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Sep 20, 2022

5 Free Powerpoint Presentations for Team Building with Activities and How To Build Your Own Team-Building Template

presentation on team building activities

Heather Harper

Company Culture Writer

Team building PowerPoint presentations allow us to build a strong team , where teamwork is at the forefront of all operations and everyone is working together to reach the same common goal. 37% of workers consider teamwork, team building, and team collaboration to be incredibly important. In fact, if workers feel that these things aren’t happening within their team, they are more likely to leave. 

As we all know, high employee turnover costs money that most companies just can’t afford to lose. So, to prevent this from happening all teams need to make connections, foster communication, build trust, and promote problem-solving. One way to integrate these things is to include PowerPoint presentations, with complementing activities, in your team building program. 

These PowerPoints need to be inspiring, not boring, and in this article, we will give you PowerPoint presentation ideas for team building. To start, you’ll discover free PowerPoint presentations for team building and complementing activities, before learning how to make your own engaging team building presentation that WOWs.  

cartoon woman giving powerpoint presentation

5 Free Powerpoint Presentations for Team Building with Activities

Free team-building powerpoint presentation: communication.

Effective communication in the workplace generates 4.5 times higher talent retention . As a result, it is crucial that all workplaces that don’t want to pour money down the drain on constant talent acquisition invest time and effort into enhancing communication within their teams. Along with plenty of team building activities, the best place to start building strong communication is with an effective and purposeful PowerPoint presentation. 

The best communication PowerPoint template 

This team building PowerPoint presentation free download is offered on Slideshare and consists of 29 slides that break down the important aspects of communication into manageable, bite-sized chunks. 

Targeted to improve communication between co-workers and clients, this free team building PowerPoint presentation begins with a brief overview of what communication is, its history, and why you should care about it. After, you will take a look at the goal of the PowerPoint, which is to maximize client communication, improve satisfaction and enhance personal productivity. 

You’ll then go over different ways groups communicate, organizational communication, the various principles of conflict, the effects of conflict, and so much more. By the end of all 29 slides, your team should have the information and knowledge they need to meet and understand these goals. 

Activities that support communication within teams

  • Team sports day

Working as part of a team during a sporting activity is an excellent way to build trust and positivity within a team, which in turn promotes healthy and effective communication. Plus, if you want to make your team more productive at work , improve mood , and prevent chronic health conditions , there’s no better way than some good old fashioned exercise! 

team members playing tug of war at team sports day

  • Build a tent blind

By finding a few old tents from your garage, you can throw your team into an activity that promotes communication, as well as encourages listening, leadership and teamwork. 

To play, organize your team into pairs and ask one player to be blindfolded. They must listen to instructions from the other player in their pair on how to put up a tent and will race the other teams to be the first to put their tent up. 

  • Take part in an Escape Room

Escape rooms are great ways to allow your team to escape regular workplace tasks and relax and unwind. The fact that they have to work together, as opposed to separately, means that this activity is perfect for supporting your communication PowerPoint presentation. 

Prison Break The Escape Game

At the Team Building Hub , your team can immerse themselves in a prison break-out, explore the dark depths of the ocean, or participate in a thrilling gold rush… all without even having to leave the office. Together, they can work through clues and puzzles to beat the clock and escape the room. 

Free Team-Building Powerpoint Presentation: Conflict Management

Employees in the United States spend approximately a tremendous 2.8 hours each week involved in workplace conflict. This equates to around $359 billion in hours paid that are focused on conflict, rather than completing productive workplace tasks. To make this worse, 60% of employees have never received basic conflict management training, meaning that millions of organizations are unnecessarily losing money every year. 

Fear not, however, as there are plenty of free conflict management team building PowerPoint presentation templates that can help you to overcome any conflict issues within your team. Below is our favorite of them all. 

conflict management with seesaw

The best conflict management PowerPoint template

Slideshare’s conflict management in teams PowerPoint Presentation is free to download and includes 18 slides on how to manage and resolve all types of various workplace conflicts. 

To start, your team will learn exactly what conflict is and how it applies to the workplace. They’ll look at various types of workplace conflict, such as interpersonal conflict and intragroup conflict, before exploring when workplace conflict might be constructive, and when it might be destructive. Afterwards, the presentation offers some useful ways to prevent and manage conflict in your workplace. The Slideshare PowerPoint even makes its conflict management and prevention section engaging and entertaining by including clips from the sitcom The Office . 

Activities that aid conflict management team building 

  • Take a personality test

Getting your team to take a personality test will allow them to explore themselves so that they can understand their personality and, in turn, their trigger points for conflict and how they can work to resolve it. Tests such as the Myers-Briggs or Disc allow team members to rate their agreement with certain statements and can then make a conclusion on that person’s personality. Team Building Hub even has a package with Maxwell Leadership that adds a DISC assessment before any game, to help increase the learning and connection during the experience.

  • Play the compliment circle game

Everyone loves to feel that someone appreciates them and thinks something nice about them. It promotes strong bonds within a team, creates trust, builds a sense of psychological safety, and, as a result, is likely to limit the amount of conflict that occurs. To play, simply sit in a circle and get each team member to go around the room and pay a compliment to the person sitting to their right. 

Designed to allow team members to understand how to work through conflict and understand differing opinions, four words is the perfect activity to complement your conflict management PowerPoint presentation. 

To play, give each team member a piece of paper and ask them to write 4 words that they associate with conflict. Pair them up and between the two of them, they must decide on the best four words out of the combined eight they have. During this, each pair will have to negotiate in a considerate and efficient manner. At the end of the game, you can bring the team back together to discuss how the process went and whether there was any conflict. 

Free Team-Building Powerpoint Presentation: Virtual Teams

Virtual teams are more common than ever before and, as a result, it is important to have the correct tools in place to build strong virtual teams. The benefits of virtual team building are priceless: it connects remote workers, enhances collaboration and co-working, increases productivity, boosts morale, encourages healthy communication, and prevents burnout and loneliness. 

virtual-meeting-people-graphs

The best virtual team PowerPoint template 

Geared toward virtual team leaders, this PowerShow.com template covers all the challenges of having a virtual team and gives expert solutions to each challenge. Offering 14 slides of content, this team building PowerPoint presentation starts with a bold quote to instantly grab your team’s attention and engage them. After, the presentation then moves on to cover the top three common challenges within a virtual team, before summarizing how to solve these challenges. 

Activities that aid virtual team building 

  • Ice breakers games

Virtual icebreaker games provide a remarkable way for people scattered across the world to introduce themselves in a fun and charming way. They are designed to create a relaxed atmosphere, which in return can build trust, enhance communication, and improve productivity. Some of our favorite icebreaker games include repeat performances, guess the acronym, and rank your favorites. 

  • Play some zoom games

Zoom games for large virtual groups are designed to allow teams to stay connected, be sociable, and keep happy. Games such as Jeopardy, Trivia, and Scavenger hunt are perfect for involving your whole team and promoting virtual problem-solving and communication. 

  • Team online games show

Online game shows are exciting and upbeat ways to encourage your virtual team members to improve morale and communication! With five fast-paced rounds, your team members can practice their communication skills and problem-solving ability, and they can create trusting bonds with each other.

online game show example

Free Team-Building Powerpoint Presentation: Problem-Solving

Problem-solving in the workplace is important for everyone, from entry-level employees to senior staff. Those with fantastic problem-solving skills are better equipped to solve all sorts of unexpected challenges that might be thrown at them. As a result, they are the type of employees that help a business run smoothly, and, therefore, all teams should be investing in developing these skills in their members. 

The best problem-solving PowerPoint templates

Offered for free by WorkshopBank , this PowerPoint is a 30-45 minute presentation where your team will cover everything from brainstorming and issue analysis, to action planning and solution finding. It is designed to allow your team to make breakthrough progress with their problem-solving and have the skill set to tackle any problems that may arise at work. 

All you need to do is download the PowerPoint template and work through the activities given. It’s an excellent interactive and fun way to get your team to understand problem-solving and how they can apply it to their jobs. 

Activities that support problem-solving 

  • The Art Thief 

The Art Thief is an in-person game designed specifically to help your team unlock a new level of problem-solving. Designed by industry experts, your team will tear into a box filled with clues. They will use their teamwork and problem-solving skills to work together to connect the dots and solve the mystery of the art thief. 

art thief

  • Quick team building activities 

Learning a new skill can be frustrating and daunting to many, so a fantastic way to help promote problem-solving is to include quick team building activities to ensure everyone remains inspired and engaged. Activities such as word association and ‘what’s my name?’ are designed to be simple and quick, but to encourage your team members to solve complicated problems and, as a result, learn new problem-solving skills.

  • Paper tower challenge 

The paper tower challenge is a creative way to promote trust, communication, and, most importantly, problem-solving in a workplace team of any size. To play, split your team into small groups and give them three minutes to build the largest freestanding tower possible. The only catch – they can’t use anything but paper! Award a prize to the team whose tower is the tallest and still standing at the end of the game. 

Free Team-Building Powerpoint Presentation: Trust

Trust within teams promotes the highest levels of productivity and effectiveness because it allows every single team member to feel valued, and appreciated and that they are safe to share opinions, problems, and ideas. Therefore, it is of no surprise that workplace teams who trust each other have 50% higher employee productivity, 106% more energy at work, and 13% fewer sick days. 

team members swinging trust fall

The best trust PowerPoint Presentation template

Comprised of 48 engaging and eye-catching slides, you can download Slideshare’s trust building PowerPoint for free. 

Created to help co-workers build healthy relationships, the PowerPoint presentation begins by explaining to your team why they are here and enlightening them about the importance of trust within teams. Looking at a model of trust, you and your team will explore what happens in the absence of trust and will take a look at examples of teams that have no trust. Next, you will explore the various types of trust, the essential ingredients of trust, and how it can be created in your workplace team. Your team will then partake in a reflection activity, whereby they will discuss what they’ve learned and how they can help develop and enhance trust within the team. 

Activities that support trust building

  • Constantly incorporating trust building activities 

Trust is something that, once built, needs to be constantly reinforced and worked on. As a result, to ensure optimal workplace trust it is crucial to keep using plenty of team building tools throughout the year. Introducing virtual meeting platforms, having a joint calendar, constantly using icebreakers and team building activities, and sending out Google forms are all fantastic ways of ensuring that trust is constantly worked on within a team. 

  •  Team skydive 

If your budget can be stretched to allow this, a team skydive is a fantastic way to get your team members bonding at 10,000 feet in the air. To make this a trust building exercise, you can pair your team members up and get them to do a skydive at the same time (whilst being attached to a professional, obviously). Team members will learn how each other behaves when scared and pumped full of adrenaline, and will learn to trust the other person as a result.  

team skydiving trip

  • Trust fall 

Quick, simple, and easy to coordinate, a trust fall is a fantastic activity to chuck in at the end of your team building PowerPoint presentation. To play, get your team to work in pairs and one person must turn to face away from their partner and allow themselves to fall back into their partner’s arms. The partner must then catch them, proving to the other person that they are trustworthy. 

How to Build Your Own Team Building Powerpoint Presentation Template

Building your own PowerPoint presentation is something that can be time consuming, but worth it for a presentation that will wow your team. In order to engage and inspire, you need your presentation to be insightful, unique, interesting, and tailored to the needs of your team. That’s why it’s never a bad idea to create your own. 

If you’d like to give creating your own PowerPoint presentation a shot, here is everything to include: 

  • Make sure you have PowerPoint. This is a no-brainer. In order to create a Powerpoint presentation, you must have access to PowerPoint. You can buy the whole Microsoft Office package for as little as $69.99 a year. If you don’t have the budget for Powerpoint, Google Slides is a great free alternative!
  • Decide precisely what you want to talk about. The best presentations are concise and straight to the point. You don’t want to bore your team by talking aimlessly about every team building topic under the sun. So think about what it is your team needs to work on. Conflict management? Problem-solving? Training? Onboarding? Morale in the workplace? It can be anything that will make your team stronger. 
  • Get your facts right. One fantastic way to show facts is to include accurate and up-to-date statistics to reinforce what you’ve said. Using bold statistics, especially in the first section of your presentation, will grab your team’s focus and encourage them to pay attention. 
  • Make your presentation visually appealing . Getting your facts straight is all well and good, but if your presentation is dull and boring, you’re never going to inspire a group of people. Utilize visuals and animations to help bring your slides alive and allow information to be digestible. 
  • Find a way to get everyone involved. Sitting in a meeting room with information being relayed off a screen will take most of your team back to school, leaving them feeling bored, frustrated, and uninspired. To avoid this, find a way to involve your team in your presentation. You can use a variety of techniques to do this, such as quizzes, polls, questions, and answers. It will make your team feel seen and valued, which will inspire them in return.
  • Include meaningful takeaways. The whole purpose of this team building presentation is to teach your team something important about team building and the team they are in. To make sure your presentation has been worth the time, include an essential takeaway from the meeting. For example, it could be about steps your team can take to improve performance, communication, and/or trust. 

powerpoint presentation

Conclusion 

That’s a wrap on the best team building activities and PowerPoint presentations. Whether your team is in-person or virtual, they are likely to need to work on their trust, problem-solving, communication, or conflict management. Offering exciting PowerPoint presentations, backed up with fun team building activities, is a fantastic way to teach them new and relevant skills. 

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presentation on team building activities

Heather Harper has a Masters in Occupational Psychological from the University of Manchester. She currently works as an editorial writer specializing in organizational psychology – helping teams work better together.

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Team Building Workshop

It seems that you like this template, team building workshop presentation, free google slides theme, powerpoint template, and canva presentation template.

It has been fully demonstrated that team building activities reinforce the quality of work. Teamwork makes the dream work... That is why we have prepared this template, so that you can organize a team building workshop in your company. Start by giving some technical notions and then dive completely into the activities you have planned. We have included some as an example, but feel free to add those that come to mind.

Features of this template

  • 100% editable and easy to modify
  • 36 different slides to impress your audience
  • Contains easy-to-edit graphics such as graphs, maps, tables, timelines and mockups
  • Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides
  • Designed to be used in Google Slides, Canva, and Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Available in different formats
  • Includes information about fonts, colors, and credits of the resources used

How can I use the template?

Am I free to use the templates?

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Attribution required If you are a free user, you must attribute Slidesgo by keeping the slide where the credits appear. How to attribute?

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Team Building Presentation Tips That Inspire Instead of Bore

Team Building Presentation Tips That Inspire Instead of Bore

Teamwork makes the dream work, right? That’s what they say, anyway. But how many companies actually put team building at the forefront of their culture and values? 37% of workers consider employee teamwork, team building, and collaboration to be very important. So much so that it can affect how long employees stay with a company. So what are employers doing to support their teams, and foster cross-departmental relationships and collaboration?

Many companies have attempted to maintain culture and team building during the pandemic through virtual happy hours, events, and snack boxes mailed to employees’ homes. And while those efforts didn’t go unnoticed, it’s just not quite the same as water cooler talk, in-office happy hours, or huddles in the conference room.

As teams gear up to return to the office after a nearly two year stretch of remote work, team building is extremely important. "There's going to be such a reversion to trying to reconnect," Mark Hoplamazian, CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corp said of returning to the office at Fortune's Reimagine Work Summit. Any professional will agree that that personal connection is an integral part of culture, collaboration, and workforce function, so restoring in-person teamwork should be top of mind for many companies as offices start to open.

The first step to nailing team building— both virtually and not— is to create training , onboarding , and group presentations that inspire instead of bore. Consider the following five team building presentation ideas for a more enjoyable presentation experience for all parties involved. 

Open with a bold statistic

You’ve heard us talk about introductions before, and that’s because they can make or break your entire presentation in less than 30 seconds. If you’re really looking to rev up your team and inspire them, start the team building presentation with a bold quote or a motivating statistic from your business. This can be an impressive metric or a positive customer quote that shows their efforts are paying off, but it should be something that grabs the team’s focus and makes them want to pay attention to the slides that will follow. 

Hide easter eggs throughout the deck

How can you be sure the team is actually paying attention to your presentation and not pondering what they might eat for dinner? This is a challenge presenters will face regardless of whether you’re giving an in-person or a remote team building presentation. Our recommendation: hide easter eggs throughout the deck. These could be hidden words, a specific icon included a certain number of times throughout the presentation, or funny photos. Use said easter eggs as an incentive to your team to pay attention to the deck, and offer prizes to whoever can find the most hidden eggs throughout the course of the team building presentation. 

Utilize dynamic visuals and animations

The fastest way to lose your audience to boredom? Loads of data and text that’s impossible to digest. Instead, make sure you’re including plenty of beautiful visuals— photos, video, or icons— and utilizing dynamic animations to bring your slides to life. Using visuals allows you to say more with less. And it’s no secret that over half of people are visual learners, so by simply opting for photos or icons you’re a lot more likely to have your team building presentation resonate with your audience. 

Get them involved

Whether you choose to include icebreakers mid-deck, or leave time for discussion at the end, don’t forget to involve the team. You can involve them in a variety of ways including gamifying the presentation with polls, quizzes, or questions, asking them to each create their own slide to include, or bringing them into the conversation with their own ideas. Whichever method you decide to run with, make sure your deck reflects that. By involving your colleagues in the team building presentation it will make them feel seen and valued, which is a surefire way to inspire them. 

Start inspired with a template

As things start to return to normal, there’s an increased pressure to foster team building. But when it comes to your presentation there’s no need to stress—Beautiful.ai can handle the heavy lifting so that you can focus on your team building strategy, onboarding, or training. With countless pre-built presentation and slide templates in our inspiration gallery you can plug and play without having to start from scratch. Focus on your team, we’ll do the rest. 

Jordan Turner

Jordan Turner

Jordan is a Bay Area writer, social media manager, and content strategist.

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Top 20 Team Building PowerPoint Templates to Present Your Ideas and Strategies

Top 20 Team Building PowerPoint Templates to Present Your Ideas and Strategies

Malvika Varma

author-user

The supreme asset of an institution is its employees who work diligently to make things happen. An inspiring team significantly contributes to the success of the business.

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” – Bang Gae

The word ‘team building’ is not just a buzz word in the corporate world. It is a core component that enables companies to work efficiently, increases productivity, and keeps employees motivated. The organizations that value team building are undoubtedly the ones who believe that a healthy work culture promotes growth and ensures success in the long run. The benefits of team building in presenting ideas and strategies can not be overstated. 

The team-building practices encourage networking and communication which helps in resolving conflicts of opinion. Excellent communication between the team members is extremely beneficial in making wise business decisions after carefully weighing the pros and cons of a concept. Team building activities also develop problem-solving abilities among the employees, which ultimately increases productivity and creates a cohesive work environment.

SlideTeam professionals have curated Top 20 Team Building PowerPoint templates to present ideas and strategies for your organization. These contemporary templates are a must to foster good relations with your colleagues and work towards achieving the common organizational goal. 

So without any further ado, let’s delve into these creative templates right away!

Top 20 Team Building PowerPoint Templates to Download

Dream Team Building Skills

Showcase the importance of team building in your organization and discuss the ways in which your company promotes it by downloading this striking team building PowerPoint template. With this editable PPT, you can shed some light on the procedure which your organization adopts to ensure a progressive work culture. The icons used here grabs the attention of the audience instantly.

Team Building Activities For Company

Highlight the team building activities and their impact on the productivity of the performance of your colleagues by utilizing this editable PowerPoint template. You can mention the key highlights of each activity and give an overall view to your team members.

Corporate Team Building Ideas

Team building is a crucial part of organizational development. Emphasize the benefits of team building activities at the workplace with the help of this stunning management PowerPoint theme. As this template is completely editable, you can add details as needed. Skill development and its impact on overall development can be described by employing this attractive PPT.

Hr Consultancy Showing Training Team Building

HR can easily incorporate this visually appealing team building PowerPoint template to discuss the various activities which promote team bonding. Showcase the values of your organization and its initiatives to promote a healthy and positive work environment for its employees by downloading this stunning PPT theme.

Strategy Team Building

Team building activities help employees connect with other colleagues. This editable PPT can also be used for giving details about the workshops which promote better workplace skills. HR can download this customizable PPT to highlight the upcoming team bonding activities for the employees.

Interactive Team Building

The process of building an interactive team can be described in detail by incorporating this stunning teal building PowerPoint template. The color palette used here attracts the attention of the audience. As this PPT is completely editable, you can add relevant details to it easily. The project manager can download this pre-designed theme and boost the performance of its enterprise.

Team Building For Workplace

The four steps of building a productive workforce can be elucidated with the help of this modern-looking team building PowerPoint template. This PPT can be of great advantage for explaining the concept of team building in seminars and conferences. You can download this pre-built PowerPoint theme for giving company overview to new joiners.

4 Step Activities For Team Building

Team building is a stepwise process and you can explain it in great detail by utilizing this amazingly designed PowerPoint theme. BY employing this content-ready PowerPoint template, you can present the activities involved and its key highlights in an interesting manner. The background used here makes it appealing to the audience and hence rightly serves the purpose.

Stages Team Building

By introducing this ready-made team building PowerPoint template, you can elaborate on the impact of team building and its various benefits. Using this striking PPT theme, you can discuss the solutions to the business issues through effective team building sessions. The contemporary PowerPoint template can be used for seminars and conferences.

Template 10

Sample Of Team Building Practices

Illustrate the team building practices and their impact on increasing workplace productivity by introducing our stunning team building PowerPoint theme. You can download this editable PPT theme and discuss various factors such as motivation, self-learning, strength identification, and lots more. Foster trust among employees and promote overall development by using this pre-designed PowerPoint layout.

Template 11

Team Building Analysis

Important aspects of team building and its significance in the corporate set up can be showcased by downloading this professionally designed PowerPoint template. By incorporating this content-ready PPT, you can analyze the need and its benefits in increasing the overall efficiency of the employees.

Template 12

Custom Team Building Exercises

Team building exercises can be promoted using this visually appealing PPT theme. As this team building PowerPoint template is completely customizable, you can easily modify the text and make it fit for your use. This attractive management PowerPoint layout can be used by the HR department to give details of the team bonding activities of the enterprise.

Template 13

Value Driven Capability For Team Building

List the capabilities required for completing business tasks and assigning them to the team by introducing this contemporary team building PowerPoint template. With the help of this content-ready template, you can explain to your team members the growth potential they possess and the areas on which they can work.

Template 14

4 Step Climbing Stairs Of Team Building

Team building can be emphasized by utilizing our content ready management PowerPoint template. Incorporate this editable PPT theme for giving company overview to new joiners in the organization. Download this attractive PPT theme and discuss the process of team building in an engaging way.

Template 15

Team Building

Download Team Building PowerPoint Template

The project manager can take advantage of this pre-designed PowerPoint theme to elaborate on the significance of team building for achieving greater success. You can also utilize this attention-grabbing PowerPoint template for seminars and conferences to express the core values of the institution.

Template 16

Team Building Up A Jigsaw

Download Team Building Up A Jigsaw PowerPoint Template

Illustrate the concept of team building to your employees by downloading this contemporary team building PowerPoint template. The visuals used in this editable PPT instantly communicates the message of the concept and hence serves the purpose. Students can also employ this stunning PPT for their management projects.

Template 17

Various Method Used To Enhance Team Capability Building

Showcase the ways of improving employee performance by downloading this editable team building PowerPoint template. With the help of this striking PPT, you can present the data in the form of a graph to give clear factual detail of the impact of various team-building activities.

Template 18

Strategies Used In Building Team

Showcase the strategies which enable team building by incorporating this customizable PowerPoint theme. You can download this professionally designed team building PowerPoint template to encourage a good workplace environment. The benefits of networking can be illustrated by employing this pre-built PPT theme.

Template 19

https://www.slideteam.net/8-leading-business-skills-like-team-building-and-networking.html

Using this editable versatile PowerPoint template, you can list the essential business skills which assist in climbing the corporate ladder. You can add details as per the requirements and can be used to present ideas effectively. The importance of team building can be elucidated using this visually appealing PPT.

Template 20

Team Capability Building Concept

Download this striking team building PowerPoint template which reflects the concept perfectly. You can add details and highlight the key features with the help of this customizable team building PowerPoint Templates. Managers can effectively convey the significance of team building for boosting morale and improving performance by using our stunning team building PowerPoint Templates. Team building activities can also be promoted by incorporating this pre-designed theme.

Promote innovative ideas by developing an employee-friendly workplace by encouraging team-building among your employees. Boost your team performance by downloading our Top 20 Team Building PowerPoint Templates. Create fun and motivational work culture with our creatively designed templates which can be tweaked just the way you want. 

Happy Team-Building!!

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Free Meet the Team Template 

Alpha free pitch deck powerpoint templates, techo free powerpoint presentation template, free apex free powerpoint templates, free business team building ppt presentation, free team building plan template, free team building layout, free leadership team building powerpoint templates, free teamwork jigsaw puzzle powerpoint diagram, infographic organization chart templates, team building analysis powerpoint template.

Home / Business / Best Free Team Building PowerPoint Templates – Updated February 2021

Best Free Team Building PowerPoint Templates – Updated February 2021

presentation on team building activities

Does this phrase detract your attention towards effective team building? Team building is an approach to creating a team that works cohesively towards a specific goal. And to build a successful team, each team member needs to establish a bond with each other.

One of the most prime reasons for forming a team is to get results. A series of team-building activities that can be fun, motivational, brainstorming, or educational builds skills like communication, planning, conflict resolution, etc.

According to a survey, when in a group of 1000 team members, communication, mutual respect, and honest feedback were encouraged, it was reported that team members were 80 per cent more emotional well-being.

Team building is the most influential step for organizational success. It turns individual contributing employees into a cohesive team.

Best Team Building PowerPoint Templates

Now educate your colleagues, team about effective team building methods using these team-building PowerPoint templates. So, without further, let’s delve into some of the best free team-building PowerPoint templates straight away.

meet the team template

Every successful organization is a collective of dedicated individuals, each contributing their unique talents and passions. In the spirit of celebrating your team’s accomplishments and fostering a deeper connection with your audience, we proudly present our free Meet the Team Presentation Template .

alpha free pitch deck PowerPoint templates

Take your presentation to the next level using these alpha free pitch deck PowerPoint templates. The template comes with modern, sophisticated, and highly impressable slides that guarantee you catch the audience’s eyeballs. Get ready to exhibit your points flawlessly with these team-building PowerPoint slides.

TechO free pitch deck PowerPoint Template

Browse our free Techo pitch deck PowerPoint template an ultimate pitch deck presentation template that can be used by CEOs, managers, business professionals for any business presentations, advertisements, fundraising, crowdfunding, or any related presentations.

apex free PowerPoint templates

Don’t know how to elaborate on team-building ideas or strategies in a presentation. Then there’s nothing to fret about. Using these apex Free PowerPoint templates by Slidebazaar , you can draft a compelling presentation that engages with your audience.

team building ppt presentation

Download our business team-building PowerPoint template by Slidehunter , an excellent illustration for teamwork and collaboration-related presentations. The template includes astonishing templates and presentation backgrounds perfect for any presentation.

team-building-plan-template

Free team building plan template by Best PowerPoint Templates is an amazing slide for business presentations. The templates comprise eight high-quality slides that will help you build effective team building and training-related presentations.

free team building layout

This free team building layout by Slidecarnival is a modern, elegant and polished template that will let you communicate your ideas successfully. With illustrated scenes of professionals at work, you can highlight the concepts like teamwork, collaboration, team efforts, etc. So instantly download these free team building layouts and don’t miss the opportunity to outshine at the next meetings.

free leadership team building PowerPoint templates

These leadership team-building PowerPoint templates by Best PowerPoint Templates are the ideal templates for clear and concise demonstration of team-building efforts, management strategies, team guidance, etc. It can be used by any team manager, leader, CEO’s and any executive with the aim to guide or instruct its team.

free team building jigshaw puzzle diagram template

This Free Teamwork Jigsaw Puzzle PowerPoint Diagram Template by Slidehunter is an amazing template to showcase concepts like team building, group effort, leadership, etc. Like each piece of the jigsaw completes the puzzle, each team member’s contribution leaders the business to success. Download these jigsaw puzzle diagram templates and create awesome teamwork presentations.

Organizational chart PowerPoint template

During a presentation, what captures the attention of the audience. It’s the presentation template that clings to the focus of your audience. Org charts are the best illustration to feature a team of upcoming projects in a presentation. Get ready to draft a remarkable presentation using these infographic organization chart templates by Slideheap . Get access to 1000+ premium PowerPoint templates for just a membership fee of $29.40.

team building analysis PowerPoint Template

Encourage or motivate your team to perform better by giving them a detailed overview of the work structure, team, management using these team-building analysis PowerPoint Templates by Slidebazaar. The team building analysis PowerPoint template is a common PowerPoint diagram for information dissemination. Regardless of the topic, you create any PowerPoint presentation using the simple ppt template. You can download this team building template on a monthly membership of $9.99 and get access to 100 premium PowerPoint templates.

Oftentimes in MNC’s team-building efforts are overseen. Such negligence, in the long run, can cost heavy for the business.

Many organizations undertake team-building activities with the aim of enriching communication and trust. While it’s the general goal in every office, you can find several areas focused on.

Successful team-building efforts guarantee a comfortable, successful work environment. With these team building PowerPoint templates, you can precisely reflect the concepts.

Promote team-building ideas, develop an employee-friendly workplace, encourage the team to boost performance with these team-building slides. All templates in the selection can be tweaked accordingly.

Get ready to stun your audience. Also, comment on which templates you liked the most.  

About The Author

Priyanshu Bharat

Priyanshu Bharat

Priyanshu is a copywriter who loves to tune into what makes people tick. He believes in presenting his ideas with flair and wit, which has made him an expert at standing on stage and charming the pants off of any audience he's faced with. Priyanshu lives for learning as much as he can, so if you ever need help understanding something - just ask!

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presentation on team building activities

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Team Building Powerpoint Presentation Templates

presentation on team building activities

Templates Presentation

Transcript: 1- The user creates a New Space 2- During some time it's modified according to the project needs 3- As the space results useful for a whole company or area the user decides to ask for saving it as Template 4-The Collaborate Team takes care of this process 5- The new process covers the Analysis of the Space that we should save as Template and the Estimation to finish it. 6- Also we should contemplate the current release dates to provide the user the go live Date Save Templates with Content Some Issues are: New Process: 1- URLs that are inherited Some items to take in care to know in which Release the Template will go live: Templates Creation Process Columns Duplicated that couldn't be removed Current Process: Advantages and Disadvantages Features that couldn't be enable Content Type Duplicated that couldn't be removed 1- The user creates a New Space 2- During some time it's modified according to the project needs 3- As the space results useful for a whole company or area the user decides to ask for saving it as Template 4-The Collaborate Team takes care of this process, but during it we usually face some issues Duplicated Content Type This Process will be easier if... - The Site Collections are aligned - The user doesn't modify the Template meanwhile the support team is working on it - If the changes are planed with time Missing Features Issues Estimation: Duplicated Columns Hidden Features 1-The complex of the data inside the Space and its estimation. 2-The issues that we found testing it and the estimation related to them . 3- We will accept simple changes until 7 days before the first INT deploy. 4- Once we passed the limit to request changes the Template will go live in the Next Release. 5- If the user request new Changes after the first INT deploy they will be performed to the next release. .Dotx files required - Old Library Template

presentation on team building activities

Team Building Presentation

Transcript: CONTINUITY is important because it is what pushes us to reach the goal we have set. “When you connect with people around a shared INTEREST and ACTION, you’re accustom to have serendipitous things happening into the future.” -The target is to find an EFFICIENT way to integrate people, who CONTRAST in ideas and beliefs, and motivate them to achieve a common goal. Kare Anderson How do we achieve a strong bond as a team? “The world is HUNGRY for us to unite together as opportunity maker, and EMULATE those behaviors, and reimagine a world, where we use our best talents TOGETHER more often, to accomplish GREATER things together, than we could on our own.” - Oxford Dictionary defines team as two or more people working TOGETHER. We must do our BEST to ensure that the company becomes the BEST. “Opportunity makers actively seek situations with people UNLIKE them to seize MORE opportunity.” To develop a stronger bond as a company. March 19, 2016 TSL Sports Complex Constant CHANGE can deter a person from achieving their goals because they begin to INTERNALIZE the task as difficult and refuse to continue on with the initial goal. III. Working towards a common goal Tan Holdings : Team Building Presentation Looking for PATTERNS can help when striving to acquire desired change. II. Evaluate our current standing 1. We need to define what a “Team” is. 2. We need to evaluate our current standing. 3. We need to work towards a common goal. - Kare Anderson The company vision is to be RECOGNIZED as the most ADMIRED company in the Western Pacific. Goal: I. TEAM II. Evaluate our current standing I. TEAM Today’s activities will hopefully shed light on our personal views on DELEGATION, efficiency, IDEAS and the support we provide and receive.

presentation on team building activities

Transcript: Team Building: CTPIPs By: Vanessa Roth, MSN, RN, CCRN-CSC What is CTPIPs? This meeting is held monthly to discuss the outcomes and any issues related to the care of the cardiothoracic surgery patients with a focus on any complications and how to improve. What is CTPIPs? CTPIPs is the Cardiothoracic Performance Improvement Practice meeting. The meeting use to be held by the Nurse Manager of the CVICU, however since we have a new manager, the Quality Nurse Leader for the CVICU is now taking the lead. Members of the Team Nurse Manager Nurse Educator Quality Nurse Leader Cardiothoracic Surgeons Open Heart Recovery Nurses Pharmacists Nurse Practitioners Administrative Assistant to the Surgeons Cardiothoracic Surgery Coordinator Case Manager Any other nurses or staff interested in open heart recovery. Members Strengths Focuses on issues that need to be corrected for improvement. Strengths Presentations. Ways to improve processes. Ability to learn what the surgeons preferences are. Quality Improvement Projects. Collabortative Efforts. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA Weaknesses Scheduled Time. Weaknesses Respiratory Therapy is not present at meetings. Surgeons not always present. Data Issues. Lack of Follow Through on Assigned Topics Team Leadership Theory Lateral Structure instead of Vertical Team Leadership Theory Process oriented Prevention of Team Failure Effective Communication Skills Problem Resolution Encouragement Task Completion This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA (Aufegger, et al., 2019; Northouse, 2022; Weintraub & McKee, 2019). The Hill Model For Team Leadership The Hill Model Compelling purpose: Yes Right People: Yes Real Team: No Clear Norms of Conduct: Yes Supportive Organizational Context: Yes Team-Focused Coaching: No (Northouse, 2022). Proposed Improvements Encourage More Participation from Bedside Staff Proposed Improvements Propose a Better Meeting Time Set More Goals for Bedside Improvement and Follow Through Better Communication of Preferences (Homan, et al., 2020; Weintraub & McKee, 2019; O’Donovan, et al., 2019). Literature Support Literature Support Positive team work has proven to improve patient safety and the quality of care they receive (Kakemam, et al., 2021). Effective leadership is important for goals to be met and for motivating team members to be active in the group (van Diggele, et al., 2020). A breakdown in communication within a team can cause a breakdown at the bedside affecting the safety and quality of care (O’Donovan, et al., 2019). Leadership's behavior and skills are what motivates team members to be active or not (Northouse, 2022). Conclusion Conclusion There has more involvement from the open heart bedside nurses and this can be encouraged from the team leader as well as finding a more appropriate time to allow for everyone to participate. For this team to be effective and to encourage more participation at bedside, there has to be an effective leader that will follow-up and follow through with tasks and those that volunteer. The bedside team needs to feel that their voices are heard and that decisions that are made in the meeting are effectively communicated down line, otherwise frustration and miscommunication of preferences will continue to occur. References References Aufegger, L., Shariq, O., Bicknell, C., Ashrafian, H., & Darzi, A. (2019). Can shared leadership enhance clinical team management? A systematic review. Leadership in Health Services, 32(2), 309-335. Retrieved from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LHS-06-2018-0033/full/pdf?title=can-shared-leadership-enhance-clinical-team-management-a-systematic-review Homan, A. C., Gündemir, S., Buengeler, C., & van Kleef, G. A. (2020). Leading diversity: Towards a theory of functional leadership in diverse teams. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(10), 1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000482 Kakemam, E., Hajizadeh, A., Azarmi, M., Zahedi, H., Gholizadeh, M., & Roh, Y. S. (2021). Nurses' perception of teamwork and its relationship with the occurrence and reporting of adverse events: A questionnaire survey in teaching hospitals. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(5), 1189-1198. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13257 Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership: Theory & practice (9th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 978-154-439-7566 O’Donovan, R., Ward, M., De Brún, A., & McAuliffe, E. (2019). Safety culture in health care teams: A narrative review of the literature. Journal of nursing management, 27(5), 871-883. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12740 van Diggele, C., Burgess, A., Roberts, C., & Mellis, C. (2020). Leadership in healthcare education. BMC medical education, 20, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02288-x Weintraub, P., & McKee, M. (2019). Leadership for innovation in healthcare: An exploration. International journal of health policy and management, 8(3), 138. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2018.122

presentation on team building activities

Team building presentation

Transcript: Who am I? J JM A great template for a Technology Related Company What I do? Software Quality Assurance What I Do? Projects Projects Involved Trivia John Michael Vincent Jimeno Inspirations My Insptirations Social Media Follow me...

presentation on team building activities

Transcript: "The BEST trainers Are focused on the learning and learner; They know it isn't about them" What did you hear? Team Building activity One of your team members will think of a simple object or symbol, for example, a stop sign or a happy face. That team member will describe it to everyone as they try to illustrate it. The first person to draw the correct image wins. Don't worry you don't have to be an artist! This activity helps build our teams communication. What is Team building? The action or process of causing a group of people to work together effectively as a team; Events or activities to increase motivation and promote cooperation. team building Why is Team building important? Benefits in the workplace Working in a collaborative effort builds trust, mitigates conflicts and encourage communication among others Effective team building will produce engaged employees, improvement in mental health and morale and also encourages employees creativity as well as identify leadership qualities! Teamwork story: "The Stone soup effect" Team building story Moral of the story It's not about the position you hold in your community, but about the interaction with it that makes the difference A true leader will find a way to get attention and trust and in the end, the will to help from the community so they can grow better Moral of the story Think of a time when you were involved with a team... open discussion 1. What was the situation like? 2. What were your tasks? 3. How did you/ the team take action? 4. What were the results? In the story.. Example 1. Situation: The town had very little food. 2.Task: The traveler must feed himself and the town 3.Action: The traveler would make stone soup if the town assisted him with ingredients. 4. Result: The traveler was able to feed the entire village by rationing their individual portions amongst the whole

presentation on team building activities

Meeting Toolkit

Transcript: Meeting toolkit Amy, Judy, Leslie, Lynnea, Sidney Types of meetings types Brainstorming Brainstorming Planning Planning Decision-making Decision-making Problem solving Problem solving information sharing information sharing status updates status updates etiquette etiquette Organize meeting logistics: who what when where why how Organize meeting logistics: who what when where why how distribute an agenda and necessary resources distribute an agenda and necessary resources start and end on time start and end on time start with background information & communicate a clear purpose and outcome start with background information & communicate a clear purpose and outcome facilitating bad meeting behaviors facilitating bad meeting behaviors resources resources alternatives to word, excel, powerpoint alternatives to word, excel, powerpoint meeting templates meeting templates skills meeting facilitation skills how to prepare how to prepare how to inspire action how to inspire action listening listening preparing for a presentation preparing for a presentation team building team building games and activities games and activities ways to foster collaboration ways to foster collaboration problem-solving sessions problem-solving sessions common goals common goals

presentation on team building activities

PowerPoint Game Templates

Transcript: Example of a Jeopardy Template By: Laken Feeser and Rachel Chapman When creating without a template... http://www.edtechnetwork.com/powerpoint.html https://www.thebalance.com/free-family-feud-powerpoint-templates-1358184 Example of a Deal or No Deal Template PowerPoint Game Templates There are free templates for games such as jeopardy, wheel of fortune, and cash cab that can be downloaded online. However, some templates may cost more money depending on the complexity of the game. Classroom Games that Make Test Review and Memorization Fun! (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2017, from http://people.uncw.edu/ertzbergerj/msgames.htm Fisher, S. (n.d.). Customize a PowerPoint Game for Your Class with These Free Templates. Retrieved February 17, 2017, from https://www.thebalance.com/free-powerpoint-games-for-teachers-1358169 1. Users will begin with a lot of slides all with the same basic graphic design. 2. The, decide and create a series of questions that are to be asked during the game. 3. By hyper linking certain answers to different slides, the game jumps from slide to slide while playing the game. 4. This kind of setup is normally seen as a simple quiz show game. Example of a Wheel of Fortune Template https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Wheel-of-Riches-PowerPoint-Template-Plays-Just-Like-Wheel-of-Fortune-383606 Games can be made in order to make a fun and easy way to learn. Popular game templates include: Family Feud Millionaire Jeopardy and other quiz shows. http://www.free-power-point-templates.com/deal-powerpoint-template/ Quick video on template "Millionaire" PowerPoint Games Some games are easier to make compared to others If users are unsure whether or not downloading certain templates is safe, you can actually make your own game by just simply using PowerPoint. add logo here References Example of a Family Feud Template PowerPoint Games are a great way to introduce new concepts and ideas You can create a fun, competitive atmosphere with the use of different templates You can change and rearrange information to correlate with the topic or idea being discussed. Great with students, workers, family, etc. For example: With games like Jeopardy and Family Feud, players can pick practically any answers. The person who is running the game will have to have all of the answers in order to determine if players are correct or not. However, with a game like Who Wants to be a Millionaire, the players only have a choice between answers, A, B, C, or D. Therefore, when the player decides their answer, the person running the game clicks it, and the game will tell them whether they are right or wrong.

presentation on team building activities

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14 Fun & Interactive Presentation Games for Teams and Students

14 Fun & Interactive Presentation Games for Teams and Students

So you've got an audience to energize, students to engage, or a team that needs a little extra fun — playing an interactive presentation game is an easy way to do just that.

We've done the research and found the best of these games for you: we looked specifically for games that are simple to set up, fun to play, and flexible enough to be used with a variety of presentations and audiences. Most of these activities work virtually with Zoom/PowerPoint and can also be used in person.

Which of these 14 presentation games do you like best? Take a look and let us know your favorites:

1. Live Trivia Competition

A great way to ramp up the excitement and engagement is to enable a little bit of friendly competition. Trivia is an easy way to do this—plus, it can be whole-group inclusive and large-audience friendly (if you use the right tools).

Here's a great trivia game you can run with your team, students, or any large audience. It's already created for you with questions and scoring built in to make it even easier:

Here's how to play:

  • Make a free account here: https://slideswith.com/  
  • Click the slide deck and copy it. 
  • Launch the trivia game by clicking "Start Event."
  • Invite your group to join in and submit answers using their mobile devices (show the winners automatically).
  • Interact and play during your presentation!

This trivia game has questions on many topics to keep your audience's attention and appeal to everyone. It only takes 10-15 minutes to play, so it's a great game for long discussions! Also, this interactive activity is free for up to ten participants and is totally customizable.

2. Sing and Swing 

To really liven up your group, encourage your listeners to play Sing and Swing. This activity is best for long presentations because it boosts energy, creates a fun, light-hearted environment, and makes people laugh a lot. 

Here's how to play: 

  • Before your presentation, pick a well-known song and rewrite the chorus (replace parts of it with words and phrases from your presentation) 
  • When you're ready to play, show the song on your screen. 
  • Invite your audience to sing it with you!

If you have a fun group or a class of energetic students, consider adding choreography to engage your audience even more. 

presentation on team building activities

3. 20 Questions

If you want a presentation game that requires your listeners to talk more than you, 20 Questions is the one to play! A classic and simple activity, this game immediately boosts engagement and gets people laughing. 

Here's how to play: Have someone put an appropriate image or word on the screen behind you (this can be an audience member you trust or a colleague or co-presenter). To make things more fun, put on a blindfold so that everyone knows you can't cheat. From there, ask 20 "yes or no" questions to guess what's displayed on the screen. Your group should respond "yes" or "no" to guide you to the correct answer. 

4. Scavenger Hunt Challenge

To get your audience out of their seats, a scavenger hunt challenge is one of the best interactive games for presentations. It'll immediately energize your audience , team, or students while giving them a fun way to learn.  

There are tons of in-person and virtual scavenger hunt ideas you can use to dive deeper into your topic or help everyone learn about one another. But if you want a ready-to-play game that you can instantly launch without having any tech skills, here's a fun one to play: 

  • Use an email address and password to create a free account here: https://slideswith.com/ (a free account guarantees up to ten people can play at no charge). 
  • Click the game and press "Copy and use this slide deck." 
  • In the top right corner, click "Start Event."
  • Ask listeners to join the game by using their mobile devices to scan the QR code. Players should continue using their mobile devices to submit answers to questions.
  • Have everyone start hunting for items! 

This activity is a particularly fun game because it's a photo-hunt, show-and-tell challenge! That means your audience will not only get out of their seats to find items, but they'll also get to take pictures and share and discuss photos of what they find. This conversational element will help engage your group! 

5. Group Word Clouds

Whether you're speaking to team members, students, or conference-goers, this activity lets you ask questions and get your listeners' thoughts on specific topics. 

This game is the perfect way to start your presentation, especially if you're discussing something with a wide range of opinions or are unsure how much your listeners know about a certain subject. Group Word Clouds is also beneficial if you want to do a quick meeting pulse or know how your listeners feel going into your presentation—understanding their energy levels and mood can help you adjust (if necessary) to get maximum engagement and excitement.

To enjoy this activity, keep things simple by using a tool that already offers a ready-to-play Group Word Clouds game. Here's a popular one you can launch immediately: 

  • Create a free account by entering an email and password here: https://slideswith.com/  
  • Click the game and then copy it (the button to do so is right underneath the slide deck).
  • Press "Start Event" in the top right corner. 
  • Tell participants to play by scanning the QR code. 
  • Create word clouds and have fun!

This interactive game only takes 5-10 minutes to play, so it's a fast, fun way to engage your audience and feel out the room. Players can use their mobile devices to answer questions. This activity is also free for up to 10 people and is easy to personalize.

6. The Get to Know You Game

This activity is one of the best presentation games if you have a small group that doesn't really know each other. The Get to Know You Game is a creative way to do introductions, and it's really simple.

Here's how to play the game: Before the event, ask group members to bring a favorite song or item to the presentation (you can do this by emailing them). When you're ready to play, ask each person to introduce themself, present their song or item, and explain why they picked it. For those sharing a song, have them play it on their phones before they explain why it's their favorite. 

7. Live Poll Questions 

When you have a large group, it's not easy to find ways to boost engagement—but poll questions are the solutions, especially when they're live and interactive. With this unique setup, large groups engage by answering questions and seeing their answers displayed in a fun way. 

Your job is to make sure you actually find a game that showcases responses uniquely to captivate your group. For a quick and great option, here's a popular icebreaker activity that promises to display responses using fun formats like word clouds, donut charts, live graphs, and per-player: 

  • Create an account for free to access the game:  https://slideswith.com/  
  • Click the slide deck and press the button to copy it. 
  • Look in the top right corner of the deck and press "Start Event."
  • Invite your group to play the game. They only need to use their mobile devices to scan the QR code. 
  • Start polling your audience!

This activity is one of those fun presentation games everyone will want to enjoy, so invite all of your team members and students to participate. This game can accommodate up to 250 players and takes 5-10 minutes to complete. Tell your group to use their mobile devices to submit their responses. 

8. Assumptions 

This interactive game is a great way to break up your presentation to see who's paying attention and who can answer questions pertaining to your topic. 

  • Ask your audience to stand up (for virtual presentations, make sure everyone's video is on). 
  • Show true or false statements on the screen one by one. 
  • Tell people to raise a hand if they think the statement is correct and sit down if they think it's incorrect.
  • Continue until one person is left standing.
  • Award the winner. 

This activity can be as short and challenging as you want. Also, if your presentation is long, you can play multiple rounds to break up your speaking time and test your audience throughout your discussion.  

presentation on team building activities

9. Controversial Questions 

Want to see where your audience, students, or team lands on controversial topics? Then, energize your presentation with a fun, creative game called Controversial Questions. This activity has prompts that inspire lively debates, so it's a great way to get your group excited and chatty. 

However, to maintain a positive environment, make sure to find a tool that offers an office-friendly, classroom-friendly, and conference-friendly game. You don't want to sour the mood by creating uncomfortable division during your presentation. To make sure this game is fun and light-hearted, here's a popular one that's suitable for all audiences and ages: 

  • Sign up for a free account by inputting an email address and password here:  https://slideswith.com/pricing  
  • Click the game and press the button that says, "Copy and use this deck." 
  • Press "Start Event" (the button is in the top right corner). 
  • Have participants join the fun by asking them to scan the QR code with their mobile devices. 
  • Get controversial and play! 

This interactive game for presentations asks fun (but appropriate) questions like:

  • Does pineapple belong on pizza?
  • Does the person flying in the middle seat get both armrests?
  • Should the toilet roll go over or under? 

Players should use their mobile devices to submit answers. Up to ten people can play for free, and you can customize the game by updating the questions!

10. Word of the Day 

With this activity, you can keep your audience, team, or students engaged throughout your entire presentation. This  game requires listeners to be alert and recognize whenever you say the word of the day. 

Here's how to play: At the beginning of your presentation, tell your group the word of the day (it can also be a phrase if you'd prefer). Say that you'll weave the word into your presentation and that your audience must shout it out whenever you mention it. 

11. Mini Activity: Group Icebreaker

Whether you're doing an in-person or virtual presentation, you need to warm up your audience to get things started on a positive note. The best way to do that is with a quick icebreaker game. 

However, make sure your questions are fun, positive, and engaging. You can easily do this by finding a game that already has the best icebreaker questions included. Here's one that's ready to play (and requiring no tech skills to launch): 

  • Input an email address and password to make a free account here: https://slideswith.com/  
  • Click the deck and copy it (press "Copy and use this deck). 
  • Click the button in the top right corner that says "Start Event."
  • Invite participants to play by asking them to scan the QR code. 
  • Break the ice to warm up your audience!

Your group should use their mobile devices to submit responses to poll questions. Also, this game accommodates up to 250 players, but only ten people can join for free.

12. Process of Elimination 

This activity is one of the best games for presentations because it's simple yet fun and great at helping listeners get to know each other. You can play it at the beginning of your presentation or in the middle to give your group a chance to stretch their legs. 

  • Before your event, create a list of "yes or no" questions. 
  • Once you're ready to play, tell your group to stand up (if you're doing a virtual presentation, make sure everyone's video is on). 
  • Ask each question one by one. 
  • Tell attendees to stand if their answer is "yes" and sit if their answer is "no." 

The questions can relate to your topic or be totally random. Also, if you'd prefer to thin out the number of people standing, you can take a creative twist and ask your questions by saying something like this: "Stay standing if (insert scenario)." When phrasing each question this way, the game will end with one person standing. To acknowledge the winner, you can give them a round of applause or award them a prize. 

13. Conference Opener Icebreaker 

If you're speaking at a big conference, you need an interactive game for presentations that can get everyone involved and ensure every voice is heard. To achieve these goals, you should create an icebreaker game that works for large groups . 

Using an easy, intuitive template is the best step to take. That way, you don't have to start from scratch or spend hours making your game. For a template that requires no code or tech-savviness to build on, here's the best option: 

  • Sign up by making a free account here: https://slideswith.com/  
  • Click on the game. On the next page, click the button to copy and use the deck. 
  • Customize the template using the instructions HERE . 
  • During your presentation, press "Start Event" in the top right corner. 
  • Ask the group to use their mobile devices to scan the QR code and join the fun. (Also, make sure participants use their mobile devices to submit answers.) 
  • Play and engage your audience!  

