Does the term “Team Building Activities” make your team roll their eyes and prepare to bounce?
It can be tricky to elicit enthusiasm instead of embarrassment when hosting team bonding games, however, the importance of team building exercises should not be overlooked, as many successful business managers credit their team’s success to positive workplace bonding. Our team believes that happiness and efficiency in the workplace comes from building rapport that helps us boost collaboration.
Work-life can in fact be pretty dull and lonely, further pushing forward the importance of encouraging your team to have fun and get to know each other better. Here, we share several undoubtedly fun activities that are perfect for corporate adults in large multinational offices, or even small business teams, to build better connections – ranging from quick 5-minute in-person team-building activities to virtual options for remote teams.
They say your home tells a lot about you – let alone your office space! This would be a good chance to test if your team pays attention in the office. If your team is fully remote, it’s a good opportunity to gain insight into how your team members’ home offices are set up. All you need to do is have everyone submit a photo of their work abode and create a slideshow showcasing each office space. Then, everyone guesses whose space it is! Get interactive by letting your team members do a verbal walk-through introducing and explaining their workspaces.
This adorable game is a great way to get to know your team members and have some laughs. We’re pretty sure almost everyone loves looking at adorable baby pictures. Simply have your colleagues submit their cutest baby photos, and guess who’s who. Get creative and have each member share a unique or hilarious fact from their childhood!
More catered to remote teams – however, in-person teams are welcome to play too. Online multiplayer games are a great way to train your team’s strategic thinking skills. You will only need access to a stable internet connection, and a nifty problem-solving game like Travian. Alternatively, you can browse through the many games available on Steam where you’ll find free and paid game alternatives.
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Debates are a great way to get people talking. A debate not only serves as a bonding activity to get your team to share their best ideas but also helps to improve your team’s skills in communication, negotiation, critical thinking, and decision-making. Gather your colleagues and have two teams pitted head-to-head on a chosen topic, then let the audience decide the winner for each round. May the best win!
The best part of a game like this is its flexibility – you can alter it to suit your unique team! The general rule is that one person tries to fool the crowd, while the others try to figure out whodunnit! You can involve rules like the accused only answering YES or NO questions – the group has to be very descriptive. This suspenseful game is perfect for training your team’s communication and interpretive skills.
A classic game you could never go wrong with, Charades is bound to be enjoyed by many. The general rule is to have one person act out a scene while the rest of the group guesses. You could even reverse the game and have one person from the group be the guesser while the rest do the acting. Take it up a notch and only allow the guesser to ask YES or NO questions! This forces your team to be critical and specific with their decisions.
Have each member of your team come up with a business idea, then host a “shark tank” for each person to pitch their idea and try to get funding from others. This game is a great way for your team to practice their strategic thinking skills. You can take it one step further and have your employees create a mock-up of their product, scoring them extra funding.
Gather your team and see who can escape from a room the quickest. You can either build your own escape room or find one at an escape room facility near you. For remote teams, there are many virtual escape room options you’ll want to try, like Modern Genius, Lost in the Arctic, Grand Theft Escape and more. There are free and paid options available, so you’ll be spoiled for choice.
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Each team member is to craft something in common (a teddy bear, a car, etc.) using materials around the house or office. Everyone is then required to hide their items in plain sight. It must be visible on screen, but you can place it in the background or even disguise it with sunglasses and get creative with how/where you place it! Players get eliminated once someone else spots their item. This quirky game is best suited for remote teams, but in-person workplaces are able to adapt as well by having members in separate rooms.
If you’re short on time but still want to squeeze in a bit of fun in the workplace, a round of Quizbreaker will do just the trick. Short, tailored quizzes will be sent toy our team’s inboxes, allowing them to guess and learn the habits, preferences, likes or dislikes of their teammates. This game is a great way to get to know your team and bond over possible similar interests!
Team bonding proves to be crucial for sustaining a happy, collaborative team and should never be overlooked. With the many options and ideas for gameplay out there, there are indeed lots of fun team building activities that can be done in-person or virtually for remote teams. Don’t be afraid to experiment to see what works best for your team!
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