How Do You Cheer Up a Team?

In all sports teams, there’s always a moment when the team morale is on the ground. When this happens, knowing how to build team morale quickly is vital.

Quick Ways to Raise Morale

There are several reasons your team morale might be low and only some of them are within your control. However, whatever the reason is, it’s important that the leader focuses on building team morale quickly. But how do you cheer up a team quickly? Continue reading to find out quick ways to raise morale of your team.

Take a Coloring Break

Coloring can help you let your mind wander and cultivate creative ideas when you’re stuck in a mental block or when you’re feeling down. As when coloring you’re only relaxing and not struggling to achieve any kind of result, this activity could turn into an effective method to improve morale in your team.

You can give your team a coloring book and coloring pencils and encourage them to use them. Despite they might laugh at the idea, if some of them try it out they could change their minds. You could also find pens to use for coloring that can double as a pen for your team to keep.

Jump Around

How do you cheer up a team when the morale is low? Encourage your team to start jumping around or stretching for about five minutes, not as part of their training, just for fun. The main idea is to give them a chance to relax and breathe. You can even provide them with a jump rope or something else that keeps them moving but isn’t part of their regular training, so they get to think about something different for a while. Their bodies will release some chemicals called endorphins as a result of the physical activity, reducing their perception of pain.

Whatever you choose to do, keep in mind it’s important to eat high-energy but low-calorie snacks before their workout, so make sure everyone’s ready to exercise.

Listen to a Happy / Inspirational Song

Listening to music is a good way to build morale. Try avoiding rap or angry songs that irritate your team. There are several popular songs that are either meant to motivate people when they’re feeling down or so joyful that make everyone start singing. Try one of those songs and you’ll know your team’s morale is up again when they start singing.

Take a Power Walk

By ‘power’ we don’t mean you have to run until you get exhausted; it’s just another way to improve morale in your team while you take a walk to recover your energy. Instead of working out, just take a short, calm walk around the park or the block. It’s well known that getting sun exposure reduces sleep problems and depression, so get ready to take in the fresh air and Vitamin D.

Do Something Nice for Others

How do you cheer up a team when they don’t feel good enough? A great way of building team morale is by doing something nice for someone else. Keep in mind that being nice to others or helping them out can make us feel much better. You don’t have to do something huge; small actions are useful too. You can start by doing things that show them how much you appreciate them or you can take your time and organize a charity event using innovative charity ideas that involve the whole team.

After seeing how they can help others or how they can work together following fundraising ideas that benefit sports teams, they will feel better about themselves.

Keep It Green

Although it wouldn’t be wrong to take care of the environment, this time we only want to talk about the color. Studies show that color green is a relaxing color that’s easy on the eye and has healing power. Using green as part of your uniforms or anywhere else around your team is a good way to raise morale and make people feel better.

Just Smile!

This might seem to be a ridiculous idea; however, studies argue that people who smile appear to be more competent, courteous, and likable. As even a forced smile can improve your mood, try smiling at your team and encourage them to do it too.

Mindful Breathing

Building team morale with simple mindful breathing is a good option when your team is feeling down. Encourage your team to sit for a few minutes and focus on their breath.

First, close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four. Then, hold your breath for a count of seven, and exhale completely through your mouth to a count of eight. This exercise can be calming and energizing if you repeat the cycle for a total of four breaths.

To Sum Up

Finding other team building activities can be fairly simple if these don't work out. Even if you try your best at improving your team morale, you can’t expect people to be cheerful at all times, so you might need to wait a while. Nevertheless, no mood sticks around forever. In the case this mood lasts longer than expected, it might be a good idea to have a one-on-one chat with that team member, just to make sure it’s not a case of depression.