Let them have fun, and the work will get done.
When it comes to team building and holiday party activities, a little creativity can go a long way. Taking risks and introducing innovative ideas can foster a deeper connection among your staff, resulting in improved engagement and camaraderie.
Discover how unconventional experiences build team bonds, lasting memories and mad respect.
1. Embrace the Extraordinary
What activities would you want to do if you had someone else paying the bill?
Consider offering your team a taste of the extraordinary. Zip-lining, sports, amusement parks, cooking classes, karaoke, concerts, escape rooms, sailing, camping, glamping, and meditation offer memorable team experiences. These trips forge lasting bonds and earn your team’s respect, fostering deeper connections and cherished memories.
2. Traditional team building has a bad rap!
“Company Team building” (in today’s professional setting) often conjures images of cringe-worthy “Trust Falls”, “Compliment Circles” and any other cheesy “rah! rah!” activity. But team building activities can and should be exciting, challenging and an opportunity to experience something new together. Giving them something that they would enjoy doing outside of work. This brings a whole new perspective in engaging with your teammates. Break free from the norm!
Bringing in an external facilitator lets everyone, including the event planner, fully engage in the team activity. An external perspective leads activities, offering a fresh approach and distancing the group from office dynamics. Consequently, this allows people to feel more comfortable asking questions, sharing, and also seeing everyone participating on an equal playing field.
3. Activities with Purpose and Pleasure
Find Activities That Align with Your Goals.
When deciding on your “team building” activities, you should first establish the desired outcome of your event. If you are focused on building camaraderie. Then you want to find fun activities that take your people out of their comfort zone together. Improv is a great option and finding improv facilitators in most cities is pretty easy. If your objective is teaching company goals or values. Then you should engage your team in activities that inspire communication around their vision of their team and company. Arts and Crafts are a fun way to put vision on paper and give the team something to take home to remind them of the work they did together.
4. Unleash Hidden Talents
Creating Memorable Experiences.
Recently, I facilitated a workshop where several departments came together to talk through their departmental goals for the year ahead. They began by discussing as a large group the challenges they face and the perception they feel the rest of the company has of their department. This led to discussions around how can they improve perceptions and understanding of what their function and purpose is.
We then veered off and explored the importance of companies having a memorable slogan or tag line which represents their purpose and ideals. Each department then came up with their own slogan with the goal of creating a positive association between their department and its function. We had all the departments go into arts and craft mode, creating with pens, glue, sticker, magazines, scissors and a lot of laughs, a sign with their slogan to display in their office .Some of the participants got to show a different side of themselves, a more creative and crafty one. This brought a new perspective of them to the team, as they presented their masterpieces to the group and shared the meanings behind their new slogan.
5. A Little Play Goes a Long Way
The slogan activity took almost 3 hours from start to finish, it was paired with an improv session kicking off the day and small group goal sharing and discussion. An 8-hour off-site meeting left everyone feeling connected, inspired, and grateful. They walked away with a better understanding of each other and their department’s goals and objectives for the year ahead. This entire day cost under $2000 and made a priceless impression on the 17 people who participated.
6. Explore More Creative Ideas
For additional team-building inspiration, check out this comprehensive article on team-building activities
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Elevate your team building activities and holiday parties. By including fun team-building activities, you enhance enthusiasm, boost retention rates, and ultimately increase overall job satisfaction in your organization. Prioritize enjoyment, engagement, and meaningful experiences for a stronger, more connected team excelling at work and beyond.