#teambuildingexercises

Digital Team Building Exercises

From sports, to work, to even family, everyone can benefit from team building activities in some aspect of their life. They encourage cooperation and understanding of the other person or people as the case may be. The major problem with team building exercises, it seems, is figuring out how to build interest in them. Oftentimes, vacations, practices, and seminars are thought of as a waste of time, because free time is supposed to be fun, and, no offense to your coworkers or teammates, but you probably wouldn’t be spending your day away from it all with them if you had a choice. There are several ways of engaging employees, however, team building is one the most important ways.  The question remains, then, of how to make it all work. How do you get people interested in team building? How do you make an otherwise mundane event into a special occasion? Well, here’s a few ideas to help get people involved and working as a team.

Scavenger Hunt

This activity is an old one, but a good one. It pits teams against each other as they try to find objects scattered around the workplace. If you want to make the game even more interesting, make the items metaphysical or intangible. Anybody can find a message in a bottle, but it takes a little more creativity to find a modern-day cipher. Maybe you can find a computer mouse, but it’s a little harder to find something that is “as quiet as a church mouse.” Yes, these items are vague and potentially subjective, but that’s the point. Instead of just looking for things, this game adds the challenge of thinking creatively, which can’t hurt in a job setting.

Minefield/Blind Man’s Bluff

Technically, these are two different games, but they’re variations on the same theme. Basically, it’s somebody using their words to help a blindfolded player do something. The task varies from game to game. For instance, some use their words to help the blind player navigate an obstacle course, like in Minefield. Others have the blindfolded players build something, and whether or not other people can advise them on how to build it can also differ.

Improvisational Company

Lots of fun and a great way to promote teamwork and quick thinking, Improvisational comedy is a staple of team games, because it takes nothing but time to play. The games range from simple scenes to musical exercises to quick problem-solving games.

Board Game Day

Set aside some time for a board game day. Sid Meiers, the creator of the hit series Civilization series, once described a game as “a series of interesting decisions. If you think of it in those terms, board games are perfectly suited to the office space. After all, what is a business but a matter of decision-making, all with the point of staying ahead? A few companies are already implementing this idea, and to great success. Not only are board games bun to play, but they encourage strategy and creativity. Plus, there’s no limit to the number of games you could use because almost all of them require creative thinking and strategy.

Movie Night

There are two ways to handle a movie night, and either one could go over well. One way is to bring beloved, classic movies, perhaps things from the employees’ childhoods or teenage years. You can all get a sense of nostalgia and joy from bonding over a shared experience. However, if the idea above doesn’t appeal to you, and perhaps you find it too boring, or schmaltzy or not interactive enough, you could approach it the opposite way. Instead of an iconic, beloved treat, spring for a truly awful film, the dumbest of the dumb, and encourage your employees to add their own commentary, creating more interesting plot twists and characters than the actual directors did by taking none of it seriously and holding none of it sacred. If it works, it will be a great bonding activity, not to mention a hilarious one.

Team Building Exercises and How to Make them Interesting