WHAT IS TEAM BUILDING?
Team building is the process of growing and developing as a team. Team building involves not just getting to know and understand each other on a professional basis, but also on a personal level.
Team building is all about reaching the highest potential of the team as a whole and therefore, companies should organize team building activities to improve skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, time management, communication, coordination and collaboration etc.
WHY IS TEAM BUILDING IMPORTANT?
For every organization, team building is one of the most crucial factors in achieving success. When employees are closely knit in a unit, e.g., belonging to the same department, or same team; they can achieve much more in a very effective manner, than when there is no strong bonding or closeness. Not only that, but employees feel much better while working when they have good camaraderie with their fellow team members or colleagues.
Therefore, team building is extremely important!
Team building can be accomplished by planning a variety of activities that put workers in tricky situations and occasionally just for fun, testing their team’s strengths. We have put down 6 very impactful activities which will strengthen your team!
6 Impactful Team Building Activities :-
1. Draw as I say
Are you good at expressing yourself? Or Are you good at understanding what the other person is trying to convey?
If yes, that’s amazing, but if you are not, then this activity can pose real challenges for you!
In this activity, employees can be divided into pairs. In the pair, one will be the instructor and the other will be the drawer. The instructor will be given a word, e.g., umbrella, building, sneakers, etc., that he/she has to speak about, without giving direct hints about what the item is. The drawer has to understand what the instructor is trying to convey and draw accordingly. If the drawing is of the correct item, the pair wins.
This might seem like a very easy game, but mind you, it is not! A list of words will be provided to the instructor which cannot be used to describe the item which makes the activity difficult.
Throughout this activity, the instructor will have to express in various ways and try to convey the word in a way that the drawer understands. On the other hand, the drawer will have to try to coordinate with the instructor to understand what he/she is trying to say. Therefore, it improves communication skills, collaboration, and coordination.
Duration: 2 minutes per drawing
Mode of Delivery: Online/Offline
Materials Required: Paper, Pencil/Pen
Ideal Team Size: 2 members per team
2. One after the other!
“Have you ever cooked with your teammates?
If not, we promise you that it is a lot of fun! And this activity which brings a twist to cooking will make it even more fun!
Here, employees can be divided into a team of 5-6 members. 1 member, on behalf of the team, would be given the authority to decide what they want to cook. The same member would start cooking, without other members having the details about the dish or anything.
Now, if the total cooking time is, say, 2 hours, every member would have approx 20 minutes to cook. When the first 20 minutes are done, the second member would come in and the first member will have to explain what he/she has already done, and what he/she has prepared or marinated in those 20 minutes that he had, without revealing the actual dish’s name.
Now, it depends on how every member understands the mixed ingredients and whatever has been prepared till then and how he/she continues cooking when the previous member leaves, without knowing what the dish is.
This might not take place within the workplace, but it is a great activity for team building. The members will have to depend on each other about how they are explaining what has been prepared, what ingredients are kept, etc. In the end, the final dish would be a product of how well-communicated and coordinated they were. It would also improve time management and problem-solving skills leading to team building.
Mode of Delivery: Offline
Materials Required: Depends on what you are cooking
Ideal Team Size: 5-6 per team
3. A Wall For All
Even if we want to talk to someone about a personal topic, we sometimes hold back out of concern for how they might respond or whether they even want to talk about it. To avoid this situation, and at the same time, share their feelings, be they happy, sad, anxious, or embarrassed, etc., companies can create a wall where all employees can visit and post sticky notes with their names on them regarding moments or memories that they want to share.
Most employees wouldn’t want to talk about a sad or embarrassing situation, but if they do, it can be quite helpful because it provides them a chance to open up and discuss it.
This would allow employees to be aware of other employees and give them a chance to share about their personal lives, which they don’t usually do.
This can create a very warm and happy vibe at the workplace. Whenever someone feels low or bored, can come to the wall, write down their feelings and stick it on the wall or read what others are going through.
4. I, We, Us
A team is made up of various kinds of employees, who come from different backgrounds and have different opinions and personalities. Wouldn’t it be fun to combine these personalities and make one common thing out of it, which would represent the whole team?
In this activity, employees can be grouped into teams of 5-6 members or more than that where they would talk to each other, about their strengths, likes, causes that they believe in, and various other topics that they resonate with and come up with a common emblem that represents them all in a single common thing. It can be like a logo or an emblem that has colors, shapes, words of their choice, or even a team name.
This activity would allow teams to communicate with each other, get to know each other on a personal basis, and would lead to team building and bonding.
Duration: 2-3 days to design a logo
Mode of Delivery: Preferably Offline
Materials Required: Any medium of art (Paper or Digital)
Ideal Team Size: 5-6 members per team
5. "Sha la la la"- Make Your Song
You must have heard about “Make a Movie” where a team has to record their movie. Similarly to that, this activity requires the team to create a song, instead of a movie.
Making a movie is a great activity, but making a song can be more difficult and critical for the teams. Making a song involves writing the lyrics, coming up with the tune, composing the song, adding different instruments and so much more.
Making a proper song is not an easy task and the teams will have to meet a lot and decide on every lyric, tune, and everything involved in song making. Therefore, it is a great activity for team building.
Duration: A week or two
Mode of Delivery: Preferably Offline
Materials Required: Depends
Ideal Team Size: 10 per team
6. Volunteer and Bond
Employees getting the opportunity to volunteer at an NGO, an old-age home, or an adoption center together would be a great way of team building and bonding.
During work, employees hardly get the time to think outside of their work and do things such as volunteering for a good cause. Therefore, companies should organize volunteering sessions at various places where employees get the chance to volunteer together and work for a social cause that benefits people who are in need.
Employees who volunteer together have the chance to work for society as a group, which helps them get to know one another and gives them a chance to collaborate outside of the office.
To make the most of team-building activities, it’s important to choose activities that are appropriate for the team and the organization. It’s also important to establish clear goals and objectives for the activities and to provide the necessary resources and support for employees to participate fully.
In conclusion, team-building activities can be a valuable tool for improving teamwork, communication, and collaboration among employees. By choosing appropriate activities and setting clear goals and objectives, organizations can create a more positive and productive work environment.
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