This template has fun, interactive features built in to keep your large audience engaged. Those features include polls, word clouds, and ratings. Just make sure you sign up for a paid plan to accommodate the large number of people in your group—the free account only works for up to ten players. 

14. Two Truths and a Lie 

This classic game is a fun, energizing way to help your listeners get to know one another. It's perfect for small in-person or virtual groups and is an ideal activity for the beginning of your presentation. 

Here's how to play: Pick any topic (for the purposes of this article, the topic will be "movies"). In no particular order, say two movies you've really watched and one you haven't watched. Ask your audience to guess which statement is the lie. The winner picks the next topic and says two truths and a lie. 

Be Memorable With Presentation Games

Oftentimes, people forget presentations within a week or even days, and that's because the discussions are boring. But you don't work hard preparing a presentation for it to be forgotten. If you want your message to stick, all you have to do is make it enjoyable without being corny.  

If you want to be remembered and actually get people engaged, you need to make your presentation fun and enjoyable, without coming off as corny or desperate to please. Ivan Dimitrijevic, 10 Secrets of Making Every Presentation Fun, Engaging, and Enjoyable

Luckily, the interactive presentation games in this article are unique and exciting—they're far from corny. So, use them for your upcoming presentations to make your messages compelling and memorable. 

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12 Non-Awkward Team Building Activities That Build Trust

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One of the hardest parts about working on a team is finding ways to connect, build trust and bond. This is why non-awkward team building activities are one of the best ways to kickstart your group. These team building activities can be used for:

  • Sports teams
  • Professional development teams

Why is team building important?

No matter how smart, effective or impressive your team members, if you don’t have  reciprocity and team trust, you cannot work together well. A close-knit, high trust team is also more productive . I want to show you why team building is not a “nice to have,” it’s a “need to have.” The best way to approach your team building activities is with team science.

Team science is a scientific approach to collaboration that leverages the strengths and expertise of professionals trained in different fields.

We can use team science to build trust in a team. Before exploring my favorite science-based team building activities, games and exercises that will help your team bond, check out the #1 science-backed course, People School. People School is designed to boost teams to the next level.

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How to conduct team building activities

It’s important you set up your team for success before the bonding begins. Here are a few recommendations:

  •   Prepare your introverts. Extroverts almost always are down for a bonding activity. Whereas introverts often need a little bit of prep time. If you want to do one of these team bonding activities in a meeting or in a daylong workshop, send out an email ahead of time with the agenda. This lets introverts know you will be having bonding activities. If you decide to go deep and use some of the personal conversation starters below, then you might consider sending those ahead of time for introverts to prepare.
  • Nourish the belly, nourish the mind . I always like to have some special food or drink before, during, or after these team building activities. You never want to ask people to step out of their comfort zone on an empty stomach!
  • Get buy-in. If you have a boss, manager or superior attending your team building activity, be sure to give them an overview ahead of time in case they have something special to say or they want to lead the activity.

Now let’s dive into my favorite team building activities for work and play. Remember, every team is different, so you might have to try a few to find the right fit for you.

Pet Projects

  • Time recommendation: 15 minutes
  • Virtual Teams: Great for phone and video conferencing

Everyone has a secret hobby, side-hustle or passion project that they run home to on evenings or weekends. The problem is there is rarely an opportunity or safe space to share it. One of the best team building activities is having everyone on your team share their favorite pet project. This can be a current project, a past project or even a desired project.

Activity: Ask everyone to go around in a circle and answer the following question:

Do you have a passion project or hobby you look forward to doing in your time off?

Why it’s not awkward: When people have a pet project they LOVE to have space to talk about it. And when someone doesn’t have a pet project — no problem! Just switch the question to: “If you had unlimited time or money, what would your pet project be?” It’s fun to get wishes too!

Pest Projects

  • Time recommendation: 10 minutes to 30 minutes

A little deeper than a pet project is something I call a pest project. This is an advanced communication technique I teach in People School . A pest project is a part of someone’s life that they want to improve. It can be a skill someone is dying to learn. It can be a weakness someone wants to overcome. It even can be a source of anxiety someone is hoping to solve. A great team building exercise is sharing vulnerability. With this team building activity you want to create a safe space for team members to build trust through vulnerability.

Activity: Have people go around the table and answer one or all of the following questions. They can do these with partners or with the entire group:

  • Intimacy Level 1: What’s one skill you always have wanted to learn?
  • Intimacy Level 2 : If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
  • Intimacy Level 3 : What do you worry about most?
  • Bonus Level: If you really want to promote bonding amongst your team members, you can assign them one of (or all of) “ Arthur Aron’s 36 Questions ” to truly get to know someone. You can assign people to do them all at once in a daylong workshop, or even to do one at the start of every meeting.

Why it’s not awkward : People love talking about themselves when they are given permission and a safe space. These kinds of questions allow people to share vulnerable aspects of themselves and there is NO BETTER WAY to build trust.

Team Building Games

  • Time recommendation: 60 minutes
  • Virtual Teams: Too difficult over video or phone

One of the best ways to build trust on a team is with old-fashioned board games! These are also great if you want to pair new team members with old team members or break up an office clique by re-assigning partners. Here are some of my favorite team building board games:

  • Code Names: This is one of my favorite games of all time and is both fun and challenging.
  • Apples to Apples: This is great for getting to know your team’s personality preferences.
  • Candyland: For pure nostalgia, bring out Candyland AND some bowls of candy along with it. Everyone will be feeling sweet by the end!
  • My full list of favorite games for bonding here !

Why it’s not awkward: Have people vote for which board game they want to play. Oftentimes board games bring up great memories and get people out of their typical work roles. It’s an easy way to bring fun into your team.

Special Tip: If you really want to bring a team closer, consider hosting a game night (I have special tips for this here) at your home for the team. Invite spouses, BBQ dinner or do a potluck. This is a great way to bond quickly.

Virtual Murder Mystery Party

  • Virtual Teams: YES. It’s all virtual.

Have you ever wanted to solve a murder mystery? Without the actual um… murder part, perhaps? Then trying a murder mystery might be for you!

A virtual murder mystery is basically like playing “Clue” except it’s all virtual and a lot more elaborate. Clues, trivia, scavenger hunts, reading case files, and examining clues are all parts of a murder mystery.

Activity: Check out one of Snacknation’s 27 Virtual Murder Mystery Party Ideas . There are so many types of virtual mystery parties that there’s practically one for every virtual team out there, including:

  • A Sherlock Holmes–style mystery
  • A totally rad 80s prom gone bad
  • The classic murder mystery experience

Why it’s not awkward : Most people love solving mysteries. And it’s even better since they require teamwork. Hosting a virtual murder mystery is also a fantastic way to solve a problem and get those creative juices flowing.

Start, Stop, Continue

  • Time recommendation: 20 minutes to 40 minutes

Do you want your team building activity to be work-related? Great! Then the exercise “Start, Stop, Continue” is for you. This exercise is great for resetting goals on a team. Need to kickoff the New Year right? Start with ”Start.” You even can do this team building activity once per month! We do it on my team all the time.

Activity: An overview of one of my favorite team building exercises .

Watch our video below to learn the single best team building exercise:

Food Friends

  • Time recommendation: One meal’s worth!
  • Virtual Teams: No

One of the fastest ways to create bonds between people is to add food. It’s the ultimate commonality — we are human, so we all eat! This great research even found that eating the same food can increase people’s trust. You can use food in many ways for a team building activity:

  • Host a cooking class. Have a team retreat at a local cooking school and then do team icebreakers over the shared meal.
  • Cook together. If you really want to get personal, host people at your home and do your own impromptu cooking class together.
  • Potluck. Not a great cook? Don’t worry! Host a potluck at a local park, for a Friday lunch in the boardroom, or at a team member’s home. Then people can show off their cooking skills if they like, or bring a goodie from a local bakery.
  • Catered meals. The last choice here is simply bringing in more catered lunches or breakfasts to your monthly meetings. Remember, every time you feed people they get less hangry and bond more.

Why it’s not awkward : Food is the easiest way to make conversation — even with colleagues who don’t know each other that well. Especially if you have an introvert who is an expert baker, they might be able to use food as the ultimate bonding agent.

Professional Development Videos

  • Time recommendation: 10 minutes

A great team bonding activity is watching a professional development video and having a short discussion. You can do these at the start of weekly meetings or even send them out ahead of time for people to watch on their own before a short discussion. You also can have team members send suggestions to the group based on their findings. Hopefully, the videos can spark learning and conversation! We have tons of free professional development videos on our YouTube channel .

Ready to level-up your life? Watch our video below to learn how to create your own professional development plan:

Activity: Send out these videos ahead of a meeting to be discussed or use them as an icebreaker and watch them together at the start of a meeting. Here are some of my favorites you can start with:

  • Where to Sit at a Conference Table For Your Next Meeting
  • TED Talk: You Are Contagious
  • 7 Hand Gestures You Should Be Using
  • How to Work a Stage Like a Pro and Win the Crowd
  • The Science of the Perfect Handshake
  • 6 Fascinating Differences Between Men and Women in the Workplace

Why it’s not awkward : Learning is a wonderful way to keep employees engaged and stimulated on a team. Watching a video from outside the organization also can bring in some fresh perspective and stimulate interesting conversation.

Use Nostalgia to Build Trust on a Team

  • Time recommendation: 5 minutes to 20 minutes

Why do we do team building activities at all? Trust! It’s incredibly important to do trust building activities for your team. There are a few ways you can trigger more trust on your team — and no, not with trust falls! No one likes those. My favorite non-awkward way to build trust for your team members is by using: Nostalgia. Nostalgia is a sweet emotion that is one of the fastest ways to build connections. And it’s very easy to use as a trust building activity with what I call “nostalgic icebreakers.”

Activity: Ask one (or all) of the following questions. In a small group have everyone take turns answering, in a big group have people partner up. Choose from one of these nostalgic icebreakers:

  • What is your favorite childhood memory?
  • What was the best present you ever received?
  • Who was your role model growing up?
  • What was the best birthday of your life?
  • What have been the highlights of your life?
  • Bonus : Bring in a favorite childhood photo and share a story about it with the group.

Why it’s not awkward : Sure, childhood can be a little awkward, but these icebreakers allow team members to choose the most favorable memories to relive. In this way you harness nostalgia without the embarrassing memories.

Alphabet Work

  • Time recommendation: 30 minutes

This team building activity will help your team understand skill levels and expertise. One of the hardest parts about integrating new team members can be learning about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This exercise is a wonderful one to do once or twice a year, especially when merging teams or bringing on new members. I call it Alphabet Work.

Activity:  Here is an  explanation of Alphabet Work  and video overview:

Why it’s not awkward : This activity should help ease any tensions or awkwardness already lurking on a team. Have people been stepping on each other’s toes? Do you sense competition between members? Do this exercise ASAP!

  • Time recommendation: 15 minutes for each person

One of the best ways to build confidence on a team is encouraging people to be an expert in their field. Most team members share their professional expertise with their team every day, but they don’t often get the chance to show other areas of expertise. A great exercise is having each team member teach the group something. This could be anything from how to make sushi, to how to read sheet music, to how to arrange flowers, to 10 words in Spanish. The goal here is giving each team member a few minutes to teach the group something non-work related. You could have a teaching day, where everyone shares or you could assign one person a week.  This is a GREAT way to kick off a weekly meeting, with a new teacher each week.

Activity:  Set aside teaching time during a meeting and give people 15 minutes per person to present. Do this in one big teaching day or at the start of each meeting until every person on your team has had a turn to go.

Why it’s not awkward : You are giving team members a chance to show off in a safe way. This is also a great way for team members to learn about each other. The best part is, they choose what they teach. Simple or complex — it’s up to them!

The One Question Icebreaker

  • Time recommendation: 10 minute per icebreaker

Want to keep it simple? The one question icebreaker at the start or end of a meeting is one of the easiest ways to get team members to know each other and connect. I have a few favorites below, and the full list of our  professional icebreaker activities to warm up any meeting here .

Activity : Have everyone go around and answer one of the following icebreakers. In a small group everyone can answer for the room. In a big group have people partner up and answer one of the following:

  • What’s one thing the group doesn’t know about you?
  • What’s your favorite TV show?
  • What’s your favorite meal?
  • What’s your dream vacation spot?
  • What book, movie or TV character is most like you?
  • If you could meet any person, living or dead, who would it be?
  • Bonus:   Do Show & Tell.  Another fun icebreaker is to have people bring in one item to show and tell. You can do these all in one day or assign a new person each week. It’s a great pre-meeting icebreaker.

Why it’s not awkward : These questions are designed to have no wrong answer. In this way, people can feel free to open up as much or as little as they please. This allows introverts to open up more slowly and extroverts to take the stage in a controlled way.

Reading is a great way to promote team cohesion AND learning. You can choose to do a team book club with a fun fiction book or assign the team to read a professional development book on a skill that will help with their work. Even better — let each team member rotate picking the book for the month. Then at the end of the month have that team member lead the discussion over a lunchtime session. You will get a variety of books and opinions. Here are some great books we recommend, with corresponding summary articles you are welcome to use for your discussions.

Activity:  Discuss one book over a meeting and vote on next month’s selection.

  • Elite Minds: How Winners Think Differently to Create a Competitive Edge and Maximize Success by Dr. Stan Beecham.
  • Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards. I might be a little biased, but this book is pretty great!
  • Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You by Sam Gosling. Full summary here .
  • Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking by Shane Snow. Full summary here .

Why it’s not awkward : Rotating book choices is a great way to make sure everyone gets a turn and different interests are being tickled. It also allows people to share their personal favorite books with colleagues and have something new to bond about.

Bonus: Learn Team Science

  • Time recommendation: 10 minute warm-up at the start of weekly meetings

Here’s a bonus for you: The ultimate team building activity is learning about team science together. You have a few ways to do this. First, I recommend watching a video to be discussed at the start of each meeting as a warm-up.

Activity:  Here are some specific resources we have on team science you can watch together (or send these videos out ahead of time to be discussed):

  • The Science of High Performing Teams
  • Team Building Strategies for Virtual Teams
  • How to Build a Dream Team

Watch our video below to learn how to build a dream team with Shane Snow:

You also can take courses together. This can be a short and sweet class on a small professional skill, such as speed-reading or writing in shorthand. You also could bring in an  expert to speak to your group or lead a workshop . You also can have your team go through an online training session together. There are many great options out there! Here are a few we can help with:

  • Live Trainings:  I lead innovative science-based communication workshops on body language, leadership and soft skills.  More here .
  • Online Training:  Our flagship corporate training course is called  People School . We have hundreds of students from Fortune 500 companies all over the world who take our trainings as a team. Email us for more info for your company at  [email protected].

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  • 45 team building games to improve commu ...

45 team building games to improve communication and camaraderie

Alicia Raeburn contributor headshot

Team building games bring everyone together without the added pressure of work. Here, we’ve listed 45 of the top team building activities broken down by icebreaker, problem solving, indoor, and outdoor games.

As Ashley Frabasilio, Employee Engagement Manager at Asana puts it, “Creating a shared experience for teams to build relationships is one of the best ways to increase trust and encourage collaboration."

Whether you’re looking for indoor or outdoor activities, quick icebreaker games, or activities to bond with your remote team members, we compiled a list of over 45 team building games that you’ll actually enjoy. 

How to make team building inclusive

Teams with an inclusive culture tend to be more transparent, supportive, and happy because everyone feels accepted. It’s essential to make any team activity feel productive and enjoyable for the entire group, regardless of personalities or skill sets. Whether you’re working on building an inclusive remote culture or want in-person teams to feel more comfortable together, consider the following for an inclusive team building experience:

Inclusive team building means including everyone. Depending on the type of team building activity, you may benefit from hiring an outside expert to facilitate a team building event that everyone can participate in. Plus, the activity may feel more authentic because a professional is guiding you.

If you have introverts on the team, they may not be as excited about an exercise that involves lots of social interaction and do better in small groups. 

Teammates with speech, sight, or hearing impairments may feel left out during a game that involves blindfolding players and communicating without looking at each other.

Physically active games could exclude physically impaired teammates. 

Before choosing one of the team building games from this list, take stock of everyone's abilities. Find an activity that everyone on your team can participate in. Maybe even send out an anonymous poll to see what kinds of activities your team would be willing to partake in. Ultimately, the best team building activity will be the one that everyone can enjoy.

Team icebreaker games

Icebreaker questions and activities are the perfect “getting to know you” games but they’re also fun to play with teammates you’ve known for a long time. You can play them to get everyone up to speed for a meeting (especially on those 8am calls) or use them to introduce new team members.

Team icebreaker games

1. Two truths, one lie

Team size : 3+ people

Time : 2–3 minutes per person

How to play : Ask everyone in the group to come up with two facts about themselves and one lie. The more memorable the facts (e.g., I went skydiving in Costa Rica) and the more believable the lies (e.g., I have two dogs), the more fun the game will be! Then, ask each team member to present their three statements and have the group vote on which one they think is the lie.

Why this exercise is great : This game is perfect for groups who don’t know each other well yet. The details you share can be used as building blocks for late conversations (“What else did you do in Costa Rica?”) to give you a better idea of who you’re working with.

2. Penny for your thoughts

Team size : 5+ people

How to play : You’ll need a box full of pennies (or other coins) with years only as old as your youngest team member (not the time to brag about your 1937 collector’s penny). Ask every team member to draw a coin from the box and share a story, memory, or otherwise significant thing that happened to them that year. This can be anything from learning how to ride a bike to landing your first job.    

Why this exercise is great : This is a fun twist on a stress-free and simple icebreaker that gives everyone the chance to share a personal story with their team. You can play multiple rounds if the stories are on the shorter side or let team members elaborate on their stories to gain deeper insight into their lives.

3. Mood pictures

How to play : Prepare a variety of images before you play. You can collect newspaper clippings, magazine cutouts, postcards, and posters or print out different images from the internet (Pinterest is a great spot). The images should show landscapes, cities, people, shapes, or animals in a variety of colors and perspectives.

Lay all the images out and ask team members to each pick one that resonates with their current mood. Once everyone has picked an image, ask them to share what they resonated with, how it makes them feel, and why they picked it.

Why this exercise is great : This exercise is a great way to get a meeting or a workshop started because it allows you to get a feel of the room in a creative and unexpected way. You don’t always have to ask your team to pick an image that reflects their mood—it can also be their expectations for a workshop, their feelings about a current project, or how they hope to feel at the end of the day. As they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words, so this exercise makes talking about feelings easier for a lot of people.

4. One word exercise

Time : 5–10 minutes 

How to play : Pick a phrase related to the meeting topic and ask everyone to write down one word that comes to mind on a post-it. Then, gather these words on a whiteboard or put them in a presentation. For example, if you’re hosting a meeting about your annual holiday event. Everyone would take a moment to respond with the first word that comes in their head. If the team is responding with words like stress or exhaustion, you might want to rethink your process.

Why this exercise is great : This is a way to collect opinions, thoughts, or feelings about a meeting that’s well within most people’s comfort zone. You’ll have the chance to read the room before diving into the topic and may uncover some concerns or questions to focus on, which will make the meeting more beneficial to everyone.

5. Back-to-back drawing

Team siz e: 4+ people 

Time : 5–10 minutes

How to play : Split your team into groups of two and make them sit back to back. Hand one person a pen and piece of paper and show the other person a picture of something that’s fairly simple to draw (e.g., a car, a flower, a house). This person now has to describe the picture to their teammate without actually saying what the item is so they can draw it. They’re allowed to describe shapes, sizes, and textures but can’t say, “Draw a lily.” Once the blind drawing is finished, compare it with the original to see how well you communicated.

Why this exercise is great : This activity is a fun way to polish your communication skills, especially your listening skills. It also gives your team a chance to get creative and innovative by thinking outside the box to describe the image to their teammate.

6. Birthday line up

Team size : 8+ people

Time : 10–15 minutes

How to play : Ask your entire team to form a line in order of their birthdays without talking to each other. You can encourage other forms of communication like sign language, gestures, or nudges. If you want to add a little bit of pressure and excitement to the exercise, add a time limit! 

Why this exercise is great : Besides learning everyone’s birthday (which can always come in handy as a conversation starter later on), this exercise encourages your team to learn to communicate towards a common goal without using words. Although this can be a challenge and get frustrating, this exercise promotes problem framing skills, cooperation, and non-verbal communication skills.

7. Charades

Team size : 8–10 people

Time : 10–25 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of four or five people. The person who goes first is given or shown a random object (e.g., printer, stapler, keyboard) in private. They then have to demonstrate how to use the object without actually showing it in front of their team. Their team gets 30 seconds on the clock to shout out the correct word (you can adjust the time depending on the difficulty of the objects).

Then it’s the other team’s turn. You’ll keep playing until every team member has had the chance to demonstrate an object to their team. 

Why this exercise is great : This classic game is a nice way to break up a mentally taxing day and get your team to do a creative exercise that isn’t work-related.

8. Swift swap

Team size : 10–20 people

How to play :  Split your team into two groups and line them up facing each other. Team A gets a quick observation period (15–30 seconds) in which group members have to memorize as many things about the people in front of them as possible. Then team A turns around while team B changes as many things about their appearance as possible. 

Anything from changing the line up order to swapping shoes with someone or changing your hairdo is fair game. After about 45 seconds, team A turns back around and gets 5–10 minutes to find out what’s changed. You can adjust the time depending on the size of your group.

Why this exercise is great : This game is a great way to break up a long day and take everyone’s minds off work for a little while. Your team also gets to practice time-sensitive non-verbal communication during the swapping phase.

9. Code of conduct

Time : 20–30 minutes

How to play : This game is a great way to tune into a new project or workshop. Write the two categories “meaningful” and “enjoyable” on a whiteboard and ask the group to share what they believe is needed to accomplish these two things for your project or workshop. This can be anything from “regular breaks'' to “transparency and honesty,” which could fall under either category.

Everyone will choose ideas that they agree are both meaningful and enjoyable . Record these values in a shared tool to establish the code of conduct for your upcoming project or workshop. This list will function as a reminder for the team to uphold these values.

Why this exercise is great : Whether it’s the first day of a workshop, the beginning of a new project, or simply a Monday morning, this exercise is great to get everyone on your team on the same page. By establishing group norms and values early on and holding everyone accountable with a written code of conduct, you can create a sense of cohesiveness. If you’d like to do this exercise virtually, use our team brainstorming template to collect everyone’s thoughts.

10. Common thread

Team size : 10+ people

Time : 30 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of three to five people. Then ask your team to find things everyone in their group has in common. This can be a favorite TV show, an ice cream flavor nobody likes, or a common hobby. Encourage your teammates to find common threads that aren’t too superficial or obvious. The more things they can find that everyone in the group has in common, the better! If you have the time, bring everyone together afterward and ask the teams to share their experiences.

Why this exercise is great : This fun game allows your team to find commonalities that they may not get a chance to discover otherwise. It’s also a great way to reunite teams that feel a bit divided. Talking about shared likes and dislikes can be helpful to reconnect you with teammates.

Remote or virtual team building games

Bonding with your teammates can be more difficult when you’re working remotely. Remote or virtual team building games can improve remote collaboration , motivate teams , and create a sense of community even though you’re physically apart. You can use Zoom to connect with your teammates or do quick team building exercises via your remote work software during the day.

Virtual team building games

If your team is located across multiple time zones, you may have to get creative with scheduling. Ashley Frabasilio, Employee Engagement Manager at Asana encourages leaders to schedule these activities during normal work hours. Ensure that the activity is appropriate for all participants in all time zones so no one feels excluded. Using work hours for these exercises can also increase the participation rate because you’re not interfering with personal time.

11. Show and tell  

How to play : Ask everyone in your team to bring something they’re proud of or that brings them joy to your next meeting. This can be anything from a pet to a plant, a painting they did, or a certificate they received. Everyone gets two to three minutes to show off their item and answer questions from the team if they have any.

Why this exercise is great : Show and tell isn’t just fun for kids, it’s also a great way to connect with your team. You’re probably going to learn something new about your teammates and may get a couple of conversation starters for your next meeting from this game.

12. Photo caption contest 

How to play : Collect a few funny photos—for example a few memes that have recently been circling the internet. Send these to your team before the meeting and ask everyone to submit their best photo caption for each image. You can put these together in a quick presentation and present them to your team during the call. You can have a good laugh together and even vote for the best captions.

Why this exercise is great : This exercise is a fun way to get creative as a team and have a good laugh together.

13. Morning coffee 

Time : 15–30 minutes

How to play : Schedule regular coffee calls for your remote team to give everyone a chance to get to know each other like they would in an office setting. You can schedule team calls with four to five people or randomly assign two people to each other that switch every time. You can offer these casual calls once a week, bi-weekly, or once a month, depending on your team size and the interest in this opportunity. 

Why this exercise is great : Remote teams don’t often get a chance to just chit-chat and get to know each other without talking about work or feeling like they’re wasting meeting time. By designating 15–30 minutes on a regular basis to a casual call, your team members will have a chance to bond with people they might not typically interact with.

14. Lunch and learn

How to play : Hold a weekly or monthly “lunch and learn” where one team member presents a topic to the whole team during their lunch break. This presentation can be on a tool everyone uses at work, on a lesson learned from a recent project, or even on a book they read that everyone can learn from. 

Why this exercise is great : These events are a great opportunity for your team to connect in a more casual yet educational setting. If your team budget allows, send restaurant gift cards to your team members so they can order lunch for the call.

15. Online group game  

Time : 30–60 minutes

How to play : Invite your team to play a game online together. This can be an actual video game if everyone happens to use the same console at home or you can download an interactive game (like Jackbox ) which you can screen share with the rest of the group. 

Why this exercise is great : Playing a video game or an interactive game that has nothing to do with work can be a fun way to switch things up, create a more casual work environment, and get to know each other better. It will also give people with great sportsmanship a chance to shine!

16. Trivia games 

Team size : 6–20 people

Time : 30–90 minutes

How to play : Start a meeting with a quick game of trivia or host a regular virtual trivia night at the end of the work day. You can play a game of office trivia (e.g., facts about the company) or pick random other themes like TV shows, music, or national parks. To mix things up, ask other team members to host trivia night.

Why this exercise is great : Whether you’re making the trivia game office-themed or creating a regular team activity that takes everyone’s minds off of work, you’ll get to spend time with your team playing a competitive, educational, and entertaining game that gives everyone a chance to bond.

17. Quarterly challenge  

Time : One month

How to play : Create an optional challenge for your team to participate in. The challenge can be centered around healthy eating, meditation, journaling, or reading. Create a chat or thread where your teammates can exchange their experiences, wins, and questions to keep each other motivated and accountable throughout the month. 

Make sure your team knows that participation is optional. It never hurts to ask for feedback to spark future team challenge ideas.

Why this exercise is great : Creating a challenge like this for your team shows them that you care about their work-life balance. By offering a quarterly challenge, you provide your team with the opportunity to share an experience together. Plus, it’s always easier to complete a challenge when you have a team who supports you and an incentive to work toward.  

18. Personality test  

How to play : Send a personality test to your team and ask everyone to share their results in a chat or during your next team meeting. This can be a formal test like the Enneagram or StrengthsFinder . For something more lighthearted, you can send a fun quiz like the Sorting Hat to find out which Hogwarts house you belong in or a Buzzfeed quiz (e.g., “ What Kitchen Appliance Are You? ”).

Why this exercise is great : Depending on the type of quiz your team takes, this can become a funny icebreaker before you start a meeting or turn into a discussion on your team’s combined strengths and challenges. 

Problem solving games

Playing problem solving games with your team helps them level up their teamwork skills, resolve issues, achieve goals, and excel together. Whether you’re using new brainstorming techniques or going out for a team adventure, these fun team building activities are the perfect way to improve your team's problem solving skills.

Problem solving games

19. Your first idea

Team size : 5–12 people

Time : 10–20 minutes

How to play : Ask everyone in your team to write down the first idea that pops into their head when they’re presented with the problem. Compile the list and review it as a team.

A fun twist on this game is to ask everyone to write down their worst idea. After reviewing with the team, you may realize that some ideas aren’t that bad after all. You can play this game with a real-life problem, a fictional one, or when you’re brainstorming new ideas to pitch.

Why this exercise is great : We often get too much into our heads about problems and solutions. By writing down the first solution that comes to mind, we can uncover new perspectives and fixes.

20. Back of the napkin

Team size : 6–24 people

Time : 15–20 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of two to four and present them with a variety of open-ended problems. These can be work-related, imaginary, or even environmental problems. Every team gets a napkin and pen that they have to sketch or write their solution on after they’ve discussed the issue as a group. These will then be presented to the rest of the team.

Why this exercise is great : Some of the best ideas have allegedly been recorded on napkins (hey, when creativity strikes you’ll write on anything). This game imitates this scenario while challenging your team to collaborate on solving a creative problem.

21. Create your own

How to play : Each team member will create an original problem-solving activity on their own and present it to the group. Whether this entails a physical, mental, or creative challenge is up to your team. If you have the time, play some of the games afterward!

Why this exercise is great : Coming up with your own games is fun and a real creative challenge. It also allows your team members to showcase their strengths by creating challenges they’ll be prepared to tackle.

22. Spectrum mapping

Team size : 5–15 people

How to play : Present your team with a few topics that you’d like their opinions and insight on. Write them down on a whiteboard and give everyone sticky notes and pens. Ask them to write down their thoughts and pin them on the whiteboard underneath the respective topic.

Now arrange the sticky notes as a team. Try to group similar ideas together to the left of the topic and post outliers toward the right side. This will create a spectrum of popular thoughts and opinions on the left and more extreme ideas on the right.

Why this exercise is great : This game will help you map out the diversity of perspectives your team has on different topics. Remember that unpopular opinions don’t have to be wrong. Embracing this diversity can help you uncover new perspectives and innovative ideas to solve problems you’re facing as a team. 

23. What would “X” do? 

Team size : 5–10 people

Time : 45–60 minutes

How to play : Present your team with a problem and ask everyone to come up with a famous person or leader they admire. This can be a celebrity, a business person, or a relative. Challenge your teammates to approach the problem as if they were that person and present their solution (extra points for playing in character).

Why this exercise is great : Getting stuck in your own head can often keep you from solving a problem efficiently and effectively. By stepping into the shoes of someone else, you may uncover new solutions. Plus, it’s fun pretending to be someone else for a little while!

24. Team pursuit

Time : 1–3 hours

How to play : Form groups of two to six people that will compete against one another in a series of challenges. You can buy a team pursuit package online or create your own game, which will take a good amount of prep time. 

You’ll want to create a set of challenges for your team: cerebral challenges that test logic and intelligence, skill challenges like aptitude tests, and mystery challenges which usually ask for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking (e.g., come up with a unique handshake, take a fun picture, etc.).  

Why this exercise is great : A solid game of team pursuit will create a fun challenge that gives everyone a chance to shine and show off their talents. Whether you’re a good runner, a quick thinker, or a creative mind, everyone will be able to contribute to the success of the team. This game will bring your team closer together and show them new sides of their teammates that they may not have been aware of.

25. Code break

Team size : 8–24 people

How to play : This brain teaser is a fun activity that you can play indoors or outdoors to challenge your team. Outback Team Building offers self-hosted, remote-hosted, and on-site hosted events that include several codes your teammates have to find and break to make it through the course.

Why this exercise is great : This challenge requires creative thinking, creates a competitive environment, and works with large groups because you can break off into smaller groups.

26. Escape room

Time : 2–3 hours

How to play : Visiting an escape room is always a unique experience and a great way to spend an afternoon with your team. If you have multiple escape rooms nearby, ask your team if they have a general idea of what theme they’d like to explore (e.g., history, horror, sci-fi) and try to pick something you’ll think everyone will enjoy.

If you’re super creative and have the time and resources, you can put together an escape room on your own!

Why this exercise is great : Solving the mysteries of an escape room with your team will reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates, foster communication and collaboration, build trust, and become a shared memory that connects you together.

Indoor team building games

Most of these indoor games can be played in an office, conference room, or a hallway with a small team, but you may need a bit more space if you’re inviting a larger group to join in.

Indoor team building games

27. Perfect square

Team size : 4–12 people

How to play : Divide your team into groups of four to six and ask them to stand in a tight circle with their group. Ask everyone to blindfold themselves or close their eyes and give one person a rope. Without looking at what they're doing, the teams now have to pass the rope around so everyone holds a piece of it and then form a perfect square. Once the team is sure their square is perfect, they can lay the rope down on the floor, take off their blindfolds (or open their eyes) and see how well they did. 

Why this exercise is great : This game is about more than perfect geometric shapes, it’s an amazing listening and communication exercise. Because no one can see what they're doing, your team members have to communicate clearly while figuring out how to create a square out of a rope. Besides, it’s often really funny to see how imperfect the squares come out.

28. Memory wall

How to play : You’ll need a whiteboard and sticky notes for this game. Write different work-related themes on the whiteboard such as “first day at work,” “team celebration,” and “work travel.” Hand each teammate a few sticky notes and ask them to write down their favorite memories or accomplishments associated with one or more of these themes. Invite everyone to share these with the team to take a walk down memory lane and post the notes on the whiteboard as you go.

Why this exercise is great : This is a nice way to end a week, long day, or workshop because you’ll share positive experiences with one another that will leave your teammates smiling. If you’re finishing up a work trip or multi-day workshop, you can also do a slimmed-down version of this by asking everyone to share their favorite memory or biggest accomplishment of the last few days.

29. Turn back time  

How to play : This team building exercise works best in a quiet atmosphere with everyone sitting in a circle. Ask your team to silently think of a unique memory in their lives. You can give them a few minutes to collect their thoughts. Then, ask everyone to share the one memory they’d like to relive if they could turn back time.

Not everyone may be comfortable opening up at first, so be sure to lead with vulnerability and make everyone in the room feel safe about sharing their moment.

Why this exercise is great : This exercise is a great way to help your team members remember their priorities and bond on a deeper level. In a team that’s facing disconnection or stress, sharing personal highlights that aren’t work-related can help create a sense of togetherness. Although the exercise doesn’t take too long, it’s best to do it toward the end of the day so your team has a chance to reflect on what’s been said.

30. Paper plane  

Team size : 6–12 people

How to play : Split your team into groups of two to four and hand out card stock. Give each team 10–15 minutes to come up with the best long-distance paper plane design (they’re allowed to do research on their phones or computers) and a name for their airline.

When the paper planes are done, have a competition in a long hallway or outside to see which plane flies the farthest. 

Why this exercise is great : This exercise requires team members to collaborate on a project with a tight timeline. It is a great activity to practice communication skills, delegation, and time management.

31. Build a tower

Team size : 8–16 people

How to play : Divide your team into groups of four or five and provide them with 20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. Challenge each team to build the tallest tower possible using only the supplies you gave them. When finished, the tower has to support the marshmallow sitting on top. Set the timer for 20 minutes and ask everyone to step away from their masterpiece when it runs out so you can crown a winner.

Why this exercise is great : This challenge is a great way to improve problem solving skills and communication within your team. Your team members will have to prototype, build, and present the tower in a short amount of time, which can be stressful. The better they work together, the more likely they are to succeed.

32. Flip it over

Team size : 6–8 people

How to play : Lay a towel, blanket, or sheet on the floor and ask your teammates to stand on it. The goal is to flip the piece over without ever stepping off of it or touching the ground outside of the fabric. You can make the challenge more difficult by adding more people to the team or using a smaller sheet.

Why this exercise is great : This exercise requires clear communication, cooperation, and a good sense of humor. It’s a great way to find out how well your teammates cooperate when presented with an oddly difficult task.

33. Sneak a peek 

Team size : 4–20 people

How to play : Create a structure out of Lego pieces and hide it in a separate room. Divide your team into groups of two to four people and give them enough Legos to replicate the structure in 30 minutes or less.

One player per team is allowed to sneak a peek at the original structure for 15 seconds, then run back and describe it to their team. The person who gets to sneak a peek rotates so everyone gets to see the original at some point during the game. The team that first completes the structure as close to the original wins! 

Why this exercise is great : During this game your team gets to focus on teamwork and communication. Since only one person at a time is allowed to look at the original, team members may see and describe different things. The more complex the structure is, the harder this game will be.

34. Pyramids

How to play : Pick a large open area for this game like a hallway, a meeting room, or the cafeteria. Divide your team into groups of four to six and give each team 10 paper cups. Ask the teams to stand in a line with about 8–10 feet between the team members. Now it’s a race against time!

The first person in each line has to build a pyramid with four cups at the base. Once they’re done, the second player has to help them carry the pyramid to their station (this can be on the floor or at a table). They can slide it on the floor or carry it together but if the pyramid falls apart, the players have to reassemble it on the spot before continuing their journey. At the next station, the second player has to topple the pyramid and rebuild it before the third player gets to help them carry it to the next station. This continues until the pyramid reaches the last station. The team that finishes first wins the game

Why this exercise is great : This game is fun to play during a mid-day break, fosters communication skills, and promotes teamwork.

35. Shipwrecked

Team size : 8–25 people

How to play : The premise of the game is that you’re stranded on a deserted island and only have 25 minutes to secure survival items off the sinking ship. Place items like water bottles, matches, food, etc., in the “shipwreck area.” You can also print pictures on index cards to make things a bit easier. The quantity of each item should be limited, with some items having more than others (e.g., more water than food, fewer tarps than teams, more knives than ropes, etc.).

Divide your team into groups of two (or more if it’s a large team). Once the clock starts, they have to gather as many items as they deem worthy from the shipwreck and rank them in order of importance. Since the items are limited (some more than others), the teams will not only have to prioritize the items within their own group of people but also negotiate, trade, and exchange items with other teams. 

Why this exercise is great : This game will challenge problem-solving abilities, encourage collaboration, and enable your team to flex their leadership skills. Typically, teams with strong leadership qualities will have the most success in making these quick decisions.

36. Team flag

Time : 30–45 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of two to four people and provide them with paper and pens. Each group now has to come up with an emblem or flag that represents their team. Once everyone has completed their masterpiece, they have to present it to the rest of the teams, explaining how they came up with the design. This exercise is also a great opportunity to discuss how each group identified their common values and created alignment during the design process.

Why this exercise is great : This is a great way to get the creative juices flowing. Your team will not only have to come up with a unique design that represents their collective identity but they’ll also have to collaborate on putting pen to paper and presenting their flag or emblem at the end of the game.

37. Salt and pepper  

How to play : You’ll need a list of things that go well together like salt and pepper, left sock and right sock, day and night, peanut butter and jelly, or yin and yang. Write these words on individual pieces of paper and tape one sheet of paper on every team member's back. 

Ask your team to mingle and find out what’s written on their back by asking questions that can only be answered with yes or no (e.g., “Am I sweet? Do you wear me? Am I cold?”). Once the participants find out who they are, they have to find their match!

Why this exercise is great : Your team can use this game to bond with one another and improve their communication skills. If you have a large team, this exercise also gives them a chance to interact with people they may not usually get to talk to.

38. Sell it

Time : 45–90 minutes

How to play : Ask your teammates to each bring a random object to the meeting. Everyone then has to come up with a logo, slogan, and marketing plan to sell this object. After 30 minutes, each team member has to present their new product to the rest of the team. If you have a larger team, divide them into groups of 2–4 people and ask them to collaborate on their product pitch.

Why this exercise is great : This game is great to switch things up if you don’t already work in marketing or sales. It’s also fun to play with others as it allows your team to get creative and have fun with everyday objects.

39. The barter puzzle

Time : 1–2 hours

How to play : Divide your team into groups of three or four people and give each a different jigsaw puzzle of the same difficulty level. Ask them to complete the puzzle as a team. The twist: each puzzle is missing a few pieces that are mixed in with an opposing team’s puzzle. The teams have to figure out ways to get the pieces they need from the other teams by negotiating, trading pieces, or even exchanging teammates. Every decision has to be made as a team. The first team to complete their puzzle wins.

Why this exercise is great : Every decision made will have to be a group decision which challenges your team to improve their problem solving skills.  

Outdoor team building exercises

If you want to get a larger group together for a team building exercise, why not take things outside? Outdoor team building is also a great way to get your teammates to interact without the distractions of screens or smartphones. Whether you want to catch a breath of fresh air or get some sunshine together, these exercises will help you bond with your teammates outside of the office.

Outdoor team building games

40. The minefield

Team size : 4–10 people

How to play : Create a minefield in a parking lot or another large, open space by sporadically placing objects like papers, balls, cones, and bottles. Split your team into groups of two and ask one person to put on a blindfold. The other person now has to guide the blindfolded teammate through the minefield only using their words. The blindfolded person is not allowed to talk and will be eliminated if they stop walking or step on anything in the minefield. 

The objective of the game is to make it to the other side of the minefield. The teams can then switch so another person will be blindfolded and guided through the field on their way back. You can also distribute pieces the blindfolded person has to pick up on their way through the field to add another difficulty level.

Why this exercise is great : This game is not just a trust exercise for your teammates but also a fun way to practice active listening skills and clear communication.

41. Earth-ball  

Team size : 5–20 people

Time : 15–45 minutes

How to play : You’ll need a balloon, beach ball, or volleyball for this activity. Ask your team to stand in a circle and keep the balloon or ball in the air for as long as possible. To make it a real challenge, no one can touch the ball twice in a row. The bigger your team, the more fun this game will be!

Why this exercise is great : This fun challenge is a great way to get your team moving. If you’re struggling to keep the ball up for longer, try to come up with a strategy to improve your time.

42. Scavenger hunt

How to play : Put together a scavenger hunt for your team. This can be in the form of a list of photographs they have to take (e.g., something red, all teammates in front of the company logo, the CEO’s car, etc.), items they have to collect (e.g., company brochure, yellow sticky note with manager’s signature on it, ketchup packet from the cafeteria, etc.), or other activities they have to complete on a designated route. 

Why this exercise is great : The more people that tag along, the more fun this game will be. You can group people together who don’t know each other very well to allow them time to bond during this exercise. Try to come up with company-specific quests for your team so they learn a few fun facts along the way. You can offer prizes for the most creative team or the first to finish the challenge to boost motivation.

43. Egg drop 

Time : 60–90 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of two or three people and give each team a raw egg (keep some extras in case they break before the grand finale). Then put out supplies like tape, straws, rubber bands, newspapers, and balloons so the teams can build a structure for the raw egg that will protect it from a fall out of a second or third story window. 

Each team has 60 minutes to complete their structure. When the time is up, ask your teams to gather their eggs and egg cages to drop them out of the window. This grand finale will reveal which team engineered and built the best cage.

Why this exercise is great : Collaborating on a design and building a cage will challenge your team’s problem solving and collaboration skills.

44. Team outing

Team size : Any

How to play : Plan an outing for your team. You could attend a cooking class or go to a museum together. If you want to have something your teammates can work toward, plan to run a 5K together or host a ping pong tournament. You can also do something more casual like inviting your team to hangout at a bowling alley after work where you can play a few games in a casual and fun setting.

Why this exercise is great : Taking your team somewhere new will help break down some of the walls we often build in a professional setting. While you’re still at a company function, you’re more inclined to connect through casual conversation at a restaurant or park than you would at the office.

45. Volunteer as a team

How to play : Organize a team event during your regularly scheduled workday. This can be a charity event, yard sale, or fundraiser for a cause your team cares about. Even though these are enjoyable, scheduling them during work hours makes this feel like more of a perk than an obligation.

If your team members have a few causes they’re truly passionate about, consider making this a monthly or quarterly event. You can also rotate the charities that you’re helping out to accommodate your team’s different interests.

Why this exercise is great : Experiencing helper’s high can improve your personal health and mental state. Sharing this rush that doing good can give you will help your team bond on a deeper level. 

Benefits of team building

Team building is more than a fun break from your everyday routine at work. It also:

Improves communication, trust, and collaboration skills

Promotes a collaborative culture by bringing teammates together

Fosters agile decision making and problem solving skills

Boosts team productivity and morale

Uses creativity and outside-of-the-box thinking

Ashley Frabasilio believes that:

quotation mark

A common goal is to create a memorable and meaningful experience for folks to connect. Some questions to consider when planning an impactful team-building activity include: What do I hope folks walk away with? I.e., a new skill, a deeper connection to one another, personal development, a moment of delight, etc.”

Ask yourself these questions before proposing a team building activity so you can reap the full benefits of the exercise.

Bring your team together, creatively

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to build your team’s confidence, connection, and teamwork skills. While team building is fun, it’s also important to connect with your team on an everyday basis. To build one of those connections in your day-to-day work, the right collaboration software is key. 

Looking for the right collaboration tool? See how Asana keeps your team connected, no matter where you’re working. 

Related resources

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4 ways to establish roles and responsibilities for team success

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Listening to understand: How to practice active listening (with examples)

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Unmasking impostor syndrome: 15 ways to overcome it at work

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Virtual Team Building Activities: 39 BEST Ideas for Work

By: Michael Alexis | Updated: May 14, 2024

You found our list of fun virtual team building activities .

Virtual team building activities are group games, challenges and exercises via platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. Examples of activity types include icebreaker questions, virtual campfires, and group fitness classes. The purpose of these virtual activities is to build relationships, improve communication, and boost employee morale. These activities can be free or paid, and are also called “online team building activities”, “remote team building activities” and “virtual team bonding.”

These activities are similar to online team building games , team building activities for conference calls , and virtual group activities , and support virtual employee engagement .

virtual-team-building-activities

This list includes:

  • free virtual team building activities for work
  • hosted virtual team building activities for work
  • fun virtual team building activities for remote employees
  • virtual team building ideas for small groups
  • the best online team building activities for conference calls
  • quick virtual team building icebreakers
  • virtual team builders for adults
  • virtual team build ideas
  • virtual team building activities for large groups
  • more virtual team building ideas
  • virtual community building ideas
  • virtual team outing ideas

Let’s get to it!

Free virtual team building activities for work

1. virtual team building bingo.

Virtual Team Building Bingo is a fun team building activity for conference calls. The game is familiar, a little nostalgic, and perfect for both kids and adults.

Here is a template for your first game:

  • Distribute cards to your team members.
  • Use breakout rooms to encourage small group dynamics.
  • Award prizes to whoever finishes a row or “x” first.

Here are rules and additional templates for icebreaker Bingo and Online Team Building Bingo .

2. 50 States Challenge

Years ago, I worked with a team of Americans. As the sole Canadian, I challenged my colleagues to a “name the 50 states” competition. I lost, but for 30 minutes my small team was deeply engaged as we struggled to remember Nebraska and Wyoming.

Here is a template you can use to play:

50 state challenge

You can make your own maps too.

Get our free team building toolbox

  • icebreaker games
  • bingo cards

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3. Lightning Scavenger Hunt Activities

Lightning Scavenger Hunts are designed to be fun and quick virtual team building activities. To do this activity with remote teams, invite your coworkers to a virtual meeting and start firing off clues like “cuddle your pet,” “show a dictionary,” or “get your favorite mug.”

A game card for lightning scaveng hunters, including clues like "last book you read" and "kitchen gear."

The first person to complete each clue gets a point. You can score by groups too.

Check out our full instructions for lightning scavenger hunts and virtual scavenger hunts .

Hosted virtual team building activities for work

4. online office games (hosted event).

Online Office Games is a form of “Office Olympics” that includes spirited challenges, virtual team games and activities. Example virtual activities for employees include fast-paced trivia, Go Get It lightning scavenger hunts, and a communication game called “Can You Hear Me Now?”

presentation on team building activities

Online Office Games is energetic, competitive, and everything you need to build some serious team engagement while working from home. It is also our most popular event type with 150,000+ guests to date. We often hear from participants that these virtual office games were the most fun they ever had in a Zoom room.

Your team experience includes:

  • 90 minutes with an engaging teambuilding.com host
  • Co-host(s) as needed to manage technical aspects or large groups
  • All game materials and instructions
  • Client advisor team to help with customizations and special requests
  • 100% happiness guarantee

Learn more about Online Office Games .

5. tiny campfire ? (Hosted – Includes Kits)

tiny campfire is one of the world’s most popular virtual team building events. We created tiny campfire as a way to engage remote teams in a VIP experience that includes s’mores and an actual small campfire.

presentation on team building activities

Before the event, we send your team members a s’mores kit that includes graham crackers, mini marshmallows, Hershey chocolate, and a tiny tealight campfire. Then, on “camp day” your team members log in to a video conference room for 90 minutes of camp games, trivia and historic ghost stories. The entire experience is run by one of our senior facilitators.

Your tiny campfire experience includes:

  • 90 minutes with a professional teambuilding.com host
  • Co-host(s) as needed for support and scale
  • Premium s’mores kit shipped directly to participants
  • Continental US shipping included
  • Client advisor to help with planning the perfect experience for your team

tiny campfire is a world-class virtual team building event that you can try today.

Learn more about tiny campfire .

6. Ultimate Game Show (Hosted)

Ultimate Game Show is a fun and engaging virtual game show experience for teams. The event includes game mechanics inspired by Office Feud, Jeopardy, Price is Right, and more. Your team will strategize, compete, work together, and have a darn good time.

presentation on team building activities

Your booking includes:

  • 90 minutes with a trained teambuilding.com host
  • Co-host(s) as needed

Check out Ultimate Game Show .

Fun virtual team building activities for remote employees

7. “who da baby” (fun ).

“Who da baby?” is a quick virtual game you can play on Zoom or over a platform like email or Slack.

1980s photo of a toddler typing at the computer.

Instructions:

  • All participants send you a baby photo. Photos from around 2 – 3 years old are best because you will see more distinct features and not just a 6-month bundle of joy.
  • Post the images in a shared Google Doc.
  • Each player makes a list, guessing who the baby might be.
  • Collect the answers, grade the scores, and announce the winners.

By the way, the toddler in the photo is me at age three working on this article.

8. Minesweeper Online Team Tournament

Minesweeper is a virtual game you can play on online via Google. You just search for “ minesweeper ” to play. Challenge your remote employees to a cutthroat round of the classic online game, and time your scores to see if you can beat each other and me.

You can organize an epic Minesweeper tournament for your people and see who can race through the game the quickest. This online team building activity requires patience, precision, and thoughtful risk-taking; which are all good attributes to develop for remote teams.

Screenshot of a virtual minesweepergame.

I recently finished a round in four seconds, unsuccessfully, so the bar is both high and pretty darn low.

9. Praise Train

When it comes to praise at work, people tend to respond in one of three ways.

  • Soak the praise up like golden rays of sun on a Bali beach.
  • Accept the praise and “keep cool.”
  • Aggressively deflect that praise onto literally anyone else, AKA the Michael method.

Each member of your team will likely fit into one of the above categories. However, one thing will secretly unify your people regardless of category: they love getting praise. Start a praise train where each person compliments each others work in succession and watch the employee engagement take off.

For example, you could praise someone on their work ethic, and that person could praise a colleague on a successful client call, and that person could praise someone for writing a great blog article and so on.

This activity is excellent for virtual team bonding with remote workers.

10. Guess the Emoji Board ?

You can snap a screenshot of your most frequently used emojis and upload it for your team to see. If, like me, you and the folks on your remote team gravitate toward shrugs, flexes, Canada flags and Pokémon balls, then it is fun to see the record of it.

Screenshot of a users recently used emojis.

You could also play a quick virtual team building game like “Guess the Emoji Board.” Here is how you play:

  • Distribute a list of all players to each player.
  • Everyone has five minutes to guess the five most used emojis by each person on the list.
  • Reveal the answers and award points both for “having it in the top 5” as well as “having it in the right order.”

