Teamwork is important in an organization. To create good teamwork, each team member must carry out effective communication with each other. But building good communication within a team is not easy, because everyone has different abilities and ways of communicating. That's why team building is needed. By holding team building events and activities, a company can get many benefits such as increasing bonding between team members, improving planning skills, increasing employee motivation, and collaboration.
Making fun activities in the office is necessary to make the team feel comfortable, as well as help employees see each other in a different perspective and allow them to collaborate in a different setting.
What are team building activities?
Team building activities are a collection of activities such as meetings, games and events specifically designed to motivate team members to know and respect each other. Sometimes companies use team building activities as a way to build trust and strengthen communication for teams who regularly work together. These activities can be carried out in the office or virtual, adjusting to how each team member can attend the event.
How do you host a team building event?
Planning a team building event can be overwhelming if it's your first time doing it. There are several steps you need to take to simplify the planning process and create a memorable and fun event.
First, determine your timeline. Count how many members your team has, and calculate how long it will take to complete team building events. Have at least four to six weeks to plan everything, starting from the implementation time, place, chosen activities, prizes, food, and other small things.
Second, having a purpose or clearly defined objective for team building activity to ensure it will be fun and effective. For example, you can ask your boss, are team building events held because of work anniversaries, as reward events, or special agendas for team building moments.
Third, Put together your guest list, so that everyone can come to the event and not interfere with any ongoing projects. Then, you can choose the right venue or location based on who is attending along with the time.
Other things adjust to the needs of the event, such as whether the activity is indoor or outdoor, does it require internet access or visual equipment, or several other factors that must be considered.
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Lastly, tell your team what they need to prepare for team building activities, and provide highlights on the agenda to be carried out, from arrival and departure times, duration of activities, meeting points, etc.
12 best team building events in 2023
Now, let's take a look at the best team building activities in 2023 to foster cooperation and connection between team members.
- Trivia showdown
The trivia showdown takes the concept of a game show. For the specified time, participants are divided into two teams, with the host giving the quiz. Players collaborate for their team, answering more quizzes than other teams. You can give quick questions as well as difficult questions to be discussed with the team. The team with the most points will come out as the winner. This activity is more suited to an indoor setting, and you can give prizes to the participants and special prizes to the winning team.
- Happy hour
Happy hour is a team social event. You can gather a team to set up a bar in the office, heading to a local cafe, and socializing over snacks and drinks. Look for an appropriate time to gather the team, such as directly after work, or during the final hours of the weekend. Encourage teammates to chat with each other, let them joke together, while talking about anything on topics outside of work.
Make special rules, such as every employee must chat with people they rarely talk to while in the office. This will provide an opportunity for each employee to get to know their teammates better, and not just chat with certain employees.
- Scavenger hunts
Scavenger hunts are a high-energy activity that requires a team to do. These games can fit in any location. This activity needs to break players into groups, and race against other teams to find clues and look for items from the list. For examples, find paper with the oldest date in the office, collect stationery with 10 different colors, or find a statue that describes how the boss looks like. Give a time limit for each scavenger hunts activity, and the group that completes the task the fastest wins the game.
- Company’s birthday
One of the best moments for employees to gather is to make a special event to celebrate the company's birthday. Employees are given the freedom to choose a theme, decorate the office, and organize events. All costs are borne by the office, but it is hoped that all employees can contribute to the smooth running of the company's birthday. For one special moment every year, higher ups and employees can mingle for team bonding and think together about good events that everyone likes.
- Picnics
Picnics is a fun choice for an outdoor team building activity. You can choose a quiet place without any traffic, such as hills, mountains, near a lake, or other places with beautiful natural views. Company picnics can be joined by employees' families and can be an opportunity for coworkers to see how teammates' home lives. Make fun events at picnics such as eating together, trivia, mini games like capture the flag, or announcements about company accomplishments.
- Lunch with benefits
Having lunch with coworkers while learning new things from experts on a particular topic. These events can be held midday during lunchtime, and the company books speakers and provides professional development. The topics are adjusted according to what the team needs, such as sales strategy, case studies, or knowledge updates about technology. The subjects can be non-work-centric or general life skills. After the speaker delivers the material, employees are given the opportunity to ask questions.
- Costume parties
Costume parties are fun team building activities because there is a dress code to show off personalities and creativity. These occasions are suitable for Halloween. Companies can organize activities at the party, and prepare prizes for the best costumes. Don't forget to make games that involve teams to solve for team bonding. These experiences add playfulness and good memories and can be captured in photographs.
- Movie nights
Movie nights are still a team building activity, because you can relax together while watching your favorite movies of choice together. You can use a blank wall and use a projector if you don't have a proper screen. Be sure you prepare seating for attendees, and prepare snacks and drinks. If you want to organize an outdoor event, you can use the drive-in experience method in the parking lot. If the company has more budget, it can rent out a local theater. If you feel movies have a long duration, you can set up shorter clips, film festivals, or television shows on the big screen.
- Cook-offs
Cook-offs are a great activity for employees who love to cook with their competitive spirit. Employees can be divided into several groups, the host prepares the ingredients, and the participants must cook the best version of the dish. If the office doesn't have a suitable place for cooking because you need a lot of cooking equipment, you can rent a cooking space and have the ingredients ready. Ensure that each team has various members, whether they can cook or not. The diversity of each group will foster collaboration and good cooking strategies.
- Sporting events
Most sports describe teamwork. You can learn a lot from athletes how to collaborate to achieve victory. Vote for what sports you want to see together with the team, and the most choices are events that the team attends. Employees can cheer on their favorite team and enjoy refreshments from the seats.
- Gift exchanges
Gift exchanges are team building activities that are suitable for holidays, or certain times when the team gets an achievement. Every employee brings their gift, there are separate rules for the price and it's under $25, and try not to be too expensive. The gift-giving exercises can encourage gratitude and prompt employees to think about their teammates.
- Award ceremonies
One of the best team building events is the award ceremony. This is the right event to celebrate with coworkers, while expressing gratitude and employee recognition. Team members nominate each other with several aspects such as leadership, performance and cooperation. Then, when the award is mentioned, the group comes and applauds the nominee. Winners typically receive certificates, trophies, or prizes. These events make employees feel rewarded for their hard work. Team members who are not nominated still have a sense that the company values workers.
That's all about team building activities for work in 2023. If you need other useful information for small to medium-sized businesses, visit the SMEbrother website. Get interesting information about business progress, tips and tricks on how to be successful in business with SMEbrother.
