Icebreaking among colleagues can be a difficult and awkward thing. But it is the first step towards building better understanding, trust, and cooperation among co-workers. A good icebreaker is a fun-filled team building activity whether indoor or outdoor.
Here in Calgary, team building activities are serious business. Many offices have an extra working day only for engagement purposes so that the employees can be familiar with each other and develop cordial relations with each other.
But what team building activities can be organized for this purpose so that the employees participate in hesitantly and have fun at the same time?
Here are a few ideas to let that wall of ice down and let in some warm friendly relations :
1. Scavenger Hunt:
This classic game is not only fun-filled by also competitive and exciting. Divide the participants into teams of 2 and set a time limit. You can either use a list of items each team has to collect or seed clues at particular spots and ask them to collect all of them. Next, you know how a scavenger hunt game works. The game requires minimum efforts and equipment to organize and can be played indoors as well as outdoors.
2. Escape Rooms:
Escape room is a less popular but great team building activity. It’s a perfect activity for a day out. Pick out a theme locked room, divide the participants into teams and let the game unravel. This adrenaline filled game and Indiana Jones feels are bound to make everyone more comfortable and open with each other. The participants will escape awkwardness and hesitation with the locked room.
3. Binge Quiz:
Use those Netflix binge sessions to break the awkward tension among colleagues. Organise a multi-series trivia quiz and divide the participants into teams of 2. If you have an entire day to play the game, plan knockout rounds by giving each team placards with numbers on them. Teams with the same number will face each other in the same round. This game can help the co-workers find more common grounds with each other.
5. Exchange A story:
The most common way used to break the ice is sharing stories whether over lunch tables or around a campfire. But there’s a reason why this is so popular. This activity develops a personal connection among the participants and encourages them to be more open to each other. Some common phrases can be used to kick-start this fun activity like “Biggest pet peeve” or “first job”. GO from one topic to another. You can also use a chit system and bottle spinning to make it more fun.
6.Dumb Charades:
The classic game of dumb charades is the best tried and tested team building activity. It is easy to organize and requires no equipment. Simply divide the players into two teams and decide on which team will go first with a coin flip. Dumb charades are usually based on movies but you can also use simple literary words or places or even books for the game.
While there are so many formal activities, informal ones always work better when it comes to cutting the first turf among colleagues. Team building activities work better if more people are encouraged to participate. Use placards and other systems to randomize the pairing. This will also help mix up people from different departments in the workplace. So, plan out an activity today and get ready for some not so “Michael Scott” (The Office, US) moments with your employees.
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