Whether your team is in-person, remote, or some combination of the two, team-building exercises are a critical HR technique for creating and maintaining an effective team.
However, team building sometimes can get a bad rep. The very mention of it may inspire eye-rolling and groans.
So, make sure your team-building efforts are effective and enjoyable for everyone
with these tips and activities.
Why Are Team-Building Exercises Important?
, engagement at work is at an all-time low 鈥� only 32% of employees are engaged, and 17% are actively disengaged.
One way to help close the engagement gap is with team building. Team-building exercises
can help employees get to know each other on a personal level, boosting morale and
building camaraderie and trust. Improved communication skills, productivity, and creativity
can also come from team building because employees collaborate in more out-of-the-box
ways.
13 Enjoyable and Effective Team-Building Exercises
Not all team-building exercises are created equal, and not all will make sense given your team structure, environment, and goals.
Before you choose any of the team-building exercises below, consider your end objective. Are you looking to help team members get to know each other better? Or do you want to encourage creative thinking and cross-departmental communication?
Each of the following team-building exercises is fun, engaging, and serves a purpose.
13. Two Truths and a Lie
In this classic icebreaker, participants share two honest events or facts about themselves and one lie. The other listeners must decide which one is the lie. Employees will learn more about each other and become more comfortable communicating.
In general, icebreakers can help welcome new hires and introduce new team members
because they are great for building familiarity and relationships between colleagues.
12. Compliment Circle
There are many ways to execute this morale-boosting exercise. You can spend five minutes
having team members compliment each other with whatever comes to mind. For example,
鈥淏ig shoutout to Sarah for leading that training last week.鈥� Or, you can have each
person address the coworker to their right, giving everyone get a chance to be highlighted.
This activity is a great way to boost morale and employee recognition.
11. The Marshmallow Challenge
In this activity, small groups are given 20 spaghetti sticks, one marshmallow, and
one yard of string and tape with the goal of creating the tallest freestanding structure
possible. Colleagues must work together and be inventive to win, so this activity
is ideal if you want to foster collaboration and creativity.
10. Show and Tell
Remember when you鈥檇 bring something exciting to share with the class in elementary
school? Show and Tell is also relevant the workplace. Instead of bragging about your
pet rock, you can encourage employees to share what they are working on or if they
have learned anything new. Consider having a Friday afternoon Show and Tell where
employees can share team updates, industry news or even personal achievements. Allow
time for people to ask questions and give feedback so you can maximize the benefits
of this morale-boosting activity.
9. Hack Day
Want to foster creative problem-solving and open communication? Consider hosting a
, or a day where everyone drops their normal workload and spends their time completing
a special project that benefits the team or company. You can also create small teams
from people across departments to work on different cross-functional projects and
think outside the box.
8. Human Knot
This might sound familiar if you attended summer camp as a kid. In this activity,
which is ideal for large teams, members join right and left hands with the person
opposite them 鈥� not the person next to them. When all members have their hands in
a knot, the group has to work together and follow the rules to untangle themselves.
The results are, once again, communication, trust, following instructions, and some
fun!
7. Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are great for new hires or helping people get to know each other better.
You can create a list of different facts or artifacts and divide employees into groups
to see who can find everything the fastest. This can help employees learn more about
the company and each other.
6. Murder Mystery Game or Escape Room
A murder mystery game or escape room can be a great way to have employees practice
clear communication, problem-solving, and collaboration. Employees will have to work
together to solve clues in either of these scenarios to determine the murderer or
escape. Many companies now offer murder mystery and escape room games online, so virtual
teams can get in on the fun.
5. Slideshow
If you鈥檙e looking to hone your employees鈥� presentation and oral communication skills,
a slideshow or Lunch and Learn can be a great way of doing so. Splitting employees
into groups to present on whatever topic they all decide they are interested in can
help them delegate tasks, analyze an issue, improve public speaking skills, and sharpen
their ability to work together in new ways.
4. Common Factor
Finding commonalities can help build connections and solidify existing employee relationships. Common Factor helps colleagues find these connections quickly. For this game, employees are asked to move to a designated area of the room if certain statements apply to them. Some questions to ask include:
- Do you own a pet?
- Are you a parent?
- Are you a grandparent?
- Are you a musician?
- Do you like country music?
- Do you like horror movies?
- Have you visited more than ten countries?
- Are you a twin or triplet?
- Have you ever met a celebrity?
- Are you left-handed?
In a virtual environment, it could be as simple as raising your hand if the question
applies to you. As more employees discover what they have in common, they鈥檒l build
trust and relationships.
3. Shark Tank
Have you ever watched Shark Tank? In this game, based on the TV show, teams pitch
mock products in front of a group of 鈥淪harks鈥� (senior team members) to secure investments.
This exercise promotes collaboration, entrepreneurship, teamwork, presentation skills,
and unconventional thinking. Participants must develop an imaginary product and create
a professional pitch, including the brand name and slogan, business and marketing
plan, and financial data.
2. Egg Drop
You may have done this activity in school. Each team has limited time and supplies
to construct a carrier to keep an egg safe from a two-story drop. Teams must collaborate
and think creatively to win.
1. Memory Wall
Having team members share memories creates team bonding opportunities and fosters
morale. In this exercise, write a few work-related topics on a whiteboard or sticky
board, such as 鈥渨ork travel鈥� and 鈥渕y first day.鈥� Gather your team together and have
everyone choose one of the topics to share a story about from their time with the
company. As people are telling their stories, ask other team members to write down
words to add to the wall. As more people share their stories and add words to the
wall, the result is a positive memory cloud that everyone will be a part of.
Tips for Effective Team Building
To ensure your team-building exercises accomplish their intended purpose, follow these tips from the :
- Remember that team building is a process. It鈥檚 not just a singular event 鈥� team building takes time and regular implementation. With new employees joining and some employees leaving the team, as well as company updates, team building should be a consistent component of your HR efforts.
- Be specific about the goal. Team-building exercises should have specific objectives, such as introducing new team members or inspiring creative thinking. Instead of 鈥渂uilding a stronger team,鈥� consider a goal like 鈥渁pply creative problem solving to create a better onboarding process.鈥�
- Share the desired outcomes with the team. That way, they know the goal of the exercise, and they鈥檒l be more engaged. This can also help fight off the skepticism that sometimes accompanies team building from cynical employees.
- Incorporate participant preferences and comfort zones. In a post-pandemic era, the Human Knot may not be a feasible or desirable game for all teams. Also, some exercises are more effective in person, while others may be suitable for remote teams.
- Be realistic about expectations. Not every team-building exercise will appeal to all your employees, and you can鈥檛
please everyone.
Team-Building Exercises: Part of Your HR Toolkit
HR plays a key role in fostering employee engagement and growing retention, and team building is an important part of that. Whether you want to enter the HR field or grow in your existing career, USF offers the tools and knowledge busy professionals need to succeed in this demanding profession.