Plan Your Corporate Event

Corporate events can be great opportunities to impress existing clients and gain new ones. It's important to remember that just because it's an occasion, doesn't mean that it has to be stiff, formal and dull. There are plenty of professional ways you can incorporate fun into your events which is crucial if you really want to make sure that your guests are left with a good impression of your company. Examples of what you could do to make it more interesting is photo booth hire for corporate events, arranging for live entertainment, and making sure the person hosting and speaking directly to all the guests in charismatic and likable. Having a photo mirror booth also gives you a great example for good PR.

After the event is over, you could take all of the pictures taken in that photo mirror booth and post them on your social media pages. This will show your followers that your company knows how to reach out to its clientele and entertain them. The context in which you'll use these photos will vary from company to company since the type of business you're running will determine what's appropriate and what's not.

A business that sells clothing could, for example, post these pictures on their Facebook and Instagram pages captioning it with something along the lines of, "VIP guest having fun at our latest event". If the person in the picture is fairly influential or recognizable, even better; consider wrapping time in the photo booth into the pay package for the entertainment artists. This is just one example of how the entertainment factor of your corporate event can be used to your advantage. Photo booth hire for corporate events is just one of many strategies you could use.

Chances are that if your event is fun enough, people will be posting their own pictures on social media as well. A good way to get this free advertising is to make sure there's something to take pictures with. A unique decoration or a photo competition can be enough to get hundreds of people to post about and tag your company in their social media posts, giving you free exposure.

Having a fun and simultaneously professional corporate event can certainly be done. Many people organizing their first show are scared to do this however, since they have the incorrect assumption that a corporate event should always be black tie and formal. Depending on your company culture, there is a lot of leeway. If employees only have to come to work in business-casual, it makes no sense for your corporate event to mimic the dress code of Wall Street.

Black tie events can be done well, but they have to fit in with the type of company you are and it cannot lack entertainment either. Try and find the balance between what is fun and what is professional when you plan your next corporate event. Be sure to have a competent team working on it with you as well.

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Tips on Catering Your Team Building Day

Team building activities run the gamut of fun and togetherness and teach people how to work as a team to better their work environment. Usually these gatherings are held outside of work and offer a fun and festive atmosphere that it's hoped will carry over in the coming months and years of working together.

But what do you feed the masses? Do you have a cookout, do you have a picnic, or do you have a potluck? Any of these will be great, but will mean someone has to prepare and cook the food. What about if you have the event catered?

Catering the event is likely cheaper than you think and it saves you time and effort so you can enjoy the day. When you choose to cater an event you can pick from their existing menus or custom order dishes to make your event pop. Want a theme? They can do that. Want a simple menu where the guests can help themselves whenever? They can do that. Want a hand-held buffet or a sit down dinner? Never fear, they can do that too.

You may think that catering that business event means that you have to have hundreds of employees, but you don't. Even the smallest of businesses can have an event catered, this is what they do, they're the professionals and they will do it all from preparing the food to delivering the food and from putting the food out to clearing the leftovers away. The caterer works for you and will work with you to create the best food for your event, each and every time.

Having an event catered means that no one is in charge of the food, that is, everyone can go to the event and not have to worry about bringing something. Will it fall apart on the ride over, will it be hot enough, will there be enough? All of these questions just aren't part of the equation. You know that the lunch or dinner will be of highest quality, be plentiful, be placed out properly and be something your guests will delight in.

But perhaps the best part of having your next team building event catered is that the food will come to you, not in the office, no problem! Caterers are professionals at getting their meals to wherever you are in tact, on time and delicious each and every time.

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Best Pep Rallies Activities Ideas

Keeping fans enthusiastic and supportive is the primary goal of pep rallies. It's important to devise pep rally activities that get fans on their feet, cheering and excited about their team. When team spirit is strong, everyone involved, from the cheerleaders to the coaches, has a better and more fun experience.

Quick Contests
Punctuate the cheering and pep talks with regular small contests to get the fans engaged in the action. The prospect of winning something, however small, will often hold a crowd's attention. The contests can be as serious or as silly as you like. For example, divide the crowd into sections and give each section a collection of tiles that form a whole picture. They must put the puzzle together before the other sections to win. Or, create an obstacle course and choose a few members from the crowd to try it. Include funny "obstacles," such as eating a small apple or shaking hands with at least three other crowd members, and time the participants to see who finishes first. Give away a small prize at the end of each contest to the winner.

