Bonding Harbor
When individuals first come together our bodies want to know “is it safe to let down my guard a little?” As facilitators, we want to create spaces where there’s room for people to get a sense of the energies others are bringing and, if they so choose, let go a little. We call this place on the map “Bonding Harbor.”
The first step in building community is to identify some cohesiveness and a very low stakes sense of contributing to the collective. This is the time to break down reliance on separateness and establish a sense of trustworthiness amongst group members. This is the time for generating collective energy, but not really for building intimacy.
When groups are bonding, it’s the ideal time to teach, learn and play new games. In fact, bonding almost requires games, or at least some kind of structured social activity that can hold and maybe diffuse some of the anxiousness or fear that can accompany meeting new people. A problem-solving task or other activity that requires group members to work side by side can create communal bonds. Cooperation is the goal. This is the time to learn everyone’s name and some of their identifying characteristics of everyone in the group, but not to delve much deeper. First, the group needs the experience of playing together. Group art projects are also well-suited to this stage, but remember, the process is often more important than the result. Working together, to cook a meal or collect cans for a food drive can also strengthen group bonds.
Bonding games accomplish their goal best when each person’s input is accepted and welcomed by others. Thus, they begin to identify themselves as part of the team. So that everyone can participate/contribute, it’s important to know what needs and accommodations your members have so you can pick which activities and variations will work best for your group. We’ve tagged the activities in the Bonding Harbor as Mingling, Creative, and Embodied so you can pick what’s best for your group.