Team Building Activities for Work

We always conclude our trivia team building activities with a comprehensive recap after the event, and during one such call recently I received an interesting piece of feedback. The client had never worked with us before, and while overall her group had a terrific bonding experience and was eager to work with us again, as an observer she felt that there could have been even more “silliness” incorporated then there was.

Just what is “silliness” at a team building event?  It’s just what it sounds like – elements of playfulness and fun which catch the attendees by surprise, and make the entire experience that much more enjoyable, memorable and impactful. There are plenty of competitive group bonding activities which this may not be appropriate for – take the recent whitewater rafting race between NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s staffs. However, depending on your stated team building goals, you may find that a little relaxed “silliness” will go a long way.

Take, for example, the most common team building goal TrivWorks addresses: boosting office morale. For any number of reasons, spirit is low among the troops, and we want to get the team feeling good again about the workplace, about each other, and about themselves. Everybody enjoys having fun, right? Usually, the most fun activities also involve a good deal of laughter – so, bring it! At our trivia team building events, we incorporate fun and humor in a variety of ways, from having the teams select their own funny names, to encouraging wildly wrong answers if they don’t have a clue, as well as good-natured ribbing between team members. It just helps to create a more loose and relaxed environment, which will ultimately make people feel better about the job, and get morale back up.

What about more serious team building goals? What if there has been a recent round of layoffs, and in addition to morale being low, everybody is terrified about losing their jobs? Is “silliness” appropriate then?

Yes! In order for a team building event to be successful – that is, for it to have meaningful impact, which can be replicated back at the office – it HAS to be memorable, which means it has to be a positive shared experience.

And that means, it has to be fun. See above.

Regardless of your goals, if you have already committed the time, effort and resources to create a team building event for your group, make that experience as valuable and meaningful as possible for those attending.

Make it silly!

(Photo courtesy of mental_floss)