Team-building exercises are supposed to get employees to work together so they can build stronger bonds with one another. However, many people dread having to do them, since the exercises are sometimes repetitive or dull. Ever had to do that trust game where the person behind you has to catch you as you fall? It’s safe to assume most people dislike having to do that one.
If people don’t have fun working with their fellow employees, then the entire point of the team-building exercise will be lost. If you want everyone to get along at work, try these fun team-building games.
The Barter Puzzle
For this activity, split your employees up into small, equal groups, and give each one different puzzles of equal difficulty. This sounds simple, but there’s a catch! Before you begin, take some pieces from each puzzle and give them to the other groups with different puzzles.
Each group will have to work together to solve the puzzles, while also figuring out which groups have the pieces they need. This, of course, requires negotiating with other groups to get the pieces from them. This can take a decent amount of time to finish, but it promotes strong teamwork and collaboration among your workers.
Blind Drawing
Here’s a good option if you’re looking for a team-building exercise that doesn’t take too long to finish. For this exercise, divide your team into two groups and have them sit back-to-back. One person will have a picture, and the other will have a blank piece of paper and a pen or pencil.
The group with the pictures must describe the images to their teammates who must do their best to replicate them on paper. After about 15 minutes, everyone should stop and see how accurate the drawings are as compared to the image. Even if the final drawing isn’t accurate, this exercise will help your employees communicate more effectively.
Bridge Build
If you’re looking to improve your team’s communication and creative skills, the Bridge Build exercise is especially effective. Divide the workers into two teams, and supply them with any materials that can be used to build a model bridge. Each team must build one half of a bridge, and once both halves are finished the teams must see if they fit together properly.
The catch, however, is that each team cannot see what the other one is working on. Therefore, the two teams must effectively communicate so each half of the bridge will properly fit together. Communication channels, such as Slack, can be used for communication purposes.
Even if the bridge doesn’t fit together perfectly, this exercise is an excellent way to get people talking at work.
Take a Hiking Trip
Sometimes, the key to a successful team-building experience is simplicity. If your office is close to a hiking spot, consider taking everyone for a short hike. It doesn’t have to be a challenging spot; all you need is to get everyone together outside of the work environment. If you want to spice things up, you can create special challenges that employees will have to work together to overcome.
This can be especially helpful during the summer, since everyone in the office will be itching to go outside in nice weather. Make sure to pack plenty of food and water for the trip so you can all sit down for a nice lunch. It’s not a terribly complicated idea, but it can serve as a great bonding experience for co-workers.
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