Crowd Art
Before the pep rally, line the fences and any flat surfaces with sheets of white roll paper to create a giant blank canvas. Arrange spray paint, markers, finger paint, and crayons (mediums that are easy to use quickly) in the team's colors on the ground in front of the paper. Divide the paper into sections 10 to 15 feet long. When the crowd arrives, divide the members into sections of about 20 people. Explain that each group has five minutes to use their section of paper to create a "spirit display" using the materials provided. When they're ready, blow a whistle and watch them go at it. To make it more official, have a local artist come to the pep rally and serve as a judge. The winning group members each get a small prize, like a candy bar or a glow-in-the-dark necklace.

"Where's My Partner?"
This game is a fun way to get everyone laughing and talking to people they don't know. Before the pep rally, think of as many partner phrases as you can. Examples: peanut butter and jelly, yin and yang, to and fro, or hem and haw. (You can also use famous couples--just make sure they're truly ubiquitous so there's an excellent chance of everyone knowing who they are.) Write the words (without "and") on pieces of paper and mix them up. As people enter the pep rally area, make sure everyone receives a slip of paper and understands that they will need it for a game later. After everyone is seated, explain that they have five minutes to locate their partner using the information on their slip of paper. For example, if someone received "yin" they need to look for the person with "yang." Blow a whistle and let the chaos begin (blow the whistle at one-minute intervals to warn them of ticking time). At the end, every successful pair gets to pick a piece of candy from a big bowl.

Improvisation
The results of improvisation are often hilarious and a surefire way to get the crowd laughing. Before the pep rally, write up short lists (four or five words) of wildly different concepts. For example, one list might read: Bob Barker, ballerina, can opener, Mexico, ladder. Divide the team members into pairs or groups of three and give each a list. They have 30 seconds to prepare a one- or two-minute skit using all of the concepts on their list. After all the groups have had their turn, let the audience decide whose skit was best by cheering for their choice. The winning "actors" each get a small "Academy Award" (you can find small trophies for about a dollar at discount stores).

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Fun Snacks Sport Theme Ideas

The smell of roasting peanuts, grilled hot dogs and buttery popcorn -- all redolent of a trip to the ball park. Replicate these sensations with a tream building- sports-themed birthday party, team building sports-bar theme night or a simple get-together to watch the big game on television. Wow your guests with the traditional and personalized snack foods found at stadium concession stands.

Snack Bar
Stage an area in the party venue for a snack bar that allows participants the option to grab-and-go with their food items. Arrange a nacho and taco bar with cooked and seasoned ground meat, nacho cheese sauce, guacamole, salsa, diced onions, jalapenos, bacon bits, sour cream and diced tomatoes. Allow participants to help themselves to a plate of sporty snack foods just like the ones served at the ballpark or stadium.

Finger Foods
Commonly found in concession stands at sporting events, finger-food candy and snacks such as Boston Baked Beans, sunflower seeds and Hot Tamales go over well. Offer Big League Chew bubblegum, peanuts in the shell and Cracker Jack as traditional baseball options as well as Corn Nuts and Slim Jims for additional hand-held snacks. In addition to snacks and candy, serve miniature hot dogs or sausages wrapped in crescent roll pastry and sliders with cheese and vegetable toppings.

Sweets
Personalize cakes and cupcakes with sports-themed decorations. Trim a 13-by-9-inch cake into a football shape and embellish it with brown and white icing. Cupcakes iced in white frosting can be transformed into baseball cupcakes with pieces of red licorice or red pastry gel. You can decorate an 8-inch round cake in the style of a soccer ball using black and white icing accents, or trim a sheet cake into the shape of a jersey and use icing to personalize it with your team's colors and insignia.

Stadium Snacks
To go all out with your celebration, rent sno-cone, popcorn and cotton-candy machines for big-time authenticity for sport teams in team building. Purchase enough supplies in advance to feed each guest in attendance at least two portions -- it's hard to stop at just one of these treats. Enlist volunteer help to make the snacks to order.

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Best Team Building Award Ideas

Playing a team building can be rewarding in and of itself, but it's always even more rewarding to receive something for the effort and time you put into it. Organizations and events that allow participants to take part in a sport activity often present awards to those participants in one way or another. If you're part of an organization or event that hosts a team building and need to find an award to give to the participants, there are a variety of options to choose from.

Trophies
Trophies are often used as sports awards. Standard sports trophies include an emblem at the top of the trophy that symbolizes what type of sport the award is for, such as a man in motion with a football in his hand, a cheerleader or soccer player. They also include the year the season took place as well as the name of the team or organization somewhere on the trophy.

Plaques
A plaque is an effective award to use that can be hung on a wall. Most plaques are wooden and come in an array of wood finishes such as cherry, marble and walnut. Some sports plaque providers also have glass and plastic ones to choose from. Plaques allow you to include a photo as well as an engraving and sports-figure attachments.

Medals
Sports medals are a less-expensive way to provide an award for a team building than trophies and plaques and can be ordered in bulk for a fraction of the cost. Ribbons and chains can be attached to medals so they can be worn around your neck like jewelry or hung from fixtures. Medals can be ordered with an engraved sports figure as well as have color added to them.

