Employees are more productive and report higher job satisfaction rates when they work together well as a team, but not everyone has the personality and the right tools at their disposal to make cooperation come naturally.
That’s where team building comes in.
Team building doesn’t have to mean expensive outings to corporate retreats.
Read on to find out about ten effective ways to bring out the best in employees and help them work better together.
Virtual activities
Virtual activities like online murder mystery games are excellent for team-building activities. An online murder mystery for team building provides an interactive and engaging experience that promotes collaboration, problem-solving, and communication among team members. The element of mystery and suspense adds excitement and keeps participants fully engaged, making it a memorable and effective way to strengthen team dynamics and build a sense of unity, even in a remote work environment.
Tailor Exercises to Employees
Choose exercises based on employees' personalities and addressing unique issues in the workplace. You can also consider online ethics training. Workplace ethics training will help the team connect and understand each other more.
Managers can find options at leadershipall.com about how to reach difficult employees.
Get Creative
Come up with unique team-building challenges that feature company-specific details.
There’s no need to spend a fortune on a retreat when managers or even team members can create their own exercises.
Survival Scenarios
Divide the employees into teams and ask them to come up with a plan for a fictional scenario where they are stuck on a deserted island with just 12 items between them.
Ask them to justify their choices.
Office Trivia
Office trivia can be played with groups of any size, and it doesn’t feel like a structured exercise, which can be good for stubborn workers.
Ask questions that relate to the workplace or the company’s history and test the team members’ observational skills.
Do not to ask personal questions.
Penny for Thoughts
Find some pennies with recent dates and place them in a box.
Get team members to choose a penny and tell a story about something funny or memorable that happened during that year.
Negotiation Puzzles
Find two jigsaw puzzles with similar-sized pieces and mix them together.
Give each of two groups one set of puzzle pieces then have the two groups barter for pieces and compete to complete the puzzles on time.
Sales Pitch
Ask each team member to find a random object and bring it to the conference room.
Each person will have to come up with a sales pitch for the product including a name, logo, and fake company model and make a presentation to convince his or her colleagues to buy it.
Discuss which pitches worked at the end.
Creative Skits
Divide the team into small groups, and give each of them a random object.
Have the groups come up with creative 4-5 minute skits that revolve around the object, and make sure that everyone speaks at least once.
Team Emblem
Place employees on teams based on who they typically work with.
Ask each group to come up with an emblem that represents the team, then discuss what each of them means.
Bridge Build
Divide the team into two groups and give each of them a set of legos, straws, or other building materials.
Each team must complete half of a bridge without seeing what the other team is building.
Instead, they must use verbal communication to explain what they are doing so everyone can follow it.
The Bottom Line
Some team building activities focus on getting workers to come out of their shells, while others prioritize problem-solving, negotiation, or other real-world skills that can come in handy in the office.
It’s important to choose activities that are fun, collaborative and tailored to the employees’ interests and abilities so everyone has a good time and learns something from the process.