7 Essential Elements of a Successful Trivia Team Building Event
Earlier this month, I wrote about why trivia works so well as a corporate team building activity. I truly believe in this – otherwise, I wouldn’t have started TrivWorks back in 2009, and kept it going (and growing) to the level it’s at today. But what exactly are the key features necessary that make these unique events work? I’d like to dive a bit deeper, and highlight the 7 most-critical elements of team building trivia.
The Host
You probably guessed this one, but it’s so important that I’m putting it at the top of my list. The trivia host is the most important factor in an effective team building event. Why? Because he or she is the “face” of the program, the one who keeps things moving. The host brings the energy, engages the crowd, knows what to say (and not to say), how to say it, and how to get people to do what needs to be done in the allotted time. Good trivia hosts are also really hard to find. Without a good host, your event is dead in the water – and will probably be relegated to the extremely large pile of team building events that suck (click here to see what I mean).
The Questions
You can’t have an event such as this without really good questions. But what makes them “good?” I don’t mean hard, since no one actually likes really hard trivia. I mean the material needs to be appropriate and relevant to the group in attendance, as well as in line with the function’s goals. They need to be fun, nostalgic, “tip of the tongue”-level challenging, not too easy as to insult the audience, but not impossible to answer, either. Simply put, they need to be in that “sweet spot” to generate a positive group bonding experience, which is ultimately what you’re looking to achieve. (For a related article I wrote last year, check out “It’s 2024: Does Anyone Need Professionally-Written Trivia Anymore?”)
The Audience
Alas, not everything is within the planner’s (or vendor’s) control. These events are brainy, yes, but if done right (meaning TrivWorks-style) they should also be high-energy and engaging, a rousing good-natured competitive experience. The more into this the crowd is from the get-go, or as the event proceeds, the better. But I’m the first to admit, trivia team building isn’t for everybody. If it’s not the right fit for the group, then…it’s just not gonna be a good experience overall.
The Venue
Even with the perfect host, great questions and a stellar crowd, if the venue stinks, the event will be a flop. The ideal setup is for everyone to be together in the same physical space, regardless of whether it’s a conference room or ballroom. The space needs to be private – this won’t work if you’ve got members of the public milling about, going in and out of your function. Oh, and you want everybody to have line of sight to the host onstage, and no distractions such as blaring TVs with sports, etc. Otherwise, your group might not be able to hear. Which is a nice segue to my next point.
The AV Setup
I pride myself on TrivWorks events being extremely low-maintenance, and easy to set up. However, even so I tell my clients all the time that the one thing that will make or break these gigs is the AV setup. Specifically, I’m talking about the PA system. If folks can’t hear, they can’t play. It’s as simple as that. Even the most high-energy, dynamic and engaging corporate trivia emcee will blow out his or her voice if they have to scream the questions and answers. If utilizing a PPT deck for visuals, it’s also imperative that everyone in the room can see, and that the emcee can advance the slides seamlessly from the stage. Otherwise, folks will miss out on a fun element of the program, and not get as much out of it as they could.
(Here’s another helpful article about the importance of a well-planned group bonding event).
The Prizes
I’m putting this way at the bottom. While prizes are indeed important for competitive team building activities like this, they’re not as important as planners think they are. Why? Because people ultimately don’t care about getting a prize; they just want to WIN! If the above has been done correctly, then the room should be charged with competitive spirit. It’s always great to send the winning team home with SOMETHING, as well as anyone who participated in any onstage individual/small group games. But I don’t think it needs to be focused on as much as the other components I’ve referenced above to make the event a hit.
Conclusion: What Makes a Corporate Trivia Event Successful?
The bottom line is that it’s not just one or two things which make these events work. To have a successful corporate team building trivia event, you really do need to have all of the above elements together. Yes, you could likely still have a positive event if one of the above is sub-par, or even missing entirely. But if you’ve got a great emcee, fantastic questions, an awesome venue with top-notch AV, and fun prizes to give away to an awesome crowd, I guarantee your event will be a hit!
To learn more, visit https://TrivWorks.com/Employee-Team-Building.