If you are looking for ways to make a virtual meeting fun or engage a virtual team in ways that are not lame, then a quick round of emoji ranking can help.

Virtual team building ideas for small groups

11. mister rogers calls (team favorite ).

Mister Rogers Calls are one of the best virtual team building activities during quarantine. The name comes from the goal: to get to know your remote work neighbors.

We have been doing Mister Rogers Calls for years, and follow a simple format. First, we use the Donut app to randomly assign conversation partners every two weeks.

The call itself should be 30 minutes, over video, and avoid work topics. Encourage your remote coworkers to talk about hobbies and interests outside of the job. For example, you can talk about how long you can keep a houseplant alive.

This post has themes and topics for virtual coffee chats .

12. Virtual Debate Club

In high school, I joined the Debate Club and attended weekly meetings. For the entire year, we had exactly one debate with another school. I don’t remember the topic, but I remember the guy who won spoke with fiery passion.

To run a successful Debate Club for virtual teams, you can:

  • Schedule a 45-minute video call.
  • Share best practices for debating effectively, including clear communication strategies and identifying logical fallacies.
  • Do mini debates on inconsequential topics. For example, a debate theme could be whether cookies with raisins should exist or not.

Here are some good debate club topics:

  • Could you make a cookie larger than Earth?
  • What is the best movie ever?
  • Oceans or forests?
  • Which way should the toilet paper go?
  • Who makes the best pizza?
  • Does Australia exist?
  • Aunts or ants?
  • What is the best way to cook eggs?
  • Is a hot dog a sandwich?
  • Should humans time travel?

As your Debate Club grows in sophistication, invite more team members to join. The experience will help develop important communication skills and relationships.

13. Virtual Ambassadors

Ambassadors is a virtual activity where each person acts as a country’s ambassador. During each round, a team member must describe their country without saying the country’s name. The other team members guess which country the person is describing to earn points. At the end of the game, the player with the most correct guesses wins!

You can assign countries to team members using a random country generator .

The best online team building activities for conference calls

14. tree or bob ross.

The Tree or Bob Ross game mechanics are similar to 20 Questions or Eye Spy and other virtual team builders. To start this virtual activity, one player chooses an identity, which can be anything from an object to a concept. On a road trip to Canada, one friend chose to be a small rubber ball. Explore your imagination, and feel free to choose really difficult identities.

The player with the identity is known as The Post, and all other players can bombard The Post with unlimited questions to uncover the identity.

Picture of a cartoon tree and artist, with instructions on how to play.

The opening question is, “is it more like a tree, or more like Bob Ross?”, to which The Post must answer only by naming one or the other. For example, if the identity was a sunflower, then the answer is “more like a tree.” If the identity is Pinocchio then you have a choice to make, and must commit to one.

The following questions incorporate a new word into the game. For example, “is it more like a tree, or more like a pile of leaves?” which can provide clues toward the final answer.

Here are more question games to play with remote teams .

15. Virtual Werewolf

Werewolf is one of the best virtual team building activities for conference calls, as it is a game of speaking, careful listening and voting as you seek to survive the night.

To start the game, players draw roles of werewolf, villager, medic or seer. Werewolves do the eating, villagers vote werewolves off the island, medics can save a player and seers can peer deep into another player’s soul to reveal their wolf-status.

Then, the game master announces that night has fallen, and players close their eyes. The game master asks the werewolves to wake up and select a victim, followed by the medic, who points to one person to save, and the seer, who points to one person to reveal. Finally, the game master announces the sun is rising and reveals whether a villager became wolf-grub during the night.

Anyone the werewolves eat becomes a ghost and cannot speak for the remainder of the game. The survivors debate who might be a werewolf, and then vote to either eliminate someone or skip the round. Repeat until you only have villagers or wolves left.

Here are more detailed instructions on how to play Werewolf.

16. The Longest Word

The Longest Word is a quick virtual activity you can do on video chats and conference calls. To play, arrange your people into teams and challenge them to spell a very long word.

For example, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is as hard to say as it is to spell. The team that gets closest to the correct spelling, judged by an arbitrary eye, wins. The winning team can then bet double or nothing by guessing the meaning of the word too.

Use this long word generator for your game:

This list has more vocabulary activities for teams .

Quick virtual team building icebreakers

17. virtual team building icebreakers (easy).

One simple way to start team building virtually is to add a round of icebreaker questions at the beginning of video conference calls. You should plan for 30 seconds per participant.

  • Where would you haunt for all of eternity?
  • What was your favorite sandwich growing up?
  • What is the last movie you watched and was it good?
  • Do you have a favorite family recipe?
  • What is your morning routine?

For successful virtual icebreakers, the host should designate who is next throughout the activity.

Here is a list of virtual team building icebreakers , list of icebreakers for virtual meetings , list of icebreaker questions , and a random icebreaker generator .

18. Something in Common

One of the quickest virtual team building activities you can play is Something in Common, which is a challenge that encourages your remote employees to learn more about each other. For this game, assign your people into small groups and then have each group identify the three most unique things they have in common. For example, a group might find a common love for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, experience with childhood violin lessons, and a disdain for fiery Cheetos. If you want to do multiple rounds, then you can make the virtual activity more challenging by removing broad categories like movies, books, and food.

Here are more icebreaker games for work .

19. Two Truths and One Lie

Two Truths and One Lie is one of the most common virtual team building activities for work meetings. The activity is conference call friendly, since all you need is a reliable WiFi connection and a little cunning deceit.

For the remote work version, give each participant two minutes to prepare two truths and one lie. For example:

  • I can read and write in Chinese.
  • I have consumed 3.5 KG of pure 100% cocoa during quarantine.
  • I once hacked into my high school computer.

Number two is the obvious lie; it has been at least 3.6 KG.

Have each participant share three facts and guess which one is the lie. You don’t really have to keep track of points for this game, because the fun is in learning about each other.

Two Truths and One Lie is a fun virtual game to play with drinks. Here are more online drinking games that are work-friendly.

20. Blackout Truth or Dare

This activity is a Zoom team building version of Truth or Dare.

  • All players start with their cameras on.
  • The host states a truth or dare like, “show us the floor around your desk” or “how old are you really?”
  • Players can choose to leave their cameras on to indicate they are willing to reply, or turn off the camera to opt out.
  • The host then asks one or more players to complete the truth or dare.

Use this tool to generate prompts:

Typically, a successful player from the round leads the next prompt.

Virtual team builders for adults

21. pancakes vs waffles.

Pancakes vs Waffles is a fun game I learned on a group trip. The game mechanics revolve around friendly debate and unanimous decision making, which can be helpful for remote team building activities.

To play Pancakes vs Waffles:

  • Announce the great debate; either pancakes or waffles is going to disappear from existence and your team has to make the choice.
  • When the team decides, anyone can nominate a new contender. For example, if pancakes survived the first round then someone may suggest cabbage.
  • The nominations tend to scale up into existential questions quickly. Bunnies or love? Love or humanity?

You can play until your team is ready to move on. Pancakes vs Waffles is a great way to engage the introverts on your team, because everyone has an opinion about the trivial subjects of debate. You can play Pancakes vs Waffles over Zoom, Webex, Google Hangouts and other virtual meeting platforms.

Here is an example game of Pancakes vs Waffles that demonstrates how it might go.

And here are more virtual games to play with large groups .

22. The Price is Almost Right

The Price is Almost Right is a digital team building activity where the host of a virtual conference call holds up household objects and other attendees shout out prices. The first person to guess within five cents of the actual retail price without going over gets 1 point for their team. If you guess over the retail price, then you are out for that round, but your team members may continue.

23. What Would You Do?

What Would You Do? is one of several scenario-based virtual team building exercises you can do.

How to play:

  • Split employees into teams or discuss as one big group.
  • Pose hypothetical questions.
  • Let employees talk through a plan of action.

Not only does What Would You Do? foster fun and engagement, but this virtual team activity allows coworkers to learn each others’ problem-solving processes in real-time.

Here is a list of would you rather questions to start with.

24. Healthy Lifestyle Challenge

A monthly Healthy Lifestyle Challenge is even more important during quarantine, while many employees must work from home. One month the challenge can be to drink a certain amount of water each day, and another month might be “activity of choice.” There are plenty of virtual challenge ideas.

You can track progress of your Healthy Lifestyle Challenge with this free tracking tool , which helps add an element of accountability.

A Google Sheet for tracking habits and virtual team building challenges.

After 30 days, the person with the most “x” boxes marked on the spreadsheet wins. Really, everyone wins because everyone who participates gets a little healthier and has fun with the challenge.

Virtual team build ideas

25. virtual show & tell.

Show & Tell is one of the best virtual team building ideas that promotes public speaking skills and storytelling. Having each of your team members share something about their lives also builds meaningful connections.

To do Virtual Show & Tell, ask your coworkers to prepare a quick story in advance, or do a more spontaneous “grab something within arms reach” approach. We recommend the latter option, as it encourages quick and creative thinking.

Here are more fun improv games that work virtually for team building.

26. Forensic Sketch Artist

Forensic Sketch Artist is a fun and creative virtual team building game. Here is how to play:

  • Split your coworkers into teams.
  • Tell participants there was a series of robberies last night. Luckily, each team has a witness who saw the robber’s face before narrowly escaping the scene.
  • Create a face with a random face generator .
  • Show one person per team the face of the “robber.”
  • Have the person who viewed the face describe it to their team. Other members must sketch the face based on the description.
  • After ten minutes, collect the portraits.

The portrait closest to the original face wins!

27. Personality Tests

Personality tests are a common element of job applications and on-boarding. You can use personality tests for remote team building too.

  • Send a personality test to your employees.
  • Have everyone send you their results.
  • Do a team call where you talk about the different personality types and how they fit in with team dynamics.

Here is a list of personality tests to try.

28. Virtual Escape Rooms

Virtual Escape Rooms are popular online team building activities during quarantine because they include social elements, problem- solving skills and teamwork. For example, your team may have to figure out how to pull off an art heist and escape or break out of a jail cell. The virtual activities are fun and interactive and feel good when you win.

Here is a list of virtual escape rooms with both free and paid options.

29. Virtual Murder Mystery

Murder mysteries are fun virtual team building games/activities. You can do a wide variety of game types, including historically accurate murder mysteries, or something entirely new like “Murder on Mars.”

Here is a list of virtual murder mystery games to try.

Virtual team building activities for large groups

30. typing speed race (competitive).

Your coworkers will love engaging in a Typing Speed Race. The race is a way to show off your lightning fingers and also a great way to develop one of the most important remote work skills: typing quickly and accurately.

Your team members can take the typing test and post scores on Slack, email, or other communication channels. You can also do a Typing Speed Relay, where you add up team totals.

Try the 1-Minute challenge on typingtest.com .

Here are more virtual minute-to-win-it activities .

31. Chubby Bunny

To play Chubby Bunny, have each person put a marshmallow in their mouth and say the words “chubby bunny.” Then, each person adds an additional marshmallow until only one person can complete the challenge.

A score card listing the numbers one through twelve, and with a chubby bunny cartoon.

Here is a guide on how to play chubby bunny by Icebreaker Ideas.

Important: Do not choke on the marshmallows, this is a fun challenge not a daredevil act.

This post has more fun workplace competitions for virtual teams.

32. Virtual Dance Party (High Energy)

One of the best ways to quickly build team morale is to throw spontaneous dance parties during video calls. We have a few recommendations for these virtual activities:

  • Start your call with a dance so that people can participate as they join.
  • Use dance breaks as a way to boost energy throughout the meeting.
  • Dance breaks are good closing activities for virtual meetings too!

Here a few tunes for your playlist:

  • Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
  • Yeah! – Usher
  • Twist and Shout – The Beatles
  • Shake it Off – Taylor Swift
  • Footloose – Kenny Loggins

Here is a longer playlist from The Bash.

33. Guided Meditation

Ten quiet minutes during an otherwise busy day can be an effective way to bring your people together and build strong remote teams. You can achieve these results with a guided meditation session.

Here is how:

  • Find a meditation exercise online or contact an expert to guide the group.
  • Send a video call invitation to the team.
  • Consider sending employees a care package with scented oils and candles beforehand.
  • Perform mindfulness activities as instructed by the guide.

Here is a 10 minute guided meditation on YouTube.

More virtual team building ideas

In addition to doing activities on conference calls, there are occasions for hosting virtual team building games/activities or exercises. Example ideas include virtual birthday parties and online fundraisers.

34. Virtual Happy Hours

Virtual happy hours are video meetings dedicated to fun virtual team games and activities and may be part of the work day or at the end of it. For example, you might include a round of icebreaker questions and then do virtual team trivia. Most people include drinks as well.

Virtual happy hours are also good for fun Friday virtual activities.

Check out our list of virtual happy hour ideas for more inspiration.

35. Virtual Coffee Breaks

Virtual coffee breaks are usually one-on-one or small group sessions that last 15 to 30 minutes during the work day. They help build relationships and community among coworkers.

See our list of virtual coffee break ideas and topics .

36. Virtual Birthday Parties

The essentials for a successful virtual birthday party are:

  • An element of surprise. Get everyone on a virtual call and tell the birthday person that the call starts five minutes later.
  • Fun virtual activities. Do icebreakers, lightning scavenger hunts and similar.
  • Heaps of praise. Use the opportunity to showcase the team member.

If you have a large team, then planning virtual birthday parties may become redundant. Instead, you can unite the April babies around the shared birthday month, and the same for the other 11 groups too.

Here is a list of ideas for virtual birthday parties .

37. Virtual Retirement Parties

Virtual retirement parties or “farewell parties” are online gatherings to send off a teammate. These parties generally occur during work hours and include fun virtual team building activities and games.

Learn more about virtual retirement parties .

38. Online Fundraiser

One way to build morale with employees is to choose a meaningful cause and raise funds or donations for it. For example, many offices are familiar with doing a food drive or a community sponsorship.

I recommend partnering with a donation platform to help facilitate the transactions and add credibility to the collections. For the cause, anything that resonates with your team can be a good fit.

Here is a list of virtual fundraising ideas .

39. Virtual Amazing Race

Virtual Amazing Race is an online team building activity that includes a series of fun challenges. For example, you can do photo scavenger hunts, rapid-fire trivia and negotiation games. Typically, you divide participants into smaller teams and then have them compete for points and prizes.

Learn more about doing a virtual amazing race .

Virtual team building activities are a great way to make virtual meetings fun, boost morale, and build community. These virtual activities include free and paid options and can take anywhere from 1 minute to several hours. I recommend following The 8% Rule , which states that you should spend about 8% of the time on any team call doing games and exercises together.

Next, check out our lists of virtual event ideas , virtual team challenges , virtual game night ideas , virtual team outings , and this one with virtual games to play on Zoom with coworkers .

We also have a list of free virtual team building ideas for work , a list of the best virtual team events , a list of Zoom team building games and a list of the best virtual team games for meetings .

For country-specific ideas, check out these virtual team building ideas in Australia and these virtual team building companies .

Book wildly fun team building events with expert hosts

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FAQ: Virtual Team Building Activities

Here are a few common questions and answers about virtual team building activities for work.

What is virtual team building?

Virtual team building is the process of forming bonds and collaboration skills with remote employees. These efforts can include team building activities for conference calls, scheduling virtual team events and similar. The goal of these activities is to improve skills like communication and collaboration, while also boosting engagement and job satisfaction. These activities, games and ideas are also known as “remote team building”, “virtual team build ideas”, “work from home team building”, and “digital team building.”

How do you do team building virtually?

Team building virtually is relatively easy. Like in-person, you need to plan fun games and activities for your group. You can use an event planner, or host your own virtual team building events. An easy activity to get started with team building online is icebreaker questions.

What are some fun virtual activities?

There are hundreds of virtual activities to choose from. Some of the most fun online team building activities include icebreaker questions, Never Have I Ever, “Can you hear me now?”, Mister Rogers Calls, and Something in Common.

How do you make a virtual meeting more fun?

An easy way to make a virtual meeting more fun is to include virtual team games and activities that are not work. For example, you might include trivia questions or a quick dance party. We recommend The 8% Rule, which states that 8% of the time in any meeting should be dedicated to fun virtual team building exercises.

Why is team building important for remote teams?

Virtual team building is important because it helps build happy, engaged and productive remote teams. Employees that work from home often struggle to feel connected with coworkers and the organization, and even more so during quarantine. By investing in remote team building activities, you can not only model the engagement of teams that work in offices, but actually exceed it.

How do you bond with a remote team?

The most successful way to bond with a remote team is through shared virtual games and activities that are not lame. Whether you choose pub trivia, “get to know you” questions, or an online workshop is secondary to the simple act of spending more quality time together.

How do you create a team remotely?

One way to create a team remotely is to invest time and attention in doing virtual team activities. Give your people fun shared experiences and they will give you a successful team.

For the greatest impact, you need to improve both group dynamics as well as one-on-one dynamics. So, you can plan virtual team building events like virtual happy hours and virtual holiday parties, but also paired opportunities like Mister Rogers Calls.

What are the most effective remote team building activities?

The best remote team building activities teach work competencies without seeming lame. Ideally, a remote employee should learn more about his or her company, role, and coworkers as a result of the exercise.

How do you include virtual team building activities in meetings?

We recommend dedicating either the entire meeting to virtual team building activities, allocating 30 minutes at the end of your event, or following The 8% Rule. The 8% Rule states that 8% of the meeting, or about five minutes for every hour, should include fun virtual games and activities.

What games can you play virtually?

Some games are made for virtual platforms, while others can work with adjustments. For example, “Can you hear me now?” is a popular virtual team building game built specifically for video meetings. A game like Werewolf works well for team building online because it is mostly speaking and listening.

What are virtual team building ideas?

Virtual team building ideas are ways to connect with employees and coworkers online. Examples of these virtual activities include Bingo, scavenger hunts, and Blackout Truth or Dare. The purpose of these virtual team games and activities is to build remote work culture and connections.

What are virtual team building challenges?

Virtual team building challenges are spirited competitions or games you play with a remote team. These challenges are meant to boost friendships and team bonding with remote workers. For example, these challenges might include doing exercise for 30 days or a typing speed race.

What are virtual team building exercises?

Virtual team building exercises are online group activities that sharpen skills and strengthen coworker bonds. You can think of these exercises as a workout for your teamwork.

Author avatar

Author: Michael Alexis

CEO at teambuilding.com. I write about my experience working with and leading remote teams since 2010.

309 comments

Sweatpants Dilemma and Virtual Campfire sound so fun and such a clever way to engage team members!

All of these sound amazing! If I could create one it would be office karaoke but instead of the singer picking the song, the rest of the team does. You thought you were going to sing “Don’t Stop Believing” Steve? Not today my friend, you’ll be doing “Call Me Maybe”!

I really like the idea of having an internal company blog. I read lots of blogs written by strangers, and I think having an internal blog brings that inner circle closer. It brings a stronger connection because you actually know who is writing it.

3:00 PM Yoga is a great idea! They say that sitting at your desk all day is just as bad for your health as smoking one whole pack of cigarettes per day. This is a great way to remind yourself to get up and stay active throughout the day, even if it only is for a few minutes.

Awesome ideas! Another virtual team building activity could be a Playlist Challenge. Select someone each week to share their favorite music playlist with their team along with reasons why they love the songs/artists. The playlists could be the music they listen to while working, exercising, hanging out or their favorite songs of all time!

This activity connects team members who may share similar music interests and gives others a chance to learn more about their colleagues.

Too fun! As a s’more-a-holic, I especially love the virtual campfire.

Another cool idea is to host a virtual happy hour. The team gets on a 30-1 hour video call. Instead of sipping drinks, everyone brings something to the call that makes them happy. Their derpy dog. An adult coloring book. Their home-brewed IPA. The rock collection from their hiking trip.

The team would get a sense of their co-workers’ interests, and might even spot some talents that can come in handy on the job.

What great ideas! Another suggestion I’d like to offer is Book Club! We did this at a workplace I was apart of, where we read engaging and interesting literature and came together weekly to discuss the pages/chapters we had read. Sometimes these books were related to our industry, sometimes they were just fun, but engaging reading. Learning more about how each of us related to the writing, helped us learn more about how we all approached topics at hand. It was great for improving our communication, because we better understood each others’ thought processes. I felt more connected to my fellow book club members than those that chose not to participate, these shared experiences within the pages of a book helped us build relationships and better understand each other.

Since this is all remote work, I think 3 pm yoga sounds like a good idea. We’re not getting any younger and neither are our backs.

What about “Bored (Board) Game Break”? See what I did there? I am hilarious.

Each week can be a different game from Cards Against Humanity to Jeopardy with the event host being Alex Trebec! Or even a Murder Mystery type event where each team member plays a different role and all have to work together to figure out who did the deed.

I think a meet your pet day would be a great one. So many people can connect while sharing about their pet. You could have a best costume or pet story contest. If you don’t have a pet maybe a significant other!

One Sentence Stories!

One word stories are out — they always end up with “the very big dog went to the market.”

With One Sentence Stories, you have the space to answer questions like “who is this dog?”, “why did he go to the market?”, and “why is he dressed in a perfectly tailored, navy blue suit?”.

Perfect for a virtual setting and lots of laughs! 🙂

How about hosting a backward’s meeting? We could develop the agenda and start with ‘closing remarks and action items’, move into questions, then reporting, next would be the presentation and finally opening remarks and introductions. The body of the meeting is where it would get fun because questions asked in the beginning couldn’t be addressed later. It’s mixes up a project status meeting that would normally be dreaded :).

Awesome ideas! A new idea — Virtual I’m a Picasso! ~* Who says you can’t be the next great artist with your epic team of co-workers?! Everyone get your best h’or doerves ready, because we’re watching eating some fancy food together right before we show our creative sides to the world! Everyone on the team gets a paint palette, canvas, and an image of someone else on the team. Now, you have 1 hour to paint a portrait of your co-worker! While painting, everyone on the team goes round robin with a game of two truths and a lie. Have fun trying to guess which is the truth and which is the lie while you paint a beautiful portrait of your co-workers face! Once the hour is up, everyone must show off their painting — and the rest of the team has to guess who they painted!

Beatbox harmony sounds like a fun and goofy way to connect with your coworkers!

An activity that can be done with online teams is an activity that goes in the following way. It can be called Just Post It! Often times people can have really creative ideas about how to deal with different issues in the work place. This activity is a fun way for colleagues to share ideas and finally get a chance to make their voice heard. Everyone gets a stack of post it notes and then a topic within the company can be brought up. Then a timer goes off for 20 seconds and everyone can adress the issue on the post it note but they can only read out what they wrote on the post it note. This leads to ideas being very succinct and refined because they have to be written in few words. Everyone can go around and share their ideas. This can be done in relation to work topics but it can start off with some fun questions in order to get people in a good mood and feeling comfortable sharing with each other.

I love Sweatpants Dilemma. I know of a few people who were doing virtual interviews who ended up losing out on the job because they were dressed in a suit from the waist up but were wearing shorts! Sweatpants Dilemma is a great way of making it a competition and throwing in some strategy to wearing jeans.

One game my office played which I loved was called Babyfaced. Everyone submitted a baby photo of themselves and then everyone had to write down their answers. The person who got the most right won a prize from the team! It was great because some you could really tell it was them but others you had no idea. And it was fun trying to dig up old photos of me with my parents, because that turned into an hour-long Zoom call sharing childhood stories! Just overall a really fun game I highly recommend.

Other idea: “My Creature Vs. Yours” / “Creature Cage Match” Pick two people during the team meeting to each build creatures of their own. The creatures would each have different characteristics of different animals, making them a super-animal. For example, one creature would have shark teeth, the wings of a bat, and the tentacles of an octopus. Then the two participants would share their creatures with the audience and a drawing of each. The participants would then have a debate on why their creature would kill the other during a cage match, and the audience would then vote on the creature that wins. The winner would then advance to the next round the following week, competing against a different challenger. The process would repeat until everyone in the team has played & a champion is crowned (round robin format). The recommended prize would be a package consisting of a sculpture of the winning creature, a framed painting of it, and a t-shirt with a drawing of it.

Virtual “potluck”! Have everyone make a short Bon Appetit-esque video of them cooking their signature disk and share around, then have everyone gather on a video chat to eat and converse about good food.

Poetry Prompt When I was in creative writing, we did a fun activity that got our creative juices flowing before we officially started the day. My teacher would bring in a different poster that was either artistic or a location and we would all use this to brainstorm a batch of words we could pull from. Then, we would take a few moments to write a quick poem about the poster and share them with our classmates. I feel like this might be a good way to interact with colleagues, provide a little break for the mind and allow employees to express themselves in a different way. If someone didn’t like poetry, they could even draw or create a word chart – whatever made them feel best.

“If it’s any constellation to you…” Everyone is given a constellation and must draw it to the best of their ability. The next step is if whoever is the closest and someone can guess the zodiac, is the star of the game. After that, there can be a treat of smores under the handmade stars.

Blindfolded typing test- you could have a team member blindfold themselves and have team members guide them through typing a sentence. Most of us have bits of a keyboard memorized, why not put it to the test?

Guess emoji board – Ask team members to name the emoji’s they use the most.

I love all of these activities! I think it would be a great idea to do a “Potluck BBQ” where everyone cooks something — like a virtual happy hour but with food. People get to share recipes, tell stories about any bad baking experiences (we’ve all had them lol), and bond over the love of food. Each person can have a different food category such as appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc.

Loving all of these ideas!

My suggestion is “Internet’s Got Talent.” This would entail a talent show held on zoom in which employees would have a set amount of time to showcase their unique talent. It could be anything from singing to showing a painting that they’ve created! Not only would this allow for closer relationships between employees, but it would also be a nice creative release. The winner would be voted for anonymously by everyone in the zoom call, using an online survey.

I have done a virtual escape room experience before with my family. I had the story line and locks setup beforehand and texted random clues to my family members before the game started (for business, you can email it). Then during the story line, if a family member felt the clue they had would be helpful, they would show it on the screen and we would all work together to solve it! It was a lot of fun and allows for different themes!

Fascinating ideas. Mister Roger Calls is very cool and interesting. Another idea that might translate well is Back to Back Drawing. One person describes an image that the other team mates can not see. The other team mates then attempt to draw the image based on the description spoken to them. And everyone takes turns being the one describing an image. Its a fun way to highlight how we can better communicate ideas and understand one another.

These are so great. I think I would want to do tea vs coffee every week, just so I had the chance to try different drinks! I also think a great idea would be a combination of two well-known games – HORSE and scategories! How it can work would be one person starts out by doing a unique stance next to their computer or tablet – it could be a stretch or a yoga pose or even balancing something on your hand/ face. The point is for this pose to be a bit distracting. Then, a random letter, as well as categories, are generated. All players must do this pose and in 60 seconds, list an answer to each category where the word begins with the generated letter. All people who cannot hold the pose for 60 seconds get a letter (to spell HORSE) – you do not want a letter! Then, everyone goes through their answers. Any duplicated answers do not get points. You want points! Whoever spells HORSE first loses, and the rest of the players stop and count up their points. Each letter for HORSE they do not have adds an additional two points. (For example, Josh could do all of the poses, therefore he has no letters, he gets an additional 10 points in addition to his scategories points. Then, you have your winner after all points are calculated!

How about some sort of home scavenger hunt? Everyone has to find a requested object (e.g. paperclip) and hold it up onscreen to continue to the next round. The objects get more and more unique until the last person with all the requested objects wins. Example of the progression: Paperclip, bag of chips, baseball, ashtray, spork.)

What if we play “guessing what he said? 2 teams are made. Each team of 2 – 4 people. Team A: mutes their microphone from the platform they are using, sea zoom, equipment, etc. And they must think of a word that it is difficult to announce and demand to vocalize for team B having to guess what he said. A stopwatch with a time limit of 1 minute is placed. If he does not guess, switch roles. Team B must mute his microphone and do the same so that Team A guess what Team B said by lip reading on the screens.

A scavenger hunt where as a team you have to search for and share photos of certain items (a piece of street art, a unique looking car, statue, etc.) would be a fun project.

Awesome! My favorite would be 3 PM with Yoga Norman!!! I work from home, which can be isolating- so virtual team building is so important! I’m a writer in CO, my editor was in UT and her other writers were scattered throughout the US. To keep us connected, every Monday we’d start a virtual writer’s thread. Our editor would create the title and we’d each write a paragraph adding to the previous one. At the end of the week the work was so fun to read and share!

Sweatpants Dilemma, sounds like so much fun! Anything to make the workday easier is for me. I thought of another activity that might work as a remote team building exercise. Before the meeting starts, give a funny phrase that team members must remember without writing it down. Then throughout the meeting at random times, the leader of the meeting can ask random team members to repeat the unique word or phrase. This might help keep team members awake during the meeting and it also helps memory. One can even provide each team member with a unique word or phrase that they must blurt out at any requested time. This might make it even funnier. What do you guys think?

I love all of the ideas!

I’d think about doing something like a stand-up comic day where everyone takes 5 minutes to tell their favorite jokes while everyone has a great time laughing. This helps improve stage freight, being comfortable with your team members and having confidence in yourself.

These are great ideas! I’d love to participate in a game where the entire team creates a poem or story together. I envision someone initiating with a random sentence or verse, then have the next person continue it, and so on until everyone has a turn. This would keep the team engaged and thinking on their toes, while also showing their creative and funny side. I think it’d be a great ice breaker!

Great ideas! I am applying for teambuilding.com, and my idea for a virtual team building exercise is building a dictionary together. Some fake words are made up and presented to the group. Everyone makes up a definition for it and votes for their favorite. Then they do the same with a synonym and a sentence using the word. This is repeated for all of the made up words. This builds team work and creativity while providing fun and friendly competition to boost moral.

I love how unique these ideas are! I’d also suggest a walking/running team building activity for the teams. Here’s how it would work:

1. A timeline would be set (probably between 4-6 weeks). 2. The team can be split into two larger teams, work as individuals, or work as one big team. 3. Choose a “starting” location anywhere in the world. 3. The idea would be for each person to keep track of how many steps he or she takes each day (this can be counted on many smart phones, watches or step counters). The objective would be to see how far across the world each individual or each team could walk within the designated timeline. For example, if roughly 10,000 steps is equal to 5 miles, how far could each team walk? From LA to New York? From New York to Madrid?

This activity would promote both exercise and fun, healthy competition for the team to bond over.

These are all wonderful and unique ideas!

A fun ice-breaker that I used to run for the kids in my program was called, “I like pancakes”. This game’s sole objective was to help the children learn the names of their peers. The indirect focus was to create a fun and light-hearted environment within the classroom. This activity can be used in any circumstance, physically or virtually, with all ages. (usually works if the adults don’t mind being a little goofy or silly)

This activity is best used when the participants are meeting for the first time. Basically, the facilitator will have all of the participants introduce themselves. After the introductions are complete, have a first/main participant close their eyes or turn around at their desk (typically this is the person who believes they know everyone’s names by heart). After that is done, depending on the type of meeting, choose a second participant within the group by either a raise of hands or through chat (Note: this selection portion has to be as silent as possible). Once you have the second participant ready, have them say, “I like pancakes” (or any phrase you choose) in the most unrecognizable way possible. So that means the second participant can use a deep-toned voice, high-pitched voice, or any possible vocal change to disguise their identity (the goofier the better). In the end, the first/main participant who has their eyes closed has to guess who they think the second participant is by just listening. You can give the guesser a limited number of tries before the revealing the identity of the second participant. At this point, you can adjust the game with as many participants in a single round as you want. I promise, it could be a game full of laughter and will definitely break the tension.

Typing speed race Increase your typing speed while racing against others Your typing speed will improve by at least 10 WPM if you play this free game at least once a week. Typing speed race is much more fun than just a free typing test. This will help you to enhance the basic typing skill and soon will be a big help when applying for a job.

What about Hosting a “Get to know your Co-worker” Hour? It could be a 60 minutes video call where each co-worker describes the fun and creative aspect of a project they recently succeeded at over the last 1 month.

For example, it could be someone teaching their dog potty training, writing a blog post that went viral, designing a great app, e.t.c. It’s all about showing talents and creativity.

I like the idea above about 3pm Yoga, but I also love the idea of a Zoom happy hour from the comments! 🙂

If I showed you how you could increase your memory by 3x in under 30 mins, would that interest you?

Let’s call this game the ‘Memory Power Play’.

Having a great memory is an important skill to have today.

So how it works is, first we give the team members a list of 50 random object names, like a chair, remote etc., and associate them with a specific number between 1-50.

The team would have 10 mins to memorize them. After 10 mins, we call out the number and they need to write down the object associated with it and vice versa.

Then test them for all 50 words/numbers, ask them to note down the score. An average person should get not more than 30% of the answers correct.

After the scores have been noted, we introduce the technique that will help them improve their previous score by almost 300% in under 30 minutes. (I kid you not!)

We then present them with a new list of random objects associated with numbers between 1-50.

Give them 10 minutes to memorize the same and then call out the numbers or objects as done earlier.

Have them note the scores.

Did they notice the difference? I’m sure they’ve seen their scores increase by a significant number.

I’ll be happy to further discuss the ‘Memory Power Play’. This should work for remote as well as non-remote teams.

All these games are awesome , but how about virtual “Family Feud” . Before hand you come up with questions to ask and what the answers would be and how much points they are worth. You break the group into teams and someone could also play Steve. Family Feud in general is a great game to play as a family so with your coworkers it could be even better. !

I love the virtual dance party and yoga ideas. There are so many options for different types of people and I think that is great!

What about a Virtual Happy Hour? People can gather together with drinks and food and just talk and get to know each other. Maybe have some prompts for suggested questions. And add themed trivia to that as well, ( the office themed, marvel, the 80’s, etc.)

I love the variety of virtual team building activities on this list! Virtual Time Capsule, 3PM Yoga, and Mister Roger Calls stuck out to me.

I have two suggestions for remote team building!

1) Friday Film Screenings For Friday Film Screenings, a coworker is assigned every week to suggest a movie or documentary they love or are interested in. Then, time is set aside on Friday afternoons or evenings for the whole team to watch the movie or documentary together. The assigned coworker can then share why they chose the movie or documentary. To make things more interesting, the company can also suggest themes or topics for the week’s film.

2) Virtual Yearbook This idea is based off of signing yearbooks. Every week, a new coworker is nominated, and the other team members write a short message about that coworker that mentions what they find unique about that person or shares a standout experience they’ve had with that person. At the end, all responses are collected and presented to that coworker. If the team has some shy members, you may also give the option to submit their message anonymously.

Anyways, great seeing all this creativity! The team building activities all look fun to try.

Teambuilding could be a place where no idea is bad and you don’t have to feel embarrassed by any ideas that you give out there.

There should be 1 phrase stories instead of 1 word so the stories can be more intricate/interesting.

Play a “dad joke” game. Every team member has to tell their best (or worst) dad jokes in order (i.e. the same person who tells the first joke is the same person who starts the second round of jokes). Rate each joke (not their own) from one to five, one being “gosh dad *eye roll*” and five being “LOL.” At the end of five jokes per person, total up every person’s tally. Who got the highest score? They’re the winner of Ultimate Dad Jokes.

The Alien Landing! (My twist on 3 truths and 1 Lie)

An alien has landed on earth! (via team conference call) -Each team member will have the chance to play the alien. You can choose your alien any which way you like (think of a number in your head, pick a color, anything!) – The chosen “alien” will pick an individual to “abduct” -The individual will then tell the aline 3 truths and 1 lie, if they alien figures out the lie he/she can stay in the game and will not be “abducted”. -If the “alien” fails then that individual stays in and will avoid abduction! I think this is a fun kinda game to get to know your team/co-workers while also having some fun!

Avoid the mid-day meltdown with activities such as meditation station and online comedy show resonate with me.

I thought about “meme o’clock” What a team member finds funny on the web is a perfect way to understand their uniqueness. With a virtual staff, how about sharing favorite meme bringing comedy into the day. Staff can comment and add more memes to a platform. This is done in less than 30 minutes

A quick thought.

What about the Rapid Fire? A person asks the question and the other team members answer it with the very first thing that comes in their mind. OR Share the work activity! By the way, a great strategy to get traffic to your website and gets them engaging and also get new ideas out of people.

Studies show that groups who perform an action in unison have an easier time empathizing with each other and are more generous when working together. This is perfect for building a collaborative environment.

So rather than a spontaneous dance party, this would be a Synchronized Remote Dance. One instructor (or a YouTube instructional video) shows the steps, and the team sets a goal of everyone getting to a certain milestone by the end of the exercise (say, the first 10 steps). Do this once during the mid-afternoon energy slump to get everyone’s blood pumping again, and build a stronger sense of community within your remote team.

Virtual charades (who’s the Captain) Everyone is on a virtual meeting, At random someone is chosen to be captain (which is unbeknownst), The captain now has the power to private message a contestant to act out in a charade. Whoever gets it right first within the 30 seconds becomes the new captain and the games begins again with a new captain and contestant every 30 seconds.

I love the virtual campfire idea! Such a fun, sweet way to get together with coworkers. Chocolate and graham crackers? I’m in!

Personally, I’m competitive. I’d like to add minute-to-win-it games! Similarly to sending a s’more kit, send a kit with an easy minute-to-win-it game such as “Pass the m&m”. Each person has five m&ms in their kit along with a straw. Everyone is split into teams and you move quickly to move the m&m from one side to the other before the next person can go!

I would love to do a virtual Pictionary competition with a future work team. A team could even use the computer itself rather than drawing with a pen on paper, they could try using the application Paint!

The company would break apart into teams and play against one another, swapping teams halfway through to ensure everyone gets to know each other a little better.

Pictionary would create an atmosphere that is fun and playful but also requires a lot of listening and clear communication.

These are so awesome and innovative! I really love the idea of an internal company blog.

I think it would be super fun to play a game with Zoom and their option to have fun backgrounds! In one version, there could be a contest to see who has the funniest background. Before anyone has their camera turned on for others to see, people can have their backgrounds set up. Then someone can instruct everyone to turn their cameras on at the same time to reveal everyone’s choice. This can be followed with a quick explanation by each person, if need be. But in the funniest cases, the backgrounds will speak for themselves!

This can also be adapted to work if you’re looking for a more vulnerable activity as well. People can select backgrounds that represent a “happy place” for them and choose to share a short explanation as to why this background feels special to them. It can really help humanize things when people may not always agree with their coworkers at face value.

One Has to Go. You show everyone a series of pictures for any topic (foods, tv shows, etc.) and everyone has to pick which one they would have to live the rest of their life without if they had to. I think you could have a lot of fun conversations about whether you’d give up Harry Potter of the Hunger Games.

I’ve always liked writing stories or songs together during teambuilding. My own twist on that would be to write a skit with teammates and then act it out together. Their could be a list of scenarios that are starting points, or objects that must be included or mentioned. Seeing how much everyone is able to come out of their shell and bridge the virtual gap by actively acting together would foster community and empathy.

A remote team building activity that could prove useful would be a scavenger hunt that deals with skills and competency of the team members. The team leader/Manager will develop a list of skills and competencies that relate to the different positions within the team. Each member will have to guess what position it is listed for and describe why they believe it so. I believe this would open up communications, develop trust and help your team get to know each other.

These are great ideas! Kudos to commenters as well – some of those ideas sound like things I want to do!

I think it could be cool to use the Breakout rooms feature of Zoom to create teams, and to have each team create a story, then narrate it using household items as props. The household items would have to come from a predetermined list of things that are allowable, and there could be limits on how many of any one item were allowed – so, only 6 toilet paper tubes total, only 1 square foot of foil total, etc. When done, each team would present their skit to the entire group, with the goal being to not only tell a story that is engaging and interesting, using the props to support the story – but also to try to use some of the idiosyncrasies of online meeting platforms as an element!

I think one team building activity we can do with remote teams can be online games where you have to split into teams, this will help each other build stronger relationships with each other since teamwork is needed to win. This will also help strengthen the bonds we have with each other to help us work together more efficiently as a team in the long run.

Putting a twist on the bake-off idea, require players to come up with their best dish but limit them to three to four ingredients. For example, each player can only use flour, eggs, butter, and sugar and has to come up with the most creative dish only using those ingredients. A fun way to get everyone to think outside of the box!

Virtual game of Family Feud or create a color wheel with objects found around your home or office!

I think a great exercise would be Odd Couples. The group each confidentially given one name out of a pair (ex. Pepper) that they cannot see. There are enough pairs to have everyone in the group find their matching couple (ex. Pepper and Salt). Then the group must ask each other yes or no questions to determine a) what they are and b) where their partner is. Once they’ve found their partner, they win!

My favorite group bonding experience to do remotely is Wikipedia Deep Dive! You all start with a random article and try to make it back to a certain article, or you just spend time reading interesting fun facts to one another!

I love all the ideas in Teambuilding.com and as well as all the ideas on the comments. I personally like the Virtual Dance Party that should be fun and interesting in a conference call. You know another idea to get though our crazy day is a break video call with everyone and play the game UNO while drinking our virgin cocktails and eating some chips with guacamole or salsa sauce. Pretending we are all next to each other having a good time, de-stressing from a long day at work.

A great virtual team building activity is Lip Sync Battle Team Building edition. Split into two to three teams and battle it out but there is a twist. Each team don’t pick their songs, one of the other teams pick the song and watch your team work together to put on the performance of your life. At the end of each performance the other teams rate how moved they were. The team with the most points win!

Rap Battle Royale

This is a tournament based game to see who will becoming the next Rap Battle Champion! 1. Each person will be pair with someone who they will go against. 2. Everyone need to come up with a thirty second rap that will beat their opponent. —The trick is that the host will give everyone a word that they all have to use in their raps. 3. Once everyone is finished writing their raps, they will go against the person they were paired up against. 4. The rest of the group will vote to see who’s rap is the best. 5. All steps will repeat until their is a Rap Battle Champoin!

Team Building Activity Read my lips….. 1st Team Member (Team Leader) says a sentence with no voice (read my lips) and each team member one after the other have to read lips and pass on to the other until it gets back to 1st member. Which ever team members gets it correct becomes next Team Leader

Create a story where one person write a paragraph and the next person continues where the previous person left off but add their own unique twists to it, and it continues like that until everyone has added a paragraph.

I like the idea of debating with the news. I think it can help people to learn to think on their feet.

So many great ideas! I personally love Personality Tests because it really helps you understand people on a deeper level and really gets people talking. Also, Duolingo Dash, because it’s so fun and can be very competitive.

I like the idea of everyone choosing a character that’s relevant in current pop culture and team members have to guess who you are. It’s a fun way to be creative and also initiates discussion about what’s going on in the world. Some examples you could see today might be Joe Exotic from Tiger King, or Anthony Fauci. OR the idea could be a costume contest in which the group must decide on one character and everyone has to vote on “who wore it best.”

Additionally, you could have a game that is kind of a combination of telephone and pictionary. The group must create a list of each team member in which the game will go in order. The first player writes down a word or phrase and sends it directly to player 2. Player 2 then has to draw the word/phrase that was chosen and sends directly to player 3. Player 3 then has to guess what the picture is depicting and writes down in words what they think it is. This alternates down the line until the last player reveals the final result. This is a fun way to get people thinking creatively and understanding our thought processes.

Here’s a game that might be an interesting mix-up for a virtual happy hour. Each person comes to the happy hour with several quotes. They also have five different attributes for each of those quotes. With the goal of stumping their fellow team makes, each person takes a turn asking “Who Said That?” Players write down their answers on a piece of paper and hold them up to the screen to share. The players with the most right answers after two rounds receive a digital prize (for example a download from Audible).

Love all these ideas! My favorite is the Sweatpants Dilemma! It’s fun to get everyone involved and have a good laugh. It’s a great way to add humor and learn personalities throughout our teammates!

Love all of these! I think my favorite would be “One Word to Rule Them All.” I’m sure that has nothing to do with my love of the Lord of the Rings either.

Here’s another example of a team building activity you can do with remote teams:

“Phunny Phrases”:

1. Pick six words or short phrases that are uncommon or even downright ridiculous (e.g. “fuddy-duddy). These six words/phrases can be randomly generated by yourself online or given to you by someone else. 2. Pick six different conversation topics (camping, boxing, movies, etc.). 3. Have a partner you go up against via a conference call or the like (who has their own six words and/or phrases). 4. Pick one of the six conversation topics, and start a conversation between you and the person you are going against. You have 60 seconds to discuss this topic before the next one begins. 5. Try to slip in your crazy word or phrase casually without it being noticed by your partner!

You have 60 seconds to slip your word or phrase in on one topic: if you don’t succeed, then you lose your chance to use that word or phrase. In short, one word/phrase per conversation. If you successfully slip your word/phrase past your partner, you get a point! If they catch you, they get a point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the six conversations is declared the victor!

Person Songs!

Everyone creates a playlist of music with each song either describing or being a symbol of someone on the team. Then come together as a group to share the music and try to guess which song correlates to each person.

Telephone – I used to play this game all the time as kid. It’s silly, and will improve communication skills. You start with a random phrase, I.E. “Billy Joe made sourdough bread on Sunday, he used whole lemons! Can you believe that?” And you have to whisper the phrase in your neighbor’s ear. Once they receive the message, they have to whisper it in their neighbors ear. One by one, everyone will hear the message. With each person passing it on, the phrase has a chance to be misinterpreted. The last person to receive the message will say what they heard out loud, then the person who started it will then say what the actual phrase is.

Sweet Treats – The kitchen is a happy place for many, and if nothing else can be a good laugh when we have to help those less skilled.

Creating something with your team is a great way to come together, and since we are all apart we can enjoy the same snack after the treats are done.

Packages with ingredients will be provided to each team member. It will be something simple yet fun.

Dundee Awards Each week have a different member of the team praise another member and make him/her a Dundee award representing something special about the team member. Encourage team members to be creative in their praises and trophy making for one another.

Remember Me? If you need your team introduced to each other, or you just want a fun way to connect your team, this exercise is for you. You’ll have a virtual zoom/webex meeting where you’ll have team breakouts into groups of two. The objective is to learn as much about the other person as you can within 5 minutes. You will talk to your partner non stop for the whole 5 minutes, telling them about yourself. The other person is not permitted to ask any questions nor take any notes (honor system). After the 5 minutes is up, you switch and repeat. Once 10 minutes has passed you all get back together and take turns telling the group as much as you remember about your partner, with the other person affirming if they remembered it right. Each thing they remember that is correct is a point, the team with the most points wins! This is a simple yet fun way for your team to connect with their peers on a personal level, and have them all learn a little more about each other.

Virtual Scavenger Hunt – Have team members search for objects that are either a ‘rainbow color theme’ or start with a certain letter ‘alphabet hunt’. The person with the funniest item wins!

Picture perfect add the team take a picture of something that means a lot to them. Then each team member will post that picture and have an opportunity to discuss wide support for that period it’s a great way of getting to know everybody.

Two truths one lie- this is not only a great way to have fun and you’ll also learn more about each other to know each other better. It’s a fun and interesting game to play that I would recommend playing to anyone even just for fun! It’ll help you get to know everyone better as well!

Guess that voice!

Each person records a snippet of them talking and then they play at random and each team member will guess which voice matches up to each person.

Guess the Sketch – One team member will draw anything they want and then provide describing details as to what or who it is. The person who guesses the most right wins, but the twist is that the winner must praise one coworker on one thing they’ve noticed or appreciated them for either during the game or relating to work. This does two things with the first obviously being that this activity allows them to be creative and provides a break from typing/working as well as providing an opportunity to praise our colleagues creating a better sense of reorganization and appreciation.

A great team building game would be “I’m going on a vacation”. In this game The first person starts by saying “I’m going on a vacation and the first thing I’m packing is an apple”. The second person goes on to say “I am going on a vacation and I am going to pack an apple and a bathing suit.” And then the third person add something with the next letter of the alphabet and so on. It’s a great memory exercise and also makes for some really funny moments once you get further into the alphabet and the list gets longer and longer!

Lip Sync Battle! Pick a song to lip sync to, props and costumes are encouraged. Everyone give a score for song choice, costume, and performance. The top scoring participants win fun prizes.

Sure, Alphabet Chain exists, but what about Alphabet Race?! This is a good one to get the brains working fast! Pick a random letter, and using singular nouns, and present tense verbs only, write down as many words as you can that start with that letter. For example, if the group picks A, everyone writes “A-words” for a specified amount of time ( a minute or so). This game is also super fun because it’s so customizable, you’ll never get bored using the alphabet!

“If you were to write a book today, what would the title be?” Have everyone try to come up with a new title every day and write everyone’s answers down for a week. At the end, vote for the most funny title, best mystery book title, best romance title, etc. and give awards!

A great team building activity could be creating a virtual art show where team members paint or draw a copy of a chosen image. Team members could be chosen as “judges” and rank the artwork 1st, 2nd or third where prizes etc are won! In this virtual art show you can make it fun by doing a theme based on a decade and come dressed to impress! Judges could make props at home such as hats, mustache, backgrounds, a picket number sign to show score etc!

Week Night Cook-Off! At the beginning of the week post a fun themed recipe with ingredients list (i.e. superhero cupcakes). Each member has the week to try to make the most creative treat. On Friday everyone must submit a picture of their work to be voted on. The winner gets a prize!

Some sort of variation of the alphabet game, where one person say a name/planet/word and the next person has to say another that starts with the last letter of the first word. or, maybe a improv style skit maker where everyone takes turn adding random pieces to create a skit/story/show/etc.

Ultimate Cook/Bake Off – Have team members split into small groups and choose a recipe that will really impress everyone else in the workplace. This can feature different themes or genres of food that would take place in a kitchen somewhere. You can set a time limit to bake and serve (emulating iron chef america). This builds team trust and communication. At the end of the race everyone gets to try each others creations and vote for the winner. Prizes can also be given out!

Virtual Bake off – Everyone is sent a recipe to create a one of a kind masterpiece that can be done in their own kitchen! This is similar to a “Cake Boss” format where there is a theme and common goal. Each team member would create their own cake or creation and present via zoom call. All team members can vote on who created the best creation! Prizes can be given out for fun accolades as well.

Draw something and let others guess. The first guy that gets the answer right can be the next guy that does the drawing.

Spirit Week! As a team building exercise within a training you assign a spirit week theme to the call. Each person dresses up to reflect the theme and turns on video. Another variation is you call out a color and each person has 10 minutes to grab whatever they have at home that they can wear in that color group.

Themes of the Alphabet Someone chooses a theme of any kind, such as animals, places, foods, movies, etc…. The one who chose the theme starts at the letter A, they chose an animal that starts with the letter A, then next person chooses an animal that starts with the letter B. And so on, until someone can not think of an animal for their letter. Each player gets 20 seconds of time to say their animal. Those who cannot think of the animal for the letter they fell on is OUT. The last one standing wins. Bonus round: In case their are multiple players who succeeded through the alphabet, the remaining players then choose a bonus round theme. In this round, the first player who can get the most answers to the theme going through the alphabet wins. For instance, animals is bonus round then each player must come up with animals starting from A and ending to Z. Of course Animals can not be played in the bonus round if that was the theme in the beginning. So new theme and come up with as many answers. Whoever has the answers further down the alphabet wins.

What is that? Before the call find an object around you that you enjoy or that is very difficult to recognize. Try to guess what the item your coworker is holding while your coworker vaguely describes it and is tapping it. What does the item feel like? Does it have a smell or taste? Everyone is allowed limited guesses based on class size. If nobody guesses your item you receive 2 points and if you guess your coworker’s item you receive 1 point. The person with the most points wins. This game helps everyone communicate more by asking questions and describing an interesting object.

a fun team building game would be to guess the gibberish. you would create a random sentence that when said together would sound and reveal a random word. ex. i plus side her vin tigger word = apple cider vinegar. people would take turns saying the gibberish and the team would have to guess the word that is actually behind the riddle.

