The 14 Best Team Building Activities (Explained And Ranked)
Teamwork is one of the most important qualities in life, especially in the workplace. In the professional world, having a company’s employees work in coordination helps them achieve shared objectives and be united, also avoiding interpersonal conflicts.
Having a collaborative team is essential in any organization, something that can be achieved through team building activities, that is, promoting group work.
Next We are going to reflect on the importance of team building activities, their benefits and, also, we are going to mention a few ideals to put into practice in any company. Keep reading to discover them!
Team building activities, also called team building activities or group work promotion activities in Spanish, are dynamics that help a group of employees who usually work individually end up becoming a truly united team. With them, workers are ready to work together in order to achieve the common purposes and objectives agreed upon by the company. To achieve this, it is necessary to follow a series of activities planned by the organization.
Teamwork is one of the most important qualities, both for life in general and for the business world in particular Activities to promote group work can translate into many benefits, among which we can highlight the following.
1. Motivates the team
Through these types of activities, employees will be happier in their jobs something that will undoubtedly increase productivity.
2. Promotes camaraderie
Team building activities strengthen interpersonal relationships between coworkers, fostering bonds between them.
3. Improve group communication
Good communication is essential in any group of workers so that they not only know what they have to do but also that they have no problem adequately communicating any problem that occurs in the organization.
Team building activities improve communication and group interaction, breaking the fear that many colleagues have of giving bad news or asking for help. The more trust they have and the more free they feel to tell each other things, the more fluid communication will be in the organization and the better the interaction between workers will be.
4. Increase creativity
Activities of this type help to create relaxed, playful and trusting environments, something that helps the people who do them give their all and have more and better ideas, that is, it increases creativity.
5. Promotes team spirit
Another name by which team building activities are known is team spirit-building activities, something that reveals one of its great benefits.
Through these types of activities We manage to create that feeling of belonging to a group that gives people so much satisfaction feeling that they are useful and valued both by the company as an organization and by their colleagues as a group of people.
The most recommended Team Building activities (and how to apply them)
There are many team building activities. There are them for every situation that we can think of that is related to the company. Therefore, below we are going to discover the main 5 types of activities of this type and, in addition, we will explain some examples of each of these modalities, all of them perfect for us to put into practice in our company.
1. Activities to get to know each other
Starting a new company is never an easy task. Not knowing anyone often becomes an obstacle when trying to give our best , because initial shyness does not invite us to put everything on the table. For this reason, team building activities that help employees get to know each other better and break the ice can be very useful.
Some examples of activities of this type are the following.
1.1. Business cards
We can start by proposing a simple activity to get the workers to know each other A very common example is to suggest that each member of the team write on a small card three adjectives that define him or her, as well as three hobbies that he or she likes to do, without putting their name.
The cards are left in a jar and the facilitator of the activity will take them out one by one, saying what is written on them. The rest of the members must guess who it is.
1.2. Invisible friend
The invisible friend is a very common activity among groups of friends and families, especially when the Christmas holidays approach However, it can also be done with people who don’t know each other well, being a fantastic team building activity to create an environment of greater trust and good vibes.
The dynamic is well known: Papers with all the names of the workers are placed in a jar and each one takes one out to find out whose turn it is to give the gift
A delivery day is agreed, a maximum price to spend on the gift and the way to distribute them, to avoid knowing who our invisible friend is before opening the gifts. After opening the presents, each one will have to say who they think is has given him the gift and revealed who the real invisible friend was.
1.3. The row
Two teams are formed and they are asked to line up based on different variables, such as height, age, the first letter of their last name, how long they have been working in the company… By having them test how well they know each other and discovering new things about their office mates The team that does it the fastest wins.
2. Team cohesion activities
These types of activities are great for improving trust between colleagues, promoting the cohesion of work groups and awakening the feeling of group belonging Among the team cohesion activities we find the following.
This activity consists of a team member blindfolding himself and letting himself be guided by the rest of his teammates until he reaches the goal His colleagues will have to agree and coordinate to guide someone whose eyes are covered, preventing them from falling and hurting themselves.
