Team building activities to improve your team’s performance

Team building!

That dreaded term, which usually translates to “We are going to deliver long presentations over the weekend. And then you’ll have to come back on Monday looking motivated.”

Everyone magically begins calling in sick, someone’s got a marriage in the family, and the ones that do show up, look like they’d rather fall ill.

If this scenario looks familiar to you, maybe it’s time to rethink how you look at team building activities. Team building sessions are meant to improve team dynamics and communication and encourage out-of-the-box thinking. It’s not something to be just checked off a list.

Taking your team building outside the office is a great idea. Book yourself a resort stay for a weekend or even just the day. Tie up with a learning partner to organize team building activities. And give your team the opportunity to grow.

Here are some great corporate team building activities that you could try out-

PERFECT SQUARE:

What you need: A really long piece of rope with the ends tied together. A blindfold for each person

What to do:

• The team forms a circle, with each person holding a part of the rope in their hands.
• Everyone puts on their blindfold. Instruct one-third of the participants to not speak at all during the game.
• Now, with the blindfolds on, they try to make a perfect square formation holding the rope.

What it achieves: Communication and leadership. Also, by not allowing some participants to speak, it builds an element of trust.

Rafting:

River rafting brings all the thrills to your team outings! A raft seats anywhere between 8-12 people, or even higher. And trying to maneuver the vessel without getting knocked off by the volatile rapids is quite a challenge. It will put your team’s coordination skills – and arm strength- to test!

Scavenger hunt:

What you need: A pen and chits

What to do:

• Divide the participants into two or more teams
• Write down a witty clue on the first chit, giving directions to find where the second chit is hidden. And on the second, instructions to find the third. Do this on about 9-10 chits and hide these chits.
• Make similar sets of chits for each team.
• Give each team their first chit and set them off! Whoever gets to the last chit first wins!

What it achieves: Team bonding and breaking barriers. Include people who usually don’t interact much with each other on the same team.

Sailing:

Sailing is a great team-bonding exercise. Your team can spend a couple of hours or the entire day learning how to manoeuvre a boat. Or they can sit back and let the captain and crew show them around.

Either way, you’ll literally be putting them in the middle of the sea, with nothing to do but interact with each other.

The blue water, the wind in their hair and the breath-taking horizon will give them the experience of a lifetime!

Rock climbing with a twist:

What you need: An outdoor rock-climbing setup

What to do:

Make smaller teams of 4-5.

Set points for each part of the wall climbed. Reaching the top has maximum marks.

Each team is given a set time of 20-30 minutes to attempt the task and gain points. Each participant must make at least one attempt. And participants can attempt climbing as many times as they want within the time limit.

The team with maximum points in the end wins!

What it achieves: Coordination, planning and co-operation. Leadership skills are tested. Participants learn that sometimes it is okay to step back and let someone who is better at the task gain more points for the team.

Slacklining:

If you’re wondering how old-fashioned rope-walking is going to help your team, you’d be surprised- Slacklining is as good as meditation. Balancing yourself on that thin strip is really tougher than it looks. And super fun too.

The sport requires not just physical effort, but mental strength too- concentration, calmness and focus being most at play. Also, it’s a great core workout, so you’ll be returning to the office feeling a little more in shape.