Team Building With A Twist

A strong team is one of the most important elements of a successful business and learning how to communicate and cooperate lays the foundations for a healthy workplace, increased motivation, productivity and profitability. Team building is a great way to bring the workplace together, showing employees how to work as one. However, no one wants to do the same old activities they’ve been doing for years! Most businesses have pulled out all the old tricks when it comes to team building activities, but now employees (and employers) are tired of them. It’s time to come up with something new to bring the team together.

But really, what’s left? Are there meaningful ways to encourage team building that aren’t boring or cliché? Yes, there are, but it takes creativity to turn team building into an exciting, enjoyable activity rather than an obligation. If you’re ready for something new, here are a few alternative activities that can bond your team more closely…

Learn To Cook

Meals are a powerful connector in professional settings, but what if instead of just eating, you learned to cook together? Learning to cook something different, or learning to roll sushi together, can be even more fun since it requires everyone to step out of their comfort zones. Of course, when you cook together, you also get to eat together – a real bonus in any team building activity. Everyone likes to eat!

Explore Communication

Anyone with kids has likely “Heads Up”, this involves giving clues to help someone identify the image or word posted on their head and is a great way to explore how your team communicates, how people think when given limited information, and again offer the laughs that help bring a group of people together. Language games are great in this way because communication is at the heart of all teamwork.

Blindfolded Food Tasting

There is no better way to test out the fear of the unknown than this unusual team building idea. A popular YouTube trend, blindfolded food tasting requires the subject to be fed food or liquids while blindfolded, then having to guess what it is. The choices can be as weird and wacky as you please, but make sure you check for any allergies before proceeding.

Flash Mobbing

A flash mob is defined as a group of people who randomly assemble in a public place, perform an act for a brief time, then disperse. Flash mobs are most commonly seen as dances, although if one or two of your co-workers possess two left feet, you can get creative and think of other ways to take this unusual team building idea to the streets.

Circus Classes

Run away with the circus and learn the best party tricks around. Classes are available in acrobatics, trampolining, trapeze, silks, juggling, tight wire, unicycling and diablo.

No previous experience is required, and classes offer the perfect opportunity to learn a few new skills with your team.

Paintballing

Paintballing is the ultimate team building exercise. Separate into teams and go into live combat with a paintball gun as your weapon. This exercise encourages working together as a team to provide strategies and unity, making for the ultimate battle of the workplace.

Take to the Skies

This next unusual team building idea is one for the thrill seekers. Book in, prepare yourself, and have a go at bungee jumping, or if you’re particularly brave, skydiving. Bungee jumping and skydiving offer the perfect opportunity to overcome fears, even better accomplished in a group environment. If you’re not ready to face the dizzying heights of skydiving just yet, indoor sky diving is available to recreate and simulate the experience.

Go Karting

If you feel the need for speed, go karting is for you- and your team! Book in a group go-karting session and create some friendly competition as you race around the track. Some go karting venues even accommodate for corporate events and team building. Go karting is an exciting activity that the office can talk about for years to come.

So what’s the one thing these activities have in common? They require establishing and maintaining a trust-based relationship and understanding of each other’s perspective and the impact of one’s behaviour and communication. For many employees, these are all very new experiences which can if facilitated correctly, can build authentic self-awareness and confidence.

There are so many interesting, exciting and unusual team building ideas and activities available for the workplace, which can help your team to communicate and form a strong unit. Here at Corporate Drama we can help you by using our interactive, dynamic learning experiences with business role-play actors and your specific workplace challenges. We can make team building memorable, transferable and measurable. Whether in the office setting or at an external venue of your choice, our team can bring something very different to your organisation, so get in touch to find out more.