Small Business

6 Team-Building Activities

By Dominic Fitch, Head of Creative Change at Impact International On Feb 10, 2023

One of the best investments you can make as a business owner is to always ensure you have effective team-building activities in place. The six activities below can significantly develop sentiments of trust among staff, help them improve their communication skills, and aid both personal relationships and feelings of happiness.

Reinvented Speed Dating

Speed dating among colleagues may not sound like the most appropriate team-building recreation, but if you free the activity from the sentimental side of ‘standard’ speed dating, you will soon realize that it is a fun, productive way to kick-start discussions about personal relationships.

Allowing your team members to know each other more personally will help your business thrive, as positive relationships in the workplace can favor interaction, communication, collaboration and empathy.

Cooking Classes

Most people love having a chat over some good food, making occasional team lunches an easy, cost-effective way to strengthen relationships and boost morale. Arranging a cooking class may also work as a clever, entertaining way to enhance your team’s cohesion.

Following a recipe requires a good dose of precision and organization, which will allow every team member to deal with a specific task and work toward a common goal.

Strength Envelopes

To improve levels of engagement and mutual support, you may want to encourage your employees to write “strength envelopes” from time to time. This team-building activity gives people the chance to jot down what they think and admire about their co-workers, celebrating their strong points and qualities.

Receiving commendations from their fellow colleagues can work wonders on your team members’ mood and overall wellbeing.

Murder Mystery

If you are looking for a creative way to foster strong relationships and problem-solving attitudes within your team, organizing a murder mystery in the workplace might just be the solution.

Solving an imaginary crime that has happened in the office cafeteria will spur your people to get their heads together and collaborate with one shared goal in mind.

Shark Tank

Shark Tank is a popular show that involves entrepreneurs pitching innovative projects and ideas to investors. By emulating the program’s format, you can actively encourage your team to collaborate and come up with fresh, unconventional ideas in an attempt to convince a fictitious panel of investors.

This activity has the potential to refine the communication skills of your team as a unit as they will need elaborate, persuasive arguments to successfully sell their ideas.

Volunteering

Organizing volunteering events can have a significantly positive impact on your people. In fact, making a tangible effort to help others and give something back to your local area is an excellent way to enhance your business culture. Not only that, but by making room for volunteering opportunities and involvement, you are also likely to enhance levels of company pride.

About the Author: Dominic Fitch is head of creative change at Impact International.