We all know the kind of team exercises that make our stomachs turn and have us wishing we would have called in sick the day of. While the sentiment behind these exercises is a noble one, no one wants to build trust by falling onto a co-worker hoping they catch them. Building trust within your team is extremely important, but you have to find the things that work best for your team instead of letting the exercise do all of the work.
Let’s take a step into the next generation of team building and discover some new activities that will have your team working together better than ever.
Habitat For Humanity Build
Get the team out of the office and have them really work together to make something beautiful. Volunteering for the community as a team can have amazing bonding benefits in addition to teaching your team about teamwork, following directions, and how to problem solve. All of this combines into a meaningful outing that your team can point to as a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Game of Possibilities
This is a brain game that is great for an office setting because it can be done in multiple small groups – this way, everyone gets the chance to work with a different set of people that they wouldn’t normally work with. In this game, you choose a random object that one person has to describe a use for. The trick is that the team member in the hot seat can’t speak! The rest of the team must encourage descriptive actions by asking questions and working together to solve the mystery.
Family Feud
A classic, this office-twist on Family Feud is a great way to learn and promote healthy competition. You can divide this up any way you’d like between team members. The basic premise really remains the same as the original game. Only in this version, the questions revolve around your company. These can be as silly as guessing the number of paperclips used in the office on a daily basis or information about the founding principles of the company.
Cultural Celebration
Odds are very high that there are several nationalities represented within your company. Celebrate it! Arrange for a potluck lunch or dinner where people bring in different dishes from their country of origin and explain the dishes they chose to the rest of the team. You get to learn a little bit about everyone’s history and enjoy delicious food – all while building a stronger alliance within your team.
Have you ever tried any of the above exercises? Do you have any that have worked for your team not listed here? Send your feedback and suggestions to me by commenting below!