Fun Intern Team Building Activities Strengthen Company Culture
At Wildly Different Team Building Experiences, we’re passionate about creating memorable team building events that inspire and energize teams of all sizes. As a team building company that has worked with corporations across the globe, we understand the importance of establishing your organization’s culture and building relationships that last. And, since our company’s team of professionals has decades of experience in FUN, we know first-hand that team building is an effective way to create a positive and engaging work environment. For a new intern who is just starting their professional career, this is even more important.
The Benefits of Intern Team Building Activities
While internships are a fantastic opportunity for college students and recent graduates to gain valuable experience, they can also be nerve-wracking and overwhelming. It’s important to remember that most interns are joining a team that is already established. However, by holding engaging activities such as an intern team building event, you are providing a unique opportunity to bring your new recruits into the existing environment in a non-intimidating way. Our team at Wildly Different Team Building Experiences has seen first-hand the amazing benefits that these team building activities can bring to an internship program, whether they are working in-person or completing a virtual internship remotely.
For remote interns, team building activities can be extremely impactful. During virtual internships, it can be difficult to establish connections with other remote employees or feel like a part of the team. Which is why it is nice to offer opportunities for your newer workforce to connect during throughout their virtual internship. When planning a team building, keep in mind the type you pick. For instance team meetings, a virtual coffee, or virtual tour of the office don’t offer opportunities for interaction or engagement (especially as most interns won’t even turn their cameras on). Instead, select team building games like a virtual escape room such as Crack the Code, or a murder mystery. During these types of team building activities, you are providing remote teams with an opportunity to have “normal” water cooler conversations. Virtual interns can build relationships with one another and feel more engaged in the work they are doing. It’s also a great way to break down the traditional hierarchy and promote a more collaborative environment, even from a video call like Microsoft teams.
Team building provides valuable results for in person interns too! That’s because team building activities can help to make sure everyone is on the same page, improve communication, and build trust between team members – all of which ultimately leads to a more successful internship experience. And let’s not forget about the professional development opportunities that team building games such as a high-energy game show or fun team builder like a scavenger hunt (our favorite is Team Dynamics Dash) can provide! While completing one-of-a-kind challenges and a variety of unique critical thinking tasks, interns will improve their teamwork and develop important leadership skills. Although these fun activities are done in the spirit of friendly competition like making a 30-second commercial or pitching a pretend product, they also help the group to become more comfortable speaking up and expressing ideas in a group setting, leading to more productive team meetings.
Team Building Activities and Your Company’s Culture
Whether you are managing a group participating in a virtual internship or a group of in person interns, an effective team builder can align your new interns with your organization’s culture. That is because intern team building activities are a valuable resource and help your remote interns and in-office interns feel connected to your entire organization in a unique way. By organizing a fun activity for a few hours, you are promoting employee engagement, fostering relationships, and creating an enriching corporate experience. Team bonding activities can be done to connect interns with the rest of the company too (yes, you SHOULD invite the C-Suite to play) – which often leads to better work placements, increased retention rates, and better overall performance.
You can support virtual interns with online ice breakers such as trivia questions that tie-in fun facts about your organization, or host an escape room to let the new hires see just what kind of fun your organization is all about. For interns in the workplace, hold an interactive scavenger hunt or office olympics so they get to know the workspace and their new workmates.
Whichever team building activity you choose, be sure to select one that promotes healthy competition. Of course, remember to keep the activities fun, inclusive, and aligned with your company’s values.
How to Choose the Right Intern Team Building
At Wildly Different Team Building Experiences, we understand that selecting a great team building exercise can be a daunting task. That’s why we’ve created a variety of intern team building activities that are sure to get the entire team talking. Here are a few tips to help you choose the right team building activity for your interns:
- Consider the type of internship: If your interns are participating in a virtual internship program or working on remote teams, you should look into virtual team building activities. At Wildly Different, we offer things such as our virtual scavenger hunt, Around the World, our online murder mystery games, and our most popular – virtual escape rooms (our favorite is Undercover Escape), all of which allow groups to connect while working on their problem-solving skills and completing tasks over a video call such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
- Keep it fun: Remember, when planning an intern team building keep your demographic in mind. Many interns are still students who want to have fun with their other teammates. Don’t play games or plan ice breakers that will make the group uncomfortable. (Game nights that include two truths and a lie and trust falls should always be avoided). Rather, choose an intern team building activity that is a fun experience for each and every team member.
- Promote healthy competition: A little competition can be great for building team camaraderie. Whether you are planning for a virtual internship program or a for interns working at the office, choose a team building activity that encourages teamwork and promotes friendly competition.
- Connect different departments: Throughout the internship experience, many interns are not exposed to other areas of the company. By including team building games or fun activities in your new employees’ work schedule, you have an opportunity to pair interns from different departments, helping them to develop working relationships and learn from one another.
At Wildly Different, we offer a range of team building activities that are perfect for virtual interns and for teams in an office setting. From scavenger hunts around a city center like our Get to the Point, to our online escape rooms like Undercover Escape, our activities are designed to provide valuable opportunities for collaboration and allow interns to connect while having fun.
The Importance of Team Building for Interns
Team building activities are not just a fun way to engage interns; they also set clear expectations when it comes to establishing a positive and productive workplace culture. Here are some reasons why team building for interns is so important:
- Building Relationships – Team bonding activities give interns the opportunity to build relationships with their peers and with more seasoned employees. This can help them feel more connected to the team and more invested in the company’s success.
- Encouraging Communication – Team building activities can also encourage communication among team members. And, when interns feel more comfortable communicating with each other, they are more likely to share ideas and collaborate effectively. This is especially important during a virtual internship program, where new employees may have less opportunities to connect with others.
- Developing Skills – Many team building activities require interns to use problem-solving skills, communication skills, and leadership skills. These activities help interns develop these important business skills in a fun and engaging way, which can then be applied in their work.
- Boosting Morale – Providing interns with an opportunity to be a part of the team grows their relationships with their peers and managers, which boosts their morale as well as their overall job satisfaction.
Creating a Positive Company Culture – Establishing a culture for your organization can be very difficult, especially if your team is virtual. The fact of the matter is that everyone wants to enjoy where they work, and who they work with. By prioritizing intern team building activities for both virtual internships and in-person internships, companies can cultivate a positive and inclusive company culture. This can help attract and retain top talent, as well as improve overall team performance!
Team bonding activities are an important part of any internship program. By prioritizing friendly competition you are encouraging open communication. Not to mention your in person and virtual internship teams will be able to bond with one another while working on developing their professional skills. This in-turn creates a positive and productive workplace culture that benefits your interns and the company’s entire workforce.
Wildly Different
