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Did you know that many organizations take their employees for fun-filled trips to amusement parks? They also organize fun after-work games and outings. These events help employees let off steam. But they also have a work-related advantage. Activities like these are creative ways to encourage team-building and bonding. This is why team-building games and activities have gained popularity in recent times. Read on to see how you can encourage teamwork through efficient team-building exercises.
What Is Team Building?
A team is a group of individuals working towards a common objective. Teams are crucial components of all workplaces—their collaborative efforts lead to overall business success. However, forming and managing a good team isn’t easy. It requires many interpersonal and leadership skills. Managers aim to create teams with the right mix of people who will work well together and support and motivate each other. In a nutshell, team building is a management technique used to improve the productivity, efficiency and performance of teams or work groups in an organization.
What Are Team-Building Games?
All work and no play makes the office a dull place. Modern-day organizations rely heavily on corporate team-building activities to encourage interaction. You’ve probably seen ping-pong tables, mini-golf sets and foosball tables in offices. These are some popular team games for the office.
Corporate team-building activities are not only educational but also enjoyable. In addition to helping people bond, they act as excellent icebreakers. Further, such games help individuals learn about their teammates—how they think, solve problems and have fun. Most of all, who doesn’t like fun team games?
Effective Corporate Team-Building Games
As managers and leaders, you have the core responsibility of inspiring your team to work efficiently. Fun games can help your team feel recharged and more connected. This helps boost their performance and productivity.
For seamless team-bonding, here’s a list of fun team-building games for the office:
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Two Truths And A Lie
In this game, you encourage everyone to write three facts about themselves, one of which is false. Others try to guess which fact is the lie. This guessing game helps people learn interesting and potentially outlandish facts about their teammates.
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PowerPoint Karaoke
If you want to improve your team’s presentation skills with a fun activity, try PowerPoint Karaoke. Assemble groups of three or more employees and give each group unrelated slides. Give them a time limit for discussion. In the end, each group makes a presentation using the slides they have been given.
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Talking In Circles
A challenging yet fun game, Talking in Circles helps encourage communication among team members. Ask the group to hold a piece of string and form a circle. Instruct them to create shapes with the string—it can be a rectangle, square or triangle. Increase the difficulty level by blindfolding them or asking them to do the activity without talking.
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Frostbite
One of the most intriguing team-building games, Frostbite tests a team’s ability to overcome challenges and survive the worst. Divide your team into groups of three or five and ask each group to choose a leader. Create a hypothetical situation where the team is, say, lost in the Arctic region and needs to build a shelter. The catch is that the team leader can’t move and the others are blindfolded. The leaders must instruct their teams to build the shelter.
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The Common Book
One of the simplest yet effective team-building games, The Common Book helps boost morale. Place a large blank book in a common area to which every employee has access. Keep stationery beside it. Encourage your team to fill the book with professional or personal successes or the things they enjoy about work. Read out the statements at your next gathering.
These were some of the popular team games for the office. However, with work from home and virtual meetings becoming a part of our daily routine, don’t limit yourself to interpersonal activities. There are some engaging virtual team games that you can organize:
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Virtual Escape Room
It’s not as intense as a physical escape room, but this game can be fun and challenging too. Split your team into groups and prepare a series of puzzles to solve. Challenges can include Sudoku or Pictionary.
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Birth Map
One of the most encouraging virtual team games, Birth Map prompts everyone to share personal anecdotes. You share an image of a world map and invite everyone to place a sticker on their birthplace. Each team member then shares a story or a favorite thing about their birthplace.
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Share A Picture
In this activity, you encourage team members to bond over shared interests. For example, you can invite everyone to share a picture of their workspace and give it a creative caption. This helps people feel more connected when working from home.
Harappa Education’s Managing Teamwork course has more tips on leading teams effectively. Whether it is understanding the stages of team development or managing conflict within a team, the tools and frameworks in the course will help you encourage collaboration and boost team productivity. Sign up for the course today to become an outstanding team leader!
Explore topics such as Teamwork, Group Formation Stages, Team Building and Team Building Activities on Harappa Diaries and learn how to manage teams effectively.
