Twelve Unembarrassing Team-Building Exercises for Trust Development
In the modern workplace, fostering a cohesive and productive team is essential for success. Science-based team building activities offer a solution, focusing on enhancing communication, problem-solving, trust, and productivity through engaging, evidence-backed exercises. Here are some of the best activities, categorised by purpose and type of team.
**Time and Energy Management (Work Teams)**
The Circadian Rhythm Game and Pomodoro Technique Sessions are popular choices for work teams. In the Circadian Rhythm Game, team members map out their daily energy and productivity levels, marking times when they feel "on fire," "distracted," or "tired." This helps optimise schedules to match peak productivity periods, improving efficiency and wellbeing, while fostering understanding of colleagues’ rhythms, boosting communication and empathy. The Pomodoro Technique involves implementing timed work intervals with breaks to sustain focus and avoid burnout, supported by team awareness and mutual encouragement.
**Problem-Solving and Creativity (All Teams)**
The Marshmallow Tower, Human Knot, and Reverse Engineering activities are ideal for all teams. The Marshmallow Tower challenge requires teams to build the tallest freestanding structure using spaghetti, tape, and marshmallows, promoting critical thinking, creativity, planning before execution, and resourcefulness. Human Knot is a physical and social puzzle where participants entangle their hands and collaboratively untangle without releasing grips, fostering patience, trust, teamwork, and problem-solving. Reverse Engineering involves teams analysing a pre-built object to understand how it was assembled before recreating it, enhancing logical thinking, attention to detail, and collaboration.
**Quick Energy and Morale Boosters (Work & Professional Development Teams)**
One Word Story, Appreciation Notes, and Paper Plane Contests are great for injecting fun and boosting morale. One Word Story is a fast-paced, creative exercise where teammates contribute single words to collectively build a story, sharpening listening, spontaneity, and creativity. Appreciation Notes promote a culture of recognition, which is scientifically linked to better employee engagement and motivation. The Paper Plane Contest, a light competition, stimulates energy and cooperation.
**Long-Term and Collaborative Projects (Larger or Sports Teams)**
Build a Boat (Survivor-style) encourages creativity, teamwork, planning, and strategic decision-making over a longer period, making it suitable for larger groups and sports teams.
**Virtual and Remote Team Engagement**
Virtual Challenges, such as Space Games and Quarantine Cup, are adapted for remote teams, boosting connection, motivation, and wellness with social accountability and friendly competition.
These activities are backed by principles from psychology and organisational behaviour, promoting team cohesion, communication, productivity, and wellbeing across different team types and settings. Nostalgia can be used as a trust-building activity, while nourishing the belly and mind during team building activities is essential. Board games, professional development videos, and team science activities can also contribute to building trust and fostering team cohesion. Preparing introverts for team building activities and using exercises like the Start, Stop, Continue, Alphabet Work, Book Club, and Pest and Pet Projects can further enhance team building efforts.
Financeteams could find value in implementing the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method that promotes efficiency and wellbeing, fostering understanding of colleagues’ rhythms and boosting communication. Education and self-development, as well as personal growth, can be encouraged through the One Word Story exercise, a creative, fast-paced game demonstrating the importance of listening, spontaneity, and creativity in team dynamics.