Ribbons
Ribbons are even less expensive than medals and can be ordered in any color you want. You can order pre-printed placement and sports ribbons or get them custom made to say what you want them to.

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Pep Assembly Team Building Competitions

Pep assemblies, also called pep rallies, are celebrations held during or after the school day and commonly before a rival sport function. Their main goal is to raise school team building and pride before the big game. Competitions between freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors are customary during the assemblies and the winning class is crowned.

Spirit Week
Each day of the week leading up to Friday's pep assembly should be deemed spirit days, such as crazy hair day, pajama day and school team building or spirit day. Homeroom teachers may aid the cause by taking attendance of those who have participated. The graduating class with the most weekly participants will be named the stars of team building or spirit week.

Mummy Wrap
October is a month for Halloween and football. When hosting a football-themed pep rally during this spooky month, introduce the mummy wrap game. Invite six representatives from each graduating class to participate and issue ten rolls of toilet tissue per team. One student poses as the mummy while the remaining team members unroll the toilet paper, wrapping it around the volunteer. After a predesignated time limit, the team who has successfully and completely covered the volunteer is deemed the winner.

Mr. Mascot
A male representative from each class will compete in a Mr. Mascot pageant. Encourage the students to dress to impress as homecoming kings or as school mascots and participate in traditional beauty pageant competition. Swimwear, beauty, talent and an onstage question portion will warrant a prize by applause for the most well-rounded Mr. Mascot.

Surfing Seniors
Each graduating class must have at least six participants for the surfing seniors game for team building. Five students lie down on the gymnasium floor next to one another and are covered with a surf board (or a board decorated as a surf board). The remaining, and lightest student will pose as the surfer. The contributors under the board will roll toward the finish line pushing the surfer to ride the wave to victory.

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Homecoming Parade Jungle Float Ideas

Deciding on a jungle theme for your homecoming parade float is a festive means to celebrate school team building. Large amounts of faux greenery and animals -- stuffed or created -- will be a staple in your float. Take your parade spectators on a safari when they watch the school representatives atop your mobile creation.

Tarzan and Jane
A depiction of the Edgar Rice Burroughs story of Tarzan and Jane will wow your spectators at the homecoming parade. A boy and girl dressed like the infamous jungle couple surrounded by large leafy trees and vines will bring your float to life. Paint glue onto a tube-shaped piece of chicken-wire, stuff brown tissue paper circles into each hole to create a tree trunk and cut palm tree leaves from green felt. Lightly stitch medium-gauge craft or floral wire in the center of each part of the palm leaf for durability against the elements. Vines can be made by wrapping and gluing green ribbon, floral wrap or crepe paper and fake floral leaves around an old tug-of-war rope. Add a large stuffed gorilla to your decorated flat-bed trailer, and you've got a parade float to remember.

Jungle Animal Mascot
You are one step ahead when the school mascot is already a jungle animal. Tigers, lions and panthers are a few of the applicable mascots. Cover the floor of the float trailer with floral sheeting easily found on parade float supply websites and include a variety of over-sized tropical house plants. Showcase your school pride by having a member of the homecoming court crown the mascot as king of the jungle by or encouraging him to greet parade-goers alongside the moving masterpiece. "Welcome to the Jungle" is an applicable float slogan to display during the festivities.

King and Queen of the Jungle
Honor your homecoming court by letting them rule over the jungle. Over-sized thrones decorated in fake floral vines, artificial greenery and large fake gems will set the scene for the soon-to-be-named king and queen of the jungle float. Members of the student body may dress as their servants or carry the contestants on the street on separate sedan chairs while the float carries additional students or school faculty dressed as jungle animals.

Jungle Paradise
Include play sand from your family sandbox, homemade or live palm trees, fake floral greenery and jungle ambient noise while floating down the street in your homecoming parade. Add a toy monkey swinging from side to side on a giraffe's neck and a stuffed lion with her cubs. The giraffe will be constructed by bending and twisting heavy gauge sculpting wire in the shape of the animal, affixing chicken netting and covering with papier mache. Paint the giraffe with yellow and brown paint when completely dry. A jungle paradise is just the setting to congratulate the court.

Jungle Safari
Participating homecoming court members will wear safari hats, tan shorts and beige button-down shirts adorned with binoculars and pick axes searching for big game animals. Construct a smaller-scaled replica of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's largest mountain, from a frame made of thin wood molding covered in chicken wire and decorated with circles of tissue paper glued into each hole. Don't forget to include the variety of wilderness you'd find among Africa's national parks and wildlife reserves such as palm trees, vines, sand and faux boulders. Parade float slogan ideas include "Lions are on the Hunt," "Tame those Panthers," and "Hunting Down a Victory."

