Make Team Building Fun with These Games
Team-building events are frequent in many organizations. As the name suggests, such events aim to foster teamwork, develop friendships, and create fun memories. A series of games and other activities are prepared by a facilitator for the organization to take part in. The activities can range from easy sit-down games to intense ones that require a high level of energy. A team-building event is an excellent way to take a break from work and enjoy different scenery, doing things that challenge the mind and body without stress.
Planning a team-building event can be taxing, especially for large or growing organizations, but some companies can help. MTI Events, for example, offers destination management services. They can take care of transportation, venue-searching, accommodation, and more. They can also plan the activities for your team building, so you don’t have to worry about those anymore.
While your team building is still in the planning stage, consider these fun games:
1. Human Knot
In this game, your team has to gather in a circle, raise their right hands, and then grab someone’s hand from across the ring. With their left hands, they’re going to have to connect with someone across the circle. There shouldn’t be anyone holding hands with someone right beside them. This would make a “human knot,” and the challenge would be to untangle themselves without letting go of anyone’s hands. The shared struggle will establish strong teamwork.
This game can be done competitively by separating your team into groups, and whichever group untangles themselves first will be given a price. Any group who breaks the rules, like letting go of their hands, can be asked to start from the beginning, or be given a penalty.
You can also amplify the difficulty of the game by blindfolding your team or asking them to play without talking.
2. Two Truths and a Lie
A classic ice-breaker to get to know one another, this game involves every person saying three statements, two of which are truths and one a lie. The whole group votes on which statement is the lie, and after the voting ends, the person who spoke would reveal which one was the lie.
For a twist, you can ask your team members to say a “dream wish” instead of a lie. A dream wish is something that isn’t true, but something they wish to be. This way, the team can share their aspirations.
3. Jigsaw Puzzles
Divide your team into groups, and hand each group a bag of jigsaw puzzle pieces. They would try to complete the puzzle fast, but in the middle of doing it, they would realize it is impossible unless they team up with another group!
The fitting pieces are given at random, so no group has a set of matching puzzle pieces. This promotes collaboration among different groups, something extremely beneficial to all organizations.
How Team Building Helps Your Organization
Team-building games give every member of the organization a chance to take charge. Cooperation and collaboration will be strengthened with a goal in sight. The team will learn to depend on each other in accomplishing a task.
A new environment also allows your team to test new approaches in problem-solving. It will be an avenue where everyone gets to listen to one another and get to know each other better. When friendships within an organization are formed and solidified, they are highly likely to stay longer, so your company can have lower employee turnover rates.
When planning a team-building event, make sure to involve your team members in the process, and after the event is over, ask them for feedback. Employers should value the thoughts of their team members so that they would feel appreciated and recognized.
