10 team building activities for corporate employees.

“Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.” — Patrick Lencioni

Nothing. The word that encompasses the future and the past of any conversation. Whether you are on a date or an office meeting, it always alarms people when you answer their question, “what are you thinking?” with, “nothing”.

A lot of people don’t comprehend that when we say we aren’t thinking anything, we actually are thinking of nothing. Imagine you are on a corporate team outing in Bangalore and sitting in front of a bonfire and your colleague asks you, “What’s up!” and you go “nothing”.

They immediately think of something morose or upsetting is going on in your head while looking at the fire. In a corporate setting it is often thought of as a ploy or something fishy. That’s why, employers usually come up with team building activities to understand their employees better and and let them connect with each other on a deeper level so silences could also become comfortable.

Company team outings can be fun when coupled with Bon-fire and team activities. Team outing can be therapeutic at times for employees and a reason to unwind. That is why, resorts offer a host of options for corporate team outing in Bangalore starting from rewards and recognition programmes to adventure activities.

I will list some of the best team building activities aka games that will make your corporate team outing in a resort a much more fruitful experience.

Activity #1: The Perfect Square.

Members required: Four or more.

Materials: Rope (5 metres) and Blindfolds.

Purpose of the game: To improve communication and listening of the team.

Blindfold can be played in groups of four or six depending on the strength of the team. It is one of the ice breaker games companies perform with their employees so they can loosen up can get to know each other better.

How to play:

• Members of the team form a circle and hold the rope in their hands while being Blindfolded.
• The team begins the task of making a square for as long as they feel they are done.
• Once the task is complete, the team proceeds to remove their blindfolds to see the results.

Variation:

If the team has achieved the goal easily, you can try setting a time limit and ask them to try different shapes such as that of a star, hexagon, rectangle, et cetera.

Time to complete the activity: 15 – 20 mins.

Reviewing the game:

• Ask questions like the kind of challenges the team faced while performing the task.
• How could they have done better to resolve the communication gap?
• Was their leadership displayed during the task?

Activity #2: Stop and walk.

Members required: A large group of people maybe 10 or more.

Materials: None

Purpose of the game: To improve active listening skills, increasing team’s energy level and confidence.

This is one of the most hilarious team building games that you should definitely give a try on your next team outing in Bangalore.

How to play:

• Gather a large group of people and ask them to stand in a safe distance from each other in an open area.
• The first instruction is to ask give them to walk when they hear the command and stop when they are hear the command stop.
• Command them on the above instructions for about a minute or two. Let them get used to it.
• The next thing to do is to switch the commands. Now, when they hear the word ‘Walk’ they will stop and when they hear ‘Stop’ they have to walk.
• Advise the group to listen carefully and act as quickly as the command.
• Do this for about a minute before shifting gears.
• The next step is to introduce two new commands: ‘Name’ and ‘Clap’. When they hear the Name they will say their names and at hearing Clap they clap.
• Do this along with the first commands Walk and Stop for about thirty seconds.
• This is where it gets tricky. Add a twist, swap these commands too. Now, ‘Clap’ means they have to say their names and ‘Name’ would mean they will have to clap.
• With all the commands swapped, they will have to be more attentive and quick in their actions.
• Fun ensues when they mix up commands after a first few seconds.

Variation.

Practice Walk and Talk for about a minute. To add more fun repeat the same instruction twice, may be thrice. Then ,swap them. They walk at Stop and Stop at Walk instructions.

You will see a lot of people already chuckling and breaking into laughter because of the mix up. Some people even find keeping up with instructions mildly annoying.

Considering how the group is performing, you can add Clap and Name then swap them too. Now, we have four commands that simply mean do what the other says.

You can also eliminate people who fail to follow more than two commands or simply ask them to keep a track of how many mistakes they made and when.

Lastly, you can add two more commands ‘Dance’ and Jump’ in the mix. Do this for a good thirty seconds along with the above instructions and then SWAP them too.

Time to complete the activity: 20 – 30 minutes.

Reviewing the game:

Activity #3: Shout out.

• Ask the group how they felt when they heard the first swap?
• Could they have responded quickly?
• What was their reaction when they could not react correctly to the instructions?
• Do they think the lessons can be implemented in real life too?

Members required: Group of people.

Materials: None.

Purpose of the game: Interaction. Knowing other team members.

Shout out is a simple team building game but is highly effective when it comes to come to employees showing gratitude towards each other.

How to play:

• List down the name of team members on a piece of paper.
• Put the piece of papers inside a bowl or a hat.
• Ask each one of them to pick a piece of paper with a name.
• Write something the person in the chit did well lately.
• Put the chits back and let the instructor read out the names and notes.

Reviewing the game:

• Ask the team how they felt when they heard others appreciating their efforts.

Time to complete the activity: 15 – 20 mins.

Activity #4: Campfire.

Members required: 20 – 25 people.

Materials: Sticky notes, pen, markers and paper or white board.

