Team-Building Exercises – Dreams & Teams Work Together!

“Team-Building Exercises.” 

Does this phrase make your colleagues roll their eyes and slip to the nearest exit? 

Many team-building exercises elicit embarrassment instead of enthusiasm and the willingness to learn something new! Whatever impact these exercises may have, it is nullified by the sheer reluctance of the employees to participate in them. 

However, there are some team-building exercises that the employees will definitely enjoy. Some of the activities we will be discussing today might just take a few minutes or some hours. A few will impact your communication skills, while a few will enhance your collaboration skills. No matter what activity you choose to do next, it will have a positive effect. 

So, without digressing, let us begin our discussion on team-building exercises. 

What are Team-Building Exercises? 

Team-Building exercises are activities designed to encourage collaboration and strengthen interpersonal relationships within the team. The results of these activities include reduced workplace conflict and increased employee satisfaction. 

Team-building is an effective strategy for companies that wish to cultivate an effective corporate culture where employees trust each other and enjoy doing their work. 

Today, almost every company organizes team-building exercises at some point or the other. To learn more about this, let us look at the significance of team-building activities. 

Significance of Team-Building Exercises 

There are numerous reasons why team-building is incorporated and encouraged in the workplace. So, let us take a look at them! 

1. Builds Trust 

Trust is an essential element for building a strong team. For employees to collaborate, knowing and earning their trust can improve teamwork. A company built on trust allows employees to complete their tasks and make better decisions.

Moreover, trust makes employees feel safe and proactive with their ideas. They might be ready to take risks, listen attentively to one another, and arrive at a consensus. Eventually, the entire team becomes more confident about exposing their vulnerabilities to each other. 

2. Fosters Better Communication 

When employees work together, they strategize how to handle tasks and deliver favorable outcomes. They segregate their work into small groups, share innovative ideas, and complete the job efficiently. 

With proper communication, employees will be able to understand their roles and what other colleagues are doing. This will enhance their involvement in how others are performing, improving collaboration, and encouraging people to assist each other in accomplishing their targets. 

3. Connects Remote Teams 

Organizations with remotely working teams use team-building exercises to unite the team members working in different locations. Even though remote teams fulfill organizational goals, coming together enables them to understand one another. It is through these connections that people build networks and create an encouraging working environment. 

4. Promotes Better Company Culture 

Team-building exercises help a company improve its culture; when employees communicate and collaborate, it improves their performance, helps resolve conflicts, and inculcates respect for one another. In addition, as the company recognizes more talent, it motivates others to improve their work areas! 

5. Encourages Innovativeness

When employees work together, they generate ingenious ideas. Therefore, companies encouraging open forums where employees can sit and interact will likely foster great ideas. 

Typically, this will improve critical thinking skills among team members and help generate new ideas, which will be valuable and helpful for the company. 

Top Team-Building Exercises 

Here are the top activities that a leader can organize in the company to foster a better workplace culture and cordial relationships. 

1. Human Knot 

The human knot is the most common activity for small groups. Team members tangle their arms and carefully unravel the knot in this activity without unclenching their hands. Here’s how to play it:

• Participants must form groups of 5-12 members. 
• Group members must assemble in a circle. 
• The players must then reach their hands and grab the opposite member’s hands. 
• Members must try to untangle the jumble and form a ring without letting go of the grip.

This team-building activity enhances communication skills among the team. Team members discuss and strategize their next move together. In addition, this close proximity helps colleagues break barriers and warm up with coworkers quickly. Thus, it’s a great activity to try out first!  

2. Won in 60 Seconds

This is a series of games wherein the teams compete to complete numerous cooperative challenges in a minute. Here are some activity examples to try: 

• Transfer the beads from one bowl to another using chopsticks. 
• Line up and try to bounce a ping pong ball into a cup. 
• Stack and unstack a pyramid of 36 cups. 
• Carry a ball to the finish line in a relay race without using your hands.

One of the team members will keep the score throughout all the challenges, and at the end of each round, every group will compare its status. This game harnesses healthy competition among team members, thereby creating team spirit and enabling teams to communicate and innovate to accomplish goals. 

3. Lip Sync 

Lip syncs are short and entertaining videos in which performers mouth words to popular songs. So, you and your teammates can embrace your singing icons and create group lip-syncs. Here’s how: 

• Select a song that every member knows.
• Pick out the costumes and props.
• Choreograph and rehearse for the song.
• Record the performances. 

Producing an entertaining lip sync requires synchronization, creativity, coordination, and delegation, which are the cornerstones of effective teamwork.

4. One Question 

In this activity, teams settle on a single question to ask in a specific situation. Here are some sample circumstances: 

• Selecting the company’s new CEO
• Communicating with a deceased friend or loved one
• Talking to your pets 
• Debunking typical myths/ rumors 

One question teaches teams to target specific information and form more practical questions, which is an essential skill when working with deadlines. This activity also encourages participants to use negotiation skills, as every team member has to agree on one question to be asked. Furthermore, the exercise functions as a bonding exercise as team members tend to reveal their priorities and motivations. 

5. Real-Life Social Media Wall 

With the growing popularity of social media, this activity will definitely be liked by the team members. In this game, you have to: 

• Hang a bulletin board
• Provide papers, markers, thumbtacks, sticky notes, etc. 
• Encourage employees to contribute content and comment on other’s member’s contribution     

Thumbtacks often come in heart and smiley shapes to simulate ‘like’ and ‘love’ reactions. Moreover, the sticky notes can be used to write comments on the wall. 

The primary purpose of this game is to enable employees to know each other better and help them develop & grow. The activity also allows leaders to recognize potential employees and retain them. 

6. Stand, Sit, Lie 

This activity follows a simple premise, i.e., participants form groups of three. The leader gives each team to act out a specific situation. So, at any point, one team member must stand, one must sit, and the other must lie down. If any team member switches positions, the other members must compensate. 

This team-building exercise enables the team members to cooperate and follow the rules. However, each team member must be aware of each other’s positions. Thus, this activity is a reminder to check in with colleagues to ensure the alignment of every member. 

Final Thoughts 

Team-building exercises help new team members adjust to group dynamics and polish the critical thinking and communication skills of experienced members. In addition, these activities allow team members to bond while learning how to communicate and rely on one another. 

Teamwork may not come naturally. Thus, team-building exercises help workers practice cooperation and build skills that foster collaboration. 

So, don’t wait much! Try out the activities mentioned above and create a cordial workplace culture. Also, tell us which activity helped you the most!   

Also Read: Team Building Training