6 Awesome Team Building Activities5 min read

All managers who have had the honor and the privilege of managing their teams understand the real value of teamwork as well as the collaboration it can build between those that participate in the activity. Creating a close-knit team does not happen over night and it requires hard work from everyone through team building.

You will need plenty of team-building activities to break the ice and effectively ensure that all the team members are actually on the same page. Most of us have been taught from a pretty early age the value of celebrating team achievements and having fun while doing it (think sports). In the past, we have presented some games for remote team building but now let’s look at all the great ways to bond in person.

The Challenges of Hiring a Winning Team 

There are many challenges that a company might come across when hiring the right winning team. Here PEO service providers, among other recruitment services, can help with recruiting the right people that will fit your company. After all, these people are true blue professionals and they have heaps of experience in finding the right people for the right job for the ultimate win-win situation. 

Now, let us take a quick look at some of the more important team building activities that are not only highly effective but also loads of fun as well.

1. The Human Knot

This one looks easy on paper but is a lot more challenging in real life. However, it is definitely a fun activity for everyone concerned.  As you can imagine, it envolves people getting together and holding hands so that they are all knotted together. Have your team members form a tightly knit circle. Start with the right hand: everyone raises theirs and then grabs someone else’s from across the circle. After that,the instructor tells the members to link their respective left hands with anyone else from across the circle. Now that you have your big human knot, it’s time to untangle – albeit without actually letting go of the various hands they are holding. It will take them lots of time and laughter to do so. This is a pretty effective ice breaker, especially amongst new teams. Colleagues will find themselves in close contact with one another, making the activity quite intimate. 

2. Blind Retriever

This one helps you to increase the coordination of the team while under pressure. The goal of this game is to help guide a selected blindfolded team member to a previously hidden object. You can use any kind of object you like (it could even be a care package, something for the team). It will train the team to work well under pressure and also respond to instructions. You should split the team into small units  so that there us a competitive element. The first team to reach their object will win a prize. By explaining how to find the object, everyone also learns how to explain things clearly and efficiently. You can even split your group into two and turn the game into a competition.

3. A Scavenger Hunt 

This game is every bit as fun today as it was when you were a kid. Scavenger or treasure hunt, whatever you call it, it’s the same principle. You need to hide a list of objects and ask the team members to find them.  Maybe these objects could work together to create something (a puzzle, a machine, etc.) Split the team into units of two or three members and get them hunting. The team that finds all or at least the most objects will win. This is a really great way to get the team both moving and collaborating.

4. Circle Juggle

Ask all the team members to form a circle. After that, throw one member a ball. From there, you should have them tell their respective names as they throw the ball to the very next person who will say their name, and so on and so forth. If your team already knows each other’s names, you can have them answer a different question about themselves. You might consider introducing fresh balls into the original circle. It will help increase the coordination of your team. 

5. Form a Square

Get your team together and make them stand in a circle. Now find a 20-foot rope and tie its ends together. After that, place your rope onto the ground. Now get 4 to 8 people to stand together in a circle. Carefully blindfold them so there is no peeking and finally ask them to take at least 5 steps back. Now ask them to help turn this rope into a picture of a perfect square. This activity will help them to collaborate together on the same project. 

6. Create a Circle of Appreciation 

For this teambuilding activity, have all of your teammates stand in a rough circle. Then, tell all of them to share at least one (if not more) thing/s that they really appreciate about the individual who is standing to their left. Once the stories have been shared, you should repeat the exercise. This time by starting from the right, until everyone in the team has had an opportunity to appreciate everyone else on the team. This way, they will all feel really warm inside due to the lavish praise. And since everyone is essentially praising everyone else, it will lead to much stronger bonds between teammates. 

Conclusion

A team is only as good as the cohesion it has amongst its members. People who can seamlessly integrate with their fellow team members are a great asset. Using these fun yet highly effective team-building activities can go a long way in creating the ultimate winning team!

Source: https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/search/knot

https://www.journaldunet.com/management/vie-personnelle/1497569-team-building-definition-et-exemples-d-activites/

https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/circle-people-synergy.html

Author: Ali Neill

As the job board tester and blog editor for the Jobboard Finder, Ali works on job boards from all around the world and keeps a close eye on the recruitment trends thanks to a number of sources, including the website’s social media pages.

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