Creative Team Building Training Ideas
Even the most creative managers can be stumped when coming up with creative team building activities to keep your staff motivated, connected and working like a well-oiled machine. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, it could be time to consider a training course. Before you jump into that investment, however, let us offer you some of our favourite team building training ideas to help you out.
1. Escape Room
While there are a handful of establishments that have set up their own escape rooms for you to take your staff to, you can even create your own if you’re looking to cut down on costs. All you need is a story, a set of clues, and a few volunteers to orchestrate the slow drip of details that will lead to one team putting together the pieces and making their escape. Teamwork and problem solving are the key skills here, challenging teams to work together with their collective brainpower.
2. Back-to-back drawing
Not all team building training ideas need to be complex projects! Simple and easily done, back-to-back drawing encourages good communication and a sense of trust as one person draws a shape or simple design that the other person describes. Through concise language and direction, the team that comes closest to the original shape wins!
3. Office trivia
Trivia is a fun way to break the ice and stir conversation, and it can be done in the office or after working hours in a restaurant or pub. Develop questions about the office and company, split the workforce into teams and ask away! This activity is great for inter-departmental mingling, so those who don’t normally work together can get to know one another a little better.
4. Online multiplayer games
Team building training ideas sometimes need to work not just creatively, but physically too! If your team is split between locations, you can always take to the Web. Online games such as Travian lean toward strategic teamwork and problem solving, while games like Call of Duty can be more fun, while still encouraging camaraderie and collaboration.
5. Community Service
Sometimes, a change of scenery can do wonders for your staff. Try finding local community projects that have larger-scale operations, where a team would be able to work together to help complete a task for a good cause. These adventures not only promote a generous spirit of giving back to the community but also allow your staff to flex their team working muscles and bond in a different setting.
6. Salt and Pepper
This is a fun icebreaker game that encourages mingling and articulate communication. Come up with a number of familiar pairs (such as peanut butter and jam or salt and pepper) and write each word on a sheet of paper. Everyone will have a word taped to their back, and will then have to try to figure out what word they have, through yes-or-no questions. Once they discover their identity, it’s off to find their match!
7. Minefield
This one is all about trust! Create a “minefield” in your workspace with towels, tape, pens or other office supplies on the floor of an open room. Divide your team into pairs – one will be blindfolded and led through the minefield by their team member, who will only be able to use verbal cues. No touching allowed! Communication and trust are paramount. Just make sure you adhere to all health and safety regulations.