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Middle School Step Team Building Tips

Nothing gets a crowd pumped up like a step team. The appealing mix of complex movements make a step performance incredible to watch and is particularly helpful in rousing team spirit at middle and high school athletic matches. Because step teams compete on their own, and do not just serve as a cheering section for other sports, it is essential that middle school step teams consistently incorporate fresh ideas into their routines.

Choose a Theme
The best step routines are usually pulled together by a theme, whether it be through music, costuming or movements. If you have never given any thought to choosing a theme for your middle school step routine, you may want to consider it for an added "wow" factor. For example, you could choose a "seasons" theme and use music that talks about the weather and the changing seasons. For costumes, you may choose to have members of the team dress in colors that represent the seasons, such as blue, green, white and orange. The possibilities are endless when choosing a theme.

Creative Costumes
Many middle school step teams wear costumes that simply reflect their school colors. While this may be traditional and is perfectly acceptable, try taking a fresh approach to costuming, and you will notice that simple changes make a huge difference in terms of audience appeal. For example, try choosing an identical piece of clothing for the lower body (such as jeans or black jogging pants) and then having everyone dress in the same color top, but have the styles of the top vary widely. This creates a uniform yet unique and interesting take on the step team outfit.

Practice Cross-training
Most professional athletes actively cross-train, and members of middle school step teams should be no different. While a middle school step team should already be practicing regularly during the week, these practices are usually dedicated to rehearsing choreography and perfecting routines. Designate time during the week, outside of routine practice, to go for a team jog, hit the gym for some weight training together or take a team yoga or pilates class. Middle school step teams will reap the physical benefits.

Outside Inspiration
When looking for fresh ideas for a middle school step routine, look outside the box at other forms dance that may offer some inspiration. Hip-hop dance includes elements that can easily be incorporated into a middle school step routine to add dynamism and musical flare. Cheerleading offers plenty in the way of ideas for new chants. Even studying rhythmic gymnasts can inspire concepts of movement that may not have considered, previously. Take risks and do not be afraid to try new things.

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Best Good Luck Gifts for Dance

Give your team building members a personalized good luck gift like a dance charm before they head to competition. A gift from their dance teacher will help the dancers feel special and appreciated for all of their hard work before their next competition. The gift could also help them to feel like a team. The Crazy Dazy website offers mini ballet magnets.

Mini Ballet Dolls
Find miniature ballet dolls like the ones at the Dance Directory website that can be put on a keychain. Personalize each one with ribbon that has a good luck or best wishes message and give each dancer one before the first competition. This is a keepsake for the students and shows them how you recognize all of their hard work.

Dance Hoodies
Give your team members personalized hoodies before their first competition. Choose the hoodies in team colors, get the name of the team printed on the back of each hoodie and customize each with the team member's name in smaller letters on the upper side front. If your team is named for a thing or animal, like the Rockets, get a small rocket logo printed somewhere on each sweatshirt to further personalize them.

Dance Charms
Get a sterling silver charm necklace oriented to your Irish dance team. Buy the charmed necklaces online. Choose an Irish dancer, soft shoe or hard shoe charm at the Celtic Jewellery and Gifts website. Choose either sterling silver chain or Irish dancing bracelet, in your team color, on which to hang the charms. The Crazy Dazy offers different types of charms like ballet shoes for ballet dancers.

Dance Competition Bags
Give each of your team members a personalized dance bag to carry dance and travel gear to competition. Find rollaway bags for competitions that are large enough for overnight stays when going to competitions far away. Some are available at the Rac n Roll Bags website. Decide on a color and get each bag personalized with each team member’s name and a team emblem. The Crazy Dazy website offers a variety of personalized dance bag options. They offer tote bags and smaller pink bags with ballet slippers to hold dance shoes.

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Make Homemade Sports Banners

Show your team building with a homemade banner for your favorite team. Rather than pay for a generic banner, create your own. The experience will bring the teammates closer together and ignite team building. A homemade banner stands out from the rest and costs much less. Show your pride and support this season and build a banner for all to see at the ballpark.

Purchase a 5 foot-by-8 foot white tarp for the base of the banner. Discount chain stores and camping or outdoor sports stores sell tarps. Use tarp rather than paper or other fabrics, as it costs less, weighs more and is waterproof.

Make Homemade Sports Banners

Draw the team building logo sign on a piece of felt and cut it out to sew or glue onto the middle of the banner. The waterproof coating on the tarp makes it difficult to apply paint, so add your designs in vibrant colors of felt.

Request an autograph from each player around the border of the banner. Use permanent markers for the autographs, to keep the banner waterproof. Leave at least three inches along the top of the banner clear of any decorations.

