For thousands of years, the head of the table has broken bread to signal the commencement of a meal. Celebration, or feasting, is an important practice for high performing teams. Eating together is still regarded, across all cultures, as one of the best ways to recognise team success.
This activity explores the parallels between transforming simple ingredients (individuals) into a delicious loaf of bread (a cohesive, effective team).
Key Points
- Bread making is a tactile, physical process, requiring accuracy, energy and patience.
- The process incorporates the intense activity of kneading alongside periods of rest while the dough proves
- While the dough proves we facilitate group discussions on team work and change
- Suits groups from 6 to 60
- Typically a 3 hour activity, with the option to extend
- Our equipment is portable and so the activity can take place in a meeting room or outdoors
Activities
Activities include:
- ‘What’s my loaf?’ icebreaker
- Mixing, kneading and knocking back dough
- Facilitated discussions on topics such as transformational change, resilience and team development
- Baking, then tearing sharing and eating delicious fresh bread
Sample Format
10.00 -‘What’s my loaf?’ icebreaker in which participants select their favourite bread style and say why it resonates. For example ‘French Baguettes remind me of childhood holidays.’
10.30 – Around tables participants create dough, personalising with additional ingredients
11.00 – While the dough proves we explore parallels with work and teams
11.30 – The dough is ‘knocked back’ and allowed to rest before baking
12.30 – Warm fresh loaves are removed from the oven, lunch is served