Campfire stories is a game or activity played during a corporate day outing in Bangalore. You set up a campfire and gather people around it and let them tell their stories based on the keywords or topics you provide them.

How to play:

• Have your team surround the campfire post dinner.
• You can either split the group in two or let them work as a whole team.
• Write down office related topics such as, first day at work, worst day working with “the company name”, future plans with the company, et cetera. Put them on one side of the board and leave the other side blank.
• Ask a participant to pick a topic and share their experience related to the topic and move the sticky note on the other side of the board.
• As they are talking about their experiences, ask others to write down similar topics on the sticky notes and paste them on the board.
• Keep going until the board is filled with keywords and interconnected stories.

Reviewing the game:

The game ensures that the team gets to open up about their good and bad days. While establishing strong bonding between the team members.

Time to complete the activity: 35 – 60 minutes depending on the size of the team.

Activity #5: Short movie contest.

Members required: Mostly a group of people.

This might sound a little off putting at first but it becomes fun as it gets acted on. Bring out your creative side by making a movie in a office related topic or subject. It could be a drama, tragedy or comedy.

The experience is more fun when you inform the team beforehand that there will be a short film making competition during the team outing in Bangalore.

Materials: Mics, Tripod, decent camera (preferably DSLR), and office laptops with editing Softwares, costumes if necessary.

How to play:

• Split the teams in groups of sir or more. Make sure they have contrasting views and varied interests.
• Provide them the equipments needed to make a 30 second – 2 min movie.
• Get them to write script. Provide them as much information as possible on writing a script.
• Ask them to make a short movie based on the campaign, company policies, management or industry.
• Giving them a freehand is necessary to ensure creativity.
• Give them enough time to brainstorm and develop the idea and execute it within thd provided time.
• Screen all the movies at the end. Hand out awards and consolation prizes for attempting to doing they have never done before.

Reviewing the activity:

• Evaluate the movie based on the story, primarily.
• Ask questions about the idea behind the movie?
• What kind of research or brainstorming did they do before the shoot.
• How did they come up with the idea?
• Why did they choose the color tone or camera angles to translate the idea visually?
• What could have been better if they were given more time?
• What is the learning after the experience?

Time to complete the activity: 2 – 4 hours.

Activity #6: Pass the ball.

Members required: Eight or more.

Materials: Tennis ball ( a dozen of them) and Buckets, depending on the size of the team.

This is a fun and simple game you play outdoors with your team to improve team efforts and collaboration. It requires maximum focus and reflexes from the team members in order to win the race.

How to play:

• Split the teams in two or more groups.
• Make them stand in line with a bucket of tennis balls in front of the first participant in line.
• Separate the teams using ropes, cones, or chalks.
• The first person passes the ball to the second person in line who further passes it to the next person.
• The ball is passed until it reaches the last person in the queue who puts the ball in another bucket behind them.
• The last person immediately runs to the first position, picking the ball from the bucket and then passes on the person behind.
• The game continues until there are balls left in the front bucket.
• The team with most balls in the bucket at the end of the buzzer wins the game.
• Set time according to the balls in the bucket.

Variations.

• To increase the difficulty level, the instructor can ask every second player in the queue to pass the ball from underneath their legs by bending down.
• You can also do this water. Fill the bucket in the front with water, the first person fills the bag and passes it to the people in the back, and let the last person fill the bucket and then come to the front to continue. Place the bucket at least 10 feet away from the last person.
• To further increase the difficulty level, let them fill the bucket using mugs.

Reviewing the game:

• This game demonstrates collaboration between players and fierce competitive skills.
• Questions about coordination and individual performances will help managers to understand the individuals better.
• Lastly, positive sides of teamwork and how it helps improve team performance.

Time to complete the activity: 15 – 20 minutes.

Activity #7: What’s in your bag?

Members required: Five people per team with one volunteer.

Materials: Regular day to day objects along with pens, charts and markers.

This is yet another team building game you play with a large group of people by dividing them in teams of bot more than five people. Individuals try their hands at creating business strategy on objects.

How to play:

• Divide the group in to a team of five each.
• Pick one volunteer whose job will be to pick an object of their choice from their bag. Don’t tell them what’s it for. Keep it a surprise.
• If two groups pick the same object ask one of them to pick a different one.
• When every team has picked objects for their team, ask them to create a business model for that object using each other’s help.
• Business model would include business plan, target audience, logo making, Taglines, marketing campaign, and road map for at least a year.
• It should not a copy of the existing business model of the product.
• Once they have done with the business model, they will need to present it to other teams, explaining how their business is unique and will have a huge customer response.

Variations:

• If you are in a office setting, you can try asking the teams to pick an object from their desk.

Reviewing the game:

• This game is to gauge an individuals’ as well as the team’s creative side.
• It’s a way to understand the team’s understanding of the market and strategy building on a product.

Time to complete the activity: 45 mins to an hour.

Activity #8: Jump in and jump out.