Apply stick-on letters to spell out the team name on the banner. Stick to the teams colors for the letters, if possible. If the team has multiple colors, avoid alternating colors for each letter, and alternate per word instead, to make the sign easier to read. Keep in mind how far the banner will be from the audience. To read letters from 250 feet away, the letters must reach at least 10 inches tall.

Include sponsor logos or messages on the sign. If a local company sponsors the team building activity, add the contact information of the business with permanent marker on the bottom. Write something similar to "Proudly sponsored by 123 Company (123) 456-7890."

Hem a three inch fold across the top of the tarp and secure it with glue or a needle and thread. Insert a wooden stick, two inches longer than the tarp into the fold. Leave one inch of the stick on each side of the tarp, to hold during the sporting event -- or attach a piece of fabric to tie the banner to the fence.

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Track Team Celebration Ideas

The 200-meter dash, the 1-mile run, relays and hurdles are track team events that require runners to be diligent and disciplined physically in order to win. Highlight that fact in your track team decorating ideas, applauding your team's past achievements while motivating them to keep running to win. And do it creatively, with unusual track decorations.

Dash Hall of Fame
Track team participants in the track dash event -- whether 55-, 200- or 400-meter -- will enjoy fans seeing decorations that highlight their particular contributions to the track running team. Make a "Dash Hall of Fame" wall decoration using photos of the dash team members in action on the track field during past competitions. Attach sheets with their winning stats displayed beneath each frame. Surround the entire collage of photos on the portable board (for outdoor or indoor use) with ribbon emblazoned with the names of all the dash types participated in by your school: 200 dash, 400 dash, etc. Place portable boards near fan seating and at meet snack areas, so spectators can bone up on each runners accomplishments as they wait for the meet to begin.

Runner Recognition
Fans of the track runners -- like the 1-mile runner -- recognize that your team runners have to cultivate endurance more than anything in this track event. Decorate the outdoor track meet field for home events with photos of your runners affixed to the top of long wooden sticks with a photo on each side. Place the sticks into the ground, an equal distance apart, around the outer perimeter of the track and turned to feature one photo to the bleacher seating and the other stick's side photo toward the runners. Wrap team-colored ribbon down the length of the sticks. Remove after that track event for storage until the next home meet.

Relay Handouts
It is all about teamwork when track participants run the relay, so make the decorations off the field a mirror image. Create a moving decoration by designing sheets of paper with the names of all your relay team members -- and their stats to date -- and roll them up. Tie them off with team-colored ribbon. Have each member of the relay team hand them out to the fan in each row on the end of the bleachers nearest them before the meet. Relay team members should pass out as many as there are people down that bleacher length, with other team members doing likewise. Ask the bleacher fans to "relay" the handout.

Hurdle Signs
Use extra hurdles to decorate your track meet. Make team spirit signs with poster board or heavy paper, promoting your dash, running, relay and hurdle event team members. Use one sign to show off the team's ranking. Feature the team's historical accomplishments on another sign. Plaster a team outfit on another hurdle board sign (minus names or numbers) and highlight a photo of a different hurdle team member next to it on the board, for each meet.

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First Timer Team Initiation Ideas

Team initiations can be an effective way to promote bonding and feelings of kinship. Done in the spirit of fun and camaraderie, team initiations can help bring new members into the fold and strengthen friendships while allowing teammates to de-stress and be silly together.

Building trust among members is important to effective team functioning. Have each new member stand on a ledge above the rest of the team. Tell her to fall backward and trust her teammates to catch her. Or, blindfold new members and put them at the beginning of an obstacle course or maze. Pair them with a current team member, who will stand at distance and call instructions about which way to move. New members must successfully reach the end within a set period of time to pass.

Help new team members relax and laugh at themselves. Require each to attend practice in a cartoon character costume or wearing a silly hat. Or, tell them that every time another team member says "or," they must make an animal sound of their choice. You could also split new members into small groups and give them five minutes to create a spirit dance to show their devotion to the team, or require them to participate in a contest to see who can make the ugliest face.

Get new members in shape and promote unity. Create a calendar of exercises that each new team member must complete to pass initiation. Include standard exercises, such as pushups, but also include funny exercises, such as leap-frogging, to inject some humor. You could also pit the new team members against the old in a game such as Capture the Flag or kickball. Make it interesting by handicapping the new members in some way, such as requiring each to carry a medicine ball throughout the game.

Let new team members be "slaves" to current members for a day. They must run errands, carry bags and do whatever the current member asks as long as it is not harmful or illegal. Give it an interesting twist by waking up new team members in the middle of the night and making them clean current members' apartments. You could also require new members to complete community service, such as working in a soup kitchen or picking up trash. For every time a member complains, add another hour of service.

