7 Team-Building Activities You Should Try

It doesn’t matter if your team is big or small; the key is communication with each other, which will lead to a cohesive and successful team. Take some inspiration from our list of 7 team-building activities to try! Read more: Why Team-building Can be a Challenge.

The main part of any business is a successful team. It contributes not only to the company’s growth and success but also to the personal growth of each employee. The work of any team can be enhanced by cohesive activities, through which employees can get to know each other better, improve communication skills, as well as trust more.

In 2009, US researchers published a study on the impact of team-building on various aspects, which found that teams participating in team-building activities have better communication with each other, as well as greater trust in their teammates and confidence that the team will achieve its goals.

Many may not want to spend time on such activities, but you lose a lot without organizing or participating in team-building activities. Success in the office does not depend on the number of hours spent in it but on the quality of the work done, which can be promoted by a cohesive work team.

7 team-building activities:

1. Two truths and a lie

The time required: 15 – 30 minutes

Rules: It should start with each team member writing down two true facts about themselves and one false fact on a small piece of paper without showing it to anyone. Once each person has completed this step, 10-15 minutes are devoted to conversations, where everyone asks each other questions. The idea is to convince others that your lies are true and vice versa. In turn, you try to guess other people’s truth/lies by asking them questions. Do not reveal your truths or lies to anyone. After the conversation, repeat each of your three statements, and the group votes on which one they think is a lie. You can play this game competitively and score points for every lie you reveal.

Goal: This game promotes better communication in the office, as well as allows you to get to know your colleagues better.

2. Positive statements

The time required: 20 – 30 minutes

Rules: Ask each member of your team to complete the sentence “my vision for a positive team is…”. These answers should be written down on a piece of paper by the whole team to create an overview of all visions. In the free time, this can be reminded by placing these notes in a place visible to everyone.

Goal: Positive statements are a quick team-building activity that promotes collaboration and creates motivation.

3. Famous people or cities

The time required: 20 – 30 minutes

Rules: Stick a note with the name of a famous person or city to the head of a group member. The person with the note must ask the other members of the team questions about that person or place so that they can guess it as soon as possible.

Goal: Communication creation

4. 20 questions

The time required: 30 – 40 minutes

Rules: In this activity, one employee needs to come up with an object, while the other team members have to ask 20 closed-ended questions (can be answered only with yes or no) that would allow them to guess what the employee is thinking about.

Goal: Effective trust and communication building.

5. Breakout game

The time required: 60 minutes

Rules: The team will have to work together and communicate effectively to find clues, solve puzzles, and get out of the room within an hour. Most games can be played by 5-6 people, which means that the whole team can split into smaller teams and go through several games at once.

Goal: Communication, cohesion, and trust. 

6. Opportunity game

The time required: 5 – 6 minutes

Rules: Each person in the group is assigned an object. One by one, one of the participants has to demonstrate this object only with movements. The rest of the team must guess what the player is demonstrating. The demonstrator cannot speak and the demonstrations must be original.

Goal: This activity inspires creativity and individual innovation.

7. Hunting

Time required: > 60 minutes

Rules: Create a to-do list and assign it to each team. Tasks could be, for example, to take a selfie with a stranger, to find a hidden object in the office, etc. There is also a limited time for these tasks. The one who completes the tasks the fastest wins!

Goal: Build a team, listen to each other, and trust.

First of all, team cohesion and mutual communication between team members must be strengthened so that they can work better together and achieve the highest results. Therefore, it would be advisable to organize team-building activities in every company. Read more: 3 Reasons Why Team-Building is Important