How good are you at following directions?

One person from the team would draw a piece of paper with an person, place, or thing on it. They would have to describe how to draw it without saying key words.

That person would have to give directions to all people on the team on their designated turn to add to the drawing. This demonstrates communication and instructional skill.

Similar to “What do you meme?”

Have team members take a screen shot of themselves during a zoom meeting with a chosen facial expression and send it in. Post the photos and allow them to choose from pre-made descriptions for each photo. Let them discuss and then vote on their favorite combinations.

Jumble Mumble

For this game, there has to be one or two moderators. They will come up with a bunch of words, assign these words to each participant, and send it to them privately. The purpose of the game is for the participant to jumble up the word, type it or say it, and hope that at least one person can decipher what word it is. For every revealed word, the jumbler gets 3 points. If no one is able to decipher the word, 2 points will be deducted. The person with the highest score wins.

Kind Words –

Each person will say one set of kind words about the next person based on their daily interaction with them. Giving them the ability to say things they may not have otherwise been able to say to them. It gives the team the ability to really have a moment of reflection and kindness that may have otherwise been missing/lacking from the other persons day.

One Word At the beginning of the meeting ask everyone to pick one word to describe themselves. After they pick, they are referred to by that word throughout the meeting. It’s a silly way to start a meeting and helps everyone get to know each other a little better.

Travel Bug! Who is not intrigued by travel? Studies have shown just planning or anticipating your trip can make you happier than actually taking it!

Have each team member pick a place they have traveled or would like to travel to, domestic or abroad. The team mate begins to describe his perfect day in that travel spot (what he might eat, what he might see, weather, etc) and first person to guess wins. Guesses might be via chat.

This will give team mates perspective of what kind of things appeal to their team mates. Music, food, culture, city, nature, etc. And they can covey their real life personality through their travel choices & descriptions.

Desert Island is a classic! In this version people are broken up into teams with a preset list of items/tools and deliberate until they choose only three to bring with them. They will then share with the other teams which items they chose and why. This game gives insight to their coworkers of how they think and tackle problems.

Team lip sync battles- list of songs will be provided as well as various props and costumes. Workers will split into small groups and perform in front of a small audience. The winning team will be decided based on a noise barometer from the crowd cheering. Workers will be out of their comfort zone together, so they will not only bond through that, but through the process of planning and executing the lip sync. Winning team will be awarded a prize!

Spontaneous Chain Narration, in this game, a player is picked at random to describe a situation from his/her daily life, and then the other players in clockwise/counter-clockwise order will use improvisation to continue the storytelling, it goes on until everyone runs out of response or there’s a response that makes more than half the participants respond in unison (laugh, surprise, etc), the one who makes that response wins, and the next game begins with another player being picked at random. I think the freeflow creativity involved here will attract those who are stuck with boredom and are in need of random unrestrained expression.

Push-up Challenge

For those of us who are stuck at home during the pandemic, and don’t have access to their gyms. A fun virtual team building event can be a ‘wall-squat challenge’. Members of the team can lean against a wall and bend their legs at a 90 degree angle (typical squat form). They need to hold that position for as long as they can. The one who can hold that position for the longest time is the winner. It’s a great way to strengthen your glutes and quads.

I would prefer to do the 100 push up challenge. Sounds fun and a great way to build your stamina and endurance.

The aliens have landed This game can be useful for teams with language and cultural differences. Tell the group to imagine aliens have landed on Earth and want to learn about your company. But since they don’t speak English or understand what you do, it needs to be explained with five symbols or pictures.

Ask each participant to draw five simple images that best describe and communicate your company’s products and culture to a shared document/folder. Take a few minutes and look at all the images and talk through common themes.

As the pandemic is going on, we can organize Aerobic Classes which helps everyone to be physically fit and mentally relaxed. And in this way all team members come together for this class and the opportunity can be given to everyone to perform and lead as a coach doing Aerobics. In this way, self confidence of the individuals, team building and overall health will be improved.

As we are still at home during the pandemic, an interesting challenge would be to connect different people from all over the world and learn languages. There are a lot of people now struggling to learn languages from home. Imagine someone trying to learn Spanish, so they join the Spanish Language Club each weak and start discussing some topics to understand the language better. Internally, they can also have challenges such as “My first Spanish book” or “I practised 10 hours of Spanish this week!”. It’s easier to achieve your goals with a team, so it will be a great chance for a lot of people!

I would like to experience something like a singing or dancing challenge. Both things are real stress relievers and it would be fun 😀

Co-worker madlibs! Great game to play with your team. Have everyone submit a crazy story involving people you work with, office jokes, or the normal day to day processing. After that take out some main nouns, verbs, etc, you know the drill. Then exchange with other co-workers and enjoy. Can do different themes around birthdays, the holidays, etc. 🙂

Two Truths and One Lie– a perfect way for teams to connect with each other. The personal quiz helps each player get to know their teammates better. The best part of the activity is that even though there is one winner and one loser, everyone will have gotten to know some real facts about one another!

What wonderful Ideas. I think that a great virtual game that could be played is called, “Destination”. This is where you split into different groups of people and your groups picks a place that they would like to visit. They then have 2 minutes to google as much information as they can about this place. They then meet up and quiz the other teams on their location. The team with the most correct answer wins the round.

Ice Breaker! Fill up beach ball with air and write questions on each section i.e. where you are from, what you used to do for work, first car etc. etc. make everybody sit in a circle and bounce it to anybody and if they already went they bounce to somebody else until everybody answers! Fun, fast, and easy!

Studies have proved having physical activity leads to a healthy mind. To boost the energy of the individuals sitting at home an idea situation would be to do a dance move trend before starting work. Every day a new move would be exciting and will really result in a better productivity. Drawback is significant enthusiasm is required so the one introducing it has to be energized in the first place.

I would choose “Go to Bed Early Challenge” and wake up at 4 or 5 am, it´s the best way to achieve all the goals.

What comes to your mind?

This is a game where you same a word, place, or thing and the next person says what comes to their mind relating that word. Kangaroo-Australia-great barrier reef- shark- chomping… etc What can start as just someone saying one thing and break away and have some very hilarious results! It’s a great way to get peoples minds working and break the tension of a meeting!

Wear your favorite T-Shirt

Everyone wears their favorite t-shirt for this team-building exercise. All the members go around and tell what their t-shirt is, where they got it and why it is their favorite t-shirt. Included in this time is connecting how this particular t-shirt best expresses your individuality, personality, your true identity 😉 and the type of person you are!

Da Vinci Code this is a game that not only inspires thought, it takes a team to crack the riddle. sharp minds are drawn to a challenge, the tougher the better. This can be done either by teams or individuals. The works by sending out criptic riddles, codes, logic, moral, or impratical thinking problems. The idea is to get your team members talking to each other, sharing ideas, reseaching hints, This is a game you can play with your friends family coworkers, give deadlines and rewards yet,

Who’s

So the game is called Who’s. So there is no winner or loser in this game. The objective is to ask “Who’s” favorite food is chicken – “Who’s” into movies more than TV – and so on and so on and if you do relate to the other persons “Who’s” you raise your hand. You continue asking different “Who’s” (around the circle or from person to person) typically until there is a sense of commonality in the group and people feel comfortable with one another. The game will typically end on its own as peoples “Who’s” began to repeat and people at that point want to talk to each other about the commonalities they have noticed between each other because of their “Who’s”.

I hope you enjoy this concept as it was fun to come up with!

Virtual Spelling Bee

Team members take turns attempting to spell words obtained from a random word generator. Each correctly spelled word results in one points for the team member. The first person to get five points wins!

Virtual Spelling Bee is a fun way to test your teams spelling knowledge in a fun and judgement-free environment

Such great ideas to keep a team united and committed to working together! Another fun idea that could be helpful especially when new teams are coming together, re-orgs or just to get to know each other better. Each team member would submit a series of pictures with no identifying images that describe who they are, what their personal and professional interests are, etc. The team will go through each profile and try to guess what profile goes with which person! Team members will submit their guesses and then everything will be exposed on a joint team call. The team will look at each profile, discuss their guesses and why and then when it’s revealed who it really is that person can explain why they chose those images and tell something interesting about themselves. Whoever get’s the most correct wins 🙂

Solving Problems Team leader writes down multiple unanswered problems(whether it be an actual problem in the workplace or imaginary) on the back of multiple pieces of paper. Have the teams map out solutions to these problems, the best solution wins!

A great virtual game for team building is playing mad libs. This is an easy game to play virtually and will sure to have everyone laughing by the end. One person write out a story with blanks for their co workers to fill in by using nouns,verbs,adjectives, etc. Team members will have fun coming up with words to fill in the blanks and build as a team!

What’s in your office…. Have each person pick an item from their office. Draw names from a hat and assign each person a co-worker’s name. Each person must then use the object presented by the co-worker drawn and create a logo, marketing plan, slogan and whatever other product details thought of to promote the product. Each person must then give a 5-minute presentation on their new product and sell it to the rest of the group. After each presentation have the group discuss the most successful presentations and the least successful presentations and why.

Silent Build Break virtual team into groups of four. Three are selected as the teachers and one person is selected as the builder. The teachers then have 5 minutes to give the builder non-verbal steps and instructions on how to build the object from a piece of paper and tape. At the end of 5 minutes each team shows their final object and one is chosen as the winner. The exercise forces teams to work together and really pay attention to non-verbal cues.

I will go with the “Go to Bed Early Challenge” because it has many benefits for a healthy brain, if you brain is healthy it means you have a power to think about your challenges a health brain can think about the solutions. If we go early to bed and get up early in the morning with a fresh brain so its a best time to work without any noise pollution as well.

Music Memories

Do you remember a specific time in your life when you hear a song from your past? This game has one team member picking a song from a selection of different genres and then asks other team members to share a memory that comes to mind! A fun way to learn about each team member while sharing your own experience. The past can be a blast!

Time Management Challenge

Create an agenda that will help you get all of the things you need to get done for the day completed. This will help you generate more down time so you can relax during these hard times.

One idea that I do a lot is drawing with my eyes closed. There’s no way of keeping score but the competitors will have a time limit to draw a specified object with their eyes closed and then everyone has to share their results!

Company commercials. Each team shoots a thirty second commercial for the company. Every team member gets a role or works as director. Must include one team building activity in some way. Winners commercial featured on the company website!

Virtual People BINGO!

It’s easy, fun and a great way to get to know your friends and/or co-workers!

You can easily make the BINGO cards online ahead of time and there are BINGO card generators online.

The object of the game is to individually call your friends or co-workers via video call and chat for approx 1 minute out who admits to a characteristic on the card. You cannot use the same person for multiple characteristics and you must call everyone on the team. The first person to complete a row across, down or diagonally and calls B-I-N-G-O in the group chat wins!

Some examples of characteristics for each square include: -Rides a motorcycle -Plays the guitar -Speaks another language -Is a vegetarian -Favourite colour is Yellow -Has children – Doesn’t drink coffee – Has lived abroad – Is allergic to shrimp -Has lived on a farm

It would be great to have prizes and maybe even play a few rounds to keep the energy going!

I would suggest a “gratitude challenge”, where virtual team members write down one thing they’re grateful for on a piece of paper (bonus points for funny drawlings) and then show it to their team on a virtual call or as a photo, maybe their profile photo… however the team thinks it would work best.

Gratitude exercises wouldn’t be stressful for team member to do, and could promote both the individual and group’s mental well-being.

**Build your Empire**

Best for small to medium size group as remembering items or things is required.

Pick a category….such as places, things, animals…

Each person emails or instant messages their choice from the category chosen. Ex. If animals are the category, I would IM the game administrator my choice of “Monkey”

Once everyone has submitted their response the administrator will read everyones submissions out loud two times, while keeping who said what anonymous. Only read them twice and do not have players write them down.

Players then take turns, one guess per turn, trying to guess who chose which item/thing/animal.

If a player guesses another player correctly then those two player work together (over email or IM) to guess other players…..the more you guess correctly, the bigger your “Empire”. If someone who has built an empire gets guessed correctly than them and their whole empire work with the team that has got it correct.

The winner is the last person who has not been guessed and has all their coworkers in their Empire.

This game is great for teamwork, communication and memory.

Virtual Draw-Off! In addition to joining a video chat, everyone needs a piece of paper and something to write/draw with. The host, whose artwork is hidden, will give directions for how to draw what they are drawing (put a small circle in the top right corner, etc.) and participants will follow along trying to draw the same picture. Everyone keeps their artwork hidden! At the end, or when the host is proud of their masterpiece, everyone will hold their picture up to their camera! This can be customized based on who is participating, the hosts’ sense of humor, ages, artistic abilities, etc.!

Virtual office jeopardy

You can have topics all related to the company and then include headings such who is this co-worker and include a fact that everyone knows about that particular person. Splitting the company into teams and mixing all the departments together will make things fun and competitive.

Bring Your Pet to Work

One of the nice things about working from home is being able to hang out with your pet(s), and what pet owner doesn’t like to show of his or her pet?

At the beginning of your next virtual meeting, let each participant show off their little darlings – by holding them up to the camera, or displaying a photo – and tell the team a few tidbits of information (adoption stories, how the got their names, favorite foods, toys, etc.).

Those who don’t have pets can use their imagination and show an image of what their pet would be… and why. For example, they could show a picture of a parrot, because in another life they were a pirate. Or a rabbit because they’re vegetarian. Or a dinosaur because, well you get the idea.

Scattegories is a great game that my friends and I have found during quarantine. Its easy you can use a game card or each person comes up with a line item and then you pick a random letter!

Another great team challenge could be a “cook off” of sorts. Everyone can cook the same or different recipes live. Each participant could have a 30-sec Food Network style bit to showcase their meal and why they should win. Points could be given for appearance, ease of recipe, and the elevator pitch, etc.

Mystery Box. Each team member is given another team members name. Everyone has a chosen number of days to put together a goody box that represents his or her assigned team member. This could include “goodies”, knickknacks, key words or just images. The team could set the rules. Each team member would choose a box to open. They must then decide who that box was supposed to go to. A great way get to know each other and to see how your team members “see” you.

Virtual Pictionary using only Gifs without words. You can use as many Gifs as it takes but cannot use any Gifs that contain words.

A great game is Continue the story: one person is the writer. One person starts the story with a sentence. The next person says a second sentence, and it keeps going until you have a full story. It’s a great way to to take a peek into each other’s heads and come up with an amazing Story to tell to others as an example for this as a team building exercise. I played this a lot.

Or “This or That”. Compose 2 list of similar but different brand names. Each person chooses an item and then discuss and determine which one is truly better. Not the normal things either. Things like “garlic or onion” or “being able to fly or the power of invisibility”.

Get to know your teammates by playing Never have I ever but not the explicit version;) Basically, you create a list of potential statement and every person starts with for example 10 points and one point is taken away for every activity they have done! Last man standing wins!

The movie game –

This is great for movie buffs. The person starting the game names an actor or actress. The next person has to name a movie that actor or actress is in. The next person has to name another actor or actress from that movie and so on. Every time someone gets stumped, the person who stumped them gets a point, or the stumped individual is eliminated. There’s some rules though! If someone names a movie but can’t name another actor or actress from that movie, they don’t get the point or they are eliminated.

Last to First – This is so fun with large groups. Any category can be used. Movies is always a fun topic. The first person names any movie, the next person must name a movie that starts with the last letter of the previous movie, and so on. Here’s an example: Empire Strikes Back, K-Pax, X-Men, Night at the Roxbury… It usually goes pretty fast for a while, but then someone gets stumped. This game really brings out the competition in teams and you learn a lot about each individually based on their answers.

The One Thing Challenge.

The focus of this instead of trying to do multiple tasks that appear daunting for your personal development by focusing on one. Clarity and the “zone” as Olympic Athletes put it, comes from learning to zone in on that one thing and being intentional to all the nuances of how it’ll play out. You have 24 hours to complete it or you will have to do two singular tasks more on separate days of the choice. This should compound the longer you procrastinate. The reward is the sooner you knock out, the easier it actually is on yourself.

TikTok Dance Challenge

Teams will select a dance challenge currently trending on TikTok, and then have 24 hours to record their dance and present it to the team! At the end, the video is edited into one TikTok that the office gets to keep to save the memory and build on the team’s foundation.

Let’s face it, folks are probably having a cocktail these days as it is. It’s always a fun time to relax during happy hour with your colleagues and coworkers. Why not turn this into an opportunity to bond as well, and even learn more about one another?

How about having a not-so-classic “show and tell” during your next video chat!

Each person has to find something in their home to show the group and talk about, but, with a twist. It has to be something that you think NO ONE has in their home at all. If no one else has the same object as you, whatever your object is, you get a point! First person to ten points gets to say a toast for the group.

You get to learn more about people without even realizing it. And if you don’t want an adult beverage, tea or even ice cream sounds like a pretty good substitute!

Virtual flexibility challenge. Being at home, especially during these quarantine times leads to a lot of us not being as physically active as we normally would. The flexibility challenge provide a certain stretch to complete. It is not based off of how far you can touch your toes, or split, but the effort you put into attempting a particular yoga position/stretch.

I would go with “Go to Bed Early Challenge”: Too little sleep tends to leave people feeling short-tempered, irritable, and stressed. Which means that little things that might not normally be a big deal can cause you to fly off the handle. The result? More spats and misunderstandings with those around you.

Recipes are a great way to bring the conversation away from the office, but learn about each other and maybe even learn something new! Encourage team members to collaborate on a shared document to create a team recipe book. Each participant can simply submit their favorite recipe for teammates to try at home on their own.

Mile Marker Challenge

Hold a small contest to see which coworker can rack up the most steps/distance walked within a week or month period. A little incentive to help remind each other not to neglect their physical well being.

In order to reduce screen time, we can let the team members set a reminder or notifications to turn your screen off for 3 minutes with an interval of 1 hour. And we will ask to feed us with the total number of reminders that were honored and total that were not honored. Then the data will be compared and the top 3 performers will be awarded with a small gift.

Working remotely can mean you’re stuck inside quite a lot. I would suggest a month-long Get Outside Challenge to encourage everyone to get some fresh air. Rain or shine, the bottom line of the challenge would be to go outside at least once a day. Whether it’s taking out the trash, letting your dog stretch his legs, or simply sitting on your front porch (people still do that, right?), it’s the effort that counts. Snapping a photo of yourself in the wild outdoors and then sharing with your team wins you a point.

I recently did a scavenger hunt with my team, and everyone loved it! One person was the moderator and provided a set amount of time to find the items on the provided list. Some of them were obvious (like a spoon) and some were more obscure (like a sock with a hole in it). It got us laughing, plus it gave us some exercise running around the house!

One good way to bring smiles and laughs to co-workers would be an interactive MTV Cribs Remote Work Edition. For happy hour each can do a skit presenting there work area in a funny/interesting way. It would be offer insight into a co-worker’s personality and could very well break the ice into different activities. Plus, who doesn’t want to show off that cool samurai blade no one gets to see… EVER.

Zoom has become the new hotspot for virtual meetings. One fun way to keep everyone involved is to start a silliest virtual background challenge. Prior to the start of the meeting, participants would upload a silly photo to use as a virtual background! From terrible prom pictures, kids with who took coloring to the next level or your dogs newest nap position – starting the meeting with a little laughter is a great way to release some endorphins and build a stronger connection with your team.

All of these sound like fun! For most of us these times could be stressfull. I think something relaxing, fun and competitive could be playing with playdough! Yes! I know it could sound childish, but being a child at times can release some stress. Have a competition of who could make the best art piece with playdough in half an hour or more. It is calming and relaxing to play with playdough, is like a stress ball! The team can vote for the winner and there could be a price or bonus. There could also be the Silly face challenge, Finding things around the house that start with a specific letter in 20 seconds… and things that keep people up and relaxed ready to work.

A great team building exercise that I would do would be to have each member of the team piggy back off of each other. I would start off the exercise by naming one way to make the company stronger and have each team member give an answer based off of what the previous team member said. This gives me an idea of what the team members are thinking and it also gives us ideas as to how we can help make the company successful

These all sound so fun! One of my favorite games to play out in the real world that would translate great to a virtual team building activity is “Celebrity”. Celebrity is sort of an amped up version of charades and is great because it is easily customizable to fit your group needs. This is a version of the game I have tweaked around a little bit making it perfect to use under the constraints of zoom.

Here’s how you play:

Before playing, have each player contributes three items to a charades list. These items are sent to the game facilitator who will be private messaging the items one at a time to the person who’s turn it is during gameplay. These can be anything, people places or things. Additionally, if you want to make the game more applicable to work, you could have each item added to the list be something work related such as a product you are selling. Next, divide the group up in to 2 teams Now the game is ready to be played over zoom. Each round, one person from a group will play charades with a 1 minute time limit. This alternates between people and groups until the list is completed.

Round 1: Normal Charades

On a group video chat each person gets a minute to get their team to guess as many items from the list as possible. When it is a persons turn, the game facilitator will message each item from the list one at a time in a random order to the person playing until the list is completed. This will alter back and forth between teams until the list is completed. This is done using traditional charade rules. Once the list is completed, the game facilitator will add up which team got the most guesses from the round and a winning team will be announced.

Round 2: Video Only

The second round is the same as the first only this time the person who’s turn it has to turn off their microphone and act out each item given by the game facilitator. This is done in alternating turns until the list is completed.

In the third round the person who’s turn it is must turn off their video and use only microphone. During their turn they are only allowed to say one word in order to get the team to guess. Again each item is private messaged to the person who’s turn it is by the game facilitator. (This round can be altered if it proves to be too difficult).

Once all three rounds are completed, the team who has one the most number of rounds is the winner of the game. This game is a great exercise the encourages employees to get out of their comfort zone and get a little silly.

As I was younger I used to enjoy a lot a game about 5 countries, types of food, names, and color starting with a random letter could we write in less than a minute. The first person to write all of them won. That would sound like a fun idea for a team building.

I think a good team building exercise would be having each team member write a short story about a superhero that saves the day. They have to title the story, name the superhero and give them their superpower. The twist is that their superhero is based on them and their superpower is something that they feel very confident they are good at. All of the stories are emailed to a manager (team leader) a few days before the exercise. The day of the exercise the team leader emails each team member one of the stories that is not their own along with a list of all of the story titles. Each team member gets to read the story they are given out loud in their best story telling voice. All other team members take notes about each story as they listen to them. After all stories are read, each team member decides who they think wrote each story by placing a name by each story on their story title list. When everyone has wrote down their decisions, the team manager will share who wrote each story and we see who got the most correct.

I’m on a remote team right now and I wish that we would play virtual games together!

My favorite game to play is like an innocent version of Cards Against Humanity. No profanity and easy to scale up for multiple teams.

Give each team a prompt like “Rainbow Poodle” and see who can find the absolute worst (best?) picture. Or ask teams to find the worst candy possible for sale online. In my opinion, that would be a tie between Gravy Candy and Clam-flavored candy canes.

Being silly with your team will always bring you closer together. Acting like kids for a few minutes never hurt anyone.

A group activity we did in the military was to playal a Cards Against Humanity type game, but we had to make our own cards. It helped relieve the stress of training and being in the field, made people think on their feet, and built moral with the troops when higher ups and officers joined in.

Looks amazing.

I have an example: Webcam photography. Everyone take your best photo with a webcam. Does not have to include people, perhaps something around your home office.

A fun team building exercise with a remote team would be wii bowling or an internet based trivia game.

Remember the game “Guess Who?” You can do it virtually! Encourage players to wear funny hats, glasses, fake mustaches, etc. Every round ask them to switch it up. One person is the leader and chooses which of the players is the “mark”. Everyone asks a yes/no question “is the person wearing something on their head?” You could split the players into two groups, and see which group guesses the “mark” with the fewest questions.

Team exercises are great, especially with being remote building teams are the same as building culture. With that in mind I think a great game for team building would be playing virtual UNO. The card game. And the person who loses has to sing a song to the team that the team picks. Virtual UNO karaoke. To add a learning aspect to it if the losing person can answer 5 questions based on product knowledge they can pick their song instead of the team.

How to play: 1. Divide team into pairs 2. Play one round of UNO 3. Losers then have to answer product knowledge questions if so they get to pick song for karaoke if they lose then team picks song. 4. SING!

Who Am I ? Prior to a Team meeting have each member send 2 pictures of anything other than a picture of themselves, for example-a picture of their dog or cat or dog and cat. Or a picture of their kitchen or garden or car. At the Team Meeting each picture will be put on the screen and other members will have to guess whose picture it is and then explain HOW they knew it was “Susie’s cat, or Jim’s Kitchen”. For real fun you could even coordinate this into a Friday virtual Happy Hour. Should be some simple and fun prizes for the winners, but it really helps people to get to know each other.

Loved your examples of team building but some are not cross generational. To become more inclusive communication is key. Teams with varying ages write slang words, songs, industry lingo, and ask each group to create a comic skit. This can create a safe space for “words” that have not crossed generations to be explained or explored.

Home Town Tour is amazing! What better way to get everyone to relax and share something about themselves that allows everyone to find the common bonds they share!

These are amazing examples and ideas for team building! With more and more companies moving towards remote positions, its never been so important to apply these programs within your workplace to help close the gaps of social and team interaction. I found another good team icebreaker that could be fun!

Critical Thinking Virtual Icebreaker

*This virtual icebreaker also pairs well with a virtual escape room, such as The Escape Game Remote Adventures. Time: About 2 minutes per person

How-to: Start your online meeting by posing this lateral thinking question from Udemy to the group: “If you were alone in a dark cabin, with only one match and a lamp, a fireplace, and a candle to choose from, which would you light first?” Give everyone 30 seconds to choose. Have everyone share their answer. Spend about one minute discussing the differences in your answers and what you each learned from one another.

One fun team building idea for companies who are working from home right now would be to split the team into groups of 3-4, and then do a video scavenger hunt within your at-home workspace. For example, the organizer says “hairbrush” and the first team to have someone find a hairbrush in their house and show it in the video call wins that round. This would give folks the chance to get up from their desk and move around a bit, while also creating a fun and funny event that would lift their spirits for the day.

I think “Surviving An Apocalypse” would be a fantastic team game. What would be your skill? The world has changed no one cares if you were an Attorney, an Accountant or a Marketing Guru, it’s now about survival. Can you keep the group, fed, sheltered and safe. Where would you go? What type of shelter would you look for? Do you let strangers into your community? So many questions and scenarios to play with, only the strong, smart and self sufficient groups will survive.

I recently have discovered Scrabble GO. It’s a great way to challenge both co-workers, friends and family members to exercise their brain power and creates great competition. I would like to organize a bracket style tournament to claim bragging rights and have some great fun.

What creative ways to do virtual team building! They all are great ways to get everyone connected and showcase different skills.

Feed the King/Queen: The goal of the game is to come up with a dish that you would serve to the King/Queen (in this case the host). The team that comes up with the best dish, wins! How to play: Split the group into teams with an equal number of members. There is a word generator that has been “filled” with common and uncommon food items. Each member takes their turn to pull from the generator and get their food item. Once everyone has taken their turn, they go into their virtual teams and try to combine their food items into a dish to serve the King/Queen. Teams will have 10 minutes to collaborate and then must present their dish to the whole group. The dish has to be broken down by ingredient, and how it was incorporated. Now it’s time for the King/Queen to judge!

I have a huge interest in motorsports. I think a great virtual activity would be racing car or motorcycle games. Competitive and fun!

I love the excitement of escape rooms! I think the idea of a virtual escape room would add another level of challenges. Can break off into small groups, or make it a battle of departments. Who can solve the clues to be the first team to escape??

Virtual Pet Show: Everyone who has a pet has a chance to show off its skills or personality and then each person on the call sends in their scoring of the pet to the host and the host collects the scores and announces the winner!

A fun virtual team exercise is thorn and peach, but charades edition. If my peach was making a sale, I may act out making it “rain money” or if my thorn was not hearing back from a client, I may act out a ghost (ghosting). Then my team will need to guess.

A lot of people enjoy games on their phones. For me, I enjoy Candy Crush and Words with Friends. Either one of these games, you can put together a personal team and compete with one another. It encourages competitiveness among the group and provides an enjoying way to get to know one another outside of work.

A great exercise for virtual teams is to create a story together. Each person says one sentence in the story and continues it on from the prior sentences. People are encouraged to be as creative as they want and create plot twists if they so wish. The person who goes last will end the story. Then when the story is completed the group will discuss their creation.

Awesome list of team-building exercises! My idea for an exercise is called “What’s the Verdict?” How to play: 1. Divide the larger group into smaller teams. 2. Choose a popular sitcom with well-known characters.  3. Present questions to the teams, such as “Who is most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse?” or “Which character is most likely to adopt 38 cats?”  4. Using digital platforms (YouTube, Insta, Facebook, etc…) each team will have one hour to gather three pieces of evidence that answer each question and support their case. They can use video clips, audio clips, pictures-be creative. 5. Teams will reconvene to present their evidence.  6. The “jury” will choose a winner for each question. 

The Emoji sing along come up with a song by using emojis and have everyone sing along who doesn’t love to sing! let alone using emojis these day’s. Or have each person make up a sentence using emojis and turn it into a song!!!

I spy looks interesting

A great virtual team exercise is to bond through questions and conversations. 1. One person takes a piece of paper and splits it in five. 2. They write different events on each paper and roll it up. Examples: most amazing experience, most embarrassing experience, an event that made you dance randomly. 3. The team take turns in pointing to one rolled paper on the hosts screen. 4. They take turns sharing their experiences with each other. 3

The Box-Virtual addition! One person would be the host and make up random questions and throw them in a box. All other players will get a pen and paper ready. The host reads a question out loud and everyone writes who they think the question is about. The host gives a countdown and all players show their answers on webcam/zoom/skype. The player who reaches 10 first wins! This will give the the employees a chance to get to know each other since they all have work from home jobs.

This was a great article and awesome ideas for team bonding and building along with virtual games we can all get into. Over the years we have all seen many games turned into a virtual version due to this wonderful or maybe not so wonderful increase in technology.

One game that I have played virtually and face to face as I have seen many people already mention is Cards Against Humanity. This game is pretty easy to make your own whether it’s made as a collection of everyone’s personal comments and words or just kept more professional and work related.

A another game I have always loved to play was 2 truths one lie. This has always been a good introduction type game in a large or medium size class but can easily be done as a team or group virtually as well. The basis of the game is pretty simple.

How To Play: 1. The first person says 3 statements. 1 false statement and 2 true statements about themselves. 2. Each person in the group votes which they think is the false statement based on what they know about each person.

My idea of a virtual team building exercise is a take on virtual whisper down the lane! It’s a communication exercise that highlights the importance of remote communication.

The first person comes up with a sentence, and sends it to the next person. The receiver of that message must paraphrase the sentence and send it to the next person in the group. By the end of the exercise, the original message and the current message will likely differ drastically. This highlights how important it is to communicate clearly with your team & how easy it is for miscommunication to happen if we’re not careful!

E-mail letter Jumble/crossword – Have everyone come with a fun unique detail about themselves that could be put into an email either as a jumble word phrase or as a crossword clue. The answer would be the employee’s name in the crossword or the last word in word jumble. This would be a great way for co-employees to realize they might have a lot more in common outside of work. Ideally it should also teach employees to work with each other one on one or in small groups to figure out the answers to the crossword or letter jumble.

Since I love playing Trivial Pursuit I would enjoy organizing and executing a game of DIGITAL TRIVIA. I would divide my players into teams with relatively equal trivia strength. The teams would log into a video conferencing platform such as ZOOM. I would ask questions that would require players to search for the answer on the Internet. Each question would have a time limit and more than one team could be awarded a point for getting the right answer within the prescribed time limit. At the end of the 30 minute team building exercise, the winning team would be announced and rewarded with gift cards or other appropriate awards.

“What Would You Do?” is a game that I believe would help a team think outside of the box, explore new ideas, and challenge their ability to take quick action.

I have always loved Madlibs! They are a great way to break the ice and don’t require a huge amount of time. A fun way would be to take an office memo, page from an office handbook or email and delete words from it. Previous to the meeting, send out a list with numbered missing blanks and have them choose the words according to what is asked for and even select the topic to relate it to An example would be : 1-verb 2-noun 3-adjective Have each person read their responses to get everyone having a blast!

Ive read over the entire list of comments and the article to find one of the biggest ways i feel for an online community to connect. Online video games give a great way for team members to connect and work on communication, problem solving, and interaction. As an avid member of the online community, this has worked numerous times in helping to grow team building skills. Not only does it help with cognition with whats going on around the person, but also with typing, and keeping up to date information between each member of the team to make sure that the goal is reached.

One virtual team-building game that can be useful for the musicians and music-related teams is: Virtual Rock Lottery 1) Divide into groups with at least one person who can play guitar, piano 2) Assign each group a subject to write about. This can be silly like a particular cartoon (Spongebob, Simpsons, etc) or a work-related topic 3) Each group has 30 minutes to come up with a song of at least 30 seconds 3.5) Record the song in your chat room with the group 4) Perform your song in front of everyone else!

This game gets people out of their shell and promotes collaboration. Performing a song in front of your co-workers makes every other group speaking / project / presentation infinitely less scary.

Virtual Bowling is a fun and interactive way to keep employees engaged. That is an in-person teambuilding activity a lot of groups are missing out on these days. You can have each person in the office play against each other or in strategically placed teams in a virtual competition which would lead to fun prizes as things open up again. The teams can also work together to customize teams – such as a team name, matching outfits, team motto or theme which would all be entered into competitions as well for prizes. Also there would be prizes for individuals with the most strikes, highest team average and so forth.

I work remotely now and we’ve played “Scattergories” a couple of times, which is really fun:

The Scattergories game is the fast-thinking game of words and categories. Players roll the letter die, flip the sand timer, and race against the clock to come up with answers to each category on the category list. Score points for writing down answers that no one else did.

You have to think quickly because of the timer, but it also requires you to think outside of the box and get creative with your answers in hopes that no one else has the same answer!

I have found great value in using the digital scavenger hunt game with my employees, especially newer hires, because it helps them find new and creative ways to find answers using the tools we already have available to us. Making this competitive has also helped to build overall team rapport.

I am applying to Teambuilding and I love all of the creative and engaging ideas that are mentioned. An idea that I had was a “Morning Meditation”. Each week a team member could come up with a guiding thought to focus on: Gratitude, Energy, Positivity, etc. The team could then set aside a pre-determined morning time slot for everyone to take 10 minutes to focus and meditate on the weekly thought. I think it would help everyone to feel connected and grounded. You could even light some incense or a scented candle for better focus.

Love these ideas!

Multi Headed Expert is a great virtual team building activity. You could do multiple rounds if it is a larger group.

Pick a topic for the expert, which would be 2-4 people. Each participant can only say one word and then it passes to the next. First step is to introduce the “expert”, then ask basic questions to learn about the topic. If you have a large group you could use the chat functions to ask questions from the audience.

This is a great way to get everyone thinking on their feet and get creative. You don’t necessarily need to be sharing accurate details. Getting creative can engage the group and make a virtual event more fun!

What I have found, as a former college athlete, that some of the best team-building exercises are the least actual work-related. I shows that the “suits’ genuinely care about personal development of their employees outside of the work environment. Of course, all team-building should have at least an underlying work-related theme, but the more leisure involved in the exercise, the more fun it is for the participants.

It is for this reason I would choose something like The Amazing Online Race. It is involving technology and is least least work-related (depending on the type of work), yet still has the underlying theme of healthy competition in a team environment. This is important especially among members of a sales team, as it relates to work-related healthy competition within the team.

My idea for a team building game is Who Is This? One team member at a time starts by giving clues to the identity of a living person. Can be some one famous or even a team member. The person who guesses correctly chooses the next person to give clues about.

I love doing one of these two exercises to break the ice and get people relaxed enough to not only enjoy themselves but to think clearly and be creative in a comfortable, non-judging environment. 2 outrageous truths about you and 1 false, have people guess the false. OR If you could be any animal, what one would you choose? Then when everyone has decided and shared their animal, make them make the best noise of the animal they chose.

If the goal of the activity is to get the team engaged during a defined time period many of these activities would be great. However, Do it for the Gram stands out because it facilitates ongoing interaction and team building, as well as helps the company expand its social media footprint. In an era where social media gets more eyeballs than traditional media this could be a winning endeavor for a company to pursue its team building efforts and a no cost way to improve its marketing… (two birds with one stone). It may help you also discover untapped talents and interests amonst your team that can be nurtured.

This game is called “Who Shot It?”

Everyone takes 4 photos and creates a short story with a caption under each photo. Everyone has 10 minutes to complete to make it challenging. After you’re done the stories are shared anonymously and everyone has to guess who’s story is who’s.

I think laughter is not only the best medicine it also allows for real bonding. One thing that comes to mind is the game SpeakOut. I have played this a few times virtually via Zoom with my team and it has been a huge hit! This creates so much joy the bonding is almost immediate, especially when a teammate “gets you ” and can actually figure out what you are saying. Another great game that works well in a virtual format is Headsup! someone holds the phone to their forehead as someone else tries to help them guess the word on the phone, it is hilarious and it really ties in some creative teamwork!

I like to take it back to college with the circle of death. The facilitator has a list of numbers 1-10, and each number is a associated with an action or rule- 1= touch your nose, 2= type a particular word, and so on and so forth. The last person to do one of these actions has to answer a question about the company (What is one of the core values, what is the company motto, when were we founded).

Due to the quick reaction time required to not have the spotlight on yourself, it improves instincts and going with your first mind, which is helpful in high stress or unprecendented situations. You have to always be quick, and always be thinking.

These ideas are great! One of my favorite games to play in a group setting is easily adapted to the virtual environment – it’s called “Salad Bowl”. How to play: 1. Divide the team equally into two groups 2. Each player from each team comes up with 4 words or short phrases (keep it simple), like “Racecar”, “Duck-Duck-Goose”, or “Roasting Marshmallows”. 3. Each player then submits their responses to a designated “Game Master” who receives the submission and randomizes them in Excel (or Google Sheets) so that they can rearrange them and pick random words/phrases to assign to whoever’s turn it is. 4. The game master then holds a 1 minute timer and lets the two teams alternate turns until Rounds 1-3 are completed. Each round is completed when every single word or phrase has been won by a team. At the end of each round, the exact same words or phrases go back into the fresh list to be randomly assigned by the game master. 5. Round 1 is like the game “Taboo”, where basically you have 1 minute to get your team to say the word/phrase you are given as quickly as possible. Keep going until your time is up to see how many you can get. 1 point per word/phrase won. (Pay attention, these words come back in each round in a different way!) 6. Round 2 is like “Charades” via Zoom call (or other preferred video conferencing). During this round, you will act out each word/phrase without using any noises or words while your team mates try to guess. 7. Round 3 (Final Round) – ONE WORD. That’s all you get. You get one single word to say to your team to get them to guess what word/phrase you have. The good thing is that they’ve already heard it twice now (once in each previous round). The bad thing is, if you pick a word that your team can’t associate with the word/phrase, then you have to just wait and hope it clicks before time runs out!

One thing I always thought would be fun to do (I work remotely) is for everyone to post a baby pic and an up-to-date pic and have everyone try to match their baby pic to the current pic.

Prizes could be awarded for the first, 2nd and 3rd to finish, and then you could also vote on “cutest baby” and maybe even “ugliest baby” if your group can take that.

This could be a low key but fun initial team event.

I think a great teambuilding exercise would be Tai Chi push-hands, where the goal is not necessarily to forcefully push someone, but rather to get a feel for their energy and momentum and apply only a VERY slight push or pull that off-balances them like nobody’s business.

This forces someone to be very in-tune with what the other person’s doing, and can be great, not just at a team level to develop that cohesion (by having people get in touch with what their push hands partner is up to), but also at an individual level for sales staff to really apply more Tai Chi or Aikido principles to help make sales!

Er, my apologies. Not Tai Chi push hands, since that requires physically being somewhere, but rather a guided Tai Chi lesson with different people learning and leading!

The objective isn’t to win, it’s to make sure everyone can get on the same page when doing a Tai Chi form.

Fourth and Goal

The game is called Fourth and Goal. Each person comes up with four different things about themselves. Three of the statements are true and one is false. Coworkers must pick out the three truths and one false statement. If they guess wrong they’re out.

How to play 1. Sit online 2. Have players think up three truths and one lie about themselves. 3. Go around the circle and have each person say three truths and one lie about themselves. 4. The person across from them must pick out the three true statements and the one false statement. 5. Repeat process.

The game is an opportunity for coworkers to get to know more about each other while still having fun and building team camaraderie.

Tai Chi lessons where different people step up to lead the class in doing a Tai Chi form or exercise. The point isn’t to win at anything, it’s to get everyone on the same page.

That way, it builds that team cohesion, helps develop leadership skills, and gets everyone to relax and perform at their best!

An idea to build off of the scavenger hunt idea could be to do a social media or web based photo scavenger hunt. Have a list of various thing that each team needs to find online or on a given social media platform such as Instagram. Teams then have a set time limit to screen shot as many photos from the list as they can. This could also help teach teammembers web searching skills that could be useful in their jobs. Either assign point values for each item on the list based on difficulty or have them all equal one point and then add up and the winner is whoever finds the most items or scores the most points during the time period. If two teams find the same photo then neither team gets points for it.

Pictionary! Split the participants into two or more teams. Then, using screen sharing, a voice/videocall,, and MS Paint (or another sketch app), have one team draw at a time while the other(s) guess!

One game that I play with people to break the ice in to a conversation or its just meeting new people maybe even just feeling weird in a situation is movie trivia. Not like your typical movie trivia. It starts off as someone saying two actors and the movie they play in together then the next person has to name the second actor and another movie they play in. The main goal of the game is to finally loop around to the first actor played. You would split everyone up in two teams and go back and fourth until we reach the first actor mentioned.

For example Team one – Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys Team two – Bruce Willis and Morgan freeman in Red Team one – Morgan freeman and Brad Pitt in Seven

Team one would of won!

Mind and Body are key to success. I would love to see some sort of home fitness challenge you can with your office. A cool challenge would be to try and do 100 squats a day, 20 squats 5 times a day. This can help promote taking breaks to stay sharp while working, promote health and wellness while working from home and it is surprisingly challenging so bringing in that healthy competition is a great motivator.

A great teambuilding exercise would be “What’s in your pantry”. Each member of the team would locate one item that they have in their shelf that the team could use to bake or cook a meal. Divide into team by starter, entree and dessert for larger teams. Each person would have to take a picture of the item they have (such as “I have fresh basil” – does anyone have tomato and olive oil so we can make a caprese salad”). The team captain could also give them a theme meal (such as italian, mexican, asian, etc.). The team that can put together the items the quickest (a recipe card showing actual ingredients) would be one prize and possibly the team with the most unique item could be another.

I like the idea of a Dessert Island game, each team member will take a short video showing off their home and some of their favorite things. This activity allows team members to get to know one another on a more personal basis, and can lead to cohesiveness and feelings of camaraderie.

This fun game may be better suited for smaller teams, but it’s still a great team building exercise for any team looking to get the process started.

Another way this can be done is by allowing one team member to show off their home at the beginning of each week’s work meeting. This way, you won’t have to spend an hour looking at multiple people’s houses at a stretch!

One idea I have for a team building exercise is a twist on Name That Tune. A team member or members could find song that relate to other team members. Not only would the players have to name the song but also guess who that song relates to on their team.

I like the idea of having a Spirit Week as a Virtual Activity! You’d have a virtual meeting and show up in a fun way, just like you did as an elementary school kid! Crazy hair day, Pajama Day, or Disney Day would be some of my suggestions!

I believe a game everyone can enjoy is virtual bingo. Of course you would have to be on zoom so no one cheats. I believe it’ll be a good way for everyone to see each other and socialize.

Art and entertainment is a great way to express creativity, relax and have fun. I would love to make a 30 second commercial for the company with my team… everyone gets assigned a specific role; actors, director, music, editor, writer, graphics etc. The final product could be shown on the company blog or posted to social media pages.

Everyone starts off with giving their name and what they had for breakfast. than everyone takes turns giving complements to every one in the group.

Geography Trivia: I have played this game a few times and always get a great response. Each team member will send the Facilitator 3 descriptions of a place they have traveled using clues like: 1). It’s a UNESCO destination, close proximity to Sicily. 2). Famous movie starring Tom Hanks filmed here. 3). Known for it’s military history. (they also send the Facilitator a picture they took while there). Everyone guesses the destination and who traveled there. At the end when the answers are revealed, the Facilitator shows the team members travel photo. It’s a great way to learn about a culture and conversation piece for bonding.

Karaoke contest! Everyone chooses a song, sings alone or with group – choose best singer, best costume, most original, etc. Huge laughs and fun!

A fun team building exercise might be name that tune. Gives people a chance to test their musical knowledge while getting a chance to stump their coworkers

My idea for a team building exercise would be a geographical quiz based on guessing the city and country decided by one team, who provide the opposing team with clues (cultural art, architecture, culinary & sport) with a semblance of difficulty where the clues could identify more than one city and country. This would promote good listening skills, and encourage creative thinking to deliver a customers specific needs.

I think it would be great to have the team all on video chat together and play improvise this scenario. I would let each member choose a random number from 1-20 and associate different scenarios to the numbers. The scenarios would be diverse from funny scenarios, to embarrassing scenarios, and even angry one’s all to gauge the response of the team members to one another and to the improvisation of scenarios by the members so they can get to know one another while working together playing out improvisational scenarios.

How about Clue Murder Mystery: Every one loves a good murder mystery and the best part is that you do not have to be in the same location to participate. Simply gather your remote team online and collaborate virtually to crack the case of a deadly crime in this virtual murder mystery team building activity. Certain clues and be given and you work together through a process of elimination until you solve the murder together as a team.

7 Continents and what makes it unique and choose a country and research about that country. A fun team building exercise to do virtually. A team of 7 each will pick a continent out of the 7 continents of the world and research what makes that continent unique from the other continents of the world. Each person should choose a country from their continent that he or she will love to stay and research about the country and tell us things about this country that he or she loves In terms of the people, best food, choose a culture, choose a religion, choose a political party, choose a best resort place, choose best state to stay in, choose the best hotel to stay in that country, the best park to go to, choose a best settlement or county to stay in etc. incase he or she will like to spend summer holidays there. This will help them know about the continent that each person choose and where they may likely want to spend their holidays if given the opportunity to.

For a team building exercise we virtually dress our avatars. We have a virtual trunk full of all kinds of clothing and types accessories and we each take turns pulling out something to put one. As we take an item out of the trunk we have to say something about the item and why we are choosing it. After we are done dressing and accessorizing we each state 2 truths and one lie about ourselves and let the group guess which is the lie. I think that would be a lot of fun and a great way to learn about each other.

With the pandemic we have done an at home “tell us something we don’t know about you” scavenger hunt. We asked that each person find three things to show us things nobody would know about themselves.

In the past I have played a game with my employees called “What Would You Do?” I write down scenarios of customers complaints, questions and concerns. We then take turns acting as the customer and reading the scenario card. Everyone gets a turn to react to the customer in the way they think is the best way to solve the problem. It’s a leaning and teaching strategy that I have used for years.

A fun virtual game for team members to get to know each other is a game I have created called, “Who am I?”

Set up: – each team member is randomly assigned another team member – Fred gets Dan, Dan does not have to get Fred, Dan can have Tiffany etc etc as long as every one has someone.

– In the above example, Fred will email Dan 4 facts about himself that others may not know about Fred. Dan will do the same and email them to Tiffany, etc etc.

– During the call Dan will read the 4 facts about Fred and the others will have to guess who Dan is supposed to be.

– Once the guessing is over Fred is allowed to elaborate on any of the facts as he seems fit for other to get to know him better.

The point of the exercise is for everyone to get to know something interesting about their team members which will turn into future conversations about common likes thus growing team moral and cohesiveness. This also gives everyone an opportunity to be in the spot light and not hidden on the zoom call.

I think a great team building exercise would be to have everyone take turns being the “office” DJ! Each team member would make a public spotify playlist, and then every Friday afternoon it would be made available for the team to listen to while they work!

One of my favorite exercises is a game I call Pictionary meets Survivor (great for groups of 8-12 people)

Part I-Ask everyone in the group to draw any object by hand (actually mouse or stylus) in one minute. When time is up have everyone share their screen and show their picture and see who guesses what the object is first. You can give out meaningless points to the person who guesses correctly first.

Part II –Tell the group that unfortunately the team was in an imaginary plane crash! Luckily everyone survived and they are in a life raft in the ocean. Surprisingly they found an island where everyone is only allowed to bring one object with them to the island. Yes that is right! Only the object they drew. Plot twist! There isn’t enough room on the imaginary fake island for everyone -2 people will not be able to join the group! Everyone will have one minute to give a sales pitch to the group to explain why they and their object should be chosen to go to the island.

Part III-After everyone has had a chance to say their piece, have the group discuss and see who should be voted off the island. Finally, at the end of our little story after the vote you can tell the group that the two who don’t get to go to the island are floating in the middle of the ocean for a couple hours and are found by a helicopter and are able to go back home to their families months before the island is found. They are the real winners here.

These are all such wonderful ideas! I have a couple that I think would be amazing if they gained some more mainstream business traction.

Firstly, any of the Jackbox.tv games for Nintendo Switch are awesome for team-building and often have hilarious results! My personal favorites are Split the Room where players are given an adlib style scenario and have to create the most divisive and hilarious scenario, or Patently Stupid where the players come up with a problem and then everyone must draw a doodle and name the invention that will help solve this problem. There are 6 different Jackbox Party Packs and all of them, even when playing with people I have been friends with for over a decade, leave me both in stitches from laughter, and let me learn something new about the people I play with and how the approach different scenarios.

After Jackbox.tv games I believe something like a virtual coffee/tea tasting would be awesome! If the company mails out a care package with coffee or tea varities and instructs employees not to open until the virtual event and then have an expert come in and help everyone to properly prepare and then taste each variety.

Additionally I think something like a “virtual video crawl” utilizing something like Togethertube.com where everyone watches youtube videos together would be great, each member of the team would add a video up to 15 minutes in length and the rest of the team would watch the video together in real-time and provide any comments about the video.

Here’a an example of a movie-based game of speed between two or more players. After given a prompt, the players take turns answering with movie titles that fit the prompt.

For example— The prompt is given: “Movies that take place in snow” Player A: Cliffhanger Player B: Cool Runnings Player A: Snowpiercer Player B: The Grey Player A: Frozen Player B: ???

Player A wins!

A really fun event would be to hold a musical chairs paint and sip event! Basically people would move one seat to their left after each step (the instructor would tell them when). They will start and finish the class at the same seat though so while everyone gets to work on everyone else’s canvas they always know which one is theirs. This helps it from becoming tedious and also forces perfectionists to let it go: whether that tree is perfect or not you have to move on.

Have you ever played resistance? Something like this game would be so fun for a virtual activity! You’d need at least 5 people to play. How it works: (ex with 5 players)

1. Determine which side you’re on. Spy (2 of the players) or resistance (3 of the players) Each player is dealt a card. An Ace and a 2. Only those who are spies are prompted on who’s on their team. The resistance team must figure out who those 2 are.

2. Here’s where is gets interesting! Now that the last cards drawn have placed you on a team, you put those back in the deck. The game begins and you have to choose two people to go on a “mission” with. BE CAREFUL! YOU DONT WANT A SPY TO RUIN YOUR MISSION! Here’s what you do..

Each player is dealt another 2 cards. A 2(completes mission safely and resistance team wins round) and a 3(ruins mission and spies win team wins round).