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Best Ideas for Building Team Spirit

Team building may vary in size, type and purpose, but they share one common thread that is non-negotiable regardless of the nature of the team building; they must work together as one to accomplish anything. Team building large and small often contain individuals with conflicting personalities that must be put aside in the greater interest of team goals. There are many ideas one can use when trying to unite a team of any sort.

Kick-Off Party
This type of team building event is ideal for a sports or club team that organizes its activities into seasons. The kick-off party need not be formal, but should serve to unite members of the team, new and old. If the goal is to bring together a new baseball team, for example, consider holding a kick-off barbecue at the coach's or captain's home. Alternatively, if the objective is to unify a chess team, for example, try holding a for-fun tournament at a local restaurant.

Team "Open Books"
The single most important factor that can serve to unite a team and break down barriers caused by cliques and other groups is complete honesty. While team members must take their cues from the top (meaning coaches, captains or whatever type of team leader a particular team may have), it is important to eliminate gossip from the team atmosphere altogether. One way to do this is by having "Open Book" sessions periodically, where team members can air their concerns, frustrations or displeasure and be assured that the issue will be resolved before the session is terminated.

Wise Words
The power of words to lift one's spirits or inspire a group should not be taken lightly. Motivational quotes are an excellent way to bring team members together by reminding them of their common goals and aspirations. Try having each team member take turns sending a "quote of the week" email throughout the season/year, and have each member explain what the quote means to him in relation to the team as well.

Team Retreats
While sometimes costly, team building retreats are a great way to promote team unity and cohesion. Usually, a no-frills weekend spent at a campground or other modest accommodations, with team members sleeping at least four to a room, dining together and participating in every activity together, will serve to unite a team quickly. While personality conflicts may arise, team members will learn quickly how to deal with differences when spending all their time with each other. A team retreat creates a bond amongst team members that continues long after the retreat has ended.

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Best Team Building Tips

Your ability to lead and motivate a team can be a valuable tool in a variety of contexts such as sports, the workplace and family. Some important leadership skills include communication, leading by example, and conviction. While there are many ways to act as a successful leader, there are some key concepts and principles that are important to know if you want to be a successful leader and motivator.

Praise your teammates with positive reinforcement. People are more likely to follow your lead if you give them an incentive to work towards your goals and objectives through praise. Praise is an excellent motivator because it helps people feel good about themselves. Also, try to reward your teammates for progress as well as results. Sometimes it is difficult to achieve the desired results for a project or group effort, but praising someone's progress shows at the least some gratitude for well-directed effort.

Treat those whom you wish to lead and motivate with respect. If they don't feel that you respect them, it will be difficult for them to want to follow your lead. Moreover, if they respect you, they will be more likely to work diligently to perform for the sake of the team and not themselves.

Communicate clear objectives and goals to team members. This ensures that team members fully understand the direction and course that the team is going. It is also helpful to state specific, concrete steps team members must take to reach the team's goals. For instance, after several losses by only a few points, the leader of a basketball team could encourage her teammates to practice free throws after every practice. This may be the difference between winning and losing.

Create long-term and short-term goals for the team. Long-term goals help guide team members towards reaching championships, sales goals and other team accomplishments. However, reaching long-term goals can be enigmatic if you do not first set daily short-term goals which are the building blocks of successful teams. Challenge the team members to successfully complete daily tasks that benefit the team such as staying late after practice, finding new business accounts or even instituting new protocol and procedures to run a business more effectively. One technique in short-term goal setting is to sometimes allow the team members some freedom setting their own short-term goals. This can help foster a sense of pride in team members because it can make them feel like they are making positive contributions to the team.

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Good Homecoming Slogan Ideas

A great homecoming slogan inspires school spirit in the team, students and community. Catchy and clever slogans should match the overall theme of homecoming week. Make sure that the slogan will be instantly recognized and understood to get the best effect. Use one or several slogans throughout the week for a memorable and successful homecoming experience.

Mardi Gras Slogans
Mardi Gras themes involve a lot beads, music and fun. Cheer on your team with slogans that follow the Mardi Gras theme, such as "Give 'em a bead-ing," "Defeat of Bourbon Street," or "Jazz Up a Victory." Create your own slogan by choosing a word or idea that represents Mardi Gras and incorporate it into your own fight slogan. Keep the slogan short and easily recognizable in relation to Mardi Gras.

Las Vegas Slogans
Use Las Vegas as your theme by creating slogans around the casino gambling theme of betting and winning. Choose slogans such as "Bet on Us," "The Odds are on Us," "The (opponents) are on a Losing Streak," "We have the Best Hand," and "Hit the Jackpot with Us." Consider props like playing cards, slot machines or dice to go with your slogan. Casino themes are a popular theme for homecomings, so try to make your slogan unique by using your school name in the slogan.

