If you are thinking of building great workplace camaraderie among employees try these simple and effective team building exercises for work. They can not only be extremely helpful in building communication and trust in the workplace but also go on to give the company an edge over competitors because a focused team is a great asset. And, the best part is they are hardly that time consuming.
Most of them can be done in under an hour’s time but still produce great results. They can be an efficient and fun means to many important goals such as improving motivation, boosting morale and providing a better-focused direction to the team. Great communication is the key to streamlining activities and eliminating bottlenecks within the team. And that in turn shall lead to quick work turnovers and better productivity.
It is up to the managers to incorporate some team building exercises for work from time to time. There isn’t a prescribed timeline but at least once in a few months should be undertaken. And, therefore, we have come up with this great list of some of the most effective ones. They are fun and slightly challenging, enough to keep the employees engaged and you can do them while you take a breather from work. No matter the size and purpose of the enterprise, these will work smoothly for you. Some of them are classic management exercises while others are improvised versions. Of course, different activities are undertaken to achieve different results. Some are great for improving communication while others are focused on problem solving or decision making. You can pick the ones according to your company’s needs and aimed them towards the specific problems your team is facing.
Try these out for yourself; we guarantee the results will be great and if you think you need more exercises to improve your team efficiency you can also check some other ways to promote great relations within the office in our list of The 6 Best Company Team Building Activities to Build Workplace Camaraderie.
11. Human Knot
You start by having the entire team stand shoulder to shoulder facing each other in a circle. Then each team member should grab the hand of another member standing across to them, not the ones standing next to them. Next they have to grab some other team members hand with the other hand. And then all they have to do is untangled the ‘knot’ and form a circle without letting go of any hands. The teams need to be able to communicate and solve the problem in this one.
10. Coin Logo
For a new team the Human Knot can be a great icebreaker activity undertaken in just 5-10 minutes. This can be played by dividing the team into smaller teams of 3-6 people. First, ask the teams to empty their pockets of all the coins they have. Then each team is asked to create a personalized logo that represents the team using the coins and other available materials like pens, paperclips, etc. When they are done they need to explain the thoughts behind the logo creation to the other teams. This helps the members to get talking and knowing each other on a personal level.
9. Mine Field
This one requires a few more props and a larger room. Start by arranging boxes or chairs as obstacles while keeping enough space between them to enable people to walk around them while crossing the room. Then among groups of two, one member walks blindfolded to the other side while the other member directs. It proves to be a great trust building activity among the team members.
8. Back to Back
In this fun communication building exercise teams are divided into groups of two and the group members are asked to sit back to back each other. Next, one of them is handed a notepad while the other is provided with a picture which they must describe to their partner with the notepad who is required to draw the picture based on the instructions by their teammate. This removes any stiffness and communication gaps between them.
7. Two Truths and a Lie
Every member is required to write two truths and a lie about themselves in a piece of paper secretly. Now the members just mingle among themselves and talk to each other about their statements without revealing the truths and lies. The idea is to convince the people that your lies are the truth and guess their lies, while conversing. After a while everyone’s questions are put to vote. The members get a point for each lies they guess and when other members are unable to guess theirs. The exercise takes about only 30 minutes and helps members to know each other better.
6. Zoom
This one requires you to get the wordless picture book by Istvan Banyai. The pictures in the book are sequential. Now you hand them out to the participants and they need to form a sequential order by communicating with each other. They cannot reveal their pictures. But talking and discussing about their features are allowed. The idea is to get the team talking while the ultimate goal is problem-solving.
5. Survival Activity
One of the most commonly used team building exercises for work where you start by creating a scenario of a plane crash in the ocean. A lifeboat will take them to a deserted island but only 12 items are allowed to be taken on it. The team needs to decide what 12 items they will be taking that will ensure their survival.
4. The Great Egg Drop
This one’s a classic but it tends to get messy. The team is divided into groups each one being assigned a task of creating an egg package that can hold an egg in a 2-4 storey drop. Different materials can be provided. After the completion of making the packages the big drop is done to see which team’s package lasts.
3. Salt and Pepper
Pack in some energy with this fun activity. Think of some likely and interesting pairs like ‘salt and pepper’, ‘pancakes and syrup’, ‘Sonny and Cher’ and write them down on a two paper. Now paste on paper each on the backs of every team member. They can’t see what’s written but they have to figure it out by talking to others and then, they need to find their pairs! Extremely fun and effective!
2. Talking in Circles
This one poses a good challenge! Get everyone to sit in a circle along a long piece of string tied in a circle. Now everybody holds the strings in front of them with both hands and then the team attempts to form different shapes without letting go of the string. Did that smoothly? Now repeat with closed eyes!
1. Life Highlights Game
This one enables getting to know co-workers in a more intimate way. Each member is asked to think about the highlights of life. It can be anything, personal or professional. In the second half they are asked which 30 seconds of their life they would like to relive and why. This helps the team to see each other in a different light.
Now that you’ve seen how the simple team building exercises for work can help with communication and problem-solving skills start trying them out with your team and see the results for yourself.