Play your card of choice.

3. Everyone has to approve this mission. If not approved, you move on to the next round and do rules 1 and 2 over again. If approved, the cards should Now be faced up. If all 3 cards are 2’s, resistance team wins the round and are safe. If a 3 is played, the mission was ruined by a spy and therefore they win the round.

4. Winner is determined after 5 wins OR if you figure out who your spies are!

Good luck ?

I love an improvisational game called Emotion Switch. Put 2-3 people in a scene. Decide where they are, their relationship to each other, and what their conflict is. As they then improvise a scene, each of them has an offstage controller who periodically yells out an emotion they must exhibit as they are speaking. The more exaggerated the emotion, the funnier it is. Then switch the actors with the offstage controllers and repeat.

Team Orchestra Together, the group will make a symphony of sounds. Individually, each person is only making a noise. To play: 1. Choose one person to be the conductor. 2. Split the group into two, with each person either assigned as a one or two 3. Every person chooses 1 sound/beat to make or even a note to sing. Examples include: a simple knock on the desk, sliding a pencil down the spiral of a notebook, or making sounds from the mouth, even a bark or a meow! Individuals should be creative but the sound must not take too long to complete. 4. The conductor experiments and creates the symphony with the group by holding up a one or a two, the corresponding numbers play their sound. The conductor can speed up and slow down and even hold both numbers up at once.

Another variation of this team building exercise is to select two or three conductors (if three, the group needs to be split into three, where each conductor has their own single group to conduct). Each conductor controls the rate and speed which they conduct their own individual group. Here each conductor would need to work together to try to create a harmonious sound with the other conductors adjusting speed and rate.

I love all of these activities. Not only would they help a team bomb and feel like a part of something bigger than just themselves working at home, but they are helpful, useful, and relevant; they help you learn new skills. An idea for a new team-building activity would be to have healthy-living platform where you share meals and snack ideas that the team can embark on together and feel their best. We would all have the meal together on the same day, maybe over a zoom call! This would bond us and make us feel like a community, but would also get everybody in the habit of feeling and working at their best. It could even be led by one team member every time, with everybody cooking together on video.

I have had a lot of fun and success in the past using the Virtual Escape Room online to get a team to work together for the common goal. While being fun and exciting it really opens conversation and in general boosts the mood and morale of workers. I have heard of quite a few online based companies using Virtual Escape Rooms as team building exercises in small groups especially during this pandemic.

I think a good team building exercise would be to have one person come up with a type of food recipe (pizza, tacos, pie, casserole, etc.) that has to meet certain criteria (vegan, dairy-free, no red foods, nothing crunchy, etc.) and they start the group off with an ingredient. The next person has to come up with an ingredient that starts with the last letter of the first ingredient, and then the next person adds another ingredient with the last letter of the previous, and so on.

At the end of the exercise the person who started the “recipe” determines how well the listed ingredients would work together for the recipe. (and maybe even try to create it, if they’re feeling a little adventurous!)

Here’s another example of a fun game you could play with a remote team. I like to call it “Anecdotes”

How to Play: Before the team bonding night, the game moderator or bonding host would ask each participant to individually submit a funny experience that has happened to them. During the video call, the host would read one of the story submissions out loud to everyone. The participants would then guess who submitted that anecdote. If a participant correctly guesses who that anecdote belonged to, they would win a point. Then the host would read the next story and so forth until all the stories have been read. The person at the end with the most points wins the game. This would be a great game to get to know your co-workers better through some funny predicaments.

One idea for a virtual ice breaker that may be fun is called Time Machine.

I propose that before entering your zoom call you change your virtual background to hint to your colleagues where you would like to go if you had a time machine.

When people start to recognize familiar backgrounds they will start to break the ice with traditional questions such as: What location did you chose? Which time period? Why? If there was a person you could go back in time and meet, who would it be, and why? Would you just want to visit and come back, or would you stay?

Bringing a virtual background makes it easy for everyone to see where you would like to go and start the conversation to find out why you picked that particular place.

I have always loved gameshows and some of the most enjoyable team building exercises that I’ve had the opportunity to participate in myself were all oriented around fun and friendly competition. So, I think that a great team building event could be modeled after the classic Match Game. It would be even better if members of the team that hold positions of leadership would be able to play the part of the “celebrities.” One of the coolest parts about watching Match Game on TV is the sense of feeling like you get to know the celebrities better. So, in addition to being a wildly good time, it would foster stronger relationships with those leaders filling the “celebrity” role.

Everyone will tell 2 truths and 1 lie about themselves. Everyone must guess which one is the lie from all coworkers.

I recently participated in virtual “show and tell” team building activity from each person’s home and personal travels. For instance- I have lived and traveled all over the world- so I pulled together a couple fun items I’ve collected and told the story behind it. A rock from the Great Wall of China and a crystal set that I acquired while in Venice, Italy. Each person has 15-20 minutes to share about their item/story and why it means so much to them.

Since this is a virtual team building exercise, it could be fun to do a modern twist on the classic “telephone game.” This would be accomplished via chat, and could be a fun way of getting team members more connected with each other.

With the division going on the world today, Peas In A Pod would be a welcome break. You could use the game to virtually discover 10 differences and commonalities. Diversity is essential, but finding common ground is incredible. – Shauna Robinson

I love several of these team building ideas and can’t wait to try some of these!

One team building exercise that our sales team did during some of our monthly meetings was Virtual Charades. This worked great because all 100+ sales team members worked remotely. We had smaller teams of 15-20 that had monthly virtual team calls. We played this team building exercise the first meeting each month. It was a fun way to play charades.

1). One team member would draw a card with 5 random words (sometimes this would be related to our role or company, sometimes not). It is that team members job to act them out in the desired order. 2). Other team members have to guess 3). They have 3 minutes to guess all the words 4) For each correctly guessed word, the team gets one point 5). Game can be played for 3-5 rounds. The team that scores the most wins has bragging rights that month. We also would let the winning team have some type of small reward. It might be something simple like getting first choice of your 1×1 scheduled call with your manager, getting to leave work 2 hours early on a Friday (as long as you hit your sales numbers, etc). Awards that were of value to everyone on the team in some small way, but were not costly.

I’ll have to say that “Do It For The Gram” is the virtual exercise I will use because some people don’t understand how vital social media is to our everyday life and although it is a tool that you can use to inform you on current events, allow you to make money from home, it is also a tool that can destroy your reputation. So learning the best ways to use it for good by obtaining the comfortability for the tool can make a difference in your personal and professional life. We should not shy away from it but embrace it and have fun using it.

At the clinic that I manage, we have team building happy hours every month. We play common kids games that we frequently use as interventions. It provided with great ways to connect over current work but in a fun, child-like playful approach. While working from home we used, house party as a common app to connect us while playing games.

A game where everyone is told to close their eyes and write down their favorite word and find 3 people (still with eyes closed) for a total of 4 people and one person in the group will be able to see in order to help guide the 3 other people into matching with the other groups to create a mission statement with the words. Needs refining by the leadership team but yeah, here’s an idea 🙂

I’ve found that a tried and true way to build camaraderie between people from all backgrounds is through music. A fun musical exercise would be to have each person read lyrics of a lesser known song by their favorite artists and have the other members guess the titles and performers. This would be a great conversation starter, and may even make new best friends!

One way to use tools that are available through virtual technology would be based around storytelling. Depending on the size of your group you can split them up into teams. Each team is given a google word doc. They have 5-10 minutes to write a story…. the difficult part is that you can only write one sentence at a time with each member contributing in order. There can be no other forms of communications between the team members.

AnnMarie Sabatino

Blockbuster Fun ~ One team member picks a name of an actor and the next person has to name another actor that starts with the first initial of the last name of that actors name.. Each team can then do a count of what team named the most actors.. This game would get everyone thinking quickly ~ lots of fun and laughs together as a team!

One idea I had was a version of Simon Says but in different languages. 1. Get all employees together in a group chat, like a zoom call at a predetermined date and time. 2. Decide on the language and the first “Simon” ahead of time. (You can play different rounds with different languages and a different Simon) in one session, or split up and have a new session each week. 3. Simon provides an instruction in the chosen language while also doing it themselves. This way, those that have zero knowledge of the language have a visual, and can learn something new without feeling left out. No shame for copy cats in this game! Ideas could be instruction to google a dog meme and post it in the group, or do two jumping jacks etc. 4. The end can be determined by the number of “Simon Says” instructions, or a predetermined time limit, like 30 minutes. At the end, the Simon of the week, can send an email to all participants with the instructions given that day so that each can see how it’s written, and learn some new vocabulary.

One team exercise that I enjoyed doing in the past in pretty simple – Spin the wheel! Pick a name and ask them a question, could be work related or not, anything to bring up discussion and introspection among peers is one of the best ways for a team to quickly bond together towards a common goal.

Working on a creative virtual team now…this is so up my alley!

I had a thought that a “mad-libs” style exercise based on an inter-office email would be absolutely hilarious especially if the email is explaining a a mandatory upcoming personality and strengths assessment test for all employees.

The function would be to see what words were suggested to describe various departments in an organization by the departments themselves and compare them to words used by other departments.

You could do a virtual game called, “Oh Baby!” Team members are asked to submit a photo of them as a baby (24 months and under). The goal is to match the baby photo with your colleague. The person with the most “Correct” matches wins a gift basket to “Baby” themselves at home. A a gift basket with home spa items or a gift card to purchase items at at a retailer such as Bath & Bodyworks or Bliss.com.

Loved reading some of these nostalgic games some of us remember from our child hood. I think an interesting game would be to include diversity that inspires people to understand what discrimination and systemic oppression looks like outside of the media and the work place. Creating a digital game that would include some of the work of Jane Elliott would be a great game that all organizations need.

Treasure Chest

We all have some item in our home that is very near and dear to our hearts, something we treasure. It is something that is significant to us for one reason or another. Because those taking part in a virtual team building exercise may not have met the other members of a team in person, it may difficult to get to know them as they would if they saw one another in a traditional setting. By introducing one item in their home that they would not mind sharing with coworkers, and explaining why this item is special, participants can learn something about one another’s personalities and communications styles.

When am listening to music I find myself inserting other song lyrics. A “that line would have been perfect in this song”. Music is a melody that often times gets rewritten or covered and just as unique as the artist performing. With that being said…

Question of the game: What does music mean to you?

The team then selects up to 2 genres of music.

The Supervisor will select the first line of the song therefore setting the example the team should follow. The individual of the team must then write down their favorite song lyric between those genres. Everyone will say their selection and the objective is to then find a spot for your line

Now starts the freestyle: The team must create a Team song by saying the lyrics EXACTLY how they are in their song of choice

How many times will it take for your team to record a hit??

The object of the game is to show that you can still be uniquely individual among many and YOU DO MATTER. It’s easy for employees to feel overlooked, unappreciated, and just a number. You make your work culture that much better.

One team-building or break the ice exercise would be the game “Who Am I?”

1. Everyone writes down a name of someone famous (actor, character, musician, etc.) 2. Each person will then give hints on the name they wrote down (without saying the name). 3. The goal is to have the rest of the group guess the name written down. 4. The person who’s name was guessed in the fastest time wins.

When I think about Virtual team building – I think about simple ways to liven up day to day meetings!

1. Start with a dance party! Get the energy moving…. juices flowing = higher brain engagement! 2. Everyone has the simple resources of pen/marker and paper in front of them – make them useful! When the leader/supervisor is asking questions about goal setting or collaborative project ideas, give each team member a few minutes to collect their thoughts and write in big letters on a piece of paper the answer. Example for sales team: “How much revenue do you intend to bring in this month?” Each team member holds their sign/idea up at same time, then the leader can dive in individually. 3. Do a body poll! Use hands cues or silly movements (ex. thumbs up/down) to have the team answer general meeting questions instead of simply nodding, etc. For example .. The manager/supervisor would say … “On the count of 3 I want you to all tell me how you are feeling today – using your thumb! Thumbs up is great, thumbs down is not so great, and a neutral thumb is “meh!” — The sky is the limit here for creativity!

The more engaged your team members are, the more productive the meeting will be and the tighter your team, too. Thumbs UP to that!

In the times of CoVID-19, my game suggestion would be to have a virtual ‘happy hour’ specifically showcasing any special projects, deep cleaning, new animals, new children, books read, music created, lesson plans to keep children entertained, virtually ANYTHING completed during the times of lock-down.

I think this would reveal a lot of information about your co-workers, specifically their true interests and what they do in times of boredom to keep themselves occupied.

Happy hour would be more fun if we all had our own personal bar tender. Since that technology is still a few years away, here’s the next best thing. In this game, we think about our team members likes and strive to make each other smile.

Each person will take a turn as the bar tender and serve their co-workers, works best for groups of 3-5.

The drinks can be made up and each ingredient should represent part of their personality and skills. “For Emily we have the ‘Fidler on the Roof’ with ginger beer that’s as bubbly as she is after her second cup of coffee, bitters for that dark sense of humor, rum because she’s so sweet, topped with the worlds smallest violin, which we know you play behind our backs”.

Drinks must have a three ingredient minimum, to avoid anyone being a plain old water. This game tests creativity and encourages each teammate to high-light the strengths that make each other unique.

Bonus points could be awarded for those who present their drink with an image accompaniment.

One could even send each teammate a kit of food dye, tiny umbrellas, plastic martini glasses ect. to present each drink as an art piece.

I played a fun team-building game at my last job to get to know one of our co-workers better (I think we were celebrating her birthday)– it was a trivia test about them! Everyone got a paper test with 10 or so multiple-choice questions. Each answer included 3 facts about our co-worker, and one lie. Whoever guessed the lie for each question won! You could totally make this into a fun ice-breaker game by including every team member. Everyone could take turns playing “3 facts and a lie” about specific topics, like “hobbies”, “favorite foods”, or even more fun, specific office topics!

One thing we have done in the lab I work in, is virtual cooking classes. Where one person picks a recipe and teaches us how to prepare and about the background of this dish. It’s been really fun!

A good idea I had was doing a Trivia night with fun prizes and you can do it in person or virtually! It would be perfect for if you had different sale teams or different departments as they can try to win as a group!

(Work) Family Feud or virtual Jeopardy! All questions would be based off of relevant work knowledge sprinkled in with some fun facts about the company etc!

One of the most difficult adjustments for me, when I first started working from home, was getting used to not seeing and socializing with coworkers in person as often. When you’re working on a team I think it’s important to get to know the people you’re working with. One way to accomplish this virtually would be a simple daily photo match game.

The way it would work is each day you have a new subject, it can be anything: everyone sends in a picture of their lunch, their pets, their car, a project they’re working on, etc. Everyone tries to match the picture to the person who submitted it. It’s fun, simple and it helps everyone get to know each other better. Prizes could be involved, you can play for bragging rights, or winner chooses the next day’s topic.

One team-building or break the ice exercise would be the game “Guess Who?”

1. Everyone sends in 3 things about themselves, like something they own, a place they’ve been, or something that they’ve done. 2. The game’s host will then give the item, activity, or skill, etc of someone from Team #1. Members from the other teams huddle together to guess who the item, skill, activity, etc belongs to from Team #1. Each team gets one guess and for every wrong answer, Team #1 gets a point. 3. The goal is to learn more about your coworkers. 4. The team that has the most points at the end wins.

I love the idea of Scavenger Hunts. My friends and I do script reading for fun at gatherings and stuff. I think if everyone agreed on a show or movie and picked a character, it could be fun. To read “The Office” at the office might be fun.

Skribbl.io is a very fun game where 1 person draws while everyone is on a race to guess what it is. For one it’s very fun, but it as well promotes cognitive skills while also helping to bond everyone involved.

Team-building exercise ideas 1. Predictive text one-word play. Each person involved uses their cell phone predictive text feature to create a play with their teammates using only 1 word per person per turn. 2. Workspace scavenger hunt, a contest to see who has the most unique items on their desk/purse/etc.

These are all great ideas! Here is another exercise virtual teams might enjoy called “Food Lovers Bracket Challenge!”

How to play: 1. Each member will write down their favorite restaurant (within the area) 2. Restaurants will then be placed in a tournament bracket 3. Each day members will vote on match ups until there are only two restaurants left 4. When the winning restaurant is chosen, your company will cater one meal to your workspace in celebration

I love the Ransom Note exercise. It’s like a Mad Lib but where the entire story is unwritten. Twitter handles can be pretty hilarious, and it would be a lot of fun and a great opportunity to use creativity. It might be fun if we combined it with the classic campfire game whre one person adds a phrase to create a story

One of my favorites is similar to the children’s game Telephone. I like to call it TeleDraw. It’s rather simple, but it helps foster team bonding, and creativity which is always good in the workplace. You need a minimum of 3 people, but it gets more and more fun with the more people that are playing! So one person starts with a simple sentence (like a caption). They hand it to the next person who will make a drawing based on the sentence. That person will cover up the sentence and give the drawing to the next person, who will then create a caption from the drawing. That goes on until everyone has had a turn. And you can have multiple going at a time. This can also be done virtually using the website scribble.io

The Where you’re from game.

Basically, because everyone is remote, it is hard to know where a person is from or where they have traveled. How to play: Usually the supervisor will send out 20 questions to every team member and wait for the responses. These questions will ask about where you are located but in fun ways. Once all the questions are gathered, we send out 4 peoples responses out and see if anyone can guess. Then after all guesses have been made from all teammates, then we find out who had the most correct guesses and give them a reward. So there is 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

You can continue to do this with different location of vacation and so forth.

An idea for a team-building activity would be a “Who would you be” game.

1. Everyone breaks into small groups 2. Each group is given a position at their company and told to come up with a character/animal/hero that represents this position’s most ideal strengths/weaknesses 3. Each group shares their character with everyone else without sharing which position it relates to 4. Individually, each person decides and shares “Who they would be” if they could choose any of the characters 5. Then, each group reveals the position their character was inspired by and why they choose that character/how it relates to the position in their company

These are all a lot of fun! I think something that would be fun and engaging would be “Make your own netflix original jigsaw” Netflix is always coming up with originals. I believe it would be fun to split into teams and get all netflix shows and deconstruct them and rework them to see who can make the best Netflix Original. I think it definitely challenges the team to work together and be creative to come up with something original.

I have always enjoyed pictionary or charades. One person could be the judge in each round and at the beginning everyone turns in their suggestions of what could be drawn or acted out. You could do each round as a certain category or just do them randomly. Depending on how many teams you could be on teams of 2-5. The judge each round will keep score of how many each team guessed correctly and you can play first team to reach 20 wins.

Table Topics – this is a game that can be used in person or virtually. There is a glass jar with wooden tabs similar to those in Scrabble. Each tab has a topic to discuss to learn more about each other. The facilitator of the game calls on people around the room and you draw out a tab to see what the topic is. Questions vary from pets, children, goals, dream vacation destinations, most exciting thing you have ever done, who would you like to have dinner with living or dead and why, etc. Each time I have used this game, it has really allowed those in the group to learn some fun facts about others in the group. The questions of course can be altered to be more specific to a particular group of people.

Building Trust 1. Give everyone a piece a paper with 5 fun personal questions. 2. Have each member of the team write down their answers to the questions. 3. Have the monitor randomly read the answers to each question and have the group guess who they thought answered it. 4. They can also say why they guessed the person.

What if, as a team trust-builder, you did a Mask/Off activity. Hear me out:

You take a piece of regular paper to your Zoom (or whatever) meeting, folding it in half like a greeting card, lengthwise.

On the outside, you put a mask that represents you. This outer mask is things you put out to the world. A teacher, for example, might put “good with kids”, “educator” or “good listener” on their mask. You also draw, not just use words, so there’s symbolism in play.

On the inside, you simply write words, no drawing. These are the things you keep hidden from the world. Examples could be “Am I enough?”, “What’s my future like?”, etc. These are anxieties and shortcomings and other parts of you that you conceal.

Then, you share the outer masks by wearing them. After that, there’s an opportunity to share the inner mask with the team, leaving space for omission or not sharing for those not (yet) comfortable revealing, going mask-off. By sharing the inner and outer masks, there’s an inherent opportunity for quick trust and relationship building.

One super easy and fun way to get to know your co workers is “whats your favorite questions”. One of my personal go to questions is favorite breakfast ? its great to hear each persons point of view and find out what they like best. This even inspires you to explore their choice for your own. there are tons of subject to ask and this can be part of a weekly plan.

One team building exercise that fosters good communication and listening skills would be a virtual game of telephone. Everyone breaks into groups of five or six. One team member hears a short presentation, protocol or practice customer call. That member then tries to relay what they heard to the next team member and so on. The final team member then presents the information in the final round. Not only does this strengthen listening and communication skills, it serves to as a way to teach new processes in an engaging way.

A great team building game would be Convince Me:

An odd numbered panel of judges is chosen. A topic is chosen to debate. Participants are split into teams at random, and given a side they must defend (even if they may not currently agree with that side).

This will encourage the participants to learn about a topic they may not know about, and to gain a new perspective.

I think virtual beer pong would be a lot of fun! Everyone could set up cups to be shot at in their own homes, and employees would get partnered up to face eachother via Zoom. When one employee sinks a shot the other one needs to “drink”, but drinking could be replaced very easily with a verbal excercise like “say one thing nobody here knows about you.”

I bet it would be a blast!

This is fun! I have my team turn their cameras on but their mics off, or they are to wear something that completely hides who they are. Then we ask questions that relate to experiences and situations that may come up during a call with a client. Then, depending on the answers that everyone posts, we have to try and guess who is who? The person who guesses the most co-workers correctly wins!

I like to play “cards against customers.” I play this game by preparing before our meetings with common phrases we hear our customers begin with. Each team member then writes down the finishing phrase. These phrases are typically common pieces they hear, phrases they’ve wondered about but haven’t asked about, and just random situations veteran employees don’t forget and like to share. Once everyone has “submitted” their complimenting phrase to the original. We go round and laugh about some of the responses and how to best handle or deal with the situation. It gives our veterans a chance to reminisce and laugh as well as share some wisdom, as well as our newbies a shot to learn about encounters they may have and how to handle them. It’s always a fun time and our team loves it.

I haven’t had to complete any virtual team-building exercises, but I believe this would improve morale and create a bond between coworkers. However, a game that I recommend Virtual Pictionary to be completed with Whiteboard in Microsoft Teams. Of course, the subject matter and detail regarding topics to be drawn would have to be streamlined to adhere to HR policies. Still, I believe it would be a great way to combat stress, inspire collaboration, and afford teams the ability to work closely with individuals they may not have had the opportunity to meet formally.

In the Army our leadership would have us play Dodgy Jeep or Land Rover. Essentially it is an exercise to simulate a real life situation of getting an abandoned vehicle working to escape enemy fire. It could be a very easy fix or a difficult fix. It was random every time. To incorporate this into a team building exercise for remote teams, leaders could simulate computer malfunctions or phone issues. Another suggestion would be doing a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire style game working on two teams against each other.

I’ve always liked to go around and have someone tell me what their favorite pastime was as a kid. From vacations, things they would do around the neighborhood with their friends, or pranks they would play. I find that this shows your colleagues what types of activities interest you, as well as your sense of humor, which can really connect people.

A cool team-building game would be sort of like Tetris. -Everyone creates or is assigned a shape, (square, L-shape, rectangle, line, etc.) -Then we take turns placing our shapes in a square to fit our shapes together to complete a line. Explaining how each shape could be used effectively to clear a line, some more than others, some not at all, but each important to complete the task of clearing a line. Each line would then require different shapes to be added. This shows how things can be completed if everyone pitches in. You can achieve your goal (clear the line) no matter what your shape (strongest skill) may be if you have a help from other shapes.

Having worked from home for the past 6 years, getting in enough movement was sometimes challenging. I think a fun team-building exercise would be to hold a virtual walking challenge. Have teammates use their movement tracking devices to see how long it takes to virtually walk to each of your teammates locations and back again. It’d be a great way to increase steps and movement over a long period of time, but it would also help new team members learn where in the world their new co-workers are located.

Sizzlin’ n Gigglin’

A grocery list can be sent to each participant for a recipe that the group all agrees on. A partnership with Instacart could be made to have the groceries delivered to each person’s residence.

A cooking teacher can lead the group through the step-by-step process of preparing the dish from start to finish and give cooking tips and answer questions along the way. In the end, each participant can reveal how their dish turned out after following along. Some will be gram-worthy and some will get… participation trophies. But, everyone will learn something and have a great time!

Appreciate having a site like this. Gave me some good ideas. First time running virtual programming due to covid-19 and I am working with 13 and 14 year olds.

Thank you for sharing the ideas! In this current situation, we need human connection and kindness more than ever right now. Loved the ice breaking sessions!

very interesting read . As a girl guide leader i am always looking for ways to entertain them. this has helped thank you

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50 team building activities & exercises for work in 2024.

Faisal Malas

Expansion Account Executive

March 17, 2024

In a world where remote work and digital communication have become commonplace, creating a sense of unity and camaraderie among team members has never been more crucial. Team building activities are essential tools that can help bridge gaps, bolster communication, and enhance collaboration within any workplace.

As teams continue to evolve and adapt to new challenges, finding innovative and engaging team building exercises will be key to maintaining a vibrant, productive, and harmonious work environment. Whether your team is fully remote, hybrid, or office-based, these fun team building activities are designed to suit diverse team dynamics , fostering stronger relationships and a more cohesive team spirit.

Benefits of Team Building Activities at Work

Types of team building exercises, 1. two truths and a lie, 2. what’s my name.

  • 3. Building a Storyline 

4. Form the Order

5. show and tell, 6. life’s best moments, 7. survivor, 8. game of possibilities, 9. the common factor, 10. a team-made puzzle, 11. simulated problems, 12. a scavenger hunt, 13. pencil precision, 14. human knot, 15. a look at the future, 16. guess who, 17. frostbite, 18. all tied up.

  • 19. Blind Drawing 

20. Seemingly Nothing in Common

21. river crossing, 22. perfect vacation, 23. sculpture peek, 24. electric fence.

  • 25. Team Jigsaw 

26. Build Bridges, Not Walls

27. code of conduct, 28. marshmallow challenge, 29. company outing, 30. virtual game show, 31. virtual happy hour, 32. pictionary, 33. a peek into each other’s homes, 34. virtual escape room, 35. virtual book club, 36. remote lunch and learn, 37. virtual coffee breaks, 38. diy craft challenge, 39. online fitness challenge, 40. digital idea box, 41. virtual cooking class, 42. sustainability week, 43. trivia night, 44. talent show, 45. photo contest, 46. global virtual office tour, 47. ‘how i work’ webinar, 48. language exchange, 49. virtual reality team building exercise, 50. “my project” team member presentation.

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Team building activities are not just about having fun and breaking the monotony of work. They provide numerous benefits that can positively impact a team’s performance and overall workplace culture. Some of the key benefits include:

  • Improved communication: Through team building activities, team members get to know each other on a personal level, leading to better communication and understanding among colleagues.
  • Enhanced collaboration: By fostering a sense of unity and trust, team building activities can improve collaboration within teams, leading to more efficient and effective teamwork.
  • Increased productivity: When team members are engaged and motivated, they are more likely to be productive. Team building activities help create a positive work environment that promotes productivity.
  • Boosted morale: Team building activities can boost employee morale by providing a break from the daily routine, promoting a sense of belonging and appreciation within the team.
  • Improved problem-solving skills: Many team building activities involve problem-solving challenges that require teamwork and critical thinking. These exercises can help develop valuable skills that can be applied in the workplace.

Use ClickUp’s Team Docs Template to revolutionize how team building activities and other team-related processes are managed. This customizable template serves as an adaptable foundation tailored to suit the unique requirements of any team.

ClickUp Team Docs Template

Team building activities can be broadly classified into three categories: communication, problem-solving, and trust-building exercises. Each type serves a different purpose and has its own benefits. Here are some examples of team building activities in each category:

  • Communication activities: These exercises focus on improving communication skills within the team, such as active listening, effective feedback, and non-verbal communication. Examples include “Two Truths and a Lie”, “Back-to-Back Drawing”, and “Chain Reaction”.
  • Problem-solving activities: These activities aim to improve critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. Examples include “Escape Room” challenges, “Scavenger Hunts”, and “Building Bridges”.
  • Trust-building activities: These exercises promote trust, teamwork, and collaboration within the team. Examples include “Blindfolded Obstacle Course”, “Trust Falls”, and “Human Knot”.
  • Ice-breaker activities: These simple, fun games are perfect for breaking the ice and getting team members to know each other in a light-hearted way. Examples include “Two Truths and a Lie”, “Never Have I Ever”, and “Mingle Bingo”.

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50 Effective Team Building Exercises for Work

To foster a stronger, more connected team, here’s a curated list of 50 effective team building activities specifically designed for work environments. These activities are tailored to enhance communication, solve problems creatively, build trust among team members, and break the ice in fun and engaging ways.

Whether you’re looking to reinforce existing bonds or integrate new members into the fold, these exercises offer versatile options for all types of teams. These activities will create a more cohesive, empowered, and dynamic workplace.

Time: 15–30 minutes

Group size: 4–6

Objective: Build affinity

In this game, team members get to act as human lie detectors!

Start off by letting each person tell two truths and one fabricated statement about themselves in a random sequence.

Then ask other team members to figure out which are the truths and what’s the lie. The speaker can then reveal which fact is indeed false.

Time: 15–20 minutes

Group size: <20

Objective: Build rapport

Get your team to sit in a circle and take turns saying their names.

Next, throw a tennis ball at one person. They must toss the ball to another teammate while saying his or her name. 🎾

To ramp up the challenge, create a rule that members can’t throw the ball to the same person twice in a row.

3. Building a Storyline

Time: 30 minutes

Group size: Varies

Objective: Listening, collaboration, teamwork

For this icebreaker team building activity, arrange the participants in a circle.

One team member starts narrating a story but stops with an incomplete sentence such as, “John was excited. On his first day as a professional artist, he wanted to …” The next person finishes the sentence and adds another incomplete sentence.

For example, “Marshall experienced a spark of creativity and decided to …” This continues until the last member in the circle is reached, and an entirely coherent story has been formed.

This experience ensures that the entire group listens to one another and remains engaged in the activity, leading to better collaboration and improved listening skills.

You’ll quickly discover that listening is crucial to business growth!

For more challenge and extra creative thinking, throw in random words that people must include in the story.

Bonus: Best Buddy Movies for Teamwork

Time: 20 minutes

Objective: Communication, collaboration

Instruct members to line themselves up based on specific criteria such as age, height, birthday, or shoe size.

The challenge ?

All teamwork and communication needed to organize themselves must be conducted through non-verbal communication.

As people move around the room to complete the task, you will see the emergence of natural leaders and innovative communication means.

Time: 30–60 minutes

Group size: 10–15

Objective: Build trust

This icebreaker works fantastically for remote workers.

Ask every team member to share something they love with the rest of the team.

It could be a hobby, an award, a pet, or something completely unexpected.

Give each team member one minute to show and talk about their special something and then allow others to ask questions.

Remember, the objective here is to build trust by sharing personal information.

Time: 30–45 minutes

Group size: 15–20

Objective: Build rapport, trust

This team building activity requires participants to move out of their comfort zones.

  • Instruct your team to spend a few minutes contemplating the best moments of their lives.
  • Then ask them to decide which 30 seconds of their life they would relive again if they had the chance.
  • Now, ask each team member to share their memory out loud.

If you are a senior team member running the activity, do share your own memory too.

Your participation goes a long way towards breaking down barriers between levels and creating more trust.

This activity is excellent for pulling members out of their comfort zones and creating meaningful working relationships.

Objective: Problem solving , collaboration, creativity

In this fun activity, give your team a fictional emergency scenario, such as being stranded on a desert island or in the middle of the Arctic.

Your employees will have to choose items that they’ll take with them to survive.

Here’s how to set it up:

  • Give them an imaginary list of ten items, of which they can choose five. Include items such as a handful of seeds, a small pocket knife, a sword from the 1700s, 200 feet of cloth string or rope, a bedsheet, a two-liter bucket, one-liter of kerosene, a flint spark lighter, and so on.
  • Divide the team into groups and have them collaborate on which items they will choose to survive.
  • Then have them present their decisions to the entire group and have everyone decide on which team’s strategy is the best.

Time: 10 minutes

Objective: Problem-solving, communication, creativity

Give an object to each small group. Participants must take turns acting out a unique use of that object, and teammates have to guess what that use is.

For example, using chopsticks as knitting needles. 🥢

Let the innovation and creative thinking begin!

Time: 5 minutes

Group size : 4–6

Objective: Build rapport, overcome bias

In this quick team building activity, instruct each group to find one thing they all have in common.

For example, one group discovers that they all love hiking.

Instruct the group of people to take on a hiker stereotype for the rest of the meeting.

Maybe throughout the meeting, those members will use terms like “natural,” “peaceful,” or “rad” to identify with the stereotype.

At the end of the meeting, discuss how stereotyping and passing judgment on a person’s qualities and preferences is ridiculous and blinding.

To take it a step further, have each person end with one quality about themselves that typically lies outside of the stereotype of the common quality.

Maybe one of the hikers loves designer handbags and shoes!

Group size: 8

Objective: Collaboration

Print out an image and then cut it into eight perfect squares.

Give each member of the group a square and a full-sized square sheet of paper. Instruct them to draw their pieces at scale.

In the end, all participants will put their puzzle pieces together to identify the picture.

This activity aims to demonstrate how each member contributes to the larger picture.

Psst… the pun was definitely intended. 

Time: 45–60 minutes

Objective: Collaboration, problem solving

This fun game requires some creative problem solving.

Give members a fictional problem that relates to work.

For example, if you manage a marketing team , create a scenario that the company has released a marketing campaign that many people found to be distasteful and discriminatory.

Instruct them to brainstorm ideas and create a work plan for a public apology and strategies for moving forward.

What will future ads contain?

How will your people work to gain back the company’s good reputation and credibility? 

Problem solving activities allow members to recognize mistakes before they take place in real life.

They also enable companies to put processes in place to deal with such scenarios if they actually happen.

Time: > 60 minutes

Objective: Collaboration, problem solving, build rapport

A scavenger hunt is a classic event but can take a decent amount of time.

It’s also the perfect time for your employees to channel their inner detectives! 🎩

Use your creativity to organize a list of clues and even trivia questions that lead team members to different items/locations. 🔎

If the company is located in Chicago, for example, Cloud Gate (or as most people know it: the giant bean statue) can be described on the list as the “place where people go to look at their curvy reflections.

Instruct participants to get a team photo at each location. The first team to return with the proof/items wins.

Outdoor activities can be a fun way to let team members engage with each other outside of the workplace.

Note: A scavenger hunt can also be an organized team event indoors around the office.

Group size: 2

Objective: Collaboration, build rapport

Tie the ends of two long pieces of string or thin rope around the eraser-side of a pencil.

Then instruct pairs of teammates to tie the other end of the pieces around their waists.

Each team must stand back to back and work together to lower the pencil into an empty water bottle between them.

The first pair to complete this goal wins.

Group size: 8–15

Objective: Collaboration, building rapport, problem-solving, communication

Instruct participants to stand in a circle facing one another, shoulder to shoulder.

Have each member reach out with one hand and grab the hand of someone across the circle.

Repeat this with the other hand. Set a time limit and instruct the team to un-knot themselves without releasing their hands.

Objective: Collaboration, build a vision

This game is all about embracing the future.

First, hand out newspapers to each small group and instruct them to mark down 10 fictional headlines of what the company will be doing in the future.

Then, allow each group to share their headlines aloud.

This team building activity helps teams contemplate long-term goals and establish a common goal amongst team members.

This experience is also great for analyzing where each team member sees the company going.

Time: 15 minutes

Group size : 5–10

Objective: Problem solving, communication

Keep masking tape or post-it notes on hand for this activity.

Write a series of names on sheets of paper or sticky notes , such as celebrities or historical figures.

Then, arrange the groups into circles.

Each employee must tape one of the names to their forehead without looking at it.

Participants will then go around the circle asking questions to find out clues of who they are.

Only “yes” or “no” questions are allowed. If someone gets a “yes,” they are allowed another question.

Objective: Communication, collaboration, problem solving , build trust

This activity needs each group to leave their comfort zone.

Gather the materials needed for this problem solving activity, such as building blocks, chairs, blindfolds, and sheets.

Instruct groups to imagine that they are stranded in the Arctic. The objective is to elect a leader to build a shelter to survive.

The challenge ? 

The team leader has suffered from frostbite and therefore is unable to build the shelter.

The second challenge ? 

The other team members have been blinded by the snow and are wearing blindfolds.

The team leader must give verbal instructions to their blind team members on how to build the shelter.

Group size : 2–4

Objective: Collaboration, communication, problem-solving

Ready for some hands-on learning? 😉

Instruct pairs or small groups to stand in a tight circle facing one another.

Use string or rope to tie their hands together.

Teams must then accomplish a goal while tied together, such as completing a board game or jigsaw puzzle, making a sandwich, tying each of their shoes, acting out charades, or racing other teams across a finish line.

19. Blind Drawing

Time: 10–15 minutes

Group size : 2

Objective: Build trust, communication, collaboration

Instruct pairs to sit back to back.

One team member will have a pencil and a piece of paper, and the other will have an object or picture.

The team member with the picture/object must instruct their teammate to draw what’s in their hands without saying what it is.

They can describe its properties, color, etc. but not precisely state what the object is.

Such a team building event will push participants to trust and listen to one another.

Objective: Collaboration, problem-solving

For this fun team building activity, lay out a series of random objects with seemingly nothing in common.

Then, ask each small team to pile the objects into categories.

Have each group write down their answers. Once the time limit is over, each group will share their categories aloud and explain why they grouped them this way.

Perhaps your team will see that they have things in common as well . 😉

Group size : 10–20

Objective: Collaboration, communication, building trust, problem-solving

This team building event is great for identifying your team’s strengths and weaknesses.

Demarcate an area in your conference room or on the lawn (if outdoors) to be the river.

This could be done by placing two long carpets head to head or putting paper sheets or rope to mark the river’s beginning and end.

Instruct your teams that this river is full of toxic waste, and they need to cross without touching the ‘water’ with hands or feet.

Provide cardboard squares as footholds that can be placed on the ‘river’ to cross.

These cardboard squares can be moved as a person goes across the river. (Ensure that all the cardboard squares put head to head do not cover the entire length of the river).

If anyone in the team ‘falls’ into the river, for example, losing balance when trying to place your foot on the cardboard square, the entire team has to start over.

The goal is not only to cross the river safely but also to assist your teammates in crossing.

Time: 10–20 minutes

Objective: Listening

This exercise is all about your employees’ listening skills.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Group members into pairs

2. Each person in a pair reveals to their partner what their ideal vacation would be (if time and money were no constraints) 🏖

3. After each pair has exchanged their plans, the other person must describe their partner’s trip as best they can

Objective: Communication, problem-solving, strategy

This hands-on learning activity will require a large bucket of Lego building blocks or Jenga blocks.

Start by building a model using the Lego blocks and hide it from the group.

Then allow one team leader from each group to sneak a 10-second look at it.

Next, the team leader must relay what they have seen to their teammates to build the free-standing structure based on memory.

After about one minute of trying to recreate the model, ask another member to come up for a “sneak peek” before going back to their team and telling them how to recreate the sculpture.

The first team to achieve an exact replica wins.

As this is a memory team activity, your team will also create some fantastic memories while playing it!

Group size : 10–15

Objective: Collaboration, communication, building trust, problem-solving, building rapport

In this experiential team building event, create a waist-high ‘electric fence.’

You can do this by tying a string between two chairs kept at a distance from each other.

Each team member must cross the fence without touching it.

Easy, right? 

Well, not exactly.

Participants must be touching one team member with a hand at all times and cannot go under the fence. This includes the rest of the team on either side of the fence.

Fun activities and building events like this lead to a great combination of teamwork skills!

25. Team Jigsaw

Group size : 8–20

Objective : Team collaboration , problem solving, communication

This game’s a simple one.

A team of 8–20 people (divided into two teams) has to complete a jigsaw puzzle within a specific timeframe.

So, what’s the catch?

Well, let’s just say there are some missing pieces to this puzzle.

Both teams will soon realize that they have a few pieces of a different jigsaw puzzle and that the opposing team has the pieces they need!

Both teams have to communicate clearly with each other to solve the problem.

Team members also have to be patient since they can only exchange one puzzle piece at a time.

To make this game even more difficult, you can keep the two teams in different rooms.

Time: 60 minutes

Objective: Creative thinking, communication, collaboration, problem solving

This building activity is about collaboration and architecture!

Two teams must build separate halves of a bridge using the material they are given. Once their halves are done, they’ll have to figure out how to make the halves fit.

1. Divide the participants into two even teams

2. Collect materials that can be used to build a bride (straws, lego, cardboard, and other materials to build with)

3. Make sure that both teams are far away from each other

4. Teams can exchange ideas about their bridges but can’t see what each team is building

5. Give each team 10 minutes to come up with a concept design

6. Give teams 30 minutes to build the bridge

7. Ask both teams to try to combine their bridges with the remaining time

While your employees build a bridge, they’ll also break down the walls between them, hence the name of the game. 😉

Additionally, this building activity is similar to the real work environment since teams need to ensure that their projects and team goals align with the bigger picture.

Time: 30+ minutes

Group size : 10–30

Objective : Build mutual trust, establish group values

This activity helps teams communicate their values by listing what matters most to them on a whiteboard.

It’s a great team building activity to have before the start of a workshop.

1. Write down ‘Meaningful and “Pleasant” on a digital whiteboard

2. Ask everyone what they think would make the workshop meaningful and pleasant.

3. Ask everyone to write their ideas on post-it notes

4. Collate everyone’s opinions on a mind map .

5. Make sure every participant understands the idea. If they don’t, then you need to change the idea until you reach a consensus

6. Once everyone agrees on the ideas, those ideas will make up the code of conduct for the group throughout the workshop

The agreed-upon values will help the workshop run smoothly.

Time: 18–30 minutes

Group size: 2–40+

Objective: Communication, team collaboration, problem solving

This team building activity requires teams to use 20 spaghetti sticks, one meter of tape, one meter of string, and… yes, you guessed it; one marshmallow.

Teams must build the tallest free-standing structure within the time limit using the above materials with the marshmallow on top.

The Marshmallow challenge also encourages teams to communicate effectively; while leaving room for innovation and creativity.

It also teaches teams about risk management and assessment , which is applicable in the real work environment.

Group size: Entire team

Objective: Communication, building rapport

Though this event is the most expensive team building event, it makes the entire team feel extremely valued.

This is a fantastic corporate team building exercise and works best if you have people in different departments who do not interact daily.

The idea is to invite the entire team to an exciting event like a cooking class or even karaoke!

It could also be a fun outing experience that involves a golf game and allows for some relaxation.

Engaging with each other outside of the workplace can also make team members feel relaxed and at ease.

This helps them to open up and bond naturally.

This is a fantastic team building event for large groups and small groups alike.

The best part? 

You can use this team building program as an opportunity for a lunch-and-learn !

Employee training out of the conference room can be both a useful and fun experience!

Group size: 4–500

Objective: Problem solving, creative thinking, and teamwork

Virtual game shows are a fun way to energize your remote team.

Many websites offer different versions of this virtual team building game. They’ll even provide your virtual team with a game host and organize your Zoom meeting for you.

There are also tons of fun games to play:

  • Multiple Choice
  • Survey Says
  • Team Face-Off
  • Spin and Solve
  • Match Up Wars

These virtual team building game shows are designed to give your remote team the classic game show experience.

Time: 60 minutes+

Objective: Improve relationships

Use team building apps to hold a virtual happy hour!

The point of virtual happy hour is to strengthen virtual team relationships and get to know each team member better.

You can also include fun games to strengthen the team bond.

Group size: 6+

Objective: Creative thinking, team collaboration

This virtual team building game requires a digital whiteboard that every employee can use simultaneously, for example, ClickUp’s Whiteboard or the whiteboard feature in Zoom.

You’ll also need to select a facilitator to be the scorekeeper and timekeeper.

The facilitator should also think of a way to select a team to go first.

1. Download a random word generator

2. Create two teams

3. Have each team select a drawer

4. The drawer has to draw pictures that the random word generator selects (in 60 seconds)

3. The team that guesses correctly first gets the point

4. The team that guessed correctly gets to go next

Got some introverts in your team?

Pictionary is an excellent team building activity that encourages every teammate to participate. This way, even the most introverted remote workers feel comfortable playing!

Time: 20–30minutes

Group size: 4+

Objective: Build rapport, enhance team relationships

Yep, that’s right.

In this virtual team building activity , you get to welcome your virtual team to your crib!

You can take a short video of your home and list some of your favorite things about it, and then share the video on your screen on Zoom.

Or you can do it live over any video conferencing collaboration tool .

This can be a weekly event where one team member shows off their home.

This activity is a fun way to learn more about your teammates!

Objective: Problem solving, team collaboration, creative thinking

There are sites like The Escape Game that offer virtual escape rooms for remote workers.

All you need are a video conferencing tool and a digital dashboard to play.

Here’s how it works:

1. There will be a live camera feed

2. Your team will have a game host who will provide information and instructions

3. Your team will also have a game guide who will be your eyes, ears, hands, and feet in the room

4. Your team can direct the game guide to find clues

5. Keep your clues and progress organized in your digital whiteboard

The point of this team building activity is to help teams open doors to improved teamwork.🚪

Looking for more virtual activities? Here is a list of 40 more virtual team building ideas for your remote team.

Group size: Any

Objective: Foster a culture of learning, improve communication

Organize a virtual book club where team members can discuss a book they’ve all read over the past month. This encourages not just camaraderie but also stimulates intellectual conversation and debate. Choose books that are relevant to your industry, or go for something entirely different to give everyone a break from work-related topics.

Objective: Knowledge sharing, team bonding

Host monthly “Lunch and Learn” sessions where team members take turns presenting on topics they’re passionate about. This not only fosters a learning environment but also allows team members to share more about themselves, strengthening their bonds.

Group size: 2–10

Objective: Reduce isolation, build rapport

Set up virtual coffee breaks where smaller groups of team members can get together for informal chats about anything but work. This can help break down silos between departments, help new team members get to know the team, and foster new friendships within the company.

Time: 1 week (show and tell at the end)

Objective: Creativity, relieving stress

Challenge team members to create something with their hands (painting, knitting, model building, etc.) over the week, to be presented during a group video call. This team building exercise helps stimulate creativity and offers a relaxing break from work.

Time: 30 days

Objective: Health and wellness, motivation

Promote health and wellness within your team by starting a 30-day fitness challenge. Participants can choose their workout and share their progress. This team building exercise encourages a healthy lifestyle and also adds a layer of camaraderie as team members motivate each other.

Time: Ongoing

Objective: Innovation, employee engagement

Create a digital suggestion box where team members can submit ideas for improving the workplace, brainstorm product innovations, or suggest new team-building activities. Review these suggestions regularly to foster a culture of innovation and make your team feel valued.

Time: 1–2 hours

Objective: Cultural exchange, learning new skills

For remote teams, hire a chef to teach your team how to cook a dish virtually. Opt for cuisines from different cultures to make it an educational experience that also serves as a delicious team-building activity.

Time: 1 week

Objective: Awareness of environmental issues, team bonding

Organize a week focusing on sustainability where team members can share tips on living more environmentally friendly, participate in challenges to reduce their carbon footprint, and learn about global sustainability efforts.

Objective: Fun, team spirit

Host a virtual trivia night with questions ranging from general knowledge to company-specific topics. This is a great way to unwind and foster a sense of team spirit as everyone competes in a friendly atmosphere.

Time: 2–3 hours

Objective: Entertainment, showcase diverse talents

Arrange a virtual talent show where team members can showcase their talents outside of work. This could be anything from singing to stand-up comedy, offering a platform for employees to express themselves and bond with their colleagues.

Time: 1 month

Objective: Creativity, sharing personal interests

Hold a month-long photography contest with different themes each week (e.g., nature, pets, hobbies). This is a fun way for team members to share bits of their life outside work and appreciate each other’s creativity.

Objective: Cultural appreciation, team bonding

If your team is spread out across the globe, have members give a virtual tour of their local office or home workspace. This helps build understanding and appreciation for different cultures and work environments.

Time: 1 hour

Objective: Sharing best practices, improving workflow

Allow team members to host webinars on their work process, tools they use, and tips on staying productive. This peer-to-peer learning experience can help uncover useful insights and improve team efficiency.

Group size: Pairs

Objective: Cultural exchange, personal development

Pair up team members who want to learn each other’s languages. This fosters a unique cultural exchange and allows employees to develop new skills that could benefit their professional and personal lives.

Objective: Exploration of new technologies, team bonding

Explore the potential of virtual reality by organizing a session where teammates can enter a VR space for meetings or team-building games. This futuristic approach adds an exciting twist to conventional team activities.

Objective: Knowledge sharing, showcasing individual contributions

Encourage team members to present a project they’re working on or have completed. This allows everyone to learn about different aspects of the business and appreciate the contributions of their colleagues.

Let’s Get Team Building!

There are tons of other team building activities that you could choose from, like the egg drop, the barter puzzle, company treasure hunts, and office trivia.

The ones listed here are just a few of our favorites. We use them regularly to boost employee morale and bond with our teammates.

Once you have completed a couple of team building activities, consider creating a memory wall at work of photos and memories from your team’s experiential learning process.

In doing so, you will improve the company culture, and teams are reminded of their progress!

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SnackNation

81 Insanely Fun Team Building Activities, Games, & Exercises For Work In 2024 (Not “Trust Falls”)

Team Building Activities for Work

Believe it or not, fun team building activities for work are critically important to the success of your business.

In fact, the personal bonds formed between team members actually give your company a competitive edge.

How does this work?

It’s all about engagement. There’s a pretty clear link between the personal bonds between your team members and their engagement level. A recent Gallup study found that close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by 50%, while people with a self-described best friend at work are seven times more likely to be fully engaged at work .

Another Gallup study reported that engaged companies consistently outperform the competition when it comes to things like profits, productivity, and turnover. (Pretty important stuff if you ask us.) And it stands to reason – the closer you are to your co-workers, the happier you’ll be at work, and the more likely you’ll be to sacrifice your discretionary time to help them succeed.

Here’s the best part – team building events don’t have to be boring and lame!

We asked The Assist , a free weekly email for professionals, along with some of the most engaged, tightly knit companies out there to show us how to do team building right. We’ve broken them down into categories to help you decide which ideas might work best for your company!

Page Contents (Click To Jump)

Popular Team Building Activities For Work In 2024

With all sorts of options at your disposal, it can become overwhelming to find the right type of team building event for your group. The popular team building activities in this section are proven crowd favorites guaranteed to drive strong participation and positive results. Bring the energy, roll up your sleeves, and start your next team building adventure with one of these options!

1) Murder Mystery

“Find clues and solve the crime before it is too late.”

Virtual Murder Mystery

Cue The Office theme song… Michael Scott enters… “There’s been a murder…”

In all honesty, Michael was actually on to something! Solving a murder mystery can be a great way to bond with your team. This team building exercise compiles a whole catalog of mystery games and puzzles that are designed for both the physical, hybrid, and virtual workplaces that help to develop teamwork, communication, and culture building.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Why we love it: Going with a turnkey event like this means all the details are planned out, and you even benefit from the convenience and added fun of an expert host. You can rest assured that everything won’t just go smoothly, but also that everyone will have an amazing time.

Next step to get started: Start planning your next event with one of these top options:

Murder! At the Manor (60 Minutes, 3 actors) Top-Rated Virtual Event – Elevent

2) Explore Your City

“Get the office some fresh air.”

