Each individual member of your team has particular strengths that make them a valuable employee. However, when employees are able to work well together, they become even more effective at their work and satisfied with their jobs. Collaboration helps teams analyze their own strengths and weaknesses, solve problems more quickly, and better understand how to collectively accomplish a goal. Through team building activities, your team can learn how to improve their collaboration skills inside the office and out. Consider scheduling one of the following team building activities to boost collaboration skills and improve your employees’ abilities to meet their goals.
The Benefits of Team Building
Engaging in team building activities does more than give employees a fun day out of the office. These outings can also have lasting effects on the way they work together each day. Many team building activities can encourage a sense of camaraderie and engagement with the company’s goals, improve communication and time management skills, and promote creative problem solving. These skills can translate to better collaboration within the office and higher employee satisfaction, helping you retain talent and get closer to achieving business goals.
Team Trivia
For a low-key outing, consider visiting a local bar after work for a team trivia event. The overall competition gives team members an incentive to answer each question, while the trivia itself tests your collaboration, problem solving, communication, and persuasion skills. Trivia teams often aren’t sure of the right answer but find themselves facing two equally feasible solutions proposed by different members. In these situations, teammates will need to clearly explain why they think a particular answer is correct and may need to diffuse some strong opinions along the way. In the office, this can turn into stronger problem solving and more direct communication.
Corporate Softball Leagues
You don’t have to be an all-star athlete to enjoy a corporate softball league. Games happen on a regular basis, providing multiple opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and spend time with coworkers. Your team may want to strategize ahead of each game and discuss goals, plans, and other details as a group. Or, you may get enough out of simply playing the game, which offers the chance to think quickly, communicate, and learn to work as a team. Your employees may find that they are better able to identify areas in which they can help their coworkers and step up to provide support more easily on and off the field.
Escape Rooms
In an escape room, teams have just one hour to solve puzzles, find clues, and collect props that will help them get out of the room. This time crunch not only forces teams to communicate well and solve problems quickly, it also tests their ability to manage stressful situations. These skills all translate well to projects nearing a deadline in the office. When your team is able to manage its time well and keep itself on track, your company’s goals will be met in record time and your employees will have a success worth celebrating after racing to the finish.
Scavenger Hunts
Scavenger hunts allow you to introduce some friendly competition to the office, which can motivate employees to do their best and encourage them to develop creative solutions to problems. Whether they encompass the whole city or just a few blocks, employees will need to develop and agree on a strategy before beginning their search. They may need to adapt quickly and be able to change strategies if the other team pulls a strong lead, learn to speak with strangers in a professional way, and remain organized as well.
Fundraising Events
Fundraising for a charity or other cause presents a unique challenge: not only will employees need to market, plan, and execute their fundraiser, they’ll also need to persuade people to donate to the campaign. By operating a fundraiser, employees will likely find ways to use their strengths to benefit the whole, manage their time and resources effectively, and practice their persuasive abilities. These, in turn, can lead to improved office collaboration, as each member will have the skills they need to contribute to a project’s success and know who they can call on for support when necessary.
Planning a Team Building Activity
Speak to Bond’s Escape Room for more information about its team building services and escape rooms. In addition to its elaborate and beautifully decorated escape rooms, Bond’s offers a morning power hour with breakfast; phone sales, time management, and general team building workshops; and VIP Room rentals, which teams can use to debrief after the event and discuss what they learned or before the event to discuss their goals for the adventure. With Bond’s, your team can enjoy a day away from the office while learning valuable skills that will improve collaboration and engagement when it’s time to head back to work.