6 Effective Team Building Activities
WHAT IS TEAM BUILDING?
Growing and improving as a team is a process called team building. To form a cohesive team, members must come to know and understand one another personally as well as professionally.
Since the goal of team building is to maximize the potential of the team as a whole, businesses should plan team-building exercises to enhance abilities like problem-solving, decision-making, time management, communication, coordination, and collaboration, among others.
WHY IS TEAM BUILDING ESSENTIAL?
One of the most important elements in the success of any organization is the development of its staff. Employees may accomplish much more with great effectiveness when they are strongly bonded as a unit, such as when they are on the same team or department. In addition, when team members or coworkers get along well, it makes them feel much better while they are at work.
Consequently, it is crucial to promote teamwork.
Planning different activities that put participants in challenging circumstances and occasionally simply for fun, testing their team's strengths, can help establish a stronger sense of teamwork. Our list of six highly effective team-building exercises includes six of them.
Six effective exercises for team building include:
1. Draw as instructed
How effective are you at communicating? Alternative Question: Can you effectively decipher what the other person is attempting to say?
If the answer is yes, that's fantastic; however, if it's negative, this pastime may provide some serious difficulties for you.
Employees could be split into pairs for this exercise. The instructor and drawer roles will alternate in the duo. Without providing any clear indications as to what the object is, the instructor will be given a word, such as an umbrella, a structure, trainers, etc., that they must discuss. Drawing must reflect the instructor's intended message and the student's understanding of it. The winning pair is determined by whether the chosen item is correct.
Although it may seem simple, this game is not simple at all! A list of words that can't be used to describe the thing that makes the exercise challenging will be given to the instructor.
The instructor will need to use a variety of expressions throughout this task to try to get the point across to the drawer. However, to understand what the instructor is trying to express, the drawer will need to work with him or her to synchronize. Consequently, it strengthens coordination, cooperation, and communication abilities.
2 minutes are allotted for each drawing.
Online/Offline Mode of Delivery
Paper, pencil, or pen are necessary materials.
A two-person team is the ideal size.
2. All in succession!
Have you ever prepared meals alongside your teammates?
If not, be assured that it is still a lot of fun! Cooking will be made much more enjoyable by this pastime that twists it.
An effective team size for the workers in this situation is 5 to 6. The team would choose what to cook, with one member having the final say on behalf of the group. Without sharing any information on the dish or anything else, the same member would begin to prepare.
Now, if the overall cooking time is, let's say, 2 hours, each person would have around 20 minutes to cook. After the first 20 minutes are up, the second team member would enter, and the first team member would have to describe what he or she has already done and what he or she has prepared or marinated in the 20 minutes that he or she had, without revealing the name of the dish itself.
It now depends on how each team member interprets the combined ingredients and everything that has been prepared up to this point, as well as how he or she continues to cook after the last team member departs without knowing what the dish is.
Although it might not occur at work, this is an excellent team-building activity. It will be up to the group members to rely on one another when it comes to explaining how things have been prepared, where materials are kept, etc. Ultimately, how well-organized and coordinated they were would translate into the final dish. It would also boost problem-solving and time management abilities, which would foster teamwork.
Delivering in an offline manner
depending on what you are making, the necessary ingredients
5 to 6 people per team should be the ideal number.
3. A Wall For All
Really when we want to talk to someone about something intimate, we sometimes hesitate out of fear of how they might react or whether they want to talk about it. Companies can establish a wall where all employees can go and place sticky notes with their names on them discussing incidents or experiences that they want to share to avoid this circumstance and convey their feelings, such as happiness, sadness, anxiety, embarrassment, etc.
Most workers wouldn't want to discuss a depressing or embarrassing scenario, but if they do, it can be beneficial because it gives them a chance, to be honest, and talk about it.
This would provide workers a chance to get to know one another and share personal information, which they don't typically do.
As a result, the office may feel quite welcoming and joyful. Anyone can go to the wall whenever they are feeling down or bored, put their feelings down, and then post them there or read what other people are experiencing.
4. I, We, Us
A team is made up of several types of employees from various backgrounds, with various points of view, and distinct personalities. Wouldn't it be intriguing to combine these characteristics into a single representation of the complete team?
Employees can be separated into teams of five to six or more for this activity, and they will talk to one another about their shared passions, skills, and causes to build an emblem that best represents them all as one. It might resemble a logo or an emblem with the team name or other words of their choosing.
Teams would be able to interact with one another through this activity, getting to know one another better personally as well as strengthening their bonds as a team.
Logo design takes about two to three days.
Preferably offline delivery method
Any form of art (digital or printed on paper) is required.
5 to 6 people per team should be the ideal size.
5. "Sha la la la" - Make Your Song
You must be familiar with the competition "Make a Movie," in which teams are required to record a film. The team is required to produce a song for this activity instead of a movie, which is similar to that.
Creating a film is a fantastic activity, but for teams, composing music can be more challenging and significant. A song is created by writing the lyrics, creating the music, composing the song, adding various instruments, and so much more.
The teams will have to meet frequently to discuss each lyric, harmony, and every aspect of song production because it is not an easy effort to create a good song. It is therefore a fantastic team-building exercise.
Timeframe: A week or two
Delivery Method: Offline is preferred
Depends on the situation
The ideal number of teams is 10.
6. Bond and Volunteer
A fantastic method to foster teamwork and camaraderie among employees would be to give them the chance to volunteer at an NGO, nursing home, or adoption center together.
Employees hardly ever get free time at work to ponder about anything other than their jobs or engage in activities like volunteering. As a result, businesses should set up volunteering events at several locations where staff members can participate together in service to others and support a good cause.
Together, employees can work for the greater good while volunteering, which fosters interpersonal relationships and allows for collaboration away from the workplace.
It's vital to select team-building exercises that are compatible with the group and the organization to get the most out of them. For employees to fully participate in the activities, it is also crucial to set clear goals and objectives for them and to give them the tools and assistance they need.
In the end, team-building exercises can be an effective technique for fostering better collaboration, communication, and teamwork among workers. Organizations may create an improved and efficient atmosphere for employees by choosing suitable tasks while setting specific objectives and goals.
The numerous methods for engagement provided by GoodLives can help with team-building as well as employee engagement. Check out this detailed strategy to learn more!
