Fool-Proof Team Building
Ideas
Looking for Team Building Ideas that work?
Many teams work better when they are able to
spend
some time away from work interacting with each other and letting their
hair
down. Here are 5 great team building ideas for your team to ‘play’ together outside of
work
and at work. These are great alternatives to the regular Friday Night
Post-work
drink sessions that so many of us opt for.
All these team building ideas have the same objective,
bringing
your team closer together and reinforcing the principles of teamwork
and what
constitutes a good team. Ensure that you talk about these principles
and their
importance as a debrief after these activities.
Take
your team back to their
childhood: Are you looking to encourage some creativity in your team,
find a
local pottery centre, which allows people to come in for a few hours
and learn
how to make a vase or a bowl. There is something about mucking about in
clay
that makes people relax and puts them in a good mood. Post class the
things
they made will serve as a great reminder of a fun afternoon spent with
the team.
Talk about how relaxing and doing something creative can stimulate
creativity
at work. You will also have team members who help each other out or
motivate
each other, some that may have been reluctant to get their hands dirty
but did
so after a little encouragement. Discuss how these same behaviours are
applicable even at work.
Go
camping for the weekend:
assign roles to each team member (one to read maps, someone in charge
of
shelter, food, entertainment etc). Make sure that the role you assign
to a team
member is not one they are extremely comfortable with. Only by working
together
can your team have a safe and fun camping trip, talk about how it is
important
for each team member to uphold his responsibilities and commitment else
the
entire trip can go drastically wrong. E.g. if the person in charge of
food
forgets to pack any.
Lunch
and Learn: One of the
biggest complaints team members have is that there is little time for
learning
at the end of the workday. A lunch and learn event can be a great way
to build
team spirit and learn at the same time. Have one team member a week
prepare a
short 20 minute session on something they are interested it, a book
they have
read, or something they can ‘teach’ to their co-workers. Follow this up
with
lunch for the entire team, even takeout from Subway or McDonald’s works
here.
This activity really gives team members an insight into the interests
and
passions of their co-workers and helps them to get to know one another
better.
Have
a team theme day: show
your spirit to the rest of the office. You can designate Friday and
Team Friday
and have a different activity or theme for each week which the team
needs to
contribute to. Activities can range from dressing up in a certain
color, to compliment
day, to potluck etc. This is a great way to make the team stand
together in the
eyes of the entire organization and helps them interact and bond with
each
other. You can also rotate the planning of the week’s activity amongst
team
members to encourage creativity and participation.
More team building ideas:
Do
you have a paintball
centre close to work: paintball is a fun and creative activity for
teams to do.
Divide your team into two groups, give each team 5 minutes to choose a
leader,
and plan a strategy to win over the other team. Let the games begin.
The team
with the most hits wins. Post the session you can talk about how
teamwork was
an important factor, watching out for each other’s backs, and the
importance of
creativity, fun and passion at work.
More related articles: Free
Team Building Activities
Team
Building Strategies
Team
Building Skills
Ice
Breaker Games
|