Team work makes the dream work, right? As a Manager or a Director of a business, you would be wrong to assume that your team can collaborate seamlessly and collectively produce great results without truly understanding and knowing each another.
When brilliant minds work together towards that same common goal, the outcome can be outstanding. In fact, 86% of employees and executives cite lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures. So, how do we improve that all-important communication to yield better collaborated results?
You might have tried the cliché “Trust Fall” exercise once or twice, but here are some unique team building exercises you’ve (probably) not thought of yet…
Create a memory wall
In the hectic hustle and bustle of the usual working day, it can be easy to forget past memories shared by team members within the workplace. By reminding employees of heartfelt, funny or successful group moments, you will strengthen relationships and, in turn, boost productivity.
Sit down with your staff and ask them to sketch their shared memories on a piece of paper, allowing for those inevitable conversations to bloom as a result. Once they’ve been created, place them all on a designated wall and keep it as a focal point of the team’s camaraderie.
Produce magazine stories
Think big, and then think bigger… With this unique team building exercise, you will encourage your team to understand that the world really is their oyster! Ask each member of staff to choose a previous successful project and build upon it as though it was made front cover of a prestigious magazine.
Ask them to arrange a relevant headline, photograph, quotes and body of text to showcase the project in question. Not only will these task force employees to visualise future success, but it’ll also motivate and encourage them to think big.
Look towards technology that’s available
In this digitally-driven society, team building exercises go beyond the traditional office parties and the ‘Egg Drop’.Employee Assistance Programme from LifeWorks, for example, combines modern employee assistance, wellness, recognition and incentive programmes into a total well-being solution that engages with 100% of your team.
If all of your employees have this technology in common, you will see a strengthened, unified approach to the tasks at hand, and it’s a team building activity that can be fulfilled in a matter of mere minutes!
Two lies, one truth
If you’re looking for a light-hearted and simple way to allow team members to bond with one another, consider the ‘Two lies, one truth’ game! This activity can be played from the comfort of each person’s desk and with no tools or equipment necessary, it’s ideal for a quick 15 minutes of fun in between tackling workloads.
Each member of the team must think of three life experiences or memories and share them with the room – one that’s true and two that they have made up. The rest of the team must decide which story is fact and which two are fiction. Get working on that poker face!