Wild-goose-chase

A great way to get your office working together over a shared goal is to plan an awesome activity in your city. There are a ton of ways to get people out and about on a nice clear day whether it is via a scavenger hunt, tour of the city, or bar crawl!

SnackNation recently tried an “Amazing Race” type scavenger hunt through Los Angeles where employees split up into teams, solved clues and challenges, and raced to the finish line.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem solving, teamwork, endurance.

Why we love it: With everyone working in the office or remotely, there really has never been a better time to safely get together in an outdoor space and let coworkers bond over a shared team building experience.

Next step to get started: Try out the “Amazing Race” activity or plan your own city excursion to get outside with your office.

3) Virtual Team Building Templates

A virtual team building template can provide a strong foundation for your next team event. These virtual templates can facilitate anything from quick icebreakers to long-form activities, so there really is an endless amount of customization and personalization. They are also great for teams without a huge team building budget since most of these ideas can be self-hosted and do not require a ton of materials.

Why this is a fun team building activity for employees: With so many templates available to choose from, leaders can find the activity that best suits their team. That way, employees will feel comfortable participating in exercises that encourage bonding and communication.

Try one of these free templates today to get started:

🎯 Help your team incorporate mindfulness into the workday

🪐 Use the force to collect valuable feedback
🦈 Pitch your million dollar idea
🌮 Sync with your team on Tuesday!
🗣 Ignite engaging conversations to kick off your next meeting

Start browsing through the template catalog or build out your own!

4) Make A Team Playlist

“Create your team’s signature sound.”

Put your heads together to make the most amazing playlist in history. Or better yet, create a new best-ever playlist every single week. Explore the songs others have selected and make complementary selections. Enjoy listening to the entire thing and hearing a little bit of everyone’s personality come through. You’ll love how the whole thing, taken together, somehow captures the magic that is your team.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, collaboration, and empathy.

Why we love it: Listening to your favorite music is uplifting, energizing, rewarding, and pleasurable. All those good things are amplified (pun intended) when you share your favorite music with others.

Next step to get started: Visit  Spotify Collaborative playlists  for how-tos. Choose a theme and ask everyone to send in two songs that align.

5) Coworker Feud

“For fun feuding that brings coworkers together.”

Virtual Coworker Feud

Coworker Feud is a team building activity for work designed to generate buzz and get the office (or remote teams) brimming with excitement. Led by a knowledgeable and charismatic host, this online survey game will keep your employees or coworkers on the edge of their seats. Survey says… FUN!

Skills this work activity develops: Creative problem solving, communication, brainstorming and ideation, collaboration.

Why we love it: With lightning rounds and electrifying tension leading up to the grand finale, your team will be competing until the buzzer goes off! The game can be played with a couple of people per team or a handful on each team, but either way, the feuding is guaranteed to be an outrageously good time.

Next step to get started: Get the creative energy flowing and the competition going with Coworker Feud. Start customizing your next event here  and let their virtual host run your next game show!

Virtual Friendly Feud Social

6) Mindfulness Bingo

“B5! B is for Bingo!”

Mindfulness-Bingo

A new strategy to engage with your distributed team, this free downloadable activity works with teams of all sizes. Your employees will feel calmer and tackle their daily tasks with more focus while completing mini wellness challenges as they work to make a Bingo!

Skills this work activity develops: Stress management, breathing, and mindfulness.

Why we love it: Recommended for HR managers or team leaders, it is FREE to download , easy to send out to your employees, and can make any day a bit more exciting as your team members try their hand at mindfulness strategies.

Next step to get started: Download your free copy courtesy of Bonusly to get started!

Does your team need a pick-me-up? At SnackNation, we use Bonusly to help us improve engagement and build camaraderie with our distributed teams. 👉 Try Bonusly’s recognition platform for free here to start appreciating the small wins that often times go unnoticed and foster a stronger company culture that delivers results.

7) Tournament Bracket

“Satisfy your competitive streak.”

presentation on team building activities

The risks and rewards of a little light betting meet the excitement of sports and entertainment to bring your team an experience that gets everyone pumped. Bet against one another. Bet with one another. Have fun.

Skills this work activity develops: Collaboration, strategic thinking, critical thinking, and decision making.

Why we love it: The competition and excitement of this activity bring people to life. Everyone will be delighted to see new sides to their coworkers. It’s especially delightful to see even your most level-headed soft-spoken teammate moved to trash talk when the honor of their favorite team is on the line.

Next step to get started: Start planning your event here !

8) Budget-Friendly Team Building Options

Team building can get expensive. With budgets moving up and down this year, it can often be smart to find activities that are exciting enough to encourage employees to show up, while not costing an arm and a leg. These team building games are designed to offer a top-tier experience while keeping costs relatively low.

Why this is a fun team building activity for employees: It can help out your company while at the same time giving your entire team an opportunity to get to know each other in a lively environment. Problem-solve, practice communication skills, and have fun in an activity that will come in under budget.

Explore some budget-friendly ideas that offer a high-quality experience:

🖲 Grab your buzzer, put your thinking caps on, because this is Jeoparty!
🎨 Arts & crafts activities for adults
🍷 Sample a couple reds and whites to develop your wine palate
👩🏻‍🍳 Learn to make a delicious dish with your team
📺 Can you guess the top answer? Survey Says!

Find the right idea for your team without breaking the bank!

9) Build Something For A Cause

“Build team bonds while building cool stuff.”

presentation on team building activities

One could argue that “building things together,” is the original team building activity, what our ancient ancestors discovered to be magical when they bunkered down to create their first permanent homes.

You’ll unite behind a crystal-clear and tangible objective. You’ll feel the epicness of shared accomplishment as you admire the finished product. You’ll feel deeply bonded as you hand off your donation.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, and communication.

Why we love it: This activity allows everyone to see the result of their teamwork. They don’t have to wonder if they contributed enough or did a good job; the end product will tell all.

Next step to get started: Plan your next charitable challenge here — Charity Bike Build !

10) Escape Room

“Your team is your only escape plan.”

Escape-Room

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, trust, communication, leadership, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Players may find themselves navigating exciting scenarios — hunting for gold, swimming among ancient ruins, or breaking out of an infamous prison — but what they’ll remember most is feeling united as a team. Whenever everyone’s ideas and contributions coalesce into that epic moment of escape, you’ll all feel an unforgettable sense of shared victory.

Next step to get started: Visit some of these escape room themes for escape room thrills…

Jewel Heist

11) “5 O’Clock Somewhere” Cocktail Class

“Become a craft cocktail curator.”

Inspired by the old adage, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere”, this interactive cocktail demonstration will be led by an experienced mixologist, who will teach everyone the basics of cocktail making, while each participant whips up a delicious post-work beverage.

After a brief introduction and cocktail education, your mixology pro will walk guests through creating three distinct cocktail recipes.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, listening, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Low-stakes team building is a terrific way to encourage team members to sit back, ditch the shop talk, and get to know each other. Add cocktails to the mix and you’ve got a top-shelf team building activity!

Next step to get started: Visit Dealer’s Choice Mixology Class — our team tried this one and loved it!

12) Host A Trivia Night

“Shout answers like there’s no such thing as keeping score.”

trivia_night

Even when we have no idea about an answer, we love venturing guesses. Answering both wrong and right helps us learn.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, collaboration, and critical thinking.

Why we love it: It’s engaging, it’s educational, and it’s inclusive. Even people who don’t venture a guess out loud have probably formed one in their minds and feel invested in the activity. Few other activities can drum up that much universal interest and engagement.

Next step to get started: Learn  how to host a trivia night or plan a virtual trivia night with your own Quiz Master working with a team building company like Elevent .

Virtual Trivia Time Machine

13) Virtual Tasting Experience

“Treat your taste buds to become food pairing experts.”

Elevent-Wine-Tasting

With this team building event you and your coworkers can learn more about pairing wine, artisan-made cheeses, and chocolate to discover new flavor combinations.

Skills this work activity develops:  Communication, critical thinking and relationship building

Why we love it:  Everyone leaves the event with a newfound appreciation for the sweeter things in life.

Next step to get started: Start assembling the supplies or you can shop for virtual tastings here to help you choose from a selection of available tasting boxes and customizations.

14) Holiday Team Building

“Today is the day to celebrate!”

If managers are looking for a good reason to schedule a team event, icebreaker, virtual Zoom call, or offsite — a holiday activity is a sure bet.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving

Why we love it: It is an easy way to honor a special day with games, icebreakers, themed activities, and anything you can come up with!

Pro-Tip: Celebrating the obscure holidays can become the most memorable. Holidays like 🐶 National Pet Day in April or 🍩 National Donut Day in June bring a different vibe that spark a freshness to your team bonding activitity for work!

Next step to get started: Sign up for Confetti to access their catalog of holiday-themed team events and start customizing your event today!

Some of the SnackNation team’s favorites include…

🏳️‍🌈 Show your support for the LGBTQ community in June with Pride fun
🇺🇸 Let fireworks fly with Independence Day activities like cupcake decorating
⛱ Celebrate Summer with water cooler questions and games
 🍝 Enter Summer vacation mode with authentic homemade Italian pasta
📘 Trace the history of Juneteenth through real facts and personal narratives
to try out your next holiday activity! 

15) In-Person Team Building Activities

Now that your team is back in the office, you can plan a team building event in the conference room, around the office, or at a nearby location. These in-person team building ideas can be scheduled to last an entire day or an hour in the afternoon. So even the busiest of teams can put the phones down, close the laptops, and spend time together in an interactive event.

Why this is a fun team building activity for employees: It gives teams of all sizes a chance to learn more about their coworkers via a hosted activity. All employees have to do is show up and jump into the action!

To get you started, we pulled a few of our favorites:

🎥 Play detective as you try to nab the murderer before it’s too late!
🏃🏼‍♂️ A scavenger hunt activity that encourages teams to explore their city
🏞 Teams compete in some good ol’ fashioned outdoor games
🧠 Play the classic trivia board game in a fun, fast-paced environment

⏱ Play challenges and games in a fast-paced 60-second format

Book a space, plan an activity, and get to team building in person!

16) Digital Recognition Wall

This team building activity fosters collaboration between team members regardless of their location. Hybrid, in-office, and remote coworkers can get together to post on your team’s very own “Wall of Fame.”

Using a trusted appreciation platform, you can post a digital recognition wall and give everyone an opportunity to highlight team wins, individual contributions, upcoming employee milestones, and anything else that deserves the team building “shout out.”

Why this is a fun team building activity for employees: It is easy to set up and each employee can find a few minutes to participate in this team bonding activity for work asynchronously without having to block time on a calendar. It also can act as a great meeting icebreaker to send some praise at the top of your next team huddle.

You can build your first virtual recognition wall with a tool like Bonusly .

Every member of your team is awarded a set amount of recognition points each month to administer to their peers to celebrate wins, thank them for their support, and appreciate their colleagues. Learn more about Bonusly’s rewards platform with a  14-day FREE trial !

Set up your digital recognition wall and watch the team building happen organically!

Team Building Activities For Work: Small Groups

When you have a small group of 10 team members or less, you pretty much have your pick of team building activities.

You have enough people to make hybrid team activities and competitions exciting, but you also don’t have so many people that you can’t spring for an off-site affair or something a little more involved. You can do almost anything and still rest assured that everyone experiences the most important elements of team building, including communication, collaboration, and camaraderie.

17) Shark Tank

“Find out if your ideas really have teeth.”

Inspired by the television series  Shark Tank , this activity allows a small group of people to do all of the above during a festive pitch session. There’s only one absolute rule: everyone must come prepared to get everyone else as excited about their brilliant idea as they are. (What they use to cultivate this excitement — presentations, models, diagrams, stick figures, skits, etc. — is totally up to them.)

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, strategic thinking, and listening.

Why we love it: Every idea presented will accomplish something positive. The meticulously planned ideas will be inspiring and might even develop into viable products and initiatives. The outrageous ideas will get lots of laughs, but honestly, even those could end up sparking your company’s next big innovation.

Next step to get started:  Create a Shark Tank Night, nominate a few investor sharks, start preparing pitches and get your applause hands ready for the big event.

Pro-Tip: Does your team need more than an applause to validate their million dollar idea? Use a platform like Bonusly to raise the stakes and invest public recognition points to the winning team that can be redeemed for real rewards:

18) Dog Park Showdown

“Make sure everyone knows your pet is an absolute champion / Instagram model.”

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Henry + Baloo (@henrythecoloradodog)

Head to the local dog park with pets in tow. Then simply take turns having your pets complete some of these hilarious  viral internet challenges . (You can even create a unique hashtag for your event so people can easily find and rewatch their fabulous footage.)

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, communication, and empathy.

Why we love it: Magicians use the art of misdirection to create seemingly impossible illusions. This activity uses misdirection to maximize fun. By redirecting attention from participants to their pets, people are able to let their hair down, laugh a little louder, talk a little more, and get to know each other a little better.

Next step to get started:   Find your park .

19) Desert Island

“Pack your go-bag for an unexpected island getaway.”

This activity is all about exploring possibilities. People will love learning from one another and broadening their minds as they hear what everyone else on their team would do when survival is on the line.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, critical thinking, and decision making.

Why we love it: Listening to people list their selected items and their logic will showcase the broad range of perspectives and problem-solving skills represented across your team.

Next step to get started: You can plan this as an icebreaker to begin your next meeting or expand the scenario to include what 3 books, movies, or albums they would bring with them!

Looking for more activities for employee engagement? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Reasons Why Employee Engagement Is Important Proven Steps to Measure Employee Engagement Effectively Employee Engagement Software Platforms For High Performing Teams

Bonus) Taboo

“How good are you at describing the indescribable?”

presentation on team building activities

Taboo is a simple game to learn that is perfect for team building. Players will use an online, mobile-friendly game platform to get their teammates to guess the word at the top of each card, without using any of the other related Taboo words listed underneath. Sounds easy right?

Each game room will consist of 2 teams, with 2-5 players per team. Use your brain, don’t say the off-limit words, and have a blast! While you and your team are guessing, the opposing team will be able to see your phrases to have a good laugh and make sure no one is cheating. 😉

The team building experts at Confetti have created our favorite corporate team building-inspired version of Taboo guaranteed to be a hit. Sign up for FREE at Confetti to customize your event and view the 100s of other similar team building activities for work on their platform.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication and critical thinking.

Why we love it: This quick team building game for work is a group version of the classic game night board game. It is easy to play along with and provides a ton of entertainment!

Next step to get started: This word guessing game – Taboo – is too much fun to pass up! Sign up and work with the team at Confetti to organize your next game night!

Team Building Activities For Work: Large Groups

Team building events for large groups need to have enough structure and excitement to get and keep everyone engaged and involved in equal measure. Events that get group members working on one common goal are ideal for cultivating strong bonds in immediate teams and among the larger collective.

20) The Office-Style Office Mockumentary

“Capture the magic and mayhem of life at your office.”

This activity provides two team building touchpoints in one. People have fun during the making and they’ll have even more fun when you gather virtually or in-person for the big premiere.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, teamwork, communication, and decision making.

Why we love it: Teams have to collaborate and communicate to make the mockumentary. Plus, while watching the finished product will be hilarious, it might also provide a few genuine takeaways about how to treat and talk to one another. By poking some good-natured fun at the state of your company culture, you might find some genuinely fulfilling ways to improve it.

Next step to get started: Learn  some tricks for capturing The Office’s signature style.

21) Charcuterie Night!

“Build an extravagant centerpiece then dig in!”

Charcuterie Board virtual

Whoever said that team building events can’t also be delicious? Get your team together and build the ultimate charcuterie board with all the fix-ins. Meats, cheeses, nuts, fruit, tasty spreads — you name it!

Skills this work activity develops: Relationship building, communication, creativity and trust

Why we love it: This experience is not only loaded with gourmet finger fare to build out your charcuterie board, but can be planned for teams of all sizes.

Next step to get started: Book space in your office conference room for a little charcuterie mixer or make it virtual with a hosted event like Charcuterie Board Experience .

22) Charity Team Building Activities

charity-bike-buildathon-4

Charity team building promotes bonding while supporting a good cause. Whether directly impacting your local community or contributing time, money, and effort to a larger national charity, these activities are a great way for teams to meet up and support together.

Why this is a fun team building activity for employees: These exercises can be planned any time of the year! Plus, the good cause will help to encourage participation. It’s a win-win.

Here are a few top-rated charity team activities that you can learn more about:

🚲 Build team camaraderie while building bicycles at the same time!
💞 A charity scavenger hunt that spreads some love in your community
🎗 Virtual fun that transforms friendly competition into charitable donations
💯 Send recognition points that can be donated to a charity of choice
👟 Participate in a scavenger hunt to support the cause of your choice

Give back to a good cause with your fellow coworkers and feel the positive impact of philanthropy!

Bonus: An Anything Tournament

“The only rules of this tournament are the ones you make up.”

In fact, the more unique you make the central activity, the more memorable this tournament will be.

Skills this work activity develops: Collaboration and critical thinking.

Why we love it: Healthy competition and engaging games served up with a dose of hilarity is a recipe for prime bonding and memory-making.

Next step to get started: Learning the basics of  hosting a gaming tournament .

Looking for more activities for large groups? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Team Building Companies You Should Know About Team Building Games For Large Groups Employee Appreciation Ideas & Gifts

Team Building Activities For Work: Quick Icebreakers

Pre-meeting team building activities get your group warmed up for fruitful collaboration. They get people thinking and laughing, and more importantly, they get everyone in the mindset to share brilliant ideas.

23) Rose/Thorn

“Embrace the ups and downs that make life beautiful.”

rose-thorn

Why we love it: It’s a shortcut to getting on the same wavelength. Everyone shares a little gratitude and also a little vulnerability. This little opening-up exercise can make the team feel more tightly bonded.

Next step to get started: Just gather your group and start sharing those roses and thorns, for example:

Work-Related:

  • Rose: I got an event partner to give me a refund today!
  • Thorn: A different event partner won’t give me a refund.

Non-Work Related:

  • Rose: I found time to go for a walk today.
  • Thorn: There was no time to go for a walk today.
“I work in Enterprise Marketing at ZipRecruiter and our entire team is now remote. We do a daily standup call with my manager and Rose/Thorn is how we start every virtual meeting. It is a quick way to start off a team huddle and get everyone on the same wavelength.” -Joanna Ericta, Senior Marketing Associate at ZipRecruiter

24) Team Pursuit

“Challenge accepted!”

Team-Pursuit-Game-Show

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, collaboration, and problem solving.

Why we love it: This event comes with a dedicated event manager and virtual event host — meaning you can sit back and only worry about participating in the fun!

Next step to get started: Check out Team Pursuit  to plan an icebreaker for a special day of meetings or a project kickoff!

25) GeoGuessr

“Win happy hour and explore the world.”

During this online group game , you and your happy hour guests will peek at a picture and try to guess its location of origin by dragging an icon around a map. If this sounds easy enough, then you’ll be delightfully surprised by how challenging it actually is. As you play, you’ll learn about the world and maybe even hear some amazing stories of all the places you never knew your team members had been.

Skills this work activity develops: Critical thinking and listening.

Why we love it: Talking about travel — past travel, travel plans, travel dreams — is a universally adored conversation topic. It can excite and animate anyone, and this game provides plenty of opportunities to bring it up.

Next step to get started: Play  GeoGuessr .

26) Skribbl

“Test out your secondary communication skills.”

Skribbl’s no-fuss interface makes it easy to play a classic drawing and guessing game.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and communication.

Why we love it: It activates non-verbal communication. You can’t explain your drawing, so people have to dig deep into their knowledge of the “artist” to make informed guesses. It’s also hilarious to witness the dissonance between what people think they’ve drawn or what they think they’re seeing and what’s actually there.

Next step to get started: Play  Skribbl .

27) Weekly Team Trivia

“Team trivia is anything but trivial.”

Mix up your Mondays with a bit of trivia conveniently sent to your team members’ inboxes to answer whenever they have a few minutes. Then wait and see who takes home the big win that week! Everything is automatically collected and scored once they submit so it couldn’t be easier.

Skills this work activity develops: Critical thinking and team bonding.

Why we love it: Trivia is not only entertaining but this asynchronous format means that even the busiest people on your team can work it into their schedule and prove just how much random knowledge they have. You can also fit in a weekly recap during your team meeting to shoutout that week’s winner.

Next step to get started: Set up a free weekly trivia showdown with QuizBreaker .

Bonus: Weekend In A Word

“Witness the awesome importance of word choice.”

Feel the impact of brevity in action with an icebreaker that requires everyone to say only a single word. Gather your group and have everyone describe their past weekend fun or future weekend plans and goals in just one word. After everyone has a turn, you can ask follow-up questions if you like. The words people choose will likely spark tons of curiosity.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, and listening.

Why we love it: As you prompt teammates to pick just one word to describe big concepts, you learn how their minds work, you learn what’s important to them, and you’ll likely reflect deeply on what they said far more than if they gave a detailed weekend play by play.

Next step to get started: It couldn’t be easier. Just share your words before your next meeting.

Looking for more icebreaker activities? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Ridiculously Fun Icebreaker Ideas, Games, & Activities Icebreaker Questions For Work That Are Perfect For Any Office Event Witty & Wacky Icebreaker Jokes

Team Building Activities For Work: Zoom

A Zoom activity has to have the perfect balance of engagement and passive entertainment. You want everyone to mingle and chat, but you also don’t want them getting fatigued or overwhelmed in the first 10 minutes. These  virtual team building activities either have plenty of structure or revolve around a central element of entertainment that guides conversations during short breaks.

28) Virtual Game Night

“Put your virtual game face on.”

Skills this work activity develops: Leadership, collaboration, and decision making.

Why we love it: Out-of-the-box games are fun and familiar. Just mentioning a popular game is often enough to get people excited. Plus, most people will already know how to play. This means you can maximize the fun while minimizing the prep work and instruction.

Next step to get started: Check out these  virtual game night ideas , including…

  • ✏️   Team Pictionary
  • 🧠  Virtual Jeopardy
  • 🐑   Online Settlers of Catan

29) Virtual Venture To Paris

“Paris is closer than you think.”

woyago-paris

Sample local delicacies. Stroll around the city of your dreams. See the world through a rose-colored computer screen instead of glasses. In short, live like a Parisian.

Virtually enjoy all the best, most enriching aspects of travel with your team but skip the crankiness and cramped flights and sleep in your own bed when it’s all over.

Why we love it: What’s not to love about finding your way to Paris through the magic of the internet? This team building activity offers a concentrated dose of the pleasures of travel in a package you can realistically enjoy with your work team.

Next step to get started: Visit  Woyago .

30) Travel Back In Time (With Trivia)

“What year is it?!?!”

Skills this work activity develops: Critical thinking and teamwork.

Why we love it: It unites colleagues with a common goal of sharing some laughs. Also, pop culture is an accessible way to get everyone involved over Zoom.

Next step to get started: Step right in the time machine by checking out these details .

31) Field Trip

“Escape the office.”

By simply stepping out of your day-to-day environment, you’re opening your team to new experiences, new connections, and new friendships. It doesn’t even matter what activity or location you choose.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, teamwork, and communication.

Why we love it: The simple magic of a new experience and a new environment fuels new connections. People will find themselves naturally talking to people they’ve maybe only passed in the hallway. They’ll find themselves asking questions they wouldn’t ask in the company kitchen.

Next step to get started: There’s really no wrong way to do this one. Just pick a fun off-site event and enjoy all it has to offer.

Bonus: Virtual Yoga/Mindfulness Session

“Feel that special team flow without using any words.”

During a group yoga/mindfulness session, you may not be outwardly communicating and collaborating, but you’re tapping into a deeper sense of connection. As you subconsciously sync your movements and your breathing, you’re connecting through the collective unconsciousness that feels effortless but strengthens your team bonds.

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, collaboration, and empathy.

Why we love it: This activity delivers benefits on the individual and also the group level. Individual practitioners may experience less stress and  elevated moods . Together, you’ll feel a magical sense of group energy and support.

Next step to get started: Learn more about how a yoga session can elevate your next team building event.

Looking for more resources for virtual team building? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Virtual Team Building Activities, Games, & Ideas To Boost Remote Employee Morale Wickedly Fun Virtual Event Ideas For Online Socials Virtual Escape Rooms For Online Puzzle Solvers

Team Building Activities For Work: Happy Hour

A toast to a good day’s work, a  happy hour  is the perfect punctuation mark to close off a productive day or to move on from a not-so-productive day. These events are short, sweet, and wonderfully low-key. If you’re sharing a few apres-work sips and smiles with coworkers, then you can call it a happy hour no matter where you are or what you’re sipping.

32) Mixology Virtual Happy Hour

“Be your own bartender.”

sourced-cocktails-virtual-happy-hour

Tell everyone to bust out the cocktail shakers and aprons they never use. Tonight, they’re the bartenders. Bond with your team as you learn how to expertly measure, muddle, and mix ingredients into delicious and Instagram-worthy cocktails.

Learn techniques professional bartenders swear by and also ask clarifying questions about why and how to do it all.

Why we love it: You get to have the same quality conversations you might have while passively sipping cocktails at a bar. But with this experience, you get the added benefit of learning a ton about professional cocktail craft and bartending history while perfecting that friendly, yet inaccessible, bartender smile.

Next step to get started: Book your event with an expert mixologist.

33) Poker Night

“Recognize each other’s poker faces to reach a new level of friendship.”

As you play, you’ll get to know the usually unnoticed ticks and nonverbal communication habits of your teammates. You get to know them on a deeper level.

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, communication, and decision making.

Why we love it: Poker is the perfect backdrop for serious team bonding. The play is fun and stimulating, but it doesn’t stop players from participating in the most important part of the happy hour: connecting and conversing with coworkers.

Next step to get started: Get classic Poker instructions or let a dealer host a virtual poker tournament .

34) Happy Hour Themes

“Amp up your happy hour with the perfect theme.”

happy-hour

When you leverage a happy hour theme, you give your guests ideas for costumes, decorations, snacks, and even conversation starters. It smooths out any awkwardness and generally helps everyone have more fun.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and collaboration.

Why we love it: Selecting a happy hour theme couldn’t be easier, but it adds so much punch to your event. It spells the difference between “fun” and “unforgettable.”

Next step to get started:  Check out these  happy hour themes , including:

  • Future Decades
  • Murder Mystery
  • Poetry Reading

35) Pub Quiz

“Come on down to the local pub.”

Looks like happy hour this week is going to be down at Hamish McDuff’s virtual pub for teams. With a hilarious Scottish pub owner, a chance to grab an adult beverage, and a unique pub quiz trivia game — your employees will have everything they need to sit back and enjoy an end-of-week happy hour.

Skills this work activity develops: Collaboration and relationship building.

Why we love it: With surprises along the way, a pub quiz is a low effort, big reward type of happy hour activity where coworkers can bond over shared knowledge of (mostly) useless facts and trivia.

Next step to get started: Wander down to the pub to get a custom quote for your team.

36) Bond Over Some Brews

“Take advantage of the team glue known as beer.”

group-beer-tasting-tanks

Why we love it: Wonderful conversation, colorful commentary, and crisp refreshing beers make this event deliciously unforgettable. The bonding and the flavors pair up to make one powerfully fond memory.

Next step to get started: Visit  City Brew Tours .

“After three months of working as distributed teams, we’re extra grateful for the moments we get to hang out with our coworkers again. We spent the month of May hosting several virtual home brewing sessions with City Brew Tours — they managed to lead six groups of beer brewing amateurs through the brewing process, armed with follow-up instructions on carbonating and bottling. (We managed to figure out the drinking part ourselves.) If we can’t grab a beer together, making our own from the comfort of our kitchens may be the next best thing!” -Harder Mechanical Contractors

If you are looking to crack open a cold one with your remote team, there are a number of virtual beer experiences that make it easy to connect in a fun and lively online environment. Here are a few we’ve tried out this past year:

  • 🍺  Beer Tasting
  • 🧟‍♂️  Haunted Tavern
  • 🍻  Pub Adventure

37) Virtual Alcohol Tasting

“Raise a glass to digital bars without borders.”

virtual_alcohol_tasting

A virtual alcohol tasting blends a bit of the old normal with a bit of the new normal. You still get to deeply connect with your co-workers, but you can meet them online (wearing your pajamas if you want) instead of at the local bar.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication and empathy.

Why we love it: You get to sample beverages from the best of the best purveyors around the world while enjoying the company of your favorite people. Best of all, you get to do it all from the comfort of your living room, which (in addition to being as cozy as a dream) means you don’t have to worry about designated drivers or rideshares.

Next step to get started: Pick one of these  virtual alcohol tasting ideas , including offerings from  Elevent .

Looking for more activities for happy hour? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Ridiculously Fun Virtual Happy Hour Ideas, Games, & Themes Virtual Happy Hour Cocktail Kits & Gifts To Deliver Boozy Fun Curated Happy Hour Box For Teams By Caroo

Team Building Activities For Work: Office

Team building activities for the office simply make work-life more awesome. Whether you’re taking some time to get to know your office mates, giving people feel-good recognition , or working on some new leadership skills while in good company, you walk away from these events with fresh bonds, fresh skills, and fresh perspectives that will enrich your work environment.

38) BYOBBB: Blankets, Balls, And Beverages

“Get everybody in the same place and let the fun take it from there.”

BYOBBB

Post up at a local park for free-for-all fun. Don’t plan any specific activities, but come prepared to give everyone’s suggestions a try. Make it a BYOBBB event on all fronts by having everyone arrive with their own blankets, balls, and beverages. You might end up tossing a frisbee, inventing frisbee tag, or even kicking the can.

The best part is that you just never know.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, trust, and communication.

Why we love it: It captures the spontaneous excitement of gathering with the neighborhood kids just to see where the wonder of play leads you.

Next step to get started: Find a local park to meet up in the afternoon and enjoy some sunshine.

39) Queen’s Gambit Chess Competition

“Face off during the ultimate game of strategy.”

Quiet, yet brimming with below-the-surface action, chess is a perfect game for the office. It’s a fun way for both observers and players to learn, and it cultivates a quiet bonding as you learn more about how your teams’ minds work. As you anticipate moves and picture outcomes, you’ll also build up your strategic thinking chops.

Skills this work activity develops: Strategic thinking, critical thinking, empathy, and decision making.

Why we love it: It involves quiet strategy, pristine focus, and understated thrills. It gets you problem-solving independently while also absorbing the moves and plans of your opponents. Players refine their ability to read people, an invaluable skill in day-to-day office work.

Next step to get started: Learn how to  play Chess .

40) Gamathon

“Warm up your controller hand.”

Gamers unite to organize an epic office takeover. This activity works not only because video games are fun, but also because that fun could lead to  social benefits , including trust, leadership, and cooperation.

Plus, there’s at least one video game nearly anyone will fall in love with when they give it a chance. An office tournament is a perfect way for non-gamers to explore the world of gaming.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Video games are instantly immersive. There’s almost no warm-up period. You can go from zero to fun in just a few seconds, turning your office into a hyper-charged and fully engaged environment.

Next step to get started: Pull off a low-key gaming tournament by simply playing your game of choice while keeping track of the top scorers on a whiteboard. Continue pitting your top scorers against each other until there are only two left standing for a final showdown.

41) Just Roll With It – Charitable Skateboard Build

“Building teams and dreams, one skateboard at a time.”

Just roll with it collage

Get ready to roll in this exciting charitable skateboard build, where teams go through fun challenges to assemble and customize skateboards for deserving kids. Teams embrace creativity while working against the clock to conquer the safety test in this exhilarating and collaborative team building activity.

Skills this work activity develops: Participants in this event develop valuable skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and a strong sense of social responsibility. Crafting these skateboards gives the opportunity for teams to make a difference while having a blast.

Why we love it: This event flips the script on team building, where skateboards become the canvas for imagination, and teamwork takes on a whole new meaning. It’s a unique blend of fun and philanthropy that leaves everyone rolling with joy.

Next step to get started: You can talk to the experts at TeamBonding to learn more about the journey of turning skateboards into cherished gifts! Reach out today to schedule a Just Roll With It experience and start crafting wheels of change.

42) Scavenger Hunt

“The closest you’ll ever get to a treasure hunt.”

Mad-Dash-Scavenger-Hunt

The urgency and the mystery of a scavenger hunt also inspire people to cooperate in record time.

Skills this work activity develops: Collaboration, critical thinking, and decision making.

Why we love it: It provides thrills, adventure, excitement, and an unforgettable opportunity to share a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

Next step to get started: Book a consultation with Outback Team Building  and work with a dedicated corporate event coordinator. You can also check out SnackNation’s Scavenger Hunt Guide !

Loved this!!! Had fun getting to know unique things about Austin. It was fun doing custom questions along the scavenger hunt about our company! -Pricewaterhousecoopers Consulting

Bonus: Mini Basketball Tournament

“Pull off the layup of your dreams.”

mini-basketball-tournament

Shrink the glorious game of basketball down to have a sport you can play right in your office. When compared to traditional basketball, a game of mini hoops can bring more people into the fold. It doesn’t require as many skills, rules, or moves, so people of all skills and confidence levels can get in on the game.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork and leadership.

Why we love it: It brings the thrill of the hoops right into the office. Plus, you can leave the hoops up after the initial tournament to encourage a pick-up game any time people need a mini-break or an energy boost.

Next step to get started: Pick up a  mini basketball set .

Looking for more fun office activities? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Shockingly Easy Ways To Have Fun At Work Epic Office Party Ideas To Have Everyone Buzzing For Weeks Outrageously Fun Office Games and Activities

Team Building Activities For Work: Coworkers

Team building activities for coworkers are all about bonding. Sure, “working together every single day,” is definitely a type of bonding, but these activities are special and enriching because they place co-workers in new, eye-opening situations. When coworkers step outside the day-to-day grind, they might just find out new things about the people they sit with every single day.

43) Adventure Club

“Make adventuring your next good habit.”

adventure-club

Start an adventurous, outdoorsy monthly tradition based on your team’s interests. You can do anything you want, from bouldering to bird watching. No matter what you choose, you’ll bond during the event. You’ll bond as you discuss and relive memories from the last event. You’ll bond as you look forward to the next event.

In summary, you’ll do a lot of bonding.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, teamwork , trust, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Traditions are powerful. They bring people closer and provide a comforting sense of security and unity. They can do the same thing for an office family.

Next step to get started: Find  an adventure !

44) Group Bike Ride

“Roll with your work pack.”

When you step out of the office and hop on your bikes, you are no longer co-workers. You are fellow explorers, adventurers, and the city is yours for the taking.

This team building event gets its strength from spontaneity. Start with a group bike ride as your simple structure, and then let the wind take you from there. Stop off at a popup farm market or demystify that strange building you always stare at from your office window.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, communication, leadership, and collaboration.

Why we love it: Novelty makes us all feel good, excited, and energized. This activity allows teams to experience that thrilling sense of novelty as a group so each person can forever associate the fresh feelings of exploration with the people they shared them with.

Next step to get started: Plan  your route .

45) Dining Club

“Indulge your culinary curiosities.”

dining-club

The team that eats together stays together. Everyone has to eat, and by turning it into a team building activity, you can make this sometimes utilitarian activity into an invaluable get-to-know each other moment.

Why we love it: The novelty of picking a new place to eat provides an instant launching point for conversations. Even if you have nothing else in common, you have “trying this restaurant for the first time” in common, and that’s plenty to get some good conversations started.

Next step to get started: Discover your  next dining destination or host a virtual lunch party . Add some additional team building fun by having everyone order for someone else.

46) Leave-It-At-Work Lunch

“The office can absolutely not sit with you at lunch.”

This activity has all the trappings of a standard low-key team lunch with one key differentiating factor: you are not allowed to talk about work.

When you head out to lunch, leave all your work goals, issues, and ideas at work. When you challenge yourselves not to discuss work, you’ll find new things that you all have in common.

Why we love it: It’s surprisingly eye-opening. At first, you might realize just how often your team conversations tend to fall back to office matters. But as the lunch progresses, you’ll be delighted to discover all the other amazing things you have to talk about.

Next step to get started: Just put a date on the calendar, remind everyone to bring their lunch, and have fun.

47) Daily Icebreakers

“An icebreaker a day keeps the boredom at bay.”

Build teamwork by setting aside just a few minutes at the beginning of every meeting for a quick icebreaker. These mini activities are short and sweet, but they’re well worth each of the few short minutes they cost. They build camaraderie and warm people up to communicate and exchange ideas, making meetings more productive.

Why we love it: Icebreakers work as an almost magical little switch, activating everyone’s creativity and cooperation. With a quick 15-minute activity, employees will be energized to tackle any meeting, call, or brainstorm with renewed enthusiasm

Next step to get started: Find your favorite icebreaker with fun team activities like  Virtual Water Cooler  or  Guess Who .

Bonus: Groupon Fridays

“Fight the slumps with novelty.”

groupon

Get out of your comfort zones as a group on a regular basis by setting aside special days to do something new and exciting you’ve agreed on ahead of time.

In addition to growing closer to your team during the event itself, you’ll grow closer during the planning, the anticipation, and the aftermath.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, collaboration, and decision making.

Why we love it: It gives you something amazing to do together, but it also gives you something amazing to look forward to, talk about, plan, and reminisce about together. Even just one exciting event can provide weeks of bonding.

Next step to get started: Visit  Groupon .

Looking for more gifts for coworkers? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Seriously Awesome Gifts For Coworkers Best Office Gift Ideas For Every Work Occasion Unique Corporate Gift Ideas Guaranteed To WOW Your Clients & Customers

Team Building Activities For Work: Managers

A manager-initiated team building event is usually a multi-tasking affair. They’re often designed to target “soft” objectives important to managers, including communication, motivation , camaraderie, teamwork skills, and trust. Participants walk away feeling the positive effects of a good time and also with a few team narratives they can pull out in their next performance evaluation.

48) Share Your Favorite Sports

“Making spectating a sport.”

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork and empathy.

Why we love it: This is another activity that facilitates a deeper kind of bonding that doesn’t require complex communication. A simple (yet enthusiastic) high-five during the rush of a shared victory works magic.

Next step to get started: Get your tickets at  Vividseats .

49) Team Movie Night

“This easy-peasy activity is a real crowd-pleaser.”

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, empathy, and listening.

Why we love it: This activity couldn’t be easier, but it’s also a real crowd-pleaser. The movie focus eases the pressure while also allowing everyone to chat and bond as much as they like.

Next step to get started: Check out  Hulu Watch Party  or  Netflix Party .

50) Choose Your Own Adventure

“Do something you’ll want to tell your grandkids about.”

adventure

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, teamwork, trust, and listening.

Why we love it: This team building idea encourages busy professionals to get outside, enjoy nature, and experience something new!

Next step to get started: Read through this National Park Travel Guide to visit one of the USA’s preserved nature reserves.

51) Department Raffle

“Make it rain swag.”

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork and communication.

Why we love it: The excitement this event can inspire is priceless. Everyone will feel as giddy as a game show contestant as they see if they’ll be the lucky ones who get to horseback riding with your president.

Next step to get started: Read the basics of  running a raffle .

Looking for more gifts for managers? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Can’t Miss Gift Ideas For Your Boss To Impress Creative & Thoughtful Gifts For Managers High End & Luxury Corporate Gifts For VIPs

Team Building Activities For Work: Employees

Team building activities designed with employees in mind focus on joy. Team leaders know what their employees want more than almost anything else is a little break from the ordinary, some time to reset. Like little mini-vacations, these events usually take employees off-site for fulfilling new experiences.

52) Food Truck Mayhem

“Chase down the best food on wheels.”

Imagine the buzzing excitement of the high school cafeteria, multiplied by ten. (And also serving food that’s a million times tastier than cafeteria fare.) That’s what any park or parking lot can become when you call in the food trucks and invite your teams out for a food-tastic field day.

Everyone will frolic around, finding exactly what gourmet goodies they want while also enjoying some quality socializing. It is, however, way better than a cafeteria as the food is significantly tastier.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, and decision making.

Why we love it: Browsing around the different trucks, socializing as you go creates a festival environment where eating isn’t just eating; it’s transcendent.

Next step to get started: Find out what  food trucks are available in your area .

53) Visit A Local Museum

“Crank up your culture quotient.”

museum

Round up the team and visit a local museum, any kind of museum — art, history, nature, science, agriculture, whatever. Wander the exhibits all while discussing, learning, and soaking up all the fun facts like sponges.

Why we love it: Visiting a museum with coworkers instead of going alone on a weekend provides tons of rewards.

Next step to get started: Find a museum near you or stay at home and follow a guide through an interactive virtual museum tour .

54) Take On The Outdoors

“Swap the suit for sun-drenched skin.”

When you really think about it, the whole wide world is like one big team building adventure just waiting for you to seize it.

Go glamping, scuba diving, hiking, or bouldering. Your team’s next fulfilling adventure could be waiting anywhere. Just look out the window and see the possibilities.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, and trust.

Why we love it: Most people aren’t exactly sure how to go about planning an epic adventure. Giving your employees a free Friday off from work can let them get a long weekend to go exploring.

Next step to get started: Visit this guide to Classic American Road Trips .

55) Awesomely Bad Art

“Flex your art appreciation muscles.”

analyze-art

Strengthen the kind of mental muscles that fuel open-mindedness by hitting up the art galleries. Instead of trying to spout expert analysis, focus on trying to find and discuss positive things about something you absolutely hated at first glance.

Why we love it: Quick judgments are detrimental in pretty much all life situations, from simple self-talk to workplace interactions. This activity gets teams working together to challenge their off-the-cuff judgments and develop the skills they need to shift perspectives.

Next step to get started: Find an  art gallery or test your skills with an instructor-led painting class .

56) Werewolf

“Who is the big bad wolf?”

werewolf-game

What happens when the name of your icebreaker game is survival? There’s only one way to find out.

To play this game, your team splits into two smaller groups — werewolves and townspeople. Face off until all the werewolves are dead or the two groups reach equal numbers.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, problem-solving, trust, and critical thinking.

Why we love it: This activity is wrapped up in a fun and spooky theme, but it also involves plenty of thinking, strategy, and even a little deception — a recipe for a no-fail good time. You’ll learn new things about your teams and maybe even yourself. You’ll also learn who can’t control their giggles and who is a terrible liar.

Next step to get started: Gather your villagers and learn how to play Werewolf with your team.

Looking for more gifts for employees? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Unique Gifts For Employees That Will Boost Morale Extraordinary Gift Box Ideas That Will “WOW” Best Work From Home Care Package Ideas For Employees

Team Building Activities For Work: Onboarding

Onboarding team building activities aim to fast-track that priceless sense of belonging new employees crave. They pack a variety of “get-to-know-you” goodies into just a few hours, accomplishing the kind of relationship building that might otherwise take weeks of work to arrive at.

57) Share An After-Work Jog

“Break a sweat to create unbreakable bonds.”

Only the closest teams work out together. Welcome new employees by organizing a simple after-work jog. It’s low pressure, leads to light conversation, and it will make new employees feel instantly like part of your tight-knit team.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, communication, and empathy.

Why we love it: It takes the pressure off new employees. It allows them to spend time with their new team during a totally average daily activity. This helps them get over some of the nerves that might come along with having an event specifically in their honor.

Next step to get started: Find a  perfect route .

58) Get-To-Know You Super Email

“Give new employees your team’s top-secret dossier.”

get-to-know-you

Treat your new employees to a get-to-know-you super email. Pull together a list featuring everyone on your team, including their names, pictures, roles, favorite movies, and other fun facts. New employees will find this grounding, and they’ll get a head start on the get-to-know-you process.

Why we love it: They say knowledge is power. When it comes to new employees, knowledge about their teammates is empowering. Learning a little bit about everyone will help them feel less like an outsider.

Next step to get started: Get inspiration from this  list of get-to-know-you questions .

59) Play Jeopardy For Pride Month

“Celebrate Pride Month with your team.”

LGBTQIA+ History & Culture Jeoparty Pride

Skills this work activity develops: Critical thinking, communication, and compassion

Why we love it: While teams compete in fast-paced rounds of Jeopardy-style questions, they will also learn valuable insights related to Pride Month and LGBTQIA+ culture. After the trivia, coworkers will participate in a social mixer to discuss unique conversation questions and topics in a lively virtual format.

Next step to get started: Get in touch with Elevent to start planning your event for June!

60) Not Your Average Icebreaker

“Let your team choose & share what they got.”

Recipient-Choice

With Recipient Choice , you can have your entire group pick out their own team building gift, delicious treat, or end-of-event goodie bag to start off your activity on a high.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication and creativity.

Why we love it: Easy execution, delightful treats, and delicious drinks to help your team bond at your next event. Plus, employees can shop around to find the choice that matters most to them.

Next step to get started: Find your favorite icebreaker gift with Caroo .

61) Giphy Wars

“Find out if everyone loves your GIFs as much as you do.”

Use an employee recognition or communication platform as a battlefield for epic giphy wars.

Just push out a prompt (internet’s most boss cat, for example) and give everyone a chance to respond with the best GIF they can find. Vote on the best GIFs to see who won the war.

You can even have a war every week based on different themes, such as movies, sports, and cats.

Why we love it: Everyone loves GIFs and also the rush of finding one that seems perfectly made for the moment at hand.

Next step to get started: Visit  Nectar , your giphy war battlefield.

Looking for more onboarding resources? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: 21 Trusted Corporate Training & Development Programs Proven To Benefit Employees 7-Steps To A Perfect Employee Onboarding Process For New Hires Fun Onboarding Activities & Games For New Hires

Team Building Activities For Work: Professionals

When you’re planning a team building activity for non-stop professionals, the spotlight is on sharpening teamwork, problem-solving, and all those other wonderful translatable skills professionals love to work on.

Participants will be looking for new skills they can incorporate into the next work week, so each activity should give them plenty of material to work with. (They’ll probably even expect to receive a follow-up survey so they can properly weigh in on the effectiveness of the event.)

62) Egg Drop

“Can your team do better than all the king’s horses and all the king’s men?”

Can you and your team figure out how to drop eggs without breaking them?

Break up into different teams and let the egg-safe engineering process begin. Reconnect as a large group for the testing phase.

Have each small group discuss something new they learned about teamwork to enhance the learning aspect of this activity.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, and collaboration.

Why we love it: This experiment benefits from multiple perspectives. Everyone will enjoy hearing their teammates suggest design nuances they never even considered.

Next step to get started: Read instructions from the  Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago , or watch  this video .

63) Human Knot

“Learn what it’s like to feel truly inseparable.”

During this physical team building activity, you’ll come together as a human knot, you’ll put your heads together to get out of said knot, and eventually, you’ll break away, but you’ll still feel closer than ever.

Why we love it: It makes teamwork a tactile experience. You’ll be able to see it in action, and if you film the event, you’ll be able to learn a few things from watching it later.

Next step to get started: See the  human knot in action .

64) Longest Shadow

“Overshadow the competition.”

You and your team have to get it together to turn all your individual shadows into one unified shadow. But that’s just the minimum. If you want to win, you also have to make sure your shadow is longer than every other group’s.

Why we love it: It requires a lot of coordination. Everyone has an equal role and everyone must play a part. While some people may naturally step into leadership roles, everyone eventually has to fall in line to create the shadow.

Next step to get started: Watch the instructions .

65) Name Impulse

“Find out what’s really in a name.”

You know your name right? You can remember it no matter what, right?

This fun team building activity challenges the simple power of names by having everyone say their own in a variety of different fast-paced situations.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication and listening.

Why we love it: As you play, you’ll be tickled by how your brain seems to want to prioritize the identity of the entire group over the individual name you’re so deeply attached to.

Next step to get started: Watch the  how-to video .

“The coolest part is when everybody realizes they are on the winning team, we could learn a lot from that.” – Ingles, a  Youtube commenter

66) The Numbers Game

“Exchange digits in a different way.”

Can you make an effective team building game based only on numbers?

In this activity, everyone gets a one-digit number. When one person shouts out a multi-digit number, everyone must scramble around to form that number by finding other teammates with the corresponding digits.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, collaboration, and decision making.

Why we love it: It might seem like a classroom activity, however, when you actually start playing, you’ll be delighted by how challenging and hilarious it can be.

Next step to get started: Watch it on  Youtube .

Looking for more gifts for professionals? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Best Gifts For Professionals They Will Not Stop Using Motivational Quotes For Work That Will Inspire Your Employees Creative Ways to Reward Employees Welcome Back To The Office Gifts

Team Building Activities For Work: Executives

Visionary executives gravitate toward team building activities that align with all the things that occupy their thoughts, hopes, and dreams: company trajectories, productivity , strategy, long-term goals, missions, new ideas, and so on. You can expect these team bonding activities to focus on big ideas, open brainstorming, and maybe even some tactical planning (even if this last bit happens during a follow-up event).

67) Undercover Boss

“Prove that you can take the boss out of the boss.”

Executives can take a cue from the award-winning TV show and build some solid team bonds by actually becoming part of the team for a day.

During the activity, executives simply spend an entire day working with their teams, letting their employees show them the ropes. To have the most fun, lay the clear ground rule that no one should under any circumstances take it easy on the “newbie.”

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork and trust.

Why we love it: Most employees’ interactions with executives at the highest levels involve big fancy events or hearing talks in echoey auditoriums. This activity allows executives to reveal the person behind the position and gain admiration for doing so.

Next step to get started: Get inspiration from the original TV show, Undercover Boss.

68) C-Suite Team Retreat

“Executive’s day out.”

work-retreat

Some executives may think they can skip out on all the team building activities and events other employees engage in. They are inhumanly busy after all. But that’s all the more reason that a team building retreat can bring major value to their work lives.

Bring the busiest of the busy executives together for a no-work-allowed retreat. Engage them in a day of conversation, visioning, and group support. These executives may never have to share offices or conduct group work, but their team cohesion is just as important as it is for any other team.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, trust, communication, and leadership.

Why we love it: It solidifies the simple concept that you never outrank teamwork. Busy people may neglect team building, but this activity will remind them why they shouldn’t.

Next step to get started: Find some  executive retreat ideas .

69) Mastermind Group Chat

“Tap into the collective mastermind.”

Great minds may think alike, but that does not preclude them from sharing and discussing their ideas. This activity simply builds on the power of leaders’ ideas and the immeasurable rewards of sharing and nurturing those ideas in a group context — whether it happens during a one-off event or goes on infinitely in a shared Slack channel.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, leadership, and strategic thinking.

Why we love it: Ideas are beautiful. And like dominoes or a perfectly cascading supply chain, one idea may inspire a chain of brilliance until your company’s biggest barrier to success is prioritizing the pipeline.

Next step to get started: Just get the executives together and start talking. It’s that easy.

70) Mini TED Talks

“Bring on the inspiration.”

Who doesn’t love an inspirational TED talk? Apply that signature TED-style to the microcosm of your company. Have company leaders tell their stories and share experiences about what it means to be part of your company, about future growth, and about limitless potential. The sky’s the limit.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, communication, and leadership.

Why we love it: The audience will love listening. The leaders will love speaking. And both of those things working in harmony will spread an invigorating feeling of inspiration all around the office.

Next step to get started: Check out these  tips for creating a TED Talk .

71) Get Scared

“Scare up those hidden stores of executive energy.”

cage-diving

Planning satisfying team building events for executives requires upping the stakes and also proposing something, some challenge, that driven executives will likely not be able to resist.

Have them face their biggest fears, or at least something ridiculously scary as a group. They’ll forge new bonds and in some cases  heal their brains  and push past limiting beliefs.

Why we love it: Overcoming fears together, sharing that rush of adrenaline, and also supporting one another through it all will bring your executive leadership team together like never before.

