. One project, virtual care packages, illustrates how we do it. Here’s how you can try it with your team.

Our 5 Step Process

Define the purpose of the virtual care packages. For us it was to connect with the recipient and build empathy.

Create a match. Pair team members together to delight and surprise each other with thoughtful care packages.

Build the package. No rules, just thirty-five pretend dollars, a survey about team members’ interests, and two days.

Deliver the package. Let the team interpret what delivery would look like (ex. email, slide show, video, infographic etc.)

Meet and share. Have the team reflect on the experience and share what elements of the care packages meant the most to them.

Our team’s creativity, kindness, and ingenuity was beyond what we could have anticipated. The team felt better connected and we were reminded that thoughtfulness matters. 

The Goodies We Delivered

Eduardo offered Catherine the coordinates of some of his favorite Boston parks for her to practice yoga. (Plug this into Google Maps: 9X72+H6 Boston, Massachusetts).

Melissa delighted Jeff with a perfectly sculpted Spotify playlist.

Zach sent Isabella on a virtual tour of the Louvre.

A Louvre gallery tour that Zach found for Isabella.

Channing surprised Carolina matching necklaces for Carolina and her daughter.

Purnima sent Estrella a captivating cooking class.

Catherine found Eduardo a virtual reality YouTube video that immersed him on the field during his favorite soccer team’s warmups before a game.

Estrella sent Purnima a video outlining a perfect day in Barcelona complete with a colorful cooking challenge.

Carolina made Katherine a beautiful website packed with all of the things she loves. 

Carolina’s virtual care package for Katherine.

Isabella offered Zach a care package packed with ways to bring the light out of others.

Jeff curated a list of foreign films for Melissa and offered a prize for each one she watched. 

Katherine made Channing a ‘happy place’ newsletter, full of Channing’s favorite things.

Katherine’s newsletter for Channing.

What We Learned

This process provided more than just team building for us. It gave us a deeper understanding of one another, exercised our empathy, and served as a reminder of our customer-centric approach to business and how to consider people first. 

We’d love to hear how your team lives its values and makes room for creativity in your processes. Connect with us on LinkedIn or share your story at hello@refineandfocus.com.