Jungle Slogans
Jungle slogans can incorporate ideas from all aspects of jungle life, from being the king of the jungle to monkeys swinging about. Some examples of jungle slogans include, "Welcome to the Jungle," "We are the King of the Jungle," "Eye of the Tiger," "We don't Monkey Around," or "Hunting Down a Victory." Several of these slogans have popular songs that follow their theme, so you could use them as part of your bigger theme.

Halloween Slogans
Use the fright of Halloween to inspire great slogans. You can use slogans like, "R.I.P. (opponents name)," "A Web of Defeat," or "Brewing up a Victory." Think about your own favorite Halloween sayings and recreate them to match your fight slogan. Be sure to use Halloween details, like witches caldrons or spider webs on your slogan poster to ensure the theme is obvious.

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Great Ideas for Spirit Week

If you're tired of run-of-the-mill Spirit Week activities, spice it up this year. Think outside the box and organize different team building activities and themes that will take students by surprise and have them clamoring to showcase their creativity and school spirit.

Assign a color to each class. Give the class the entire week to accumulate as many items as possible in that color. Put each class (with its items) on one side of the football field. At the sound of a horn, each class must try to cover as much as possible of the field with its color. Or buy several Twister mats and hold a tournament during the assembly. To make it extra fun, cover the mats' spots with a messy material of a corresponding color; ketchup for red, yellow for mustard, relish for green and blue finger paint for blue.

Have students form teams and hold an "improv" day. Form a committee to brainstorm the craziest and most mismatched cues for each round, such as "Michael Jackson," "bananas" and "trash can." Give students the cues just before they perform. They must put on a one-minute skit incorporating each of the cues. You could also recruit a videography student to film a reality TV show in the school. Hold auditions before Spirit Week and form a cast, then follow the chosen students during Spirit Week. You could also set up a stage on the football field and hold your own version of "The Dating Game" or "The Newlywed Game" (use best friends instead of couples). You could ask "What color is your girlfriend's backpack?" or "Has your best friend ever broken a bone?"

Have students form teams and ask for volunteers to be body canvases. The teams will use the volunteer's body to paint a spirited tribute to the school. Or get a large roll of paper and stretch it from one end of the school or football field to the other. Assign each class a section of paper and supply paint for them to decorate it, then use it to line the hallways. You could also ask a local grocery store to donate shopping carts, then allow students to form teams and decorate the carts. Hold a contest and have students vote on the best one.

Hold a spirit version of the old TV show "FANatic" — students make a video showing their school spirit in the craziest way they can. Post the videos on the school's website. You could also rent sumo wrestler outfits and pit the different sports teams against each other during a Spirit Week pep rally. Or turn your school into a movie theater for the day. Hang movie posters and film reels, set up a big screen in the commons area and tell students to dress as their favorite actor. Serve candy and popcorn in the lunchroom and roll out red carpet in the hallways.

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Tips to Paint Logos on Grass

If you're at a football or baseball game, you might notice a logo painted on the grass to support the home team. You can do the same thing at your local field, or just in your backyard, by painting your own logo. It seems really complicated to do, but with a few special tools and some creativity, you can have a logo painted in just a few hours.

Lay out your tarp on a piece of concrete or other hard surface. Sketch out your logo on the tarp using the permanent marker.

Cut out the logo from the tarp, using the utility knife, to make a stencil template. Take the tarp outside and place it on your field, then position it wherever you want the logo. Use local rocks to hold down the tarp if it's breezy or windy.

Pour the field marking paint into the weed sprayer. Shake the sprayer to mix up the paint, then pump up the handle to create pressure in the container.

Hold the wand of the weed sprayer over the holes in the tarp. Pull the trigger and apply even coats of paint over the tarp and through the holes onto the grass to create your logo. Apply a thin coat at first to create a base on the grass, then allow it to dry. Apply a second or third coat with the weed sprayer once the first dries, then remove the template to admire your work.

Tips & Warnings

If you want to paint a multicolored logo, make multiple templates. Use each vinyl tarp as a template for just one color, so that when they're sprayed individually, all of the colors will work together. This is more complicated, but it looks good when done. Also, if you're not particularly good at sketching out a logo, take the tarp to a sign shop, have the shop make a vinyl sticker of the logo and apply the sticker to the tarp. Cut out the sticker and your tarp is now your template.

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Write Letter for Leaving Team

Writing a letter for a team building member who is leaving isn't exactly like writing a letter to Congress. While formatting guidelines can be used if desired, there are no firm rules when it comes to writing such a personal, handwritten letter. In efective team building a team member who is leaving for one reason or another will treasure a heartfelt letter written especially for them. When writing the letter, it is always best to keep in mind the reason for their leaving. A permanent or temporary leave, transfer, or illness can be reasons for departing the team and should be addressed with sensitivity.