Next step to get started: Check out these  adrenaline activities for thrill-seekers .

Looking for more Executive support? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Memorable Gifts for Every Type of CEO How to Be a Corporate Travel Planning Expert Team Building Problem Solving Group Activities

Team Building Activities For Work: Christmas

Team building around the winter holidays puts on the cheerful, casual garb of pure togetherness. With these events, what you do is not half as important as who you do it with. If you can bring your entire team together for some quality time and make a few strong memories while you’re at it, then your event is a smashing success.

72) Secret Santa

“Make Santa a state of mind.”

This holiday classic ensures everyone experiences the joys of gift-giving and gift-receiving without making anyone feel pressured to purchase a whole sack full of presents.

Each guest brings a gift for another. The gift giver’s identity remains a secret until after all the presents are open and each person tries to guess the identity of their secret Santa.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and teamwork.

Why we love it: It works well for any gift-giving holiday or occasion. Everyone feels included and shares equally in the joy.

Next step to get started: Read the  detailed rules . Feel free to expand the gifting pool to other departments you don’t have as much interaction with. Getting each other secret santa gifts will only bring you closer.

73) Make A Custom Team Greeting

“Give everyone more of what they really want.”

custom-holiday-greeting

Spread some holiday cheer by teaming up to make a team card, stickers, or even hilarious refrigerator magnets featuring all your beautiful faces.

Why we love it: It spreads joy with a perfectly personal and humorous touch.

Next step to get started: Check out these  custom fridge magnets .

74) White Elephant

“Get something you never knew you wanted.”

Ask each guest to bring a random, ridiculous, weird, hilarious or otherwise traditionally “unwanted” gift. All you have to do is have guests open the gifts, and voila — you’ve got instant hilarity with minimal planning and fanfare.

You could also pull a  Michael Scott  and surprise everyone by bringing something that’s actually amazing.

Why we love it: You will make tons of amazing memories as you see what everyone brings and also how everyone reacts to what everyone brings.

Next step to get started: Browse  these gift ideas .

75) Rudolph Drinking Game

“Uncover the mystery of Rudolph’s shiny red nose.”

rudolph-drinking-game

What could be better than watching your favorite holiday classic? Watching your favorite holiday classic with your amazing coworkers while also enjoying a festive drinking game.

Grab your drink of choice and agree on your drinking cues. For example, you could pop a Santa hat on top of your screen and take a little drink each time one of the characters ends up “wearing” the hat.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking and trust.

Why we love it: It cultivates tons of festive holiday cheer while being just a bit more cozy and intimate than a holiday happy hour or company party.

Next step to get started: Get the  full instructions .

76) Glow And Grow

“Nurture your ambition for the bright new year.”

Get together for a satisfying end-of-year reflection. Invite everyone to share their “glow” (an accomplishment they’re proud of) and also their “grow” (a goal for the upcoming year.)

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, trust, communication, and empathy.

Why we love it: It’s the perfect chance to grow closer as a team as you celebrate each other’s accomplishments and support each other in pursuit of new goals.

Next step to get started: All you need to make this event a success is a time, a place, one another, and  some snacks  of course.

Looking for more company holiday party resources? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Virtual Holiday Party Ideas For Spirited Festive Fun Fun Company Holiday Party Ideas On Any Budget SnackNation’s Holiday Party Guide: 20 Healthy Holiday Party Snacks, DIY Decorations and Games

Team Building Activities For Work: Social Distancing

Socially distanced team building events have to fill a tall order: bringing people together while also keeping them a safe distance apart. Hybrid team activities, preferably outdoor or virtual ones, with a physical emphasis provide plenty of laughs. Keep the events simple with minimal instruction and communication required. (Both tend to create confusion when you’re keeping your distance and also wearing a mask.)

77) Egg Toss

“Will your team cooperate or crack?”

egg_toss

Humans have never been able to resist the challenge that a simple fragile egg presents. We love to test every breaking point. This activity is no exception. You and your partner have to stay perfectly synced as you toss an egg back and forth, creating a perfect mix of tension and cooperation, compounded by a time limit.

There’s only one question: Can you and your teammate keep your precious egg safe?

Why we love it: It’s simplicity at its most effective. The objective is clear. The premise is simple. The instructions are self-explanatory. However, you’ll find deep complexities in all the incredible ways the pairs go about achieving their objective. Film the event so everyone can watch teamwork playing out in real-time and discuss critical learning points they may have missed in the heat of the moment.

Next step to get started: Get the  egg toss rules .

78) Silent Disco

“That’s right. Your team dances to the beat of your own collective drum.”

Turn a simple dance party into a more structured activity by adding a little challenge: everyone has to freeze in place when you pause your music unexpectedly. In addition to laughing hysterically, be sure to take pictures or screenshots during the pause. You’re absolutely going to want to review them later.

Skills this work activity develops: Trust, communication, empathy, and listening.

Why we love it: Laughter, physical activity, and shared vulnerability are the perfect recipe for powerful bonding.

Next step to get started:

  • Create and share a Spotify playlist
  • Ask everyone to meet at a local park or beach with their mobile devices and headphones in tow
  • Help everyone arrange themselves into “dancing zones” that are at least 6 feet apart
  • Pull up the playlist
  • Remind everyone to open their Playback settings and set Crossfade to 3 seconds so everyone’s songs will end at the same time
  • Press play at the same time
  • Dance, laugh, repeat

79) Virtual Team Challenges

These virtual activities help distributed teams log onto a shared video call and participate in interactive games and challenges. Employees must work together to succeed! Plus, the healthy dose of competition will encourage even the most reserved of coworkers to hop into the action. Easy to learn and fast-paced, your entire group will breeze through a virtual team meeting with laughter and fun!

Why this is a fun team building activity for employees: The variety of games that you can play online makes keeps things fresh. They also are easy to set up since the activities run over a shared Zoom call.

Next step to get started: Get ready to compete with your coworkers in a slew of virtual puzzles, trivia, and games by working with The Go Game !

80) Nerf Battle

“Tag, you’re fun!”

The warning shot goes up into the air…

Don’t worry too much; the shot in question came out of a Nerf gun. But you better get moving because the other team wants to tag you out of the game as soon as possible.

Play a Nerf gun battle as you would play classic tag. Instead of hitting members of the other team with your hands, hit them with handy Nerf guns.

Skills this work activity develops: Communication, leadership, and decision making.

Why we love it: It helps players channel a special kind of pure childlike joy. You start out chasing each other around, but you end up rolling on the ground laughing, feeling like best friends forever.

Next step to get started: Learn  how to have a Nerf war .

“It might not seem like the most traditional team building exercise, but here at YouEarnedIt we believe in celebrating our accomplishments in whatever way makes our employees the happiest. The same day we learned that YouEarnedIt won the title of Best Place to Work in Austin, we held our first ever Nerf Battle Royale. Our employees pooled together their YouEarnedIt points to fund and launch what turned out to be one of the most powerful team building exercises. For 30 minutes, the entire office became a battleground where strategy, collaboration, and out-of-the-box thinking meant the difference between life and (virtual) death.” -Tim Ryan, VP of Marketing

81) The Art Thief

“A puzzle-filled race.”

The Art Thief

This puzzle team building event is the kind of large group activity that your colleagues will not soon forget. With coworkers split up into teams, they must race through a series of physical, virtual, and hybrid challenges to find clues, pull evidence, and accomplish the mission.

Skills this work activity develops: Teamwork, leadership, and collaboration.

Why we love it: With the state of work changing so much the past two years, planning a corporate team event is a great way to spend some time together that does not involve Zoom calls and Slack messages. Plus, it gives some of your staff an opportunity to meet new hires in person!

Next step to get started: You can check out The Art Thief  to get an accurate quote for your team.

Bonus: Organize Some Laughter

“Get silly to build serious team bonds.”

laughter-on-call

If alcohol is the social lubricant, then laughter could be considered social superglue. It can bring together people who have absolutely nothing in common. It can make people once separated by tension feel strong bonds. It can make even giant groups of people feel like long-lost friends.

Why we love it: Laughter is free, exhilarating, and unbelievably fuss-free. When you bring in an activity host who knows how to make it flow, the benefits are immeasurable. Science suggests laughter can cut down stress, bring people together, and elevate mood. Plus, it’s also contagious. Get a few people going and it’s all a delightful downhill slide from there.

Next step to get started: Visit  Laughter on Call to plan a super fun comedy and improv night.

Bonus: Creative Contest

“Let the inner artists out to play.”

creative_contest

Give everyone a chance to tap into (and show off) their creative side. Unlike other team building activities for employees, the unifying magic of this activity doesn’t come from co-creation; it comes from the sharing of individual creations.

Simply ask everyone to independently create pieces — stories, poems, paints, songs, or, anything else you want. The true bonding happens when everyone’s pieces come together in a collection that magically captures your group’s personality.

Skills this work activity develops: Creative thinking, trust, and empathy.

Why we love it: This activity highlights what it means to be a team on a new level. It shows that feelings of togetherness can come even from sharing ideas developed independently. (It’s also perfect for adhering 100% to social distancing guidelines and also making introverts feel super comfortable.) The best team building activities encourage your employees to get creative and work together to access new parts of their brain.

  • Outline a few simple rules
  • Announce the contest
  • Collect submissions
  • Use a social voting tool to democratize the judging process
  • Announce and celebrate the winners via employee recognition software, such as  NectarHR

Bonus: Corporate Castaways

“Your pass to turn survival into an epic game.”

Teammates dive into a series of challenges inspired by the Survivor TV series. While this activity gets everyone developing skills they need for day-to-day work, the high stakes inspire players to infuse their actions with an extra dose of strategic thinking, cooperation, and pure mettle.

Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, trust, communication, collaboration, and decision making.

Why we love it: It wraps what could be an average corporate training model in an engaging premise and takes it outside for extra fun and a hit of mood-lifting sunshine.

Next step to get started: Start your castaway adventure with your coworkers.

Looking for more activities for social distancing at work? Check out these SnackNation resources for further reading: Inspiring Outdoor Team Building Activities, Ideas, & Games The Ultimate Guide to Social Distancing At Work Team Building Kits For Boosting Engagement

Now you have all the ideas you need to build something amazing.

We hope you’re inspired to try one or all of these activities, even if it takes a while. Feel free to share your experiences and team building favorites in the comment section below.

People Also Ask These Questions About Team Building Activities For Work

Q: what are team building activities for work.

  • A: Team building activities are programs designed to promote bonding and engagement between employees. Whether these activities are run by a third-party or an employee in-house, these organized events aim to help co-workers feel more comfortable at work and interested in accomplishing larger team goals.

Q: Why are team building activities for work important?

  • A: It’s all about engagement. There’s a pretty clear link between the personal bonds between your team members and their engagement level. A recent Gallup study found that close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by 50%, while people with a self-described best friend at work are seven times more likely to be fully engaged at work.

Q: What are the benefits of team building activities?

  • A: Another Gallup study reported that engaged companies consistently outperform the competition when it comes to things like profits, productivity, and turnover. (Pretty important stuff if you ask us.) And it stands to reason – the closer you are to your co-workers, the happier you’ll be at work, and the more likely you’ll be to sacrifice your discretionary time to help them succeed.

Q: What are hybrid team building activities?

  • A: Hybrid team building activities are exercises, games, and events that allow for both in-office and remote employees to participate. These activities can involve multiple groups playing the same activity from different locations in person, or through a video conferencing tool virtually. Hybrid activities are designed to boost employee engagement and team camaraderie by allowing coworkers to bond outside of a strictly work centric environment.

Q: What is corporate team building?

  • A: Corporate team building is when businesses invest in activities to improve employee morale, motivation, and performance. This can be done through a variety of means, but often includes team building exercises, workshops, retreats, and conferences. The goal is to encourage employees to work together more effectively while also building relationships with one another.

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About SnackNation

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SnackNation is a healthy office snack delivery service that makes healthy snacking fun, life more productive, and workplaces awesome. We provide a monthly, curated selection of healthy snacks from the hottest, most innovative natural food brands in the industry, giving our members a hassle-free experience and delivering joy to their offices.

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128 comments.

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Love all these ideas! Definitely going to bring some of these new ones to our office at Blueboard.

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Nice, thanks Morgan! Let us know how it goes.

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That’s such a wonderful list. Thanks a lot for featuring us 🙂

Thank you guys for being awesome!

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We do have at India Steel (Sumitomo Group) every Saturday interactive meeting in our main hall for 30 minutes. Every Department will present their weekly updates to across company. Also we do give the common communication in this platform.

Also all employee recognitions and rewards are announced and distributed in this forum.

Encourage employees to participate by way of sharing their individual experiences and contributions.

Every week the MD explains one value out of 9 values of our company to reach out everyone the Sumitomo Values practiced across world.

Very cool, Ravindran, thanks for sharing. Especially love the fact that your company reiterates its values and makes sure they’re being practiced. Great stuff!

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This is awesome!!! My favorite is the epic intros for new hires! What an awesome way to welcome new team members. Thanks for featuring E Group! 🙂

Thank YOU for letting us share part of your culture, Rachel!

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Great collection of ideas.

Thanks for the feedback, Monika!

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Office Fantasy Football Leagues is another great way to bond through friendly competition

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Agreed! First week smack talk has already begun. I’m 1-0 – woo hoo!!! We love March Madness brackets and do square sheets for big games and picks for bowl games. Since we’re in the sports industry anything sports related is a no brainer to get everyone involved.

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great ideas

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What an awesome article!! I love all these ideas – we will be implementing!

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These are all wonderful team building ideas! Recently, my team did a team building exercise in Denver called DayBreakers. It’s an hour of yoga followed by two hours of dancing in a setting similar to a nightclub. Hundreds of people gather and dance their faces off. What a great way to start the morning!

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Great ideas! Baseball games is always a fun team outing. It’s great to get out of the office to change the scene & going to a ball game is always a fun time.

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Startup culture at its best. Love it!

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This is a fantastic list. I’d love to do more team building activities at our sales office – if i can get the reps away from the phones!

I’m thinking about putting out a scrabble board or giant crossword puzzle that can encourage people to take a break every once in awhile and do some casual puzzling.

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Love this list! We definitely will incorporate an idea or two from here

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These are great! Definitely going to try out #12 ASAP!

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I want to do them all!!!

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We’ve done many of these activities that promote team unity. By doing so, our willingness to sacrifice for each other radiates through our body of work and reflects the customer obsession onto our clients,

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Our office has a hard time being committed to an activity for a long time or over several days, especially outside of the office such as a sports league. However, something within the office that doesn’t take a lot of time, such at the Type Fight game would be great for us!

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These look Awesome!!!

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K1 GoKart racing is a lot of fun for our employees. It lets them get out there and compete with others in the company. It’s fun to see people who are normally reserved in the office show their competitive side during the race.

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Our office has done Go Kart Racing a few times and people really loved it! The rest of the ideas look great. Thanks!

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We’re going to do our first ice cream social next week! And I’d love for us to incorporate board games, sounds like a blast.

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Great ideas

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This is great! 🙂 Our office does Ping Pong, Nerf Guns, Legos, Movie nights, Baseball Games, Shooting, and Go Kart racing, to name a few. We have a great crew who enjoys spending time together outside the office.

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How fun! I’m really glad I read this today. Our wellness team’s monthly meeting is actually scheduled for this afternoon. I’ve jotted some of these ideas down, and am anxious to see what the team thinks of the suggestions!

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We are always looking for ways to think outside of the box-and there are some great and hilarious ideas here. Some could be used with our design dept, or engineers…they aren’t one-size fits all, but that’s the beauty of getting creative. We have worked with our on-site catering dept, and had them make breakfast sandwiches, orange juices, and yogurt parfaits, and we had our Senior Staff deliver them to the entire site of 1,400+ people in carts. The teams LOVED seeing their leaders, and having them in the serving capacity is great as well!

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Some great ideas. My husband’s employer just did an Amazing Race and everyone loved it.

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These look like amazing team building activities

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Great ideas! Midday breaks for fun go such a long way. My favorites are the “Get Outside” ideas – even if something as simple as walking to a nearby patio for a drink or snack at the end of the day as a team, the sunshine and movement after a long workday is the best!

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These are all really great ideas and I can’t wait to try some of these at our next event.

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Love these! Nothing like a little competition for team building! Our office has done things like cards against humanity, joined a kickball league, and even some trivia. Great way to learn about other employees on a different level then day to day in the office

Couldn’t agree more, Elizabeth! Thanks for the feedback.

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We recently did an amazing race-style scavenger hunt, it was awesome!

Sounds fun!! That’s a great idea, thanks for the comment, Julie.

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These are great ideas! We go to Spring Training baseball games. We also hold cubicle decorating contests for various seasons/holidays.

Thank you, Heather! That is awesome – is your office near spring training, or are you all traveling long distances?

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Love team building exercises. We always have them at least once a month. They range from playing games, to volunteering, to next month going to a Haunted House.

Very cool, thanks for sharing, Jennifer.

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I like the board games, Family Feud, and block printing ideas best. We have to remember that not everyone is a social butterfly and ready to jump into a group activity. Some of the best thinkers and workers and producers are introverts, and no company leader should overlook this. By holding team building sessions that first will help the introverts feel comfortable around their team members, the company can gently add more socially-dependent team building activities, helping the introverts to not “dread” those activities.

Very true, Jane. I’m a major introvert myself, and the team building we do at SnackNation has helped me connect with co-workers, which results in better working (and personal) relationships – which results in better work!

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Great read – thanks for sharing!

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you, Anita.

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Wow. Very cool.

Thanks, Elb!

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Loved all the ideas, now where do we put that ping-pong table?!

Thanks, Erin! Yes, the eternal question…

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As a HR Mgr – You SnackNation are giving me constant great ideas for my company. Thank you

Thanks Melissa – that’s what we’re here for!!

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Our office just did a paintball outing — we enjoy being super competitive and then bonding together afterwards over a beer to relax snd share war wounds (note: nothing hospital-worthy).

Haha – glad to hear it, TJ!

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We are always looking for new team building ideas, so this was helpful!

Great! Always glad to be of service. 🙂

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These are all really great ideas. I personally love the Nerf Battle idea! Brings me back to playing as a child and is always a good stress relief in the office.

Thank you John! Can’t beat an epic Nerf battle.

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At Mobivity we do department field trips to Spring Training Games, Paint Parties, Movies etc. I loved hearing about all of these additional ideas. I look forward to bringing them to my Executive Team.

Nice! What does a paint party entail??

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There are some really great ideas. I’m going to try the appreciation circle!

Thank you, Judi!

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Really cool ideas! Would love to implement quite a few of these!

Thanks for the feedback, Melissa! Definitely do that – and let us know how they work out!

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These are great ideas. We do the buddy system, usually do a sports outing once a year as our summer get out of the office and mingle event, but some of these look like I could incorporate them into our office as well.

Awesome, BreAnne! Love to see companies who are proactive about bringing teammates closer together.

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I was drawn by the hotesny of what you write

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We do many of these, but I can’t wait to add in a few more! Love the ideas.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Stacey.

Awesome! Thanks for giving this a read, Stacey.

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These are all great ideas! It’s a little difficult to get the whole to team to buy in to these activities however.

Thanks Brendan, that’s a good point. Sometimes it’s about convincing your team to buy in, other times it’s about listening to figure out what they might want or need. Great feedback!

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It seems very difficult to encourage that sense of team that is necessary for success in an office workplace, but these ideas may help that!

We agree, it can seem like a daunting task – but we’re here to help!

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My office actually does quite a bit of the activities listed above. One thing I’ve been noodling on is having an office-wide talent show. Sometimes you don’t know if your coworker actually knows how to juggle or not. I think it would open people up for conversations other than the typical TPS report banter.

That’s an amazing idea! So true, what a great conversation starter and way to bring people closer together.

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Every month MedXM holds a sports event, this month is yoga! I’m thinking next month will be kickball, what a great idea! 😀

Very cool! Love the creativity.

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We just finished a softball league a few months ago. 2nd place! Unfortunately, we lost to our rivals, but 2nd place nonetheless.

Congrats! Sounds like a lot fun, thanks for sharing that idea.

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Great- I’m going to steal some of these ideas for sure!

Awesome, thanks Wes!

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I find these ideas a great option! Thanks.

Glad to hear it, thanks Cassandra!

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Great Ideas! I’m going to try and integrate some of them for sure!

Awesome, thanks Mark!

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We have chair races down the hall

Sounds like an epic place to work!

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These are all awesome ideas! I am going to ask my boss to implement some of these around the office. I dont know how he will take it.

Make sure you make the case for WHY – it’s all about building engaged teams that won’t let each other fail!

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We have begun to implement some of these ideas. Reading this post assures me they are great ideas.

Awesome! What sort of things have you noticed as a result of implementing these ideas?

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My office recently started a basketball tournament. Everyone has loved it so far. Will try some of these ideas in the future.

Sounds awesome! We have a weekly pickup basketball game at SN, but a tournament is a really cool idea. Might have to try that one!

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I love the lunch drawing idea. We implement a couple of these ideas already, but are always looking to make the workplace a better environment.

Very cool! If you try that one, let us know how it goes over.

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So this is what happens when a writer does the homework needed to write quality material. Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful content.

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Great ideas,There are different activities that can be done in a team building exercise but as an organiser, make sure that it will be fun and very interesting for everybody involved. It must be activities that help people to unwind, interact with each other and will avoid embarrassing anyone.

Thanks For Sharing,

yes its true team building activities are very important for any business. I like your ideas for team building.

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Just had a team building activity yesterday at a local park. Careerbuilder paid for the ingredients for lunch but it was prepared and grilled by employees who volunteered—afterwards everyone enjoyed a fun game of kickball. Very low cost event but it was very well received. thanks for a lot of great ideas on future teambuilding

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Excellent list of Team Building activities, planning to implement few from this list in our team.

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I’m on an Engagement Committee where we try to do things for our employees to make the workplace a great place to be. We work 7 days a week with several shifts with 100 plus employees and cannot leave the premises as often to enjoy the outdoor suggestions. We’ve had food fun and Christmas fun but need some other ideas.

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Many many thanks for sharing with us the great article. It’s helped me a lot and I also learned a lot also. It’s really a valuable and useful article for me. Every professional accountant should be read this so that he can don’t face any problem in future.

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Wonderful Ideas for team building…… These activities will improve confidence among employees. Thanks for sharing…

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I know this is an older article but I wanted to leave some feedback. Some of these ideas are fantastic and I will use a few so thank you! But to all managers out there, please keep in mind employees who are not able bodied. This list was very much geared towards young, fit employees, but employees with disabilities, injuries, who are pregnant, obese or older may find many of these activities alienating, or even dangerous. Just something to keep in mind.

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Love all your suggestions. I do believe it is time we moved on from those traditional team building games that have been used by companies for decades now. In fact, one fun team building activity that I love is escape room games. They not only foster teamwork and communication, they do so in a fun way. It might just reveal some hidden talents and abilities of the team members. It also provides the opportunity to identify emerging leaders and real team players.

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What about Secret Santa? We do that often and it really does connect people to get a gift from a random person in the office.

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Love all the great ideas on here. We are just starting try and team build across all our different locations. Cant wait to til our next “wellness team” meeting to bring in some of these ideas and let everyone know where I got them. Thank you.

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What kind of ideas are out there for healthcare workers that can be done during the work hours?

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Great article! Escape rooms are indeed creative outlets and places where people can forget the daily pressures in workplaces to get immersed in something for fun; without the intervention of any third party. Such situations can help break ice and foster close relationships between people in offices; who otherwise don’t get a chance to interact that much.

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I love Ms. Chaney’s idea to use throwback movie nights as a team-building idea. The company I work for is actually fantastic too. I was thinking of suggesting we do tactical laser tag as a team-building exercise too.

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Love it! I wanna try these team building activities. I think it is fun and my co-workers will enjoy it. As we all know, group activities involve teamwork as it helps the teams understand each other better. It brings people together by encouraging collaboration and teamwork.

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We appreciate your feedback! Definitely agree that team building activities help encourage collaboration and teamwork 🙂

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A few of these really hit my heart. Thanks for sharing.

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It seems very fun. Its important do fresh n up our mind to boost work effectively in a team. The more work they do the more fun the deserve. I am very happy after knowing these fun team building activities for work. I will for sure try these fun plans for my team. Thank you so much

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Honestly, this list has helped me a lot to build up a good bond between my employees in this lockdown situation. Following this blog since Feb-2020, and have tried multiple activities on my employees. It did worked for me and my employees. Not only this, we have learned a lot about each other beyond the general things. Thanks a tonne.

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I really enjoyed reading through the ideas and plan to implement a few of them into our team building program here at junk removal company in Pasadena. Thanks for sharing.

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Well written and to the point. I appreciate the detail in this article!

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I appreciate that this post mentioned that team building games are important to foster teamwork and cooperation. Assuming I own a business, I will definitely want my employee engagement to improvement. I will maybe consider something like an escape room.

These are great ideas!It is a way to bond and bring employees together and will enhance their teamwork. The trust between team members will also be build.

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Really great information.Thanks for sharing

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Suppose if I had to pick a perfect article, it would be yours. I like your views and your writing technique. This material is informational without being boring and intimidating.

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This blog includes the best information about all team building activities. I will share this blog with my friends and this will be very helpful to all. Keep sharing your ideas !

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Very good imformation, thank you for this information.

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It is a cool step to make our working team strong. How you got these ideas? We need to apply the same in our work.

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very nice and good content thanks for sharing this wonderful content.

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This is a great post, it’s always nice to see examples of how companies can encourage a healthy work/life balance and bring fun into the workplace. The idea for a scavenger hunt was brilliant! My college track team did this during my sophomore year as a team-building exercise, and I remember it being one of the best memories in college athletics. The tasks were incredibly creative and some were downright impossible to pull off, but the team had a blast. It was a great way to introduce our new freshmen to the team and the team definitely grew a lot closer by doing activities like these. Work can be stressful a lot more than it isn’t, and we all become much more productive when the work environment is as relaxed as possible.

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22 Fun Team-Building Activities and Games to Try in 2024

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“Team building” is a term you probably first encountered years ago. Maybe when you were in elementary school, or even at a summer camp. But yes, you’ve probably done team-building activities (and maybe played some icebreaker games ) in the workplace, too.

While they tend to get a bad rap—picture some mandatory HR event where everyone looks miserable and no one wants to go along for the ride—the right kinds of team-building exercises can bring people closer together, help teams collaborate more effectively, and identify gaps and strengths in individual members.

That said, we have some suggestions for you and the rest of the team—whether you're in a meeting, during the workday, or outside the office. Keep reading, and we bet you'll find something that speaks to you.

Ready for a true game-changer? Look for open jobs on The Muse »

Why work team-building activities are important

Besides offering up a fun and creative alternative to bonding over happy hour (which can make people who don’t drink feel left out), team-building activities provide companies and employees with plenty of added benefits.

At the base level, team building allows people to get to know each other—their interests, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they communicate, among other things. “Just like any professional sports team works and practices with one another to be at their best, teams at work can and should do the same thing,” says Muse career coach Al Dea .

Team-building activities also build camaraderie and trust among team members—one of the most important aspects of a successful team. “This allows people to bring the full power of their skills, personalities, and who they are to work,” Dea says. “When people don’t have the confidence to do that, they hold back, thus sometimes limiting their abilities to be at their best.”

Finally, team-building activities can help remind people that work is never just about them—it’s about the entire group. When you’re encouraged to do something together, rather than solo, it brings to life the idea that the group’s success (and ultimately the company’s) should be a priority.

This can be a particularly useful learning experience for teams that struggle with teamwork, are overly competitive, or lack unity and confidence as a result of a bad manager or hard times.

So what do these exercises look like? Check out some of our favorites.

Best team-building activities to do during a meeting

Team building doesn’t have to be an all-day affair. In fact, taking 20 minutes out of the first half of your next group meeting can be enough to spark innovation and teamwork.

1. Solve a puzzle

This can be a literal puzzle, like a 500 piece set (if you’re down to spend a few dollars on Amazon), or a brain teaser that requires thinking and brainstorming out loud. Toss one out to your team and, if you’re feeling overly ambitious, give them a time limit to complete the task. The key is that everyone has to contribute to the success of the project.

Once they’re done or time runs out, take a moment to reflect on the experience. Ask your team: What was your strategy to solve it? Who did what? Why did you make the decisions you did? Allowing everyone to think through their process might highlight unique perspectives or strengths in each individual—or at least lead to an eye-opening conversation.

2. Count to 20

This one’s super simple and great if you want a quick five-minute team building activity at work. Have everyone sit in a circle. Anyone can start the count off or say a number at any time, the goal being to count from one to 20.

However, if two people jump in at the same time to say a number, the count starts over. This game requires team members not only to be cognizant of the group dynamics, but to work together—with limited communication—to get to the end.

3. Try a compliment circle

There are different variations you can take on this to encourage your team to express appreciation for one another. One option is you can simply spend five minutes having individuals compliment one another, whatever pops into their mind (if you’re the manager, you should start to get the ball rolling!).

This can be as easy as saying, “I wanted to tell Gina I loved her proposal this week” or “Big shoutout to Danny for bringing in donuts last week when we were all heads-down to meet a big deadline.” Or you can go around and have each person address the coworker to their right, so that everyone gets a chance to shine.

4. Host a brainstorming session

Team building can absolutely be work focused, and oftentimes that’s the best kind. The key is to make these brainstorming sessions less about day-to-day accomplishments and more about bigger team goals.

Maybe you want to outline your KPIs for the rest of the quarter. Maybe you want to hash out some new ideas for an upcoming campaign. Maybe your team’s strategy feels stale and you’re looking for ways to refresh it.

Whatever your goal, try organizing your conversation using one of these suggestions:

  • An idea board: The simplest form of brainstorming. Give everyone an agenda ahead of time, and have them come to the meeting with three to five ideas. Talk through them, and have people contribute additional thoughts, questions, or concerns.
  • Fist to five : Have everyone brainstorm solutions to a problem, then go through them one by one by holding up a fist or a number of fingers up to five. A fist means you’re not on board and five fingers up means you think it’s a great idea. Then, have everyone state their case as to why they chose the fingers they did.
  • Went well, went OK, could have done better: At The Muse, we use this process for quarterly retrospectives and project post-mortems. Have everyone jot down on Post-it notes things they thought went well, things they thought went OK, and things that didn’t go well or could have been done better, and sort the Post-its into their respective categories. Once all the ideas are on the table talk through them and come up with potential solutions to the problem areas.

5. Have a “show and tell”

This can be a great way to get your team to brag a bit about their accomplishments, and to encourage them to stay updated on what everyone else is working on.

One great example of this at The Muse is something we call “Sip it and Ship it.” One Friday of the month, our engineering team hosts an open meeting where anyone at the company has the option to take a look at and test out our latest “shipped” or completed products—while “sipping” on alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverages.

You can do this on a small scale, too. If you’re a team of two or three, spend a few minutes a week or once a month getting together and highlighting something each member is working on, and allow people to ask questions, give suggestions, and offer up positive feedback.

Fun team-building activities to do during the workday

These activities are great for longer meetings, or if you want to spend an afternoon or a few hours away from your desk.

6. Share your personality

Have everyone on your team fill out a personality test (here are some of our favorites ), then get together and discuss. What you decide to do with this is really up to you—the key is to have each employee understand their colleagues’ strengths, weaknesses, and ticks.

Maybe you group similar personalities together and have them chat about how their traits come out in the workplace, or have them complete an assignment like designing their “ideal” office based on their personality type and sharing it with the group.

Another option? Have everyone fill out this “user manual” and share their findings with the team.

7. Play team or board games

You don’t need me to tell you that board games bring people together (just read this article on the benefits of networking over games). And there are some many great, office-friendly options out there!

There’s Apples to Apples (a SFW version of Cards Against Humanity), Code Names , Pandemic , and Jenga—all games that require teamwork. There are also non-tabletop games like Celebrity or Heads Up (available on iOS and Android ) that require nothing but a phone or a pen and paper.

It may feel silly to pull out some team building games in the middle of the office, but you may be surprised to find that doing so loosens your team up and forces them to work together in different and creative ways.

8. Create a scavenger hunt

Scavenger hunts can be great for new hires to get to know the landscape and their team—requiring them to identify things around the office and ask seasoned employees questions during their first week such as “When was [Company] started?” or “Who was our first client?” or “How many people work on the marketing team?”

But they’re just as effective with veteran teams. Maybe you set one up for employees to uncover X number of facts or artifacts by the end of the day together. Or divide the group into multiple teams and see who finishes first. However you choose to do it and whatever you choose for them to find, this will definitely encourage team members to work together on something far removed from their usual work and team of people.

9. Untangle a “human knot”

This is a camp favorite, but also a fun way to have team members come together to solve a problem. Have everyone squish together in a circle and grab hands with people not directly next to them. The goal, once everyone’s hands are interlocked, is to untangle yourselves without breaking the chain.

You can make it even more challenging by not allowing people to talk or putting a time limit on it. It requires a bit of leg room to crawl over each other (not to mention an office culture where people feel comfortable holding hands—tread carefully with this one), but if you feel up to it it can make for a fun puzzle.

10. Give out blind directions

Pair team members up and have one put on a blindfold—it’s then the other person’s job to direct them in making moves as best they can, whether that’s getting them to the other side of the office or having them complete a task like moving an object or drawing a picture. Have individuals who normally don’t work as closely together do this exercise, and it’ll help them practice communication and build trust.

11. Do a silent line-up

Set a timer, and have people line up in various orders say, by height, birthday, or company tenure—without saying a word. Your team will learn a bit about each other while overcoming an unusual challenge.

12. Host a lunch and learn

Your team is probably full of unspoken talent—use those strengths as a way to bring everyone together. Maybe someone’s a great knitter, or speaks another language, or is a pro at using Excel. Have them host a “lunch and learn” where they teach the rest of the crew a new skill over your midday break. Your employee will practice mentoring and giving presentations, and your team will learn something new and exciting about their peers.

13. Have a hack day

Hack days are big in the tech and engineering sphere, but they can be beneficial for just about any team.

The idea is simple: Have everyone drop what they’re working on and spend the day completing a special project that benefits the team or company. If you can, have multiple departments (if not the whole company) participate and require employees to work with people on different teams. The point is to have people think outside the box by creating something that requires a new set of skills or way of thinking.

Maybe you spend the day rethinking your onboarding document for new hires, or brainstorming a new sales pitch, or building a new feature into a product—whatever it is, it should cost $0 to create and be something you can make (or conceptualize) in a workday.

14. Put on a contest

For example, you could host a department desk decorating face-off (this is a big hit in The Muse office on Halloween), or plan a cookie or guacamole-making contest, where employees bring in their best recipes and the team judges their favorites (plus, who doesn’t like food during the workday?). It creates a bit of healthy competition, while encouraging employees to spend time together and bond over a common hobby.

Team-building activities for work—but to do outside the office

It’s certainly trickier to have people hang out outside of work, but if you can get everyone together (or can take the afternoon to go on an adventure), these can be great activities for team building.

15. Complete an escape room challenge

Everyone’s doing them these days, and it’s no wonder why: Trying to escape when you’re “trapped” in a room with people (in a set time period) is a team effort. If you live in a city that offers them (some options here and here ), you can find an assortment of escape-the-room challenges, including a submarine, jail cell, or even an office (how ironic!). Per person it may cost you around $30, the same price of say, taking your team bowling or paying for a few drinks at happy hour.

16. Take a cooking class

Cooking classes are a great way to help teams bond because they’re not just an individual activity—often what you’re making requires multiple sets of hands. CourseHorse and Groupon are great places to find these kinds of opportunities, for cheap.

17. Take an improv class

A lot more interactive than cooking classes, improv classes can teach you a lot of valuable skills for the workplace—including how to communicate with others and overcome various challenges as a team. Plus, they force you to get out of your comfort zone and have a laugh with your colleagues. You can check out sites like CourseHorse for options, or do a quick Google search to find the best comedy cellars near your office.

18. Sign up for trivia

Who doesn’t love trivia? Besides the fact that it allows employees to flex their history and pop culture muscles, it’s also incredibly team-oriented. Go together to a local spot’s trivia night, or bring in a host to your office and split the department into teams to battle for the winning title.

19. Volunteer

If your team is passionate about a certain cause or initiative, consider taking the day to do some community service. Not only will you bond, but you’ll come out feeling great and making a positive impact on your community. Here’s how to bring volunteer opportunities to your office , and some tips on various volunteering activities you can do, depending on your level of commitment.

20. Start a book club

Grab a book related to your field and have everyone read it over a few weeks. Then, set aside some time to sit and chat about it (over snacks!). You’ll spark interesting conversation, encourage colleagues to share ideas, stories, and input, and help everyone learn a bit more about their role within the team.

Check out our best reads if you need inspiration.

21. Tackle a ropes course

This is a bit more ambitious, but it’s a great day trip or retreat activity to get your team outdoors and still working together. Ropes courses require teamwork in so many ways, whether you’re encouraging a teammate to overcome an especially challenging part or trying to get through a maze as a group. Just make sure everyone on your team is on board with this before moving forward (for example, ensuring no one’s afraid of heights or has mobility issues)—if they’re hesitant you may have more success trying something else out.

22. Form an intramural league

If your team is full of athletes, this could be the perfect option for bonding outside the office.

It doesn’t have to be a tiring sport, either! Plenty of cities offer opportunities to play things like skeeball, bocce, or cornhole. If you want your efforts to go toward a cause, consider signing up to run (or walk) a 5K for charity together.

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61 Ice Breaker Games [That Your Team Won’t Find Cheesy]

Icebreaker activities cover image

Whether it's kicking off a meeting or getting to know new team members, an effective ice breaker game can help set the right tone and help build connections. But how do you choose the right one?

In this post, we'll share a collection of tried and tested ice breaker games you can use to engage and energize groups of any size. Whether you just want to have fun, encourage team building or level-up your meetings, there's an activity here for you.

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An in-depth study from TINYpulse , an employee engagement company, studied more than 40,000 workers’ inputs from more than 300 companies globally. They found a correlation of 0.92 between employee fulfillment and their relationships with colleagues. Since you can end up spending more time with coworkers than with your family or partner, it is a topic that deserves much attention.

But how can you break the ice without also frustrating your team or making them roll their eyes? Using facilitator-tested and proven methods like those below are a surefire way to open your meetings more effectively and engage your team.

You’ll find classic conversation starters like Two truths and One Lie , fun games like The Marshmallow Challenge or even a Virtual Scavenger Hunt! You’ll find our collection of 61 of the best ice breaker games for work separated by category and find some useful tips for running them in your workshop or meeting too!

Purpose of ice breaker games

So how do you avoid creating a frustrating, patronizing ice breaker game that won’t make participants feel like they are wasting their time?

The benefits of a good ice breaker far outweigh any negatives. They can take care of introductions in a much more fun way than just simply going around the room and stating what’s on your business card. They can help people remember names , start conversations and create a positive atmosphere in moments.

When done right, ice breakers can quickly build a sense of community , set the tone for the upcoming session & give participants ownership of the learning ahead.

Icebreaker games are also a great way for people to share their expectations and for facilitators to introduce the topic of the day. They help participants to loosen up, understand each other more and enable better collaboration and networking . Last, but not least, it is a surefire way to energize the group and have everyone focused and ready to go.

Ready to design a session around your chosen icebreaker? SessionLab makes it easy to build a complete agenda in minutes . Start by dragging and dropping blocks, add your timings and adjust with ease to create a minute-perfect session. When you’re ready for feedback, invite collaborators and refine your agenda with ease.

Session Planner full view with blocks and notes

Ice Breaker Games to Get to Know Each Other

Whenever you bring a group of people together for a meeting, project, or event, it’s helpful to get to know each other at the outset.

This does not only mean just memorizing names, but also involves getting the facilitator or leader of the session familiar with everyone and getting a read on the energy of the room.

One of the other major benefits of these games is in allowing group members to break free from dry or boring introductions and get to know each other more meaningfully. Let’s dive in!

Just One Lie

Diversity bingo.

  • Two truths and One Lie

Unique and Shared

Passions tic tac toe.

  • Jenga Questions

Speed Dating Icebreaker

Break the ice with the help of your key.

  • Whose Story is it?
  • Trading Card Icebreaker
  • Find Your Pair
  • Toilet Paper Icebreaker
  • Show and Tell

This method is an adaptation of the well-known ice breaker ‘Two Truths And A Lie’ to create an activity that can be run throughout a day of a meeting or workshop.

Participants mingle and ask questions from each other while noting the answers on post-its. But everyone includes one lie. The result is that you have a board of interesting facts about all the participants, among them, one lie. Throughout the workshop you can return to these boards for participants to introduce each other and find out what was the lie.

Just One Lie   #icebreaker   #energiser   #team   #get-to-know   This method is adapted from the well-known icebreaker ‘Two Truths And A Lie’  to create an activity that you could return to throughout a meeting.

Diversity Bingo is one of our favorite group ice breaker games. This game help participants to get information on each other in a fun, competitive way.

First, create a bingo card containing a grid of squares with a statement or question in each square that will apply to some members of your group and is in line with the objectives of your class, workshop, or event. After each player gets a bingo card, they mingle around introducing themselves and finding other participants who can sign their cards indicating that a statement applies to him/her.

To avoid having people only talk to one or two people and filling up their card, limit the signatures they can give to 1 or 2 per card. When everyone has reached bingo or is super close, you can share something you’ve learned about each other, yourself and the experience of this ice breaker activity.

Diversity Bingo   #icebreaker   #get-to-know   #opening   #teampedia   #action   This game helps participants to get information on each other in a fun, competitive way.

Do you have people who come from many different places to your session? If you’re looking for fun icebreakers for meetings that are active, Group Map is a good bet!

A great way to get to know each other is to have participants place themselves on an imaginary map laid out in the room representing the country according to where they grew up. Ask them to share one internal value they got from that place, and why that is important for them.

Encourage people to share a short story if they want. Sharing customs and values from your childhood can create more understanding and help form stronger bonds – a hallmark of a good icebreaker.

Icebreaker: The Group Map   #get-to-know   #icebreaker   #remote-friendly   Ask people to place themselves on an imaginary map laid out in the room representing the country according to where they grew up. Ask them to share one internal value they got from that place, and why is that important for them. Encourage people to share a short story if they want

​ Two Truths and One Lie

A simple and classic ice breaker game. Each employee shares three statements about themselves – two truths, and one lie. Then, everyone tries to guess which is the lie by asking questions. Try to find out as many details about the statements as possible and watch the speaker’s reactions closely. The whole point is to learn facts about your peers while inserting an element of mystery.

This team icebreaker helps the group learn about each other and gives both introverts and extroverts an equal chance to reveal themselves and discover others’ assumptions. It’s been done before, but if you’re looking for simple ice breaker games for work, this is one everyone is sure to know and requires zero prep from the facilitator.

Everyone is a Liar (Two truths and one lie)   #warm up   #icebreaker   #remote-friendly   #online   Starting a meeting or after a break in a group where participants don’t know each other or don’t know much about each other

Create groups of 4-5 people, and let them discover what they have in common, along with interesting characteristics that are unique to a person in the group.

This icebreaker promotes unity as it gets people to realize that they have more common ground with their peers than they first might realize. As people become aware of their own unique characteristics, they can also help people feel empowered to offer the group something unique.

Common and Unique   #get-to-know   #teambuilding   #icebreaker   Create groups of 4-5 people, and let them discover what they have in common, along with interesting characteristics that are unique to a person in the group.

The goal of this icebreaker game is to help the participants to get to know each other at the beginning of an event or to help identify their values during the later part of a training session.

Create a 3 x 3 grid for each participant and have them fill in each block with a different personal passion randomly. After the individual work, have everyone walk around the room and compare notes. When they find the same passion listed in both grids, ask them to sign for each other in the appropriate square. The winner is the participant who manages to have other people’s signatures on three lines (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal). You can continue the game to have as many winners as you like.

Passions Tic Tac Toe   #get-to-know   #values   #icebreaker   #thiagi   This simple game that explores the concepts from these two quotations: “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you”. —Oprah Winfrey. “Getting to know someone else involves curiosity about where they have come from, who they are.” —Penelope Lively, novelist

​Jenga questions

Jenga is the starting point of many fun gatherings. It’s a super easy ice breaker activity to explain and pick up & anyone can join any time. You can spice up a regular tower-toppling contest by writing intriguing questions on each block (or as many as you can).

When you draw each block, read the question out loud & answer before placing the piece on the top of the tower. This can ignite exciting conversations about everyday topics like favorite downtime activities to more in-depth stuff, like career and self-development goals.

Traditional games with a unique spin can often generate curiosity and engagement in a groups setting. Try having different kinds of icebreaker activities in your toolbox in order to overcome any potential resistance in your group.

presentation on team building activities

This fast-paced icebreaker activity allows participants to get acquainted with while also exploring something thought provoking and inspiring. Prepare a set of inspirational quotes prior to the session and the number of participants on individual slips of paper. Put the pile in the center of the room. Each participant picks up one quote, then picks a partner and begins to discuss what the quote says to them, if it is meaningful, and how.

Then after a minute or so the facilitator gives a signal and participants switch partners, and may switch quotes as well if they’d like. This can continue for 4-5 rounds for around 15 minutes. Choose quotes that relate to your meeting topic or company culture for an even more effective opening to your session!

Quotes   #icebreaker   #energiser   #online   #warm up   #remote-friendly   For participants to get acquainted with each other in a meaningful way

The goal of this game is to have a succession of very rapid conversations in an extremely short amount of time with as many people as possible. Have people sit in pairs, with colleagues that they don’t directly work with on a day-to-day basis. Determine the time limit (say 3 minutes for each conversation) and set a timer. When it starts, each pair has to start speed networking & find out as much professional info about the other as possible.

While it’s natural for group members to want to spend time with people they know, encouraging your team to mix is an important step to improving team cohesion. Team building icebreakers like this one are great for starting that process!

Speed-dating   #teambuilding   #icebreaker   This can be used as a teambuilding activity or a way to introduce participants to each other.

Games and activities that include physical objects can help ensure the session is memorable and specific to those people present. In this ice breaker, ask participants to sit in a circle and bring their keys with them.

Explain that they will get to know each other through their keys. Ask them that one by one present all the keys they have on their keychain and tell a few sentences about the area the key represents – the city or neighborhood they live in, the activity it represents (bike or locker key) or the person they received it from.

Be sure to start the circle yourself so the participants get the feeling of how it should be done. Bonus points if you can demonstrate openness and vulnerability for your group to follow!

Break the ice with the help of your key!   #team   #get-to-know   #teambuilding   #icebreaker   The key ice breaker is a team building favorite and a great exercise to get to know each other in a group or team. It is easy to understand and set up, can be modified according to the objects participants have, fast way to get info on each other , and surely makes everyone included!

Whose story is it?

Start this ice breaker game by writing your funniest or weirdest story on a small piece of paper. It has to be a true one, no fiction! Then fold the paper up and drop it into a bowl or other container.

The facilitator or the person leading the program randomly reads every story and group members guess who the writer is. This is a great way to get to know each other and find out new things, even if you’ve worked together for a long time.

​Trading Card Icebreaker

Starting a meeting by defining your personality and being creative is a great way to kick off a more involved team project.

This activity from Gamestorming works great because it lets people self-define and share their personality outside of their day-to-day work. This approach means people get to connect more meaningfully and authentically while also creating fun and memorable cards that serve as conversation pieces as the meeting progresses.

Trading Cards   #gamestorming   #icebreaker   #opening   This meeting starter is great because it lets people self-define,  gives them a “personality” outside the typical work environment. Additionally,it gives participants quick snapshots of multiple players (since they see many cards as they’re being passed around), and it creates memorable visuals that give people conversation pieces as the meeting progresses.

​Find your pair

Prepare word pairs, like salt and pepper, milk and honey, sail and wind, etc on separate pieces of paper. Tape one to each person’s back. People then have to walk around and ask closed questions (with a yes or no answer) to find out what their phrase is. Once they find out, they have to find their pair & by continuing to ask questions (these can be open or closed) they have to learn 3 new things about the other.

​Toilet Paper Icebreaker

This is one of those ice breaker activities that is easily prepared in most live settings – you only need one roll of toilet paper. Pass this around, and have everyone rip off how much they would usually use. Everyone will feel awkward & will not really see the point at the beginning & possibly think you’ve lost it.

When everyone has taken off a few squares, they should count them. The amount they have is how many fun facts they should reveal about themselves. A warning though: this is an activity that is best suited for more lighthearted occasions and you’ll want to know your audience a bit before trying this!

​Show and tell

Group icebreakers are important, even in teams that know each other well. For more established groups, where people are more familiar with each other, it’s always good to dedicate a day, or an afternoon for “show and tell”. Each team member gets the chance (not all at once of course) to showcase something – an object or a topic that they are interested in.

Try making this activity part of a group routine at the start of every team meeting for bonus points. Creating this habit gives less exhibitionist characters a chance to share and it is also a great practice to hone presentation skills and handle the attention & tricky questions.

Show and Tell   #gamestorming   #action   #opening   #meeting facilitation   Show and Tell taps into the power of metaphors to reveal players’ underlying assumptions and associations around a topic The aim of the game is to get a deeper understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives on anything—a new project, an organizational restructuring, a shift in the company’s vision or team dynamic.

Quick ice breaker games

When you have a tightly packed agenda, it’s useful to have some quick icebreakers you can use to warm up the group in a pinch. These activities are simple to explain, fast to run, and work great in large or small groups . They also can double as after-lunch energizers to encourage team members to engage in what’s next!

Here are some of our favorite games you can use to break the ice in a group in ten minutes or less! Prefer something that requires even less set-up? Check out our collection of icebreaker questions for a set of effective conversation starters.

One Word at a Time

Apple, orange and banana, conversation questions, diversity welcome, stress balls, object meditation.

  • Have you ever? (Stand up if)

Ice breaker ideas can come from anywhere, and so can great ideas. Create a surprise sentence by saying one word at a time. Give a general topic. The first person in the group says one word to a topic. The next person continues with another word.

Eventually, the group creates a whole sentence by each member contributing only one word at a time. The outcome is always unexpected & almost always funny. Make sure people don’t say two words when using articles or pronouns.

One Word Method   #product development   #idea generation   #creativity   #icebreaker   #online   #warm up   Creating a sentence relating to a specific topic or problem with each person contributing one word at a time.

Some of the best quick icebreakers promote team bonding by simply encouraging the group to be silly and have fun. This game is designed to do just that!

Start by asking your group to stand in a circle with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front. Explain that when you shout either apple, orange or banana they must perform the associated action: moving forward, backward or spinning around. When the group is comfortable, mix it up by saying two or even three words in sequence!

This great icebreaker game gets everyone moving, generates lots of laughter, and is a wonderful activity to use after breaks too.

Apple, Orange and Banana!   #energiser   #icebreaker   #fun   #teambuilding   Fun energiser to create energy and fun. Great to use after breaks such as lunch or coffee breaks.

Sometimes the best and fastest icebreakers are also the simplest! Use this collection of 25 icebreaker questions as the basis for letting to group get to know each other, or have participants answer in rapid-fire!

Small groups might wish to mingle and ask questions one on one, while you might invite larger groups to answer questions by raising their hand to answer. Whatever way you go, these icebreaker questions are a great starting point for team bonding and helping participants get to know other group members.

Conversation Questions   #connection   #icebreaker   #trust   #meeting facilitation   #opening  

Quick icebreakers also have the potential to set the right tone for your meeting or workshop. The focus of his activity is to promote diversity and help create an inclusive environment for your session. Start by naming a possible trait of someone who may be present and saying they are welcome. For example, “If you love dogs, you are welcome here! If you prefer cats, you are welcome here!”

