Team building is a term you may have heard years ago, but it is relevant even today. Team building starts while you are in school and work with your friends to complete a project, it then continues while you are at the university and work with a team for research or volunteering activities. And you continue the team building activities in the workplace, too. There is a bad reputation for the same, and as a result, no employees want to go along when HR asks them to join an activity.
However, if you can choose the right kind of team-building exercises, they can bring people closer and help teams work efficiently. Besides giving out awards and recognition, there is so much more you can do to build camaraderie in your team. Here are a few team-building activities that your employees will love.
Solve a puzzle
A team-building activity need not have to be an all-day event. You could give a literal puzzle to solve. Maybe something like a 500-piece set or a 1000-piece set. It should be something that requires a lot of thinking and brainstorming. If you want to make it competitive, give your team a time limit to complete the task. The idea is that everyone should contribute to the success of the project and once they are done, take out time to reflect on the experience. Speak to your team about the strategy to solve it and the decisions they took.
Build a compliment circle
It is one activity that should become a part of every organization. There are several variations you can take on this and encourage the team to express their appreciation for each other. You could easily spend five minutes asking your employees to complement one another and they can speak whatever comes to their mind. Alternatively, you could go around and ask each person to address the coworker on their right so that everyone gets a chance to speak.
Create a scavenger hunt
If you have the time and space, you can plan a scavenger hunt in the office. It is a great way for new hires to get to know the place they will work in and also learn more about their team. Ask them to identify a few things around the office and then ask your seasoned employees questions like when did the company start and who was the first client. Alternatively, you could set one up for the employees to uncover a particular number of facts by the end of the day and see who finishes first. No matter how you choose to do it, this activity will encourage the team to work together on something other than the usual work.
Host an informal lunch and learn
Every team is full of unspoken talent and you need to identify the strengths that can bring everyone together. Somebody could be fluent in another language, or someone might be a great painter, someone could be pro at using Excel while someone could be a knitter. You can host an informal lunch and learn new skills from them. Ask them to teach the rest of the team members a new skill, and everyone will get to learn something new about their peers. To make it fun, you could also plan to give out small awards to those that show the finest skills. It could be working on a piece of art or singing in a different language. Appreciate their skills by rewarding them.
Share life’s best moments
This is an activity that helps build rapport and move out of the comfort zone. Ask your team to spend a few minutes thinking about the best moments of their lives. It is certainly not going to be about their work life so do not be disappointed if they never talk doubt the office or their work. You can then ask them to decide which 30 seconds of their life they would like to relive again, and each member has to share their memory. You could share your memory too. It is a very useful activity that helps break down barriers between the professional levels and will help create trust. It is a great activity for pulling the team members out of their comfort zone and building a meaningful work environment.
While these are only a few team-building activities you can consider, there are a lot more that can be included in the organization. You can also create your activity and ensure that everyone participates in it. There is no need to stick to a certain activity every time, go ahead and try something new. The purpose is to bring out the best in your team, and you need to engage them in an activity that they love and would enjoy participating in.