Members required: Over 20 people in an open space.

Materials: Hand Sanitizers and masks since the team members are to come in contact with their team members.

How to play:

• Jump in and jump is a fun game that can be played inside as well as in the open.
• All participants including the leader need to hold each other’s hands before the start of the game.
• Then the leader proceeds to say, “Tell me what I say and do what I say.” For instance, if the instructor says, “Jump left” the participants repeat, “jump left” and jump to their left.
• Similarly if the instructor says, “Jump in” people jump forward and at “Jump out” they jump behind.
• This goes on for about 30 seconds and the real challenge for participants will have when the instructor repeats the same direction twice or maybe thrice.
• The next level of difficulty is when the instructor insists to “Say the opposite of what I say, but do what I say.”
• For example, if they say “jump left” the participants say “jump right” and then proceed to quickly jump right. Same applies to when instructor says “jump in” and “jump out.”
• Confusion follows when the participants go on to do the same as insisted.
• “Say what I say but do the opposite of what I say” is the last level of difficulty in the game.
• For example, if the instruction is to “jump right” you will say “jump left” and quickly jump to your right.

Variations.

• You can eliminate those who fail to follow the instructions after two attempts.
• The game continues until there are no two members left.
• Let the team have one trial run before starting the elimination.

Reviewing the game.

• This game is to determine the team’s focus.
• Individual listening skills.
• Ensures unity.
• Raises harmony and balances comprehension issues.

Time to complete the activity: 15 – 20 minutes.

Activity #9: Scavenger hunt.

Members required: Over 5 people. Or you can divide the people in groups if the team strength is bigger.

Materials: Subjective to the game.

Scavenger Hunt is a classic game which involves everybody in the team to work together to achieve the end result. It is the most sought after team building activity during the corporate team outing near Bangalore.

How to play:

• Before setting up the game, decide what kind of activities do you need to involve and the type of department.
• The game can be played indoors but outdoors is a lot more fun.
• Split the team in two or more groups. Make sure groups are equally divided.
• Setup clues and hints through the property for participants so they can reach the next task.
• Involve activites that are both fun and get difficult as the game proggeses.
• Include activities that involve inter personal communication such as leave clues in different languages or in a puzzle form. This will leave members to interact with each other to come up with a solution.
• Take photos of the part of the properties where clues might be found.
• Leave trivias from shows and movies to lead the team to another clue. For example, what is that one thing Salman Khan does in very movie? Answer: Goes Shirt less. Then the team proceeds to go to the laundry in search of a shirt less man.
• Lastly, try to inculcate company values, principles, slogans, etc in the clues. For example, What is our company’s main focus? Anawer: Delivering food on the door step.

Reviewing the game:

• This game can be either the easiest to crack or the most difficult depending on the type of team.
• If you wish to give the team members an opportunity to interact with each other, make it fun and interactive.
• In case you need old employees to have fun, put them through difficult tasks.
• Ask questions about what was the most difficult task and how they managed to overcome it?
• How did they complete the task within time?
• What was the easiest task of them?
• What were some of the mistakes they made while completing the course task?

Time to complete the activity: one hour to half a day.

Activity #10: Guess the object.

Members required: Any. Divide the group in equal teams.

Material: Day to day objects.

This is a simple game as far as team outing games go because it doesn’t require much efforts but works as a powerful tool of communication between people.

How to play:

• Divide people in different groups.
• Get a participant to volunteer.
• Show the volunteer a day to day object or picture of an object.
• Ask then to explain the object to their group without using any words.
• They can only use gestures and actions to demonstrate how the object looks or feels like.
• The group then tries to guess the object.

Variation.

• To make the game more fun, include movie names – old movie names would bring even more laughter.
• For example, Udan Khatola, Hanste Zakham, Deedar, Mughal-e-azam, Zameer, and Hum hain Lajawaab.
• You can also have a moderator who is not a part of the team.
• Get other teams to issue names to make it more competitive.
• Point teams according to their performances.
• Have a time limit for each act.

Reviewing the game:

• This is an easy game but requires effective communication between players.
• You can easily gauge which teams can communicate effectively.

Time to complete the activity: 15 – 30 mins depending on the strength of the team.

These are some of the most fun games you can try out during the team outing in Bangalore besides those that are available in resorts.

To list a few more games:

• Human shapes
  • People form letters using their bodies and members of the team guess them.
• Birthday line up
  • The team members are supposed to line up according to their birthdays (only months and dates) but without using words. You can also line them up according to their height for a change.
• Blind Draw
  • This game requires the team to instruct their member to draw an item while being Blindfolded.
• Memory lane.
  • People stand in line when the moderator utters a Chinese whisper in a person’s ear or acts out to the person and the person then repeats the same to the person in the front.
• Two truths and a lie.
  • Participants share three statements about themselves out of which one is a lie. Other members have to guess which one is a lie and which ones are truth. This game can be played virtually as well.