Activities and Events for Teambuilding and Collaborative Fun
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Teams built on good relationships and communication are the ones that work the best. When you are part of a team, collaborative effort is always required in order to solve problems and come up with solutions that drive the company’s goals. But team and company success through teamwork aren’t the only benefits of team building. Trust, conflict resolution, employee motivation, and ice breaking are all fantastic incentives to promote a strong team environment.
Team building exercises can range from company-wide retreats to simple, cost-effective icebreakers that shake up the work day a bit. We will discuss ways to achieve either, providing examples of lighthearted or fun and physical activities aimed at bringing your team together.
Philanthropic Activities
Volunteerism and giving back to the community is a fun and wonderful way to build camaraderie within your team. Most companies have an established program, partnering with a nonprofit in order to meet their social responsibility. You can use this as an opportunity to motivate your team to work together and do some good. We frequently partner with other organizations dedicated to benefitting others. We have a longstanding relationship with Houston nonprofit, Change Happens!, and we always encourage our employees to participate in volunteering events.
Learning About Who Makes Up Your Team
Insights, Take Flight Leaning, Myers Briggs, and other personality training teaches individuals in teams how they work together and with others. The first two are interactive sessions are aimed at helping people understand themselves and others.
Insights is a program that identifies different facets of your personality, both at work and at home, using their color-based system. In the Insights class, you learn about the four different personality types, what elements of those types are within you, and others in your team. The class also involves exercises that gives insight into the minds of other personality types: how they work, how they communicate, etc. The DISC styles of Take Flight Learning work much the same way. The purpose is to bring your team together through an understanding and appreciation of your differences.
In-Office Games
Team building activities in the office are easy to plan and execute, and simple ways to break up the workday and energize your team. And the gaming options are endless and require very little preparation. If you want your team to work on their communication, set up games like “Salt and Pepper” or “Make a Team”. Games like “Minefield” and “Lost at Sea” help your team practice their collaboration and problem solving skills, which is key in working together on the job. For your classic get-to-know-you activities, you can play the game “Truths and a Lie” or a team bingo to reveal interesting tidbits about your group and bond a bit. All you’d need is players and time.
Active Events Outside the Office
Organizing events outside the office is a great way to give your team building event a shot of energy! Motivate your team to work together to solve puzzles, finish an obstacle course, or find everything in a scavenger hunt. There are many companies that work with you to organize a fun and competitive event that will suit the dynamic of your team. A good option is something like American Outback Adventures and Events. They will coordinate events for you, and all you have to do is show up.
Events based off of popular reality shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race encourage the team participating to work together to complete the designated challenges. Programs like these have the dual purpose of team building and getting active, all while having fun. If you want an activity that’s a bit more cerebral, but still active, try an outdoor, technology-based scavenger hunt. Your team will have a list of items to find. This can happen around the office, but you can also take it all over the city!
It’s the people who are going to meet team and company goals, and they’re going to meet it by working together. And that’s the crucial outcome: not merely working together but working together well. This was just a small sampling of activities that are out there for you to try, and it does not take much to find (or create!) a game that is just what the team needs to stretch their legs, or brains, and play as a team.