The purpose of a team building exercise is to encourage a collaborative approach to an end goal. Fun activities allow team members to interact and connect in a different setting. Getting to know each other proves one of the best ways to increase productivity in the office.
Several skills can be built through the participation of team building exercises such as communication, planning, problem-solving and conflict resolution. All of which are necessary skills to foster within the workplace.
We want the physical distance of remote work to bypass the emotional and isolating effects on employees. When people feel isolated, they will not be comfortable working alongside fellow employees. Team building exercises are now commonly required to be participated virtually. Below are just some examples of virtual team building exercises you can implement:
Employee Facts
Once the facilitator has asked each team member to share some personal facts about themselves, a document is compiled listing all personal facts. Next to each fact is an empty column where each employee is to guess which team member the fact belongs to.
This is a great way for employees to learn of each other’s interest outside of work.
Build a Story
In order of screen appearance, the first employee starts the story with a sentence, followed by an incomplete sentence eg. “At first there was only one position available. But then once we…”. At this point, the next employee on the screen completes the sentence and adds another incomplete sentence for the next employee to follow on.
This helps employees get creative, collaborate, and actively listen to each other.
Show and Tell
Every employee is allocated a couple of minutes (keep it limited to avoid it dragging out) to show and share something of their choice. This could be a book, a photograph, an instrument, a tool, anything of interest to them.
This exercise is not just for the kids in the classroom, but there is gratitude and shared knowledge experienced when someone is presenting about something they admire.
One Lie
Each employee presents 3 statements about themselves. Two of them being truths and one of them being a lie. Each employee shares their guesses to the team and at the end, the answers will be revealed. You can also add a points system to create a healthy competition amongst the team.
Office Trivia
Collect a series of questions that are specific to the workplace environment, for example, “how many windows are in the office”, “what brand is the office printer”. There could be a prize drawn for the first team member to correctly complete the answers.
Team TikTok Challenge
Typically, a platform for creative, fun and sometimes crazy ideas, and originally targeted to the gen Z, the TikTok app is a space where anyone can thrive using their own quirkiness. This app enables users to explore different aspects of themselves and/or the business. In effect, it tends to make work a little more fun and interesting.
Creating a collective team dance or interchangeable video can also help advertise your brand (providing everyone approves to uploading it)!
Team building exercises are available in so many forms. These can be added to your weekly tasks list as an ice breaker for the team, or an annual volunteer day yearly commitment in partnership with an external community benefit program. These programs enable teams to get out of the working environment and serve for a different purpose whilst still reflecting company values.
Always consider the greater purpose of implementing an activity when choosing your team building exercise. Make sure that the purpose relates back to improving staff morale.