25 Inventive Team-Building Activities
By
Allison Strickland
Team building can be humdrum – but it doesn’t have to be. Boost staff spirits and build camaraderie with one of these unforgettable activities.
I’ll never forget the first team-building activity I was asked to participate in when I joined Robert Half, TCG’s parent company, as an intern more than 10 years ago. It took place during a Corporate Communications department offsite meeting in Half Moon Bay, Calif. The setting was idyllic and I was excited to be included in the brainstorming and strategy workshops despite being a newbie. That is, until we were asked to split into groups and come up with and perform a song about the company.
My heart started pounding. For one, I’m tone-deaf and a horrible singer. And two, I knew I had to suck it up and rise to the challenge or risk being seen as a poor sport by my new boss and team.
In the end, I survived and shared some laughs despite my initial anxiety. And more important, I got to know my new coworkers better. All this to say, it pays to get creative when planning team-building activities, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.
The Creative Group recently asked 400 advertising and marketing executives to share the most unusual team-building activity they’ve participated in or heard of a company participating in. Here are some of their responses:
- “A dance-off.”
- “We had a psychic come and do readings.”
- “Getting pedicures.”
- “Indoor skydiving and surfing.”
- “A one-week retreat in the desert.”
- “An improv class.”
Some of the examples prove team-building activities don’t have to be elaborate to be effective. Often, a simple game or outing can do the trick:
- “Speed meeting – like speed dating.”
- “We had to tell everyone something about ourselves using movements and not speaking.”
- “Making up a song about the company.”
- “A painting class.”
Some teams broke the ice by having employees share their answers to the following questions:
- “If you could be any superhero, who would you choose?”
- “If you could be a vegetable, which one would you be?”
- “What animal would you be and why?”
- “If you had to change one thing about the world, what would it be?”
Others opted to engage in a friendly competition:
- “An office tournament.”
- “We held a cubicle decorating contest.”
- “Everyone had to hop on one foot and the last person standing was named the winner.”
A handful of companies preferred to physically get outside the box for their team building:
- “River rafting.”
- “Climbing a mountain.”
- “Participating in a 200-mile relay across the state with 20 people.”
- “Going to a Renaissance fair.”
- “We went into the wilderness and had to figure out how to get back by relying on each other.”
Finally, these teams prove you can build camaraderie, while doing good:
- “We put on costumes and visited patients at a children’s hospital.”
- “We put together food packages for a nonprofit organization.”
- “We hosted an ice cream social for another department.”
So, what’s the wackiest or most unusual team-building activity you’ve participated in? Does it top any of the examples on this list?
Allison Strickland is the Sr. PR Manager for creative & marketing staffing firm @CreativeGroup by day. Avid home cook, baker and blogger by night and weekends.
