5 Characteristics of Effective Team Building Events

Do you hear the word team building and groan? Does the thought of “team bonding” activities make you anxious? You’re not alone. Sadly, many professionals tasked with planning a team builder have no idea where to start, because they don’t want to participate in the first place. But as a team building company with decades of experience, we are here to squash those feelings of dread! Instead, we’re sharing the characteristics of effective team building (spoiler, one of them is having fun), and where to get started!

1. Well Organized

Goals and Objectives

One of the core characteristics of planning a corporate team building activity, is to make sure it is well organized. Start by creating clear goals and objectives. Goals and Objectives should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results Oriented, Time Specific) and should be determined well in advance, especially if you need buy-in from leadership! In other words, in order to select the best team builder exercises for your group, you need to know know your “why.” Once you have defined goals and objectives, you’ll then need to determine how you’ll go about organizing your team building event.

Self-Led versus Hosted Team Building Exercises

Will you be doing all of the planning of your team activity? Or, will you hire a reputable team building company (such as Wildly Different Team Building Experiences) to organize your team bonding event? Either way, you’ll want to ensure your team building event has these important elements:

Determine an accurate head count. How many team members will be in attendance?
Secure an event location.
Select the team building activity your team members will participate in.
Source all materials needed for the team building activity.
Have a facilitator or host who will manage the team builder on the day of the event from start to finish.

Remote-Led Team Building for Effective Teams

Self-led team builders are a great way to help keep costs down, however, it can be an extensive undertaking, especially while balancing a full-time workload. If you’re budget conscience but don’t have the resources needed to plan your own team building activity, you can opt for a remote-led activity instead.

Many team building companies, including Wildly Different offer remote-led team building activities that can be done absolutely anywhere!

2. Brings Team Members Together

One of the most important characteristics of effective teams is their ability to communicate. Effective communication helps bridge the gap from good teams to great teams. That’s why it’s no surprise that high performing teams are managed by team leaders who can clearly communicate team goals, so that their fellow team members understand how their success is being measured. However, a strong team should be able to communicate effectively from the top down! For instance, during a brainstorming session of new ideas, if the entire team can communicate effectively, it may prevent conflict when diverse opinions come into the mix.

Another important part of effective teamwork is their ability to collaborate. For many of us, we spend significant time working with our our coworkers (in fact, sometimes we spend more time with our them then we do with our own families), so good teamwork isn’t only necessary for a team’s success, but it’s also important for keeping each team member happy. If your team has effective teamwork, your organization will thrive.

Here are team building events that bring team members together while providing them with communication and collaboration tools:

Game Shows: In the team building world, game shows are a classic. It’s an engaging activity that participants can connect with right away (who hasn’t seen a game show like Family Feud on TV?) – and they include a wide variety of challenges that get groups having fun! Game shows allow all participants to interact with one another (utilizing their communication skills) in a unique way. They also provide opportunities for each individual talent to take the lead in a setting that is outside their normal work environment. By providing participants with a chance to feel empowered and make competitive decisions in a safe environment, they are also working on their social communication skills that they can take back to their professional environment.One of our favorite game shows is Game Show Greats!
Scavenger Hunts: Scavenger hunts are our best selling events because they are a great way for teams to work effectively on communication while having a ridiculous amount of fun. When groups are participating in a GPS or app-based scavenger hunt, decision making is done by the entire team. Best of all, a chief characteristic of a scavenger hunt is it’s ability to drum up great teamwork without the teams even realizing it… For example, which direction should the group go first or which challenge should they tackle? There is not just one team leader in a scavenger hunt setting, rather everyone must work closely in order to be a successful team, especially if they want to win!One of our favorite scavenger hunts is Team Dynamics Dash!
Escape Room Team Builders: Whether teams are trying to break OUT of a room or into a box, “escape room styled” events provide groups with collaboration tools while they are having fun. Escape rooms take teams from their “every day norm” and puts them in an unknown environment that simultaneously encourages risk taking and problem solving. If you’ve participated in an escape room, you know that clear direction is not always provided when it comes to solving clues, so rather than suppressing alternative ideas, teams must embrace them. In order to achieve the collective goal of escaping in the allotted time, team performance must be at an all time high!One of our favorite escape experiences is Unlock the Mystery!

3. Cultivates a Culture of Shared Responsibility

One thing effective teams have in common, is a strong leadership presence. But leadership is not just about leading. High performing teams are comprised of leaders who inspire others, and one of the best things about team bonding activities is that it provides everyone who is participating the ability to voice their opinions and make contributions to the team’s success, in a fun and playful way.

How Team Building leads to Effective Teamwork

Take for example, an escape room experience – there are dozens of ways that teams could go about tackling clues and solving puzzles in order to achieve their desired outcomes… However, successful teams are the ones where everyone has a shared leadership. In order for a group to be successful, each individual must communicate with one another as to what task they are working on, asking and offering help as needed, pairing off while solving problems, and have a clear sense of their end goal. By working on these skills in a playful setting, colleagues feel more comfortable approaching one another back in the workplace.

Modern businesses are not run by “the boss” – they’re run by “the team.” And by working cohesively and as one unit, it makes it that must sweeter to celebrate successes.

4. Encourages Growth by Challenging Team Members

There’s a reason our team building company tagline is “Play Outside the Cubicle,” because in order to grow, we need to step outside our comfort zone. Team bonding experiences allow team members to be challenged in a low-stress environment. That’s because effective team building events:

Are Thought Provoking– During The Pitch, teams have to create a product and market it in a limited time frame. While every group has the same goals, they are encouraged to take risks and embrace unconventional approaches in order to complete tasks. This sparks brainstorming sessions and gets everyone in a creative mindset that they can return to the workplace with.
Spark Conversations– Have you gone to a Pub Trivia night and got lost during the questions because something about the Trivia had you reminiscing with your friends? Team Building exercises can do the same thing! Take for example a charity driven team builder like the Red Wagon Brigade – Part of this event has teams working together to answer trivia questions themed to childhood toys. While teams may have small problems arise when they disagree about an answer, it allows them to work through challenges in a setting where they won’t be penalized. These moments naturally segue to conversations revolving around who had what toy as a child, or what toys their kids are playing with now. These fun and engaging tasks allow for conversations to flow organically.
Challenge the Status Quo– Successful teams don’t just have a well defined pipeline to streamline processes, but they also have a pipeline for their employees. They are keeping tabs on which employees to coach, who may be ready for a promotion, and how to position team members for the success of the individuals as well as the organization. Team building activities offer opportunities for lower level employees to show their leadership potential too, challenging the status quo.

5. Has Positive Results

The MOST important thing about a team building event are the takeaways. An effective team builder should:

Be Fun and Exciting– You want your group to ENJOY the team building activity from start to finish. From having an engaging host welcome the group, to activities that not only encourage interaction but fully immerse all people involved in the experience.
Inject Energy– It may sound backwards, but in order to boost team performance sometimes they need a break. By taking time out of the office to do something exciting, you’re allowing your employees to recharge their batteries and get back to work with a fresh mindset. This can assists with boosting creativity, problem solving, and the overall employee morale.
Increase Team Camaraderie– Many colleagues struggle with getting to know one another on a personal level, especially when they’re geographically spread out or comprised of many departments. Take advantage of team building events by mixing individual talents with teammates from other areas within your organization. People want to work with their friends, so facilitating your team to build relationships with one another will lead to a more successful team dynamic.
Benefits Others– Adding a charity or give back component to a team building event is not required, however, it never hurts! It’s impactful for teams to do something that benefits the local community, and in return it gives them a greater respect for your organization too.

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