Facilitate Collaboration Between Employees with Team Building
Back in 2016, we shared 5 creative team building activities for your office. There weren’t any trust falls on our initial list, and you won’t find any cliched games on this list, either.
But, why should you plan team building games and activities in the first place?
As the leader of a growing small business or startup, you know that the company’s success depends on how well the team can work together to achieve a common goal. “Team building” is a concept that will make most employees’ eyes roll, but it doesn’t have to be that way. These 5 team building exercises are easy, fun, and effective.
1. Host a competitive potluck with a theme
Everyone loves food, especially when they can take time out of the workday to chow down. Add an element of competition to the mix, and things get even better.
For your next potluck, choose a theme and ask employees to bring their best dish. You could do a Canadian themed event (poutine and butter tarts, anyone?), a chili cook-off, or any other type of food that gets your team excited to share their culinary creations.
After eating, have everyone vote on the best dish. The winner earns bragging rights, a prize, or the chance to pick the next theme.
2. Schedule a work-sponsored happy hour
Sometimes, the best team building events are the ones without an agenda.
You could take the crew out for a round of drinks at the end of the day or serve beverages in the office. Either way, a happy hour will be a welcome opportunity for teammates to unwind while getting to know each other better.
3. Plan a virtual happy hour with your remote team
Building camaraderie with a team that works online is tricky, but it’s not impossible. Some remote companies have had success with virtual happy hours. To participate, employees simply stop working at a specified time (Friday afternoons are a popular choice) and grab a refreshment of their choice.
Everyone can link up through video conference using a tool like Google’s Hangouts Meet feature to chat about their weekend plans and other non-work topics.
4. Play a simple game like Three Truths and a Lie
This is one game that most team members will already be familiar with, and playing is easy: Everyone writes down three true things about themselves and one (believable) lie. Each person reads their four statements out loud, and everyone has to guess which statement is the lie.
5. Develop useful business skills at an improv class
If your team is game, attending an improv class can be an excellent way to foster useful skills. Here’s what Danica Kombol, the CEO of Everywhere Agency had to say about improv:
“It was wonderful for us as a small business because we’re in the client driven space. We learned the power of “yes, and” and also to value active listening. From a team perspective, we saw how in improv, it’s your job to move your team members’ ideas forward. Highly recommend improv for any small business, especially businesses suffering from negativity in the workplace.”
Improv can feel uncomfortable at times, but taking a class from the pros will ensure everyone walks away with positive memories from the experience.