Write the letter by hand. Handwritten letters can imply more feeling and humanity in the words when written on the paper. Although it may take more work to push a pencil than it is to press keys on a keyboard, the letter's recipient might appreciate its non-sterile appearance, not to mention the thought and effort that went into composing each word.

Mention several reasons why the team member will be missed. Recognize their talents that made them such a valued team member. For example, they may be the fastest runner, best shooter or most clutch hitter on the team. Cite specific plays during games when they either made the winning score or directly helped the team win. Also mention several after-game get-togethers and how such gatherings won't be the same without their presence.

If they are ill and have to leave the team, include get-well messages wishing them a speedy recovery. Mention a personal anecdote of a loved one who overcame an illness. This can offer them a sense of hope knowing they are not the only one has dealt with the issue.

Deliver the letter with a gift. This could be a self-made scrap book of photos from games, practices and meetings, a bouquet of flowers or any other gift that you think might brighten their spirits. A signed game ball by every member on the team building can be a great gift and preserve the memory of each team member.

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Fun Youth Football Homecoming Ideas

Homecoming activities are a great opportunity to build team building spirit and show support. Youth football homecoming games may not have the same allure as high school or college games, but you can still plan many of the typical homecoming activities. Encourage excitement throughout the community for youth football homecomings with preplanned activities that take place throughout the week of the big game.

Cheerleaders
Team spirit is an important part of any homecoming. Youth programs may not have regular cheerleaders, but it is a fun activity to orchestrate for the homecoming game. Set up a few practices the week of the big game so those who want to cheer can learn how. These cheerleaders can consist of sisters, friends and other children in the community not playing in the football game. Enlist these cheerleaders to lead cheers throughout the game to inspire team spirit.

Pre-Game Activities
Inspire excitement for the youth homecoming game with pregame activities the week leading up to the game. Family and friends of the youth football players can be engaged to help with these activities. Consider making signs promoting the game to hang up throughout the community, designing yard signs for each of the players, and painting windows of local businesses with team colors and supportive slogans. You can host a pep rally or parade for the players to get the whole community involved.

Activities During the Game
Organize activities to showcase youth football players throughout the game. Start off the game by announcing the individual players and their positions, and creating a banner for them to run through to build enthusiasm. At half time, you can recognize the athletes once again and highlight their achievements throughout the season. These activities get people excited for the game and allow the opportunity for all athletes to be in the spotlight.

Homecoming Fundraiser Activities
Homecoming provides an ideal opportunity for fundraiser activities for your youth football program. Parent and community involvement is important for successful fundraiser activities. You can sell tickets in advance for a homecoming tailgate party, or host a chicken-Q prior to the game. Offer concessions and raffles throughout the game to raise additional funds. Use the money raised through these activities for new equipment, summer camps and clinics for the youth players.

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Best Tips Run-Through Banner Ideas

Before major sporting events, particularly in high school and college, it is often customary for the team building to break through a paper banner when entering the field or arena. Generally, it is the responsibility of the cheerleaders and mascots to hold the paper on either side while the home team runs through it. The act is meant to simulate an intimidating surprise on the away team, and often the design drawn on the paper is just as important as the symbolism of bursting through it.

Team Name/Mascot and Signatures
Drawing either the team name or the mascot, such as a red bird if your team happens to be the Cardinals, on the banner will act as a precursor to displaying the actual team. Before the game, consider having each player sign the banner to add to the effect. It denotes a certain level of pride for your Alma Mater, and though a somewhat generic idea, it is the simplest way of proclaiming who you are as a team.

Brick Wall
A team bursting through a paper banner drawn to mirror the appearance of a brick wall denotes a level of strength and conviction required to win the game. The task of drawing dozens of stacked bricks may become somewhat arduous and repetitive, but the detail you put into the dimensions of the bricks will raise the quality and effectiveness of the imagery. You can also choose to have each player sign specific bricks to add a personal touch.

Motto or Quote
A motto or quote banner is a single word or sentence attributed either to your specific team or to sports in general. You can choose generic quotes or a specific motto indicative to your team, provided your team has a slogan or mantra. For example, you can use "Best served cold" if you are out for revenge against a team that beat you in a previous game. Also, consider drawing the letters in the alternating colors of your team.

Beautiful Day Ruined
A "Beautiful Day Ruined" banner works best with coinciding music. A banner, displaying beautiful imagery, such as a bright sun, green fields and happy creatures, can be held as pretty and melodic music plays. As the team building rips through the paper, the music should shift to a fast and energetic battle song, as though your team has descended upon the other team like a dark cloud on their otherwise beautiful and pleasant day.

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