Great Team Building Activities to Try at the Office

Sometimes staying in can be a lot of fun

While the benefits of team building are wide and crucial to running a successful company, the activities themselves are endless. Most companies plan a full day of team bonding exercises and outings, others go to extreme lengths and take their employees on extreme adventures such as skydiving and river rafting. Some even hire other companies that specialize in team building and pay a large amount of money to ensure a successful team building program.

However, team building doesn’t always have to be conducted outdoors, or even outside the office. A tight budget, stormy weather, reservation issues, they all could hamper your team building excursion. Not to worry though, because there are a few very simple yet beneficial and fun activities that you can do inside your office.

So, if you’re looking for some simple team building exercises to engage your employees and help improve their performance, communication, and overall morale, try these:

Blind Walk Through a Minefield

Simple, a lot of fun, and no, not a real minefield! Set some plastic cups on the floor and have them spaced apart randomly. One person is blindfolded. That person has to walk through the cups from one end to the other without touching any cup, while the rest have to guide him/her through by verbal communication only. Take turns under the blindfold and see how the communication skills start developing.

Two Truths and a Lie

It’s a quick game that breaks the ice and helps team members get to know each other a little better, but it can also be packed with surprises. All you need to do is sit together somewhere, and each employee takes a turn in telling two truths and one lie about their life. The rest have to guess which one is the lie. This game gets employees a lot closer to each other, and you’ll truly be amazed at what you could learn about them.

Trust Fall

Yes I know, this might be scary to many. Putting your hands on your chest and falling backward to the floor is definitely against everyone’s better nature, but this game does have a unique benefit. It helps co-workers develop trust in one another.

Nothing but Classics

Pictionary, charades, Jenga; these are just some of the classic games that open up communication and encourage employees to work together in order to win.

Treasure Hunt

This requires some planning of course, but it’s guaranteed to improve employees’ communication, creativity, morale, and team spirit. So plan ahead, make it interesting and as complicated as you want, and set out several stages and clues. Split your group into teams and let the fun begin. It’s a game where their problem-solving skills are developed and put to the test.

There you have it. These are just a few of many team building activities you can conduct within your office. There are plenty more you can find online, and definitely many you can come up with yourself. Just keep in mind that having fun is always a good thing. Getting to know each other, trust each other, communicate better together, these are only a few of the benefits of team building activities; everything that companies want and need.