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Wine tasting has the power to create genuine human connection.  Sharing your unedited and raw experience of a wine is both a brave and generous act.  It paves the way for others to speak just as openly about what they feel.  At a tasting among a group of friends and strangers, a conversation of a red wine showed how our different perceptions can bring us closer instead of pushing us apart.   “Maybe it’s because I just came back from a trip to the countryside in Saratoga Springs because I smell cut, dried grass and I see hay bales and rolling green fields under a sunny sky.  It’s delicious!” gushes Chris, smiling. “I also taste something that’s like grass.  Though for me, I think it’s more like the dirt clumps of dried grass?” Ollie adds with uncertainty.  “Well, I don’t taste anything but dirt. YUCK,” Anna pronounces, shuddering.   The group roars with laughter, several people nodding vigorously in agreement.    Whether through a smile, a grimace or just a few words—positive or negative—your outward expression is an opportunity for the group to relate to each other and to understand one another’s unique impression of a wine.   When you smile, your positive experience can extend and prolong the pleasure that someone else is also having with a wine.  Much like a sunset is more magnificent when admired with others around you, wine tasting is more satisfying through collective enjoyment.  Your visible pleasure might even allow others to savor the wine vicariously through your senses.  This is why adults find delight in watching the faces of young childrenas they play. Verbalizing your interpretation of a wine helps others notice nuances they might have missed.  When you share what you taste, people become curious and want to explore deeper to taste the wine as you do.  With your input, they might be able to make the connection to a memory that was out of their grasp a minute ago.  Or, if they are not tasting the wine at all like you, they may find other flavors that would have gone unnoticed had they not persisted.   Expressing confusion or dislike can be equally connecting.  Voicing that you don't understand or enjoy a particular wine reassures others who feel similarly but hesitate to admit it.  Feeling less alone, that person may be encouraged to contribute their own impressions of a wine.   In the tasting above, Anna’s candid “YUCK” created an instant bond with others who shared her reaction.  Her unselfconscious comment brought a playfulness that transformed the tasting into a moment of spontaneous joy for everyone.     Shared moments of discovery like these ultimately matter more than the technical quality of a wine.  Wines, in themselves, are not inherently good or bad.  Their aromas and flavors are experienced differently based on each person’s biology, cultural background and psychological make-up.  In group tastings, the wine can be a medium for communal discovery, understanding and connection rather than the sole focus of the event.  The camaraderie that comes from the shared goal of exploring together is what makes the wine and the moment truly meaningful and memorable. In the end, wine-tasting is about much more than technical vocabulary and knowledge—it is about the meaningful connections we build through the honest sharing of our lived experiences. Sartvourez helps groups and teams have supportive, fun, group bonding conversations through the collaborative exploration of art and wine.   Art: Henri Matisse, Nasturtiums with "The Dance" (II) (1912)

Teams are in perpetual flux.  Employees leave, new technologies emerge, and government policies change.  These dynamic factors can break team cohesiveness, and impede productive problem-solving.  Resilient teams, however, can maintain their unity, weather these upheavals to overcome challenges—and even find opportunities for growth and success.  Nurture Deliberately Effective and resilient teams do not appear through happenstance.  Often, their leaders have a strong grasp of group dynamics. They know that teams are not static entities; teams are in constant development, newly forming, progressively maturing, or coming to an end.  These attentive leaders keep their groups united through ongoing and strategic team-building exercises that nurture all stages of their development.    Focus on Team Development Stage A well-known model of group development is Tuckman’s theory of teamwork.  Based on this model, a diverse group of people undergoes five stages to evolve into a high performing team.  Knowing the developmental stage of a group can help leaders adapt their approach to bring members together to accomplish a particular goal or respond to a new challenge.   Cultivate Awareness When a team is first forming ,  members get to know one another, their roles and the tasks of the group.  To help people, such as new hires, get acquainted, leaders should select activities that provide opportunities for members to interact.   Team building exercises that require interpersonal communication help individuals connect.  They learn about each other’s backgrounds, perspectives and work styles.  This familiarity facilitates professional interactions between colleagues and promotes relationship formation.  Validate Insights From All Voices In the second storming  stage, conflicts arise as differences in personalities, approaches, and roles clash.  This could occur, for example, when a team is convened to determine a strategy to address the challenge of a new government policy.   To get beyond this stage, an open and respectful environment is necessary for members to communicate frequently and honestly.  Leaders must establish communication guidelines, coach employees to listen actively to others, appreciate differences, and resolve any known conflicts.  Learning and supporting these skills through team building exercises can help groups overcome and persevere through this conflictual period to develop resilience.  Promote Mutual Support During the norming  stage, the group begins to cohere as a unit.  Members recognize the different roles they play, and the interdependence of their parts in completing the task.  A strong communication format remains essential to promote the optimal exchange of ideas and information.  Employees should feel supported and confident that their honest feedback is welcome and appreciated.   Team building activities useful to this stage encourage the active listening, collaboration and participation of all members.  Exercises with an inclusive framework like this value the contributions of each member and their importance to the overall performance of the team.  Encourage Communication Flow Once the team internalizes the roles and structure of the group, it enters the performing  stage to execute on its objectives.  Members see that their team effort can outperform the talent of any individual to overcome obstacles, for example, facing the competition of new technologies.   A team’s creativity and productivity grows when members ask for feedback, share information, request for help, and disclose errors (without fear of undermining their own interests) to find solutions quickly.  Having a psychologically safe space is crucial to promoting this type of communication, mutual support and innovative thinking.   Supportive team building exercises at this juncture strengthen deep listening, reinforce the value of each member, and boost the cooperative exchange of diverse ideas efficiently. Celebrate the Team The team moves into the adjourning  stage as it achieves its goals.  Celebrating and recognizing the accomplishments of the team as well as specific members rewards the success of a unified team.   Parties and rituals give the team a moment to step back and feel pride in the results of their collective effort.  Team building events that close with a tribute to the group as a whole bolster cohesion, give a group the taste of the unifying joy of success, and foster more success.   Conclusion Team building activities are useful tools for leaders to bring cohesion within their teams.  A variety of exercises are available to develop different teamwork skills.  The efficacy of these activities depends on the team’s developmental stage.  By selecting activities that aligns with a team’s needs and stage of development, leaders can enhance unity and togetherness, transform performance, and improve resilience in the face of rapid changes in our society. Sartvourez helps groups and teams have supportive, fun, group bonding conversations through the collaborative exploration of art and wine.   Art: Diego Rivera, Allegory of California (1930-1931)