The research and evidence are clear – the more comfortable people feel in their workplace, the happier and more productive they can be. To this end, it makes sense that managers and leaders should consider investing a little time and energy presenting a series of fun workplace team building activities to develop and nourish the team skills of their employees.
And while it’s always nice to be able to travel to an off-site venue to conduct these types of experiences, with just a little bit of thought and planning, you can achieve the same outcomes right where your team works, ie no costly travel time or venue hire.
Why Workplace Teambuilding Activities?
There is no magic bullet, nor is team building a set-and-forget kind of approach. But, indeed, a dedicated focus on building trusting and healthy relationships among your employees will reap many benefits over time.
For example, staff are more willing to raise their hand and confront disagreements when they feel that they can participate in a (mentally and emotionally) safe working environment. This does not mean that everyone has to be best friends, but your staff should learn how to be respectful of other people’s views and contributions.
In addition, the more your team can embrace diversity, the more likely they will reach powerful decisions that attract the buy-in of your whole team. This benefits all levels of decision-making and planning, not to mention, open your team to new ideas, innovation and creativity – a must for any business that wants to grow and expand.
Teambuilding activities, especially those sourced from playmeo’s online activity database, are the perfect antidote to invite your team to build trust and grow because they are fun, highly engaging and appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Our Top Five Workplace Teambuilding Exercises
In this article, I’m going to focus on five of our most successful team-building activities that can be delivered indoors, are simple to understand and require readily accessible props (if any.)
Click the links below to scroll directly to the activity.
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Making Connections
Invite your group to gather in an open space, perhaps a common room or suitable conference space. Start by announcing something that you have done, said or been such as “I have been in a parade.” Then invite the first person who has also been in a parade to interlock elbows with you on either your left or right side (it doesn’t matter.)
The key is to invite others who can connect with what you share to link elbows. Now, this second person asks a similar question and a new person will link elbows, and so on it goes. The line continues to grow until the very last person links and their challenge is to announce something that they have done, said or been to that connects with you (the very first person.)
Recommended Group Size: 8 to 30 people
Typical duration: 10 to 15 mins
Why it will work for you:
-
- Simple to understand
- Terrific get-to-know-you exercise
- Circle game
- No props
Paper Holding
This small group exercise is so simple, yet so difficult sometimes. In small teams, challenge each team to press as many sheets of paper between two people’s bodies as possible in 8-10 minutes. No two pieces of paper can be touching, nor can they be bent or folded or touch the ground. Go.
Watch the activity video for a graphic example of what is possible among group members who are quite comfortable with each other. Hilarious but also a wonderful exercise to inspire creativity and teamwork.
Recommended Group Size: teams of 5 to 8 people
Typical duration: 10 to 15 mins
Why it will work for you:
-
- Innovative challenge
- Fosters cooperation
- Inspires creativity
- Very playful & fun
Marshmallow Challenge
In this highly engaging group initiative, the task is to build a tower of a different nature. This time, smaller teams of 3 to 4 people are tasked to build a tower out of spaghetti sticks and sticky tape and to place one marshmallow on top of the tower as high as possible.
Allow approx 20 minutes and again, the tower must be standing at the end to qualify. This is such a fun, purposeful and yet dynamic activity.
I strongly recommend you watch the activity video and read the leadership notes to help you process the results of your team.
Recommended group size: 8 – 15 people
Typical duration: 20 – 30 minutes
Why it will work for you:
-
- Play & fun
- Inspires creativity
- Builds problem-solving skills
- Benefit from many metaphors
Leaning Tower of Feetza
This has got to be one of the simplest and quickest teambuilding games I know.
Form small teams of approx 8 to 15 people, as equal in number as possible. Announce that each team has exactly 3 minutes to build the tallest, free-standing tower they can using only their shoes. Go.
To qualify, the tower must be standing at the 3-minute mark. Be sure to bring a tape measure or some other measuring implement to help you determine the tallest tower. So much fun.
Recommended group size: teams of 3-8 people
Typical duration: 2 – 5 minutes
Why it will work for you:
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- Simple set-up
- Quick execution
- Promotes teamwork
- Inspires creativity
- Highly interactive
Poker Face
This fun workplace team-building game is so simple yet so powerful at the same time.
Grab a deck of playing cards and randomly distribute one card to each person without looking at it, ie the person holding a card should not know what the card is. When ready, ask everyone to place the card (face-value outwards) on their forehead, again without looking at their own card but it’s okay to the cards of others. Now invite everyone to mix and mingle without talking but to engage with all others based on the perceived value of their card.
Ordinarily what happens is that most people will bow down and honour the Kings, Queens and Jacks while they ignore or look down upon those who are holding cards with a 2, 3 or 4. Look to the debriefing notes to process this exercise effectively because it can open conversations about the perception of value and respect and how this makes others feel.
Very fun and very powerful.
Recommended group size: 15 – 30 people
Typical duration: 15 – 20 minutes
Why it will work for you:
-
- Simple, yet powerful
- Fosters communication
- Focus on cultural norms
- So many metaphors
Looking for more?
Just click the button below to discover 100s more fun teambuilding activities you can do at work.
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Original post Feb 2024, last updated May 2024.
Original post May 2024, last updated June 2024.
Comments (1)
No Props No Problem
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