Slowly move into deeper territory by naming traits and concepts that resonate with your audience. With established groups, invite participants to share their own welcome, focusing on helping everyone in the room feel safe and welcome.

Diversity welcome   #diversity   #inclusion   #opening   #remote-friendly   #hybrid-friendly   The intention of the diversity welcome is inclusion. It can be long or short. The common element is to inclusively name a range of possibilities with a genuine “Welcome!”

We love games that not only function as a fun introduction but also offer a way to improve company culture. Stress Balls is a fast-paced icebreaker that helps highlight the importance of communication and teamwork while also encouraging lots of fun.

Begin by simply asking participants to stand in a circle and pass a ball to their left. Debrief and ask how the task went before asking participants to try again while moving the ball faster. Introduce further complexity until the game becomes a mess! While the result is chaotic fun, it also offers a very teachable lesson about how teams can communicate in order to achieve great results.

Stress Balls   #energiser   #communication   #teamwork   #team   #thiagi   #action   #icebreaker   Understanding the importance of communication and teamwork is an important requirement for high performance teams of knowledge workers. This exercise is an effective energizer that requires communication and teamwork. Ask participants to form a circle and throw a ball around to simulate the movement of a message. Change different variables such as speed, quantity, and complexity to create a mess.

Just because an icebreaker can be done quickly doesn’t mean it can’t also be mindful! This focused meditation activity is a wonderful way to open a meeting and encourage everyone to be present.

First, have everyone choose an object that is close to them and invite them to close their eyes. Next, ask the group to notice how they feel and to consider any feelings that aren’t serving them right now. Invite them to transfer these feelings into the object they are holding for the duration of the meeting and then come back to the room.

Combined with a quick debrief, this method is a great way to gently break the ice with your group. Check out the full method below for a script you can follow too!

Object Meditation   #icebreaker   #meditation   #emotional intelligence   #managing emotions   #check-in   #self-awareness   A focused meditation to become present and aware. We accept our feelings, leaving behind what we doesn’t serve us right now. A ideal way to open a workshop or team meeting.

Use this ice breaker activity at, or very near, the start of a course, workshop or meeting where people don’t know each other to help get to know everyone’s names. Have the group sit in a circle where everyone can see the others. The first person says their name. The next person continues, but after saying their own name, they repeat the first person’s name. This continues with each person repeating one more name. Reassure people towards the end that it’s ok if they get stuck & encourage the others to jump in to help if anyone is lost.

Name Game   #opening   #icebreaker   #energiser   Use the exercise at, or very near, the start of a course, workshop or meeting where people don’t know each other as it helps to learn names of each other

​Have you ever? (Stand up if)

Prior to the workshop the facilitator prepares a list of questions which can only be answered with yes or no. These questions should begin with “Have you ever…?” or “Stand up if…”. The facilitator reads out the questions or statements one by one. For each statement the participants stand up if they could answer the statement with yes.

The questions should be designed to not be discriminatory, intimidating or insulting. Possible topics can be countries visited, dishes, games or sports tried, movies seen etc. This should be quite familiar to people before they attend the meeting or workshop and is quick and easy to understand – ice breaker ideas don’t need to be brand new to be effective!

Stand up if   #icebreaker   #sharing   #opening   #energiser   #online   #remote-friendly   short, fun, energizing team activity

This is a quick ice breaker game where players have to form an orderly line without any discussion, or any verbal cues or help at all. The line is formed by predetermined criteria (like height, or color of each person’s eyes etc.). and gently asks people to start working together to get themselves into order.

With a more familiar group, try adding more complication to encourage your team to think more deeply. This icebreaker helps develop team collaboration and non-verbal communication, and it’s great when kicking of a training session with lots of talking later!

Line-Up   #hyperisland   #energiser   In the short group challenge, participants must organize themselves in a line according to a certain criteria (like height) without speaking. The activity promotes non-verbal communication and teamwork. Simpler versions of the activity can be used in early stages of group development while more complex versions can be used to challenge more established groups.

hands raised up at a conference

Ice Breaker Games for Meetings

Using an ice breaker at the start of a meeting is a great way to encourage group members to be present and get things started on the right foot. Effective opening activities energize everyone, helping them ‘arrive’ mentally and leave behind whatever task or thought they were previously working on.

They can also help clarify the objectives of the meeting and position the group for what’s coming next. While many of the ice breakers in this collection work well for work, we’ve found these ones especially effective. Here are some ice breakers for meetings to help ensure your next team meeting is a success!

Coat of Arms

One word exercise, the real reason why you are here, lego metaphors, weather check-in.

  • Rain Icebreaker

Celebrate the wins in your team

Mindfulness icebreaker, purpose mingle.

This game is a great way for players to introduce themselves and their colleagues. It’s especially fun for people who think they already know each other very well – almost every time there are at least a few surprises!

Sometimes these new nuggets of wisdom can have an immediate effect on the employees’ relationships, current projects or challenges. Since you have to draw, rather than explain, it serves double duty for topics like problem-solving, creative thinking and innovation. Fun icebreakers for meetings don’t get much better than this!

Coat of Arms   #teambuilding   #opening   #icebreaker   #team   #get-to-know   #thiagi   Coat of Arms exercise provides a way for participants to introduce themselves and their colleagues, particularly for groups who think they already know each other very well. Almost invariably participants discover something about their colleagues of which they previously had no idea. Occasionally this revelation has an immediate and direct application to another participant’s current project or challenge.Because this activity forces people to use drawings rather than words, it is particularly useful as a dual-purpose introductory exercise in training sessions that deal with such topics as innovation, creativity, and problem-solving.

Pick a phrase that is central to the reason you’ve gathered and have everyone write down or say a word that comes to their mind in relation to it. If you’re leading a meeting about planning an upcoming project, ask participants to share one word that they think describes the goal or the processes that are needed.

Once everyone has shared their phrases, discuss the results. This ice breaker helps explore different viewpoints about a common challenge, before starting the meeting.

When we first arrive in a meeting, we’re often carrying other things with us. The stress of unfinished work, thinking about the evening or just what we’re having for lunch. Encourage your team to be present and think about why they are in your meeting or workshop with this simple ice breaker that helps spark conversation.

Begin by asking the group to state the concious reason for being in the meeting, and then invite them to consider the deeper reasons for being in the session. The surfacing of these deeper reasons for being present can be surprising, but are often useful for the group to discuss while breaking the ice!

The real reason why you are in this workshop   #constellations   #objectives   #icebreaker   #warm up   A deep-dive method to reveal the subconscious reason why you are in a workshop. Facilitator goes first and by doing so invites the other participants to incorporate the

For some meetings, time can be short. Quick but fun icebreaker activities like this one can be an effective way of getting a read of how everyone is doing while still being time efficient.

Begin this ice breaker by asking each member of the group to share how they are feeling & what’s going on for them right now in the language of weather. For example, I’m feeling like it’s mostly sunny skies with a bit of a rain cloud looming or I feel like I’m in the eye of a tornado! I’ve found this game especially useful when working with remote teams, for whom a metaphor can feel like a safe way to share in a group setting.

Weather check in   #opening   #listening and awareness   #self-awareness   #teambuilding   #em   Each person describes how they are feeling as they are weather

Each participant gets a set of few LEGO bricks (identical sets to everyone – a few items, around 5-10 bricks per person will suffice). Everyone builds something that relates to the topic of the meeting.

Afterwards, everyone gets 30 seconds to explain what their building means (e.g ‘My Home’, ‘Interesting Experiment’, ‘The coolest computer ever’) and how it relates to the topic of the meeting. (Optional: the figures/buildings and the metaphors may be used later on to help discussions around the table.) Remember that icebreaker games for work don’t need to sacrifice fun, and some of the best team building icebreakers are creative and allow people to get in touch with their inner child!

LEGO Challenge   #hyperisland   #team   A team-building activity in which groups must work together to build a structure out of LEGO, but each individual has a secret “assignment” which makes the collaborative process more challenging. It emphasizes group communication, leadership dynamics, conflict, cooperation, patience and problem solving strategy.

Rain icebreaker

Encouraging everyone to be present and engaged at the start of your meeting doesn’t need to be complicated. By simply getting everyone in the room participating in the same goal, this icebreaker can quickly help everyone “arrive” in the session.

Start by having everyone in the front of the room rub their hands together vigorously. Row by row, get more people to join in until you reach the back of the room. Next, have the first row switch to clicking their fingers and proceed through the room in the same way. Go back and forth between clicking and rubbing in order to replicate the sound of rain and then invite the group to stop and enjoy a break in the shower.

Rain icebreaker   #icebreaker   #energizer   #collective intelligence   #warm up   This meeting icebreaker is a great energizer to do right before a break or coming back from a break, especially if you have stragglers

An easy icebreaker that will have everyone feeling good before a meeting. Go around a circle and highlight a story – an action, decision or result – that can and should be praised from each team member. Something where they reached beyond their typical responsibilities and excelled.

Have everyone acknowledge and thank each other for surpassing expectations. This is a great mood booster – by lifting each other up, the energy just starts to vibrate in the room. Everyone likes to be recognized. Ice breakers for meetings that give people the chance to celebrate success can be key in setting a great tone for the meeting to come.

The best ice breaker games often have a very clear goal. You can use this method at the beginning of any meeting to set the stage and get people thinking about what they can contribute. It’s a simple way to get started and always gets results!

At the beginning of your session, have people walk around & share with others what they will contribute to that particular session. It’s a great way to enhance engagement & help people set goals and hold themselves accountable. It also makes others aware of everyone’s intent and can help prevent misunderstandings.

Meetings can sometimes become difficult because attendees come in stressing about the topic or are distracted by things outside of the meeting.

In this mindful ice breaker, ask people to take a few moments to “check-in” with themselves and write down their worries, energy levels, and what else is on their mind. After everyone is done, they should rip up their answers and discard them. This helps them identify their state, let go of their worries and have better focus & more empathy towards others.

What are you bringing to the meeting   #teampedia   #opening   #team   #check-in   A good way  to start a meeting/workshop/training to see how participants are feeling, what might be distractions that they are carrying with themselves into the room and how low/high their energy level is.

Fun Ice Breaker Games to Support Team Building

Ice breaker games are not only useful at the beginning of meetings or getting to know new people. They are also a great way to support team building, by creating a positive atmosphere, helping people relax and break down barriers.

Team building icebreakers can also reveal new information about colleagues that otherwise you wouldn’t discover during your everyday routine. Remember that successful teams are often those who’ve gotten to know each other better on a personal level too!

Team icebreakers such as those below are great for enhancing team bonding and empowering everyone in the group to move forward together. Let’s take a look!

Break the Ice with The Four Quadrants Activity

Team jigsaw puzzle game, back to back drawing, scavenger hunt, electric fence icebreaker, low tech social networking.

The Four Quadrants is a fun and creative team icebreaker than can be adapted for any situation. It is super easy to prep for and set up – you only need large sheets of paper (flipcharts or similar) and markers. Have people draw up a 2×2 grid and ask them four questions. They should draw the answers in each quadrant.

Questions can cover topics like current challenges, stressors, defining moments, moments of pride, fears, desired outcome for the current gathering etc. Afterwards they can show each other their drawings and discuss their creations. The exercise is fun, colorful and visual and can be modified to work with any group and/or topic just by changing the questions.

Break the Ice with The Four Quadrants Activity   #team   #icebreaker   #get-to-know   #teambuilding   The Four Quadrants is a tried and true team building activity to break the ice with a group or team. It is EASY to prep for and set up. It can be MODIFIED to work with any group and/or topic (just change the questions). It is FUN, COLORFUL and works every time!

Separate people into teams. Give each a very different jigsaw puzzle (with equal difficulty & number of pieces). Each group has the same amount of time to complete the puzzle.

The secret twist is to switch up a few pieces with the other groups beforehand! Fun icebreakers can help keep a team on their toes and encourage creative thinking – try ice breakers for meetings that include an edge of competitiveness and fun to really liven things up.

The goal is to finish before the others – so they must figure out collectively how to convince other teams to give up pieces they need. This can be through barter, merging or changing teams, donating minutes, etc.

This is a longer game, but one that is worth doing, since it encourages teamwork on several levels – internally and externally too.

Jigsaw Puzzle   #team   #icebreaker   #get-to-know   #teampedia   This game is useful as a side-activity during breaks, as it encourages starting conversations between random people.

Two people should sit facing away from each other. One receives a picture of an object or phrase. Without saying directly what they see, they should describe it to their pair without using words that clearly give it away. Their pair has to draw a specific picture.

The game requires two people to sit facing away from each other, where one team member is given a picture of an object or word. Without specifying directly what it is, the other person must describe the image without using words that clearly give away the image. This is a great team building game to develop verbal communication and is a fun alternative to more traditional icebreaker games.

Back-2-Back Drawing   #communication   #collaboration   #trust   #icebreaker   #teampedia   #action   This is a communication exercise when participants in pairs have to use only verbal communication to help their pair to draw a specific picture. There are several variations of the exercise detailed in the instructions.

Many people have great memories from a childhood scavenger hunt. Recreating this experience to let our the inner child and work as a team is one of our favourite icebreaker games for adults too! Start by creating a list of items that need to be gathered and then split your group into small teams to try and find them all to kick off your scavenger hunt.

Working with a remote or hybrid team? Try the virtual scavenger hunt below! Be sure to put in items that require a wide range of skills and thinking and diverse personalities to be completed successfully. A scavenger hunt is also a great opportunity to mix people into teams who don’t typically work together and bring them together with ice breaker games.

Virtual scavenger hunt   #energiser   #teambuilding   #remote-friendly   A fun team-building energiser that encourages groups to recreate the scavenger hunt experience in a fully remote environment! 

This is a great energiser that requires players to move about as they build an imaginary electric fence. They have to try and cross it without touching it and getting “electrocuted”. The fence can be represented by a rope or a shoe string tied between two objects. It should be about waist high. Players can’t go under it, this is not limbo dancing!

They must also be touching a teammate with at least one hand at all times. This ice breaker activity requires quick brainstorming, problem-solving and negotiating other ideas. Make sure that people who are uncomfortable with physical contact have an option to not participate but still feel involved in the brainstorming part. Inclusive games make for some of the best ice breakers: be sure to bare this in mind when deciding on icebreaker games for work or your next meeting.

The object of this ice breaker game is to introduce event participants to each other by co-creating a mural-sized, visual network of their connections. – great for medium size events where participants come from different organisations. All participants will need a 5×8 index card and access to markers or something similar to draw their avatar. They will also need a substantial wall covered in butcher paper to create the actual network.

Once their avatar is ready, they “upload” themselves by sticking their card to the wall. Then they find the people they know and draw lines to make the connections. This is one of our favourite ice breakers when working with large, multi-discipline groups where connections might not be immediately obvious.

Low-tech Social Network   #gamestorming   #icebreaker   #opening   The object of this game is to introduce event participants to each other by co-creating a mural-sized, visual network of their connections.

presentation on team building activities

Ice Breaker Games for Small Groups

While many of the icebreaker games above can be adapted for any group size, these activities are especially effective when working with groups of less than 15 people.

These small group icebreakers are great at using the extra space to create opportunities for team bonding and deeper sharing between team members. They’re also designed so you’re not left with awkward silences just because you don’t have a massive team taking part!

Interview icebreaker

  • Paper telephone

One of the major benefits of small group icebreaker games is space for participants to talk and get to know each other a little more than they would in a group of 20+ people. Interview is a playful way to get team members talking at the start of a session while also introducing the topic of the workshop or meeting.

Start by getting people into pairs. One person begins by being a reporter and then other will be the interviewee. For three minutes, the reporter will interview the other person on a chosen subject and attempt to get as much information as they can before switching roles. Encourage the group to really get into their roles and provide some example questions to guide the group toward the topic of the day.

Interview   #warm up   #icebreaker   #energiser   The interview is a good warm up for every training or workshop session. Playful start in which the participants will start to communicate with and come to know each other, directing the thinking toward the topic of the day. It is usually a very cheerful activity. Az interjú egy jó bemelegítés, jégtörő minden tréninghez vagy workshophoz. Játékos kezdés, amelyben a résztvevők elkezdenek megismerkedni és kommunikálni egymással, miközben a gondolataikat már a nap témája felé irányítjuk.

Spending time in a small group is a great opportunity to get to know people a little more deeply. This game encourages players to share more about themselves than an average icebreaker, and it’s a fun way to kickstart creative thinking too!

Start by assembling a box of interesting objects (photos will do in a pinch!). Next, invite participants to choose an object without overthinking it and then explain who they are, why they chose the object and what they think the connection between the object and the workshop is.

Magic Box   #team   #icebreaker   #get-to-know   #teambuilding   #remote-friendly   Ice breaking at the beginning of the workshop/meeting

Paper Telephone

Paper telephone is a fun icebreaker that encourages creativity and laughter by combining two classic games: telephone and pictionary. Start by handing out a stack of small papers and pens, and invite each team member to write a sentence on the first piece of paper. Players then pass their stack to the next person who must read the sentence and then create a visual representation of that sentence on the next piece of paper in the stack.

Play proceeds around the circle, with players needing to transform back and forth between words and images. Often, by the time you get your original stack back, the sentence has gone on a weird and wonderful transformation!

While you can play paper telephone with larger groups, the more people you add, the longer it takes. Doing this icebreaker in a small group means you have more time to share what people came up with and the journey you all went on together.

Paper Telephone   #teampedia   #icebreaker   #creativity   #team   #action   Paper Telephone is a mix of two methods, “Telephone” and “Pictionary”. It is a creative game aiming to fasten the get-to-know each other phase of the team while having a good time.

The human knot is a fun, physical icebreaker that is best played in groups of 7-16 people. It’s a great way to break the ice while also creating energy and a sense of fun.

Start by getting the group to stand in a circle and ask them to close their eyes. Next, everyone reaches out and links one hand with someone across the circle. Then they link the other hand with another person in the circle. Then, ask everyone to open their eyes and try to untangle the knot they’ve made without breaking the chain!

Human Knot   A physical-participation disentanglement puzzle that helps a group learn how to work together (self-organize) and can be used to illustrate the difference between self-organization and command-control management or simply as a get-to-know-you icebreaker. Standing in a circle, group members reach across to connect hands with different people. The group then tries to unravel the “human knot” by unthreading their bodies without letting go of each other people’s hands. As a management-awareness game to illustrate required change in behavior and leadership on a management level (e.g., illustrate the change from ‘task-oriented’ management towards ‘goal/value-oriented’ management).

Working with small groups creates an opportunity for greater depth. In this icebreaker game, invite team members to draw their life as a map, using common symbols and signs you might find on a map. Stop signs, deer crossings, mountainous areas…the choice of how to illustrate your life story is yours!

Give time after drawing for everyone to share and for others to ask questions. The connections, conversations and shared understandings that come out of this reflective icebreaker can set a wonderful right tone for the work ahead.

Life map   #team   #teampedia   #icebreaker   #get-to-know   With this activity the participants get to know each other on a deeper level.

Ice Breaker Games to Improve Teamwork and Collaboration

Good ice breaker games usually all have a strong aspect of teamwork and collaboration as people work together in groups to accomplish a challenge or solve a puzzle. Therefore these team icebreakers can also be used as part of team building events and team development workshops. They are meant to fast-track group familiarity and increase the socialization process in a new or existing environment.

With increased social interaction, people naturally learn how to work together more productively – the mood can warm up between colleagues who are normally highly formal with each other. The best ice breakers have the power to strengthen coworker bonds, stimulate better brainstorming sessions, and create an atmosphere of inclusivity.

Here, we’ve collected ice breaker activities to help improve teamwork and collaboration in a more involved manner.

The Marshmallow Challenge

Helium stick, blind square – the perfect square, desert island.

In eighteen minutes, teams must build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. To complete the marshmallow challenge, the marshmallow needs to be on top and hopefully, not fall off! This icebreaker game emphasizes group communication, leadership dynamics, collaboration, innovation and problem solving strategy.

Genuinely fun icebreakers for meetings can be hard to find – The Marshmallow Challenge is one of those icebreaker games for work that feels almost like play. The Marshmallow Challenge was developed by Tom Wujec, who has done the activity with hundreds of groups around the world. Definitely give it a try.

Marshmallow challenge with debriefing   #teamwork   #team   #leadership   #collaboration   In eighteen minutes, teams must build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. The marshmallow needs to be on top. The Marshmallow Challenge was developed by Tom Wujec, who has done the activity with hundreds of groups around the world. Visit the Marshmallow Challenge website for more information. This version has an extra debriefing question added with sample questions focusing on roles within the team.

This fun activity could be used as an icebreaker both for people who have just met and for already existing teams. Breaking people up into groups, each one needs a fresh egg, some straws, masking tape and other items for creating a package to protect the egg.

Using the raw materials provided, the team goal is to build a structure that will support a free-falling egg dropped from a predetermined height (e.g. 7 feet) without the egg breaking. Get to know you games with an element of danger are always fun ice breakers for meetings. This is a method that fosters team communication, collaboration and strategic thinking as well.

Egg drop   #teampedia   #collaboration   #teamwork   #icebreaker   #team   This fun activity could be used as an icebreaker for people who have just met but it can be framed as a method that shows and fosters team communication, collaboration and strategic thinking as well.

Solving seemingly simple problems as a group to get everyone working together at the start of a workshop. This game requires one long, thin, light rod (e.g. a broom handle) and a bunch of curious participants!

First, line up people in two rows facing each other. Introduce the Helium Stick and ask participants to hold their index fingers out. Lay the Stick on their fingers & before letting go, have everyone adjust their position so the Stick is horizontal and everyone is touching it. The goal is to lower the Stick to the ground in a way that no one lets go of it at any time.

Pinching, grabbing, or holding on properly to the Stick is not allowed. If the group makes a mistake, they start from the beginning. Helium Stick is a fun icebreaker that asks participants to really engage with one another and we’d recommend it for any team building workshop!

Helium Stick   #teampedia   #team   #teamwork   #icebreaker   #energiser   A great and simple activity for fostering teamwork and problem solving with no setup beforehand.

Blindfold your seated participants. Take a long string or rope with the ends tied together & place it in everyone’s hands. Leave the circle and ask them to form a perfect square from the rope without looking.

When people think they are finished, they can remove their blindfolds to see the result. Ice breakers for meetings don’t always include props or blindfolds, but deploying them effectively can make for a memorable ice breaker.

Blind Square is one of the icebreaker games you can use to highlight leadership and communication – some people will want to take charge, while others are more comfortable following direction. Also, it can be repeated after the first try to see if they can improve their collaboration.

Blind Square – Rope game   #teamwork   #communication   #teambuilding   #team   #energiser   #thiagi   #outdoor   This is an activity that I use in almost every teambuilding session I run–because it delivers results every time. I can take no credit for its invention since it has existed from long before my time, in various forms and with a variety of names (such as Blind Polygon). The activity can be frontloaded to focus on particular issues by changing a few parameters or altering the instructions.

Many of us will have played some variation of this ice breaker game before. This game asks you team: if you were trapped on a desert island, what would you use to survive?

Introduce participants to a list of possible items and have them choose the three they find most essential. Then, they’ll share the items they chose with the rest of the group. This activity works well with a remote team and with larger groups, you may want to separate people into smaller teams where they collaboratively strategize on which items to pick.

The Desert Island   #relationships   #icebreaker   #teamwork   #remote-friendly   Many of us have played a game similar to this before – if you were stranded on a desert island, what essential items would you choose to survive? Participants are given a list of items to choose from and must work together to decide which items will help them stay alive. A great, remote-friendly exercise for a team to work together and share opinions.

Fun Ice Breaker Games

The best ice breakers have the power to strengthen coworker bonds, stimulate better brainstorming sessions, and create an atmosphere of inclusivity.

They’re also incredibly fun to play, making them a welcomed break from regular work activities. They break down barriers that might exist between employees & make it easier for people to communicate with one another.

Ice breakers should also encourage lighthearted interactions that wouldn’t usually take place in the context of a normal workday. When the correct game is chosen, everyone benefits from the energy they bring to any meeting or event. Remember that even some business-critical meetings can benefit from a bit of levity and fun!

Here are some ice breaker ideas for when you just want to have fun with your team.

Portrait Gallery

  • What is my name

Rock Paper Scissors Tournament

Crazy handshake, the movie pitch icebreaker, share a joke, the no smiling icebreaker, hello kitty.

This ice breaker activity is a fun one that requires some creativity. It enhances a sense of community because people have to draw the others as a group – not just between the drawers, but the recipients of the portraits too. The outcome is very visual and colorful and the result images can be put up in the meeting room afterward! Meeting ice breakers that produce physical results that can be shared can really help ensure the good vibes of the meeting continue afterward!

Portrait Gallery   #hyperisland   #team   #icebreaker   The Portrait Gallery is an energetic and fun icebreaker game that gets participants interacting by having the group collaboratively draw portraits of each member. The activity builds a sense of group because it results with each participant having a portrait drawn of him/herself by the other members of the group together. It also has a very colourful visual outcome: the set of portraits which can be posted in the space.

​What is my name

Stick the name of a well-known celebrity or public figure on people’s backs. Have players mingle and ask each other questions to find out who they are. This is a light game that initiates easy conversations without forced & awkward small talk. Make sure the figures are generally well recognizable. What is my name is one of those icebreaker games for work that is easy to set up and get going and is fun for all involved.

This is a warm-up to really get a group energized. It is a game based on the traditional Rock Paper Scissors game but with a twist. The people who lost become fans and have to cheer for the players still in the game. The final is cheered on by a large crowd & the excitement is through the roof! If there are a larger number of people, you can have multiple tournaments. Fun icebreakers don’t need to be complicated. Keep your ice breaker simple and ensure everyone can get involved easily.

Rock, Paper, Scissors (Tournament)   #energiser   #warm up   #remote-friendly   This is a fun and loud energiser based on the well-known “Rock, Paper, Scissor” game – with a twist: the losing players become the fan of the winners as the winner advances to the next round. This goes on until a final showdown with two large cheering crowds! It can be played with adults of all levels as well as kids and it always works! 

Set up harmless obstacles in the room you’re meeting in. Use squeaky toys, whoopie cushions, bubble wrap and the like. Everyone takes turns going around the course while blindfolded, guided by their teammates. The goal is: help each to navigate through the minefield.

While this game often results in lots of laughter, it also helps teach the importance of clear communication and trusting your team.

Minefield   #teampedia   #teamwork   #action   #team   #icebreaker   A fun activity that helps participants working together as a team while teaching the importance of communication, strategy and trust.

This ice breaker helps people ease into a group and brings out their creativity without a lot of effort. Splitting the group into pairs, each pair develops a creative handshake. Once done, the pair splits and each individual partners with another group member. The newly formed pair then teaches each other the original handshakes and together creates a new one. You can break up and pair off people as many times as you want.

Crazy Handshake   #icebreaker   #get-to-know   #opening   #teampedia   #team   This activity helps people ease in a group and brings out their creativity without a lot of effort.

Divide players into several groups and have each team come up with an idea for a movie they want to make. They should prepare a pitch within 10 minutes. Once everyone had a chance to tell their idea, all players vote on which idea deserves ‘funding’.

The winners won’t start to make their film, but they should get awarded with either a funny object or some treats. We love using creative icebreakers like to ease people in and get used to collaborating and giving feedback ahead of the main discussion.

For this game, you have to have quick reactions or you’ll be eliminated. Have everyone stand in a circle with one person in the middle as the ‘sheriff’. They must surprise other players by pointing to them. These people must quickly crouch and those on either side of them have to quickly ‘draw’ their weapons. If you are too slow, you switch places & become the sheriff.

This icebreaker is a wonderful way to increase group energy before starting a meeting in earnest, and it also helps people learn names too! If you’re working with an especially large group, note that it’s better to play in parallel before finishing with a final showdown!

Bang   #hyperisland   #energiser   Bang is a group game, played in a circle, where participants must react quickly or face elimination. One person stands in the middle of the circle as “the sheriff”, pointing at other players who must quickly crouch while those on either side of them quickly “draw”. A good activity to generate laughter in a group. It can also help with name-learning for groups getting to know each other.

Have new teammates tell a joke at their first all-hands meeting. This is a great way to encourage people to be vulnerable and also ensures the meetings start on a cheery note. Remember that opening activities needn’t be complicated to be effective and when looking for ice breaker ideas, don’t discount the simple joy of making others laugh!

This is a simple icebreaker activity that energizes participants, and it’s also suitable for highlighting spontaneity and teamwork. The activity involves participants standing in a circle and throwing imaginary ball(s) to each other in increasing pace. When throwing the first ball, the person starting should make a special sound that has to be repeated by the catcher upon receiving the ball.

Once the ball is being thrown around at a fairly brisk pace, you can introduce another imaginary ball and start throwing it. When the group gets proficient at it, you can have three or four balls in play!

Sound Ball   #energiser   #icebreaker   #thiagi   #team   #outdoor   This a simple icebreaker activity energising participants, also suitable for debriefing learning points towards spontaneity and teamwork. The activity involves participants standing in a circle and throwing imaginary ball(s) to each other in increasing pace.

This is a seemingly contradictory ice breaker that actually results in lots of smiles. Instruct everyone to keep a straight face and do not smile under ANY circumstance in the first five minutes of the meeting. People turn into children with an instruction like this, and immediately start looking at others, seeing how they are coping. The anticipation makes everyone giggly, so after a while they cannot suppress their laughter anymore. This activity takes zero prep and so is a great one to pull out at the last minute!

Starting a meeting with smiles and laughter is a great way to set the tone for the session. In this fun icebreaker, separate your group into teams of kittens and puppiess. Puppies try to make the kittens laugh or crack a smile by simply saying, “Hello Kitty” in an amusing manner. Any kittens who smile or laugh join the puppies until their is only one kitten left standing!

Encourage the group to be creative and be sure to give kudos to the funniest participants or those who manage to keep a straight face!

Hello Kitty   #hyperisland   #energiser   #remote-friendly   A simple and short group game all about trying to make each other crack a smile. Participants take turns being ‘kitties’ and ‘puppies’. The puppies try to make the kitties crack a smile or laugh. The last kitty standing is the winner! An original from The Northern Quarter Agency.

From icebreaker to completed agenda

Now you’ve discovered the perfect icebreaker, it’s time to create the rest of your meeting!

With SessionLab, you drag, drop and reorder blocks to create your agenda in a snap. Your session timing adjusts automatically as you make changes and when you’re done, you can share a beautiful printout with your colleagues and participants.

Explore how facilitators use SessionLab to build effective workshops and meetings or watch this five minute video to get started!

presentation on team building activities

Now over to you!

Your meetings and workshops don’t have to be boring. We hope you have found some useful tips for practical and fun ice breaker games you can use in your next session!

What are your favorite ice breaker activities? Have you tried any of the methods above? How did you find them? Let us know about your experiences in the comments. Want to see even more great icebreaker ideas? Our collection of icebreaker questions contains heaps of conversation starters you can bring to your next session.

Want to go further? Check out our guide to planning an effective workshop to start building more engaging sessions with better outcomes!

20 Comments

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tHIS was a life saver. I forgot that I had to present a game (or what-ever) for a Red Hat meeting tomorrow. You SAVED THE DAY, so to speak….so many, many thanks. frankanz

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That’s fantastic to hear, I’m so happy we could help you – thanks for sharing your story :-)

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Thanks for this list! some great finds in here (I LOVE the portrait gallery!) – have saved 10 faves and will definitely us the passions tic-tac-toe and rock paper scissors tournament at next workshop :D

That’s awesome to hear, I’m happy you got some useful ideas! (The portrait gallery is one of my favourite tools, too :-)

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Great list! Here are some of the icebreakers I use: 1- Batikha (Watermelon in Arabic) The group sits or stands in a circular form. One person starts by placing their palms on their mouth as if they are holding a ball (watermolon) and passing it to the person on their side (if they pass it to the person on their right, they must use their left hand pointing to the right direction), the next person carries on with this rhythm. At any point anyone could decide to reverse the path of the ball by changing their hand and the pointing to the other person. This is when it gets tricky because if anyone else -other than the person pointed to) takes an action by raising their hands they get out of the circle. Additional if someone points the ball upwards, it means the next person will be skipped and the following person should complete the cycle. I don’t know if it makes sense in writing, it’s very simple through :) 2- Say what? This games involves a person (usually the trainer) asking each one individually a series of questions. The person who answers must answer truthfully without saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or make any gestures or sounds that means yes or no. They also can’t think for more than three seconds and they cannot repeat what the trainer asked. The trainer must get tricky by asking follow-up questions like: What’s your favorite book? answer… But isn’t out of publish? The participant will probably say no and lose.

Thank you, Nahla, great to see your favourite ice breaker activities, too – thanks for sharing!

' src=

This is an Awesome with great fun usable ideas!!

You’re welcome, Joshua – great to see that you’ve found the post useful!

' src=

Board/card games teach important social skills, such as communicating verbally, sharing, waiting, and taking turns. It can also foster the ability to focus and lengthen one’s attention span by encouraging the completion of an exciting, enjoyable game. Check this newly found card gamehttps://lagimcardgame.com/ and see how interesting and creative it is.

' src=

These are some amazing ideas! Thank you

' src=

These are all so good! You usually can’t find so many good ideas in one place. Thanks so much!

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Excellent list and love the card format of the activity. Thanks. For Icebreaker questions I use icebreakrs.io.

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Thank you very much! Very useful!

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thank you very much very useful

This will help each other in the team professionally and personally , we can share ideas and solve problems .Awesome!!

' src=

Thank you for this great collection of wonderful and fun icebreakers and activities. Here’s a favorite icebreaker called Paris, Rome, or New York.

Objectives: To get participants to share their opinions, encourage listening, and promote better discussion in the group.

Method: This is a very simple exercise that participants can also have some fun with.

Ask participants of the training event to imagine themselves in each of the cities above. And, what they would like to do there? What would they work at? Would their life be different? If so, in what ways?

Once each person has described who they would like to get the group in a circle to discuss the exercise.

This exercise also encourages questioning and listening skills within the group and individuals’ perceptions of different things.

Discussion Questions: Did anyone feel uncomfortable doing this exercise? If so, why? How can this exercise help us during today’s training event? Of all the places presented does anyone want to change? If so why or why not?

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Great ideas and will use this week at our yearly NHS Nurse away day. Thank You

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These are some great ideas. I do both online and face-to-face education, so the variations are really nice. I also do an exercise called, “How did I get here?” Everyone takes a sheet of chart paper and some markers and writes or draws (or both) how they got to where they are and what led them to the course. I give them 10 minutes and then we share as a group. If too many to share in a large group, create several smaller groups and they share to that group. You can get some really interesting responses.

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Dear Robert Cserti, My gratitude to you….Thank you so much .Iam using these games as ice breakers ,related to many topics and also in out bound training. Sharing the knowledge ..that’s amazing and tells that u lead by example. Great work!!!! with regards Anu Shakthi :-)

' src=

Many times link with ice breakers are disappointing. This was packed full of easy to use, possible to tweak. And amazing ideas!

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  •  Guest Posts

20 Communication Games for Team Building and Collaboration

Explore the list of 20 engaging communication games to activities foster collaboration, boost morale, and improve overall team communication.

Table of Contents

Teams who communicate effectively may increase their productivity by as much as 25% .

In today’s modern workplaces, effective communication stands as the cornerstone of success. The ability to convey ideas, collaborate, and build strong interpersonal relationships is crucial for fostering a positive work environment. To inject an element of fun and engagement into the realm of communication, many organizations are turning to communication games. 

These games not only break the monotony of traditional communication methods but also serve as powerful tools for team building and skill development.

Breaking the ice: Communication games as icebreakers

In the corporate world, where teams often consist of diverse individuals with varying backgrounds and personalities, breaking the ice is essential. Communication games serve as excellent icebreakers, helping colleagues become more comfortable with each other. Activities like "two truths and a lie" or "human bingo" encourage employees to share personal details in a lighthearted manner, fostering connections that go beyond professional roles.

Building trust and collaboration

Trust is the bedrock of any successful team, and communication games play a pivotal role in building and strengthening this trust. Games such as "trust falls" or "team building circles" require individuals to rely on each other, fostering a sense of mutual dependence and trust.

As teams navigate these challenges together, they learn to communicate effectively, rely on each other's strengths, and develop a collaborative mindset that extends beyond the confines of the game.

Fun and engaging communication games to supercharge your workplace!

Effective communication is the lifeblood of any successful team. But let's face it, traditional team-building exercises can sometimes feel forced and awkward. Why not shake things up with some fun and engaging games that teach valuable communication skills?

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Back-to-Back Drawing

What you need : Paper, pencils, chairs

How to play

  • Divide players into pairs and have them sit back-to-back.
  • Give one person in each pair a drawing (simple object, animal, etc.).
  • The person with the drawing silently describes it to their partner, who must draw it based solely on the descriptions.
  • Repeat with different partners and drawings.

Benefits : Active listening, clear communication, teamwork

2. Telephone pictionary

What you need : Paper, pencils, timer

  • Form a circle with players seated close together.
  • Choose a starting word or phrase.
  • Whisper the word to the person next to you.
  • Each person whispers the word they heard to the next person, and so on, until the last person has received the message.
  • The last person draws what they think the word is on a piece of paper.
  • Pass the drawing back to the beginning, where the first person guesses the original word based solely on the picture.
  • Compare the original word to the final guess and laugh at the hilarious misinterpretations!

Benefits : Active listening, clear communication, humor

3. Word Chain Challenge

What you need : None!

  • Stand or sit in a circle.
  • Start with a word (e.g., apple).
  • Each person must take turns saying a new word that starts with the last letter of the previous word.
  • Keep going until someone hesitates or repeats a word.
  • The last person standing wins!

Benefits : Vocabulary, quick thinking, active listening

4. Two Truths and a Lie

  • Each person takes turns sharing three statements about themselves: two true and one false.
  • The other players guess which statement is the lie.
  • This game is a great way to learn fun facts about your colleagues and practice critical thinking.

Benefits : Communication, trust-building, storytelling

5. Collaborative Storytelling

  • Sit in a circle and start a story together.
  • Each person adds one sentence to the story at a time, building upon the previous contributions.
  • See where your imagination takes you!

Benefits : Creativity, teamwork, active listening

20 More communication games for a vibrant workplace

Here are 20 more engaging communication games for a vibrant workplace:

Warm-up & icebreaker communication games

  • Name bingo : Create bingo cards with colleagues' names and fun facts. First to complete wins!
  • Would you rather? : Ask silly "would you rather" questions to spark laughter and conversation.
  • Scavenger hunt : Hide clues around the office related to colleagues' hobbies or accomplishments. Teams work together to find them.
  • Mystery bag guessing : Place random objects in a bag. Colleagues describe them without saying what they are. Others guess.

Communication games to improve active listening & clarity

  • Broken telephone (reversed) : Start with a message, whisper it down the line, then the last person speaks it aloud. Compare the original message to the final version.
  • Draw my life : One person silently draws their life story while others guess key moments. Discuss communication styles and clarity.
  • Yes, but...: Play a "yes, and..." game, but each sentence must start with "yes, but..." This challenges active listening and adaptation.
  • One-word story : Start a story with one word. Each person adds one word, building a collaborative narrative.

Creative expression & problem-solving communication games

  • Improv role-playing : Create scenarios related to workplace situations and act them out, focusing on communication and teamwork.
  • Collaborative drawing : Start a drawing, pass it on, and add to it, creating a unique and unexpected final piece.
  • Marshmallow challenge : Build the tallest tower using spaghetti, tape, and a marshmallow within a time limit. Promotes teamwork and communication.
  • Escape room challenge : Design a themed escape room with puzzles requiring teamwork and clear communication to solve.

Feedback & appreciation communication games

  • Compliment round : Everyone says one positive thing about each person, fostering appreciation and communication.
  • Thank you note exchange : Write anonymous thank-you notes to colleagues highlighting their contributions. Read them aloud for reflection.
  • Feedback sandwich : Give positive feedback, constructive criticism, and another positive remark for balanced communication.

Fun communication games to improve teamwork

  • Human knot : Stand in a circle holding hands, create a "knot," and untangle yourselves without letting go. Emphasizes teamwork and problem-solving.
  • Minute to win challenges : Play quick, quirky games requiring teamwork and communication within a minute.
  • Murder mystery dinner : Organize a themed dinner party where everyone plays a character and solves a "mystery" together.
  • Charades with a twist : Divide into teams and act out phrases related to your work or industry. Add a time limit or difficulty levels.
  • Board games : Play collaborative board games like Pandemic or Hanabi that require communication and strategy.

By incorporating these fun and engaging communication games into your workplace, you can help your team build stronger relationships, improve collaboration, and boost overall productivity. 

Benefits of incorporating communication games in your workplace

Here are some Benefits of incorporating communication games in your workplace.

1. Improving verbal and non-verbal communication skills

Effective communication encompasses both verbal and non-verbal elements. Communication games provide a platform for individuals to hone their skills in both these areas. Games like "Charades" or "Pictionary" encourage participants to communicate without words, emphasizing the importance of body language and non-verbal cues. 

On the other hand, activities like "Role Reversal" or "Communication Obstacle Course" focus on verbal communication, challenging individuals to convey information clearly and concisely.

2. Encouraging active listening

One of the often overlooked aspects of communication is active listening. Many workplace misunderstandings can be traced back to a lack of attentiveness. Communication games designed to enhance active listening skills help participants become more mindful of their colleagues' perspectives.

"Listening Pairs" or "Reflective Listening Circle" are examples of games that prompt participants to listen attentively, summarize information, and ask clarifying questions – skills that translate seamlessly into professional settings.

3. Conflict resolution and problem-solving

Workplaces are not immune to conflicts and challenges. Communication games provide a safe and controlled environment to practice conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.

"The Marshmallow Challenge" or "Escape Room" style activities require teams to collaborate under time constraints, encouraging them to navigate challenges and resolve conflicts efficiently. 

These experiences strengthen teamwork and equip individuals with valuable skills that can be applied in real-world work scenarios.

4. Stress relief and morale boosters

Work-related stress is a common issue faced by employees. Communication games offer a welcome break from the daily grind, serving as stress relievers and morale boosters. Light-hearted activities such as "Office Trivia" or "Desk Chair Jenga" provide moments of levity, promoting a positive atmosphere within the workplace. 

A team that can laugh together is more likely to collaborate effectively and weather challenges with resilience.

Communication games at the workplace are not just a form of entertainment; they are powerful tools for enhancing team dynamics, improving communication skills, and fostering a positive work culture.

As organizations recognize the importance of effective communication in achieving their goals, incorporating these games into training programs and team-building activities becomes imperative. 

By leveraging communication games' engaging and educational aspects, workplaces can create an environment where collaboration thrives, conflicts are resolved efficiently, and employees feel valued and connected.

In the end, the investment in communication games pays off through stronger teams, increased productivity, and a more satisfying work experience for all.

Unlock the Biggest Secret of Engagement to Retain your Top Performers.

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Let's begin this new year with an engaged workforce!

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  2. Team Building PowerPoint Templates to Present Your Ideas and Strategies

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  4. Team Building PowerPoint Templates to Present Your Ideas and Strategies

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VIDEO

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COMMENTS

  1. 12 Top Team Building PowerPoint Topics

    To learn more about quick team building activities, check out these articles on one minute games, minute to win it games, and 5 minute team building activities. 9. Team building skills ... These team building presentations can act as a first step to introduce the concept of team building to your staff, or they can be a continuing education on ...

  2. 5 Free Team Building Powerpoint Presentation Ideas

    5 Free Powerpoint Presentations for Team Building with Activities Free Team-Building Powerpoint Presentation: Communication Effective communication in the workplace generates 4.5 times higher talent retention.As a result, it is crucial that all workplaces that don't want to pour money down the drain on constant talent acquisition invest time and effort into enhancing communication within ...

  3. Team Building Presentation

    223 likes • 180,788 views. Yuvraj Zala. Presentation on Team building and it's exercise in Organization. Team Building exercise and activity. Effective leadership skills. Leadership & Management. 1 of 21. Download now. Team Building Presentation - Download as a PDF or view online for free.

  4. 36 Team Building Workshops (Free PPT and PDF Downloads)

    We believe the best kind of team building is when people work on real professional challenges together. Solving issues, coming up with creative solutions, building action plans together are all platforms for creating a supportive and productive team. Free Download. Download our 3 most popular tools. Sen d me the Top 3.

  5. Team Building Workshop

    Free Google Slides theme, PowerPoint template, and Canva presentation template. It has been fully demonstrated that team building activities reinforce the quality of work. Teamwork makes the dream work... That is why we have prepared this template, so that you can organize a team building workshop in your company. Start by giving some technical ...

  6. Team Building Presentation Tips That Inspire Instead of Bore

    Our recommendation: hide easter eggs throughout the deck. These could be hidden words, a specific icon included a certain number of times throughout the presentation, or funny photos. Use said easter eggs as an incentive to your team to pay attention to the deck, and offer prizes to whoever can find the most hidden eggs throughout the course of ...

  7. 66 team building activities to bring your team together

    A corporate team building activity is a great time to encourage groups to go deeper and share who they are as a team. In Coat of Arms, each team member begins by drawing a personal coat of arms and then sharing it with a partner. The partner interprets the coat of arms and then presents it to the rest of the group.

  8. Team Building PowerPoint Templates to Present Your Ideas ...

    Team building exercises can be promoted using this visually appealing PPT theme. As this team building PowerPoint template is completely customizable, you can easily modify the text and make it fit for your use. This attractive management PowerPoint layout can be used by the HR department to give details of the team bonding activities of the ...

  9. Best Free Team Building PowerPoint Templates

    A series of team-building activities that can be fun, motivational, brainstorming, or educational builds skills like communication, planning, conflict resolution, etc. ... The templates comprise eight high-quality slides that will help you build effective team building and training-related presentations. Free Team Building Layout.

  10. The Best 5-Minute Team Building Activities (Virtual & In-Person)

    Watch on. ‍. Here are the top team building games you can play in 5 minutes: 1. Quick Trivia Competition. A classic icebreaker game is a quick, simple round of trivia. Here's a ready-to-play 5-minute interactive trivia game: This is a ready-to-play trivia that works like a slide deck presentation.

  11. Team Building Activities

    Team Building Activities. Oct 20, 2012 •. 210 likes • 101,240 views. Angelin R. This presentation explains how to play some team building activities that are important to the effective management and growth of teams and their objectives. Entertainment & Humor. 1 of 19. Team Building Activities - Download as a PDF or view online for free.

  12. Team building powerpoint presentation templates

    Get inspiration for Team Building Powerpoint Presentation Templates. Browse through our huge selection of community templates or smoothly transition your PowerPoint into Prezi. ... Transcript: "DIE HARD" Day 2 8.00 Breakfastе 9.00-12.30 Team building. Business-games: XO and etc. 12.30 Lunch 14.00-16.00 Transfer to Issyk-Kul (Caprice Resort) 16 ...

  13. 14 Fun & Interactive Presentation Games for Teams and Students

    This activity is also free for up to 10 people and is easy to personalize. ‍. 6. The Get to Know You Game. This activity is one of the best presentation games if you have a small group that doesn't really know each other. The Get to Know You Game is a creative way to do introductions, and it's really simple.

  14. 18 Team Building Activities for Leaders, Managers, & Executives

    Team building activities for leaders are games and exercises that increase leadership skills. These ideas can also improve communication and stimulate creative thinking within a team. ... Interactive sessions improve clarity, audience engagement, and presentation impact. These skills encourage effective communication with teams, clients, and ...

  15. 12 Non-Awkward Team Building Activities That Build Trust

    No one likes those. My favorite non-awkward way to build trust for your team members is by using: Nostalgia. Nostalgia is a sweet emotion that is one of the fastest ways to build connections. And it's very easy to use as a trust building activity with what I call "nostalgic icebreakers.".

  16. 16 Fun 30-Minute Team Building Activities

    Here is our list of the best 30-minute team building activities. 30-minute team building activities are short, structured games and challenges that promote collaboration, teamwork, and communication. Examples include SKYJO, Reverse Charades, and Pictionary. ... During the presentation, participants will describe the objects in detail and share ...

  17. Quick Team Building Activities (Free PPT and PDF Downloads)

    Problem Solving Team Building (PSTB for short) is a 30-45 minute activity where the problem 'owner' will, with the help of their team, go through a structured process of brainstorming, issue analysis, and action planning to achieve a plausible solution to their issue. Large choice of quick team building activities under 30 minutes to run.

  18. 45 Team Building Games to Psych Up Your Team [2024] • Asana

    Team size: 8-16 people. Time: 20-30 minutes. How to play: Divide your team into groups of four or five and provide them with 20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. Challenge each team to build the tallest tower possible using only the supplies you gave them.

  19. Virtual Team Building Activities: 39 BEST Ideas for Work

    3. Lightning Scavenger Hunt Activities. Lightning Scavenger Hunts are designed to be fun and quick virtual team building activities. To do this activity with remote teams, invite your coworkers to a virtual meeting and start firing off clues like "cuddle your pet," "show a dictionary," or "get your favorite mug.".

  20. 50 Team Building Activities & Exercises for Work in 2024

    Examples include "Blindfolded Obstacle Course", "Trust Falls", and "Human Knot". Ice-breaker activities: These simple, fun games are perfect for breaking the ice and getting team members to know each other in a light-hearted way. Examples include "Two Truths and a Lie", "Never Have I Ever", and "Mingle Bingo".

  21. 81 Insanely Fun Team Building Activities For Work In 2024

    This team building exercise compiles a whole catalog of mystery games and puzzles that are designed for both the physical, hybrid, and virtual workplaces that help to develop teamwork, communication, and culture building. Skills this work activity develops: Problem-solving, teamwork, collaboration, and critical thinking.

  22. 22 Team-Building Activities For Work in 2024

    Team-building activities also build camaraderie and trust among team members—one of the most important aspects of a successful team. "This allows people to bring the full power of their skills, personalities, and who they are to work," Dea says. ... Your employee will practice mentoring and giving presentations, and your team will learn ...

  23. Team Building activities PowerPoint And Google Slides

    Use this template to talk about the benefits of team management efficiently. You can find here the image creatively representing the theme. The six nodes, along with the captions and icons, give a detailed view of your topic. The high-quality image gives a standard to your presentation slides. The skills for team building can be elaborated at ...

  24. 61 Ice Breaker Games [That Your Team Won't Find Cheesy]

    Break the Ice with The Four Quadrants Activity. The Four Quadrants is a fun and creative team icebreaker than can be adapted for any situation. It is super easy to prep for and set up - you only need large sheets of paper (flipcharts or similar) and markers. Have people draw up a 2×2 grid and ask them four questions.

  25. Fun and Effective Team Building Activities for 2024

    Incorporating team building activities into your workplace culture can have a profound impact on your team's dynamics and performance. Team building offers numerous benefits for both individuals and organizations: Improved Communication: Team building activities encourage open communication among team members, fostering better understanding and ...

  26. Team Building Activities To Revitalize Your Team

    6 team building activities to try. Whether you're in the office or working as a remote team, here are some fun team building activities to help your re-engage your team and teach them how to work together. Team events: Any opportunity that gets the team interacting together in a way that's different from their normal routines creates a ...

  27. 20 Communication Games for Team Building & Collaboration

    Activities like "two truths and a lie" or "human bingo" encourage employees to share personal details in a lighthearted manner, fostering connections that go beyond professional roles. Building trust and collaboration. Trust is the bedrock of any successful team, and communication games play a pivotal role in building and strengthening this trust.