What can happen is that everyone starts talking at the same time and does not clarify themselves at first, but after a few minutes they will surely find a way to organize themselves to give instructions.
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2.2. team sports
Team sports are one of the best ways to generate emotional bonds between their participants. Here we can use practically any group sport that comes to mind : football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, paintball…
23. a day out
It often happens that, no matter how good the vibe is in the office, stress and routine end up taking a toll on workers’ interpersonal relationships. Workers may associate the workplace as an exhausting place and, of course, they also end up seeing their colleagues as also exhausting people, inevitably associating them with the job.
To prevent this from happening, a very good idea is plan days outside the office, where coworkers socialize outside of work stress and routine This can be done anywhere, but ideally it should be in a natural, outdoor environment, such as the beach or the mountains.
2.4. The office game
A very good way to create cohesion and group culture in the company is the office game, a kind of trivia that we can make up ourselves with the history, anecdotes, inside jokes and other curiosities about the workers and the company
It’s great for remembering funny moments between veteran workers, introducing them to new ones, and creating a very relaxed environment in the workplace.
3. Activities to acquire new skills
Some team-building activities also serve to improve employee skills while building good group dynamics. Among them we can highlight:
3.1. Culinary activities
Practically everyone likes good cooking or, at the very least, eating. Gastronomy has always brought people closer, so introducing it into the workplace helps ensure that workers have a great time savoring delicious dishes while having a great time making them.
Culinary activities help to disconnect from the routine and live a different experience, improving the culinary skills of workers and putting into practice skills such as camaraderie and overcoming common challenges
3.2. Training activities
Training activities are, basically, any workshop in which work-related skills are promoted. in them leadership skills can be put into practice conflict management, creative thinking…
3.3. video game tournament
Video games are increasingly valued in the workplace Far from the stale view that they are mere entertainment for children and adolescents, the truth is that video game consoles and computers have many benefits. In the business field, video games promote technological skills, in addition to de-stressing and improving teamwork thanks to multiplayer games.
It is believed that, on average, employees spend almost 3 hours a week trying to resolve an interpersonal conflict. It is not surprising, given that When there is a group of people who are very different from each other, it is almost inevitable that scuffles, tense situations and the occasional confrontation will arise
Team building activities contribute to improving communication between workers, strengthening interpersonal relationships and making them put aside their differences in order to achieve objectives. Among the examples that you can see we have the following.
4.1. Escape Room
Escape Rooms have become very popular in recent years. Many people see them as fun activities to do with friends and family, but they can also be used for work groups.
The company itself can organize its own Escape Room with groups of 5 people making a room, a plant or the entire company the scene of a series of activities or a gymkhana that, if solved, will have a prize.
Whatever the case, the group members will have to talk to each other, work as a team and cooperate to complete the activity.
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4.2. Looking for the treasure
This team building activity is perfect for getting workers to take initiative and collaborate It can be done both in the office and outdoors. The team will be divided into small groups of 5 people who will have to look for different hidden objects.
To do this, they will use clues located at different points in which they will have to solve riddles, puzzles and enigmas to discover the location of the treasure. The team that manages to find all the objects will win.
5. Activities to promote humanitarian values
Finally, we leave a few activities that, more than promoting teamwork, serve to instill values ​​in workers while they collaborate as a group. The activities to promote certain values ​​that we will see below aim to make employees live meaningful experiences while having a positive impact on society and the environment. Some examples of this type of activities are these.
5.1. Food collection
A classic activity to help make the world a better place is collecting food for a group in need. The company can periodically organize a day in which workers are asked to donate food to an association close to the company, a neighborhood foundation or any group that needs it
5.2. Cleaning the environment
The beaches, the countryside, the city… There are many places where certain people behave in a non-responsible manner, littering the environment with their waste. To counteract the incivility of inconsiderate citizens, The company can organize days in which workers get together to do collective cleaning
Cleaning the environment can be made more fun and active by turning it into a competition, forming several teams that are tasked with collecting the greatest amount of trash. Whoever manages to collect the most waste wins.
