Team-building activities are more than just fun and games. They can help you create a stronger, more cohesive, and more productive team. In this article, you will learn how to use team-building activities to bond with your team and improve your collaboration, communication, and trust.
Team-building activities are designed to foster positive relationships, enhance skills, and boost morale among team members. They can also help you address common challenges, such as conflicts, silos, and misunderstandings. By engaging in team-building activities, you can create a more supportive, inclusive, and enjoyable work environment for your team.
The word "team building" has become a catch-all term for whenever you bring people together to do something as a group. I like to separate it into three categories for my perspective clients and have a discussion about Team Bonding vs Team Building and how it all fits in with Team Development. Simply put, team bonding activities are used to have fun, share a few laughs and hopefully feel a deeper sense of belonging within the group. Team building is what I call "SeriousFun" and has key messages to explore and learning objectives to achieve. When combined with Team Development initiatives, the team-building session yields actionable insights.
Here is why invest in team-building activities. Because they are more than just fun and games—they're vital tools for cultivating a supportive, inclusive work environment. These activities encourage positive relationships, enhance skills, and significantly boost team morale. They help break down barriers like silos and resolve misunderstandings and conflicts among team members. When your team feels connected and understood, their productivity soars, and so does their job satisfaction. So, choose team-building exercises that resonate with your team's unique dynamics and watch them transform into a cohesive unit ready to tackle any challenge."
When selecting team-building activities, it's important to consider the purpose of the activity, the size and composition of the team, the time and resources available, and the feedback and input from the team. What do you want to achieve with the activity? How many people are in your team? How well do they know each other? What are the budget, space, and equipment constraints? What are the expectations and interests of your team members? Taking all these factors into account can help you choose activities that are best suited for your team's goals, needs, and preferences.
There are thousands of team-building and team bonding options out there! Researching those options can be overwhelming and at times a little misleading because any supplier that offers activities with slap on the word “team-building” on their website to attract what they believe is a “lucrative corporate clientele”. My advice is to be clear on your objectives and speak to a few potential suppliers in order to gauge if they are a good fit. If you are not clear on what you can expect or what you should consider, check out my newsletter and look for the edition called Transformational Fun!
Once you have chosen the right team-building activities, you need to plan and prepare for them effectively. To ensure success, it's important to communicate the objectives and benefits of the activity to your team. Additionally, schedule the activity at a convenient and appropriate time. When arranging the logistics, be sure to book the venue, order the materials, assign the roles, and set the rules and guidelines for the activity. Furthermore, anticipate and address any potential issues or risks such as safety, accessibility, and comfort of your team members. Finally, be prepared to deal with any emergencies, conflicts, or feedback that may arise during the activity.
The last thing you want to do is surprise or “blindside” your colleagues! Many people get stressed when they hear “team-building “ because they think they will be tested or have to perform silly games. Be clear and open about the objectives and give enough details to help prepare the participants.
As the leader of your team, you have a key role in facilitating and leading the team-building activities. To ensure the activity runs smoothly, that everyone participates and contributes, and that the desired outcomes are achieved, it is important to set a positive and enthusiastic tone. Show your excitement and support for the activity and encourage your team to have fun and be creative. Additionally, provide clear and concise instructions, explain the purpose, rules, and expectations of the activity, and demonstrate or model it if needed. As the activity progresses, monitor and guide the process by observing how your team is performing and interacting. Provide feedback, assistance or direction as needed. Finally, summarize and debrief the results to review what happened during the activity. Highlight key learnings, insights, and achievements then ask your team to share their thoughts, feelings, and feedback.
In my experience it is far more beneficial to hire a professional facilitator to run a team-building event. Yes, this may sound biased, but it is true. As a leader you are a member of the team and should not be positioning yourself above everyone else in these exercises. You must demonstrate a willingness and ability to learn and improve as much as everyone else. Your role should be to lead by example and support the process, not lead it yourself.
The team-building activities do not end when the activity is over. To ensure that they have a lasting and positive impact on your team, you should follow up and reinforce the activities. Celebrate and appreciate the efforts and outcomes of the activity, recognize and reward your team for their participation and performance, and share the results and feedback with the rest of the organization. Additionally, apply and transfer the learnings and skills to the work context by discussing how the activity relates to your team's goals, challenges, and opportunities. Identify and implement action steps to improve your teamwork and performance. Finally, evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the activity by assessing how well it met your objectives and expectations, soliciting feedback from your team, analyzing it, and addressing any gaps or areas for improvement.
The debriefing and follow up is what separates a team-bonding activity from a team-building initiative. If you can’t identify actionable insights and delegate tasks to follow up on and implement the lessons learned, the return on the time and money you invested in the activity or program will be very limited to people saying “hey, we had fun!” If you want the experience to be fun and have an impact, make sure that the experience is relevant, insightful, and properly debriefed to be actionable.