The Importance of Team Building Activities

Teams demonstrate team building through interactive exercises and activities that generates a sense of team spirit. In organizations, various teams hold team building and socialization in the form of outings that include interactive games and exercises. Team building activities are important for the following reasons:

a. Team members are able to build rapport with each other, allowing each member to work comfortably with each other.

b. A more productive output is produced when everyone works as one instead of working individually and autonomously.

c. Team building activities encourage quality ideas and suggestions from the members for the success of team goals and task completion.

The very essence of team building is to bring together individuals who are focused on achieving common goals with efficiency and effectiveness.

 

Types of Team Building Exercises
Communication Exercises:
Involve problem-solving activities that are geared towards improving communication skills. The issues that teams encounter

Problem Solving/Decision Making Exercises:
Focus on groups working together to solve difficult problems or make complex decisions.

Planning/Adaptability Exercises:
Focus on aspects of planning & adaptability to change. This is important for teams to be able to do when they are assigned complex tasks or decisions.

Trust Exercises:
Involve engaging team members to induce trust & can vary in degrees of trust, depending on the comfort levels of participants.

 

Team Building - Ice Breakers

Ice breakers make a good start for any team building activity or event. These starter games are fun and entertaining, helping new team members socialize easily and comfortably with the rest of the team. It also tightens the relationship of existing team members. Although normally given at the start of an event or program, ice breakers can also be conducted after breaks of a team building session. This is to get rid of boredom and invite a cheerful atmosphere during the duration of the activity.

Ice breakers are typically facilitated by the team leader or team building facilitator. The key to successful and effective ice breakers is to keep the games simple. An ice breaker must be designed with a purpose and suitable to the concept of the program which is team building.

There are various types of ice breakers that may be useful for meetings, trainings, seminars, and team building. This article will present ice breaker activities and games intended for team building with a primary goal of bringing together members in the team for a collaborative and mutual work atmosphere.

Ball Challenge

The facilitator asks the participants to form a circle and instructs each person to throw the ball to another across the circle along with an introduction of the person’s name to the one who gets to receive the ball. This process goes on until everyone is done introducing each other to the whole team. The game is repeated, this time with the aim of passing the ball and introducing oneself in the fastest time possible.

Truths and a Lie

Ask each participant to prepare 1 false statement and 2 truths about themselves. These statements must be shared to the group and the rest will have to guess which among the 3 statements is not true.

Something in Common

Participants will be asked to group themselves into 3-5 members. Each member will need to identify 10 things that are in common with the rest of the group.

Human Spider Web

The facilitator will ask the participants to form groups of about 6-7 people and make a circle. Then, members will be instructed to raise the right hand and grab another person’s right hand (not necessarily the one beside them), and the same step is done for the left hands. With everyone in an intertwined look, the group is challenged to break the knot without breaking the grip.

Scavenger Hunt Game

Team members will be asked to search for a list of items or things in the fastest time possible.

Tied in Knots

Group members will be asked to form a circle with their arms tied in a knot. The challenge is to untangle or break the knot in the shortest time possible.

Catch Me When I Fall

It is a game that tests how well team members trust each other. Every participant takes turns in stepping on a high pedestal and takes a plunge in a pool of individuals ready to take the catch.

Ready, Set, Reorganize!

This is a getting-to-know-each-other game wherein participants organize or arrange themselves according to categories such as birthplace, school graduated, and other pieces of information.

Stepping In

Members will be divided into groups of 4-5 and will do their best to fit themselves on a single sheet of paper without breaking the grip.

United We Stand

Participants will be asked to form a circle in a cross-legged sitting position and arms clasped or fixed with each other. The challenge is to stand together on the same position, not leaving a member or two behind.

Blindfold Hunt

This game can either be done indoor or outdoor. Participants will be paired up, one partner acting as the guide while the other is the searcher who will be blindfolded while looking for the scattered objects to be gathered.

 

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