8 Team-Building Activities Every Business Leader Should Know (And Use!)

Team building is an essential part of modern business. Whether teams spend hours together every day or they only have to interact occasionally, you still want to have a team that is solid and feels supported. You should form strong bonds between your team whenever and wherever you can—this will only serve to strengthen the business. The world of team-building activities and efforts has been growing for years and it seems that the sky is the limit with the different activities that you can choose these days. 

Which ones are best, though? Are trust falls really effective? Does anyone really attend those outdoor team-building obstacle course programs? While what works for your team might be a bit different than what works for others, here are some surefire ideas to add to your list. 

First, though, let’s talk about how to choose the right activities. 

Tips for choosing the best team-building activities

Several different factors go into selecting the team-building opportunities that will work best for your specific team. Fortunately, you can get a lot more out of team-building activities if you know what you’re looking for or what goals you want to achieve. 

Choose activities that deliver on the outcomes that you have in mind. For example, if you want to improve communication, consider team-building activities focused on that end goal. There are four main categories of team building activities to choose from:

• Problem-solving
• Communication
• Trust building
• Adaptability and organization/planning

• Have a clear goal for the activity. Don’t just keep doing it because it’s an annual event—do it with purpose and an end goal in mind. 

• Identify tangible outcomes that you have in mind for the activities, and then find the right events to get to the outcome that you desire. 

• Understand your team and choose something that suits them. The fastest way to turn them off of this team-building activity is to choose something totally out of left field that doesn’t interest anyone. 

• Offer virtual and in-person options. It’s 2022 and we don’t live in the same world that we used to. Today’s employees should have access to in-person team-building events as much as they do virtual events. Virtual events offer a lot of interactive options, so don’t feel restricted by any means. 

These are just a few tips to get you on the right track when it comes to choosing team-building events for your employees. And now, let’s talk about what events should be on your list. 

Team building activities for successful teams 

Here are eight team-builders that will make any team more successful, and that will save you from the eye-rolls, jokes, and lack of interest that many of these types of activities cause. 

Shark tank

This is just like the TV show, for those who have seen it. The concept is that you give your employees the chance to “pitch” their idea to a panel of judges and then, the judges decide whether it’s a viable product that they want to get behind or not. This is a great activity to help build your sales team’s performance in the pitching area and even help with product explanations, etc. Plus, it’s fun and gets everyone involved. 

The human knot

Here’s a tried-and-true team-building activity that can boost communication and problem-solving skills. In the height of the pandemic, close-contact activities like this were frowned upon, but assuming that your staff is all taking the necessary safety precautions, it’s still one of the best training tools. 

Have everyone stand in a circle. Then, have them place their right arms up in the air and reach across the circle to grab another hand. Do the same with the left hand. Then, when everyone is joined together and properly tangled, set them to the task of separating themselves without letting go of the hands they are holding. 

Scavenger hunts

Whether you’re five or 45, scavenger hunts are just plain fun. They’re also a way to encourage critical thinking, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and communication. You can set up office-themed scavenger hunts or just use general items, but make sure that it’s challenging and engaging for your team. 

Perfect square

All you need for this activity is a rope of some kind and something to cover people’s eyes. Put the team in a circle, blindfold them, and place a rope in a circle around them on the floor. Then, have them use their communication and teamwork skills to shift their positions until they form a square with the rope (using their feet to scoot the rope). 

Blindfold challenge

This one is great, and it takes only a few minutes to set up. Plus, you’ve already got everything that you need. The blindfold challenge simply requires blindfolding one person and then setting up a bunch of small obstacles in their way. You could use an office chair, some pens, a stapler, and anything else you can find. Then, have the team navigate the blindfolded person around the obstacles successfully. 

Office charades

You really can’t go wrong with charades, and as an ice breaker or way to introduce new team members, it’s a lot of fun. You could even create themed charades that reference office lingo or industry terms that your team needs to know. 

Sell it! challenge 

This challenge is great for sales teams. Essentially, you give them any random item and a time limit of about a minute or two. Then, you tell them to pitch and sell the item to the best of their abilities. This will help your team improve their selling skills, as well as the ability to think on their feet. 

Office trivia 

This is a fun way to connect and get to know each other. It’s also a great way to test your employees’ knowledge of the office and their coworkers. You can create trivia questions that are relevant to your team and play trivia with individuals or create teams, and reward the winners for their efforts. 

Speaking of teams…. 

If you’re looking for more ways to capitalize on teamwork, consider a partnership with the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai. While you’re busy building up your sales team, we can handle things like lead intake and qualification, scheduling, and even the outreach campaigns and outbound sales in the first place. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation to find out what the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can do to help by demonstrating our teamwork skills firsthand. You can also reach us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.