Why is Customization So Important for Trivia Team Building?

Customization. It’s one of the main things which sets TrivWorks apart from other trivia companies, along with professional emcees and turnkey service (not to mention we’ve been doing this for almost 20 years). In fact, one of my earliest blog posts was on this subject, “Customizing Corporate Team Building Activities: Silly or Significant?”

TrivWorks customizes the trivia content for every event. Every single one, regardless of the client, the audience, the nature of the event, or whether it’s in-person vs. virtual. We prominently emphasize customization here on our Website, and I make it central to my sales pitch when speaking with prospective clients. But why? Why is this such an important part of what we do, of the experience we’re producing? I mean, people love trivia after all – does it really matter so much WHAT kind of trivia, so long as its relatively answerable and people can feel smart?

The answer is a little more nuanced than that. In my nearly two decades producing corporate trivia events, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to create experiences with impact. And I’m here to tell you that customizing is, without a doubt, the single-most effective way to create a memorable team building experience.

Let’s explore why.

Matching Content to the Audience is Critical

First, the basic stuff. You can’t have generic trivia content at one of these events and expect it to make an impact. You may have a diversity (or homogeneity) of ages, nationalities, cultures, genders, and a thousand other demographic points. Unless you want to ask a bunch of trivia questions and be met by blank stares, it’s crucial to have a base understanding of who the audience is, and the type of content that would resonate with them. If your group is mostly international and they’re being asked purely American-centric pop culture trivia, there’s going to be a problem. All this can be avoided simply by customizing. (Click here for another article on common team building mistakes).

Direct Learning About Colleagues

In my opinion, the most important goal of a team building activity should be for people to feel more comfortable with each other. One really effective way to do this, and quickly, is to incorporate personal fun facts into a trivia competition. By doing this, I guarantee folks will walk way knowing things about each other that they didn’t know before they sat down. They may discover things in common, or that they’re surprised to know, or that are simply interesting factoids which provide a more well-rounded picture of who they’re working with. All of this goes a long way towards creating a more relaxed and open workplace, which is exactly what you want to happen with these events.

More Personalized = More Impact

Fact: the more tailored the trivia content is towards the specific audience in attendance, the more fun and memorable it will be. Yes, it’s fun to discover that you and the boss both know the lyrics to the new Sabrina Carpenter song. But if you’re asked about things that ONLY the people in the room would know – what happened last year at the holiday party, the quirky way you need to shake the coffee maker in the break room, etc. – this will create the special moments you’re looking to capture. In short, it makes the audience feel special. When people feel like an effort has been made to ask questions about them specifically, it really makes a difference on the overall event impact.

The Surprise Factor

Never underestimate the value of surprise in creating a high-impact experience. One of the things I love about trivia is that the audience never knows what’s coming next. They don’t know the round themes, they don’t know the questions I’m going to ask, they don’t know anything. So when a question is suddenly asked about them – their office, their co-workers, themselves – there’s a shock value to that. I don’t mean in a bad way, I mean in a good way, as in “Oh my God – this really is about us!” The last thing audiences expect is for a complete stranger, this “trivia guy,” to be asking questions about THEM – and when it happens the response is fantastic. But beyond making the quizmaster happy, it has a direct impact on the attendees as well, making for a more fun and memorable experience. (Here’s “5 Reasons Surprises Make Events Better.”)

Conclusion

Boosting workplace morale through a customized trivia team building activity is a proven way to get people working well together. By carefully tailoring the content to be not only relevant and appropriate demographically, but custom-writing questions about the audience specifically, it’s possible to create an environment where people have an absolute blast while getting to know one another. This isn’t easy to do. It’s no simple feat to put a bunch of people who work together every day – not all of whom get along well, or like each other at all – and in a brief period of time have them laughing and feeling at ease with one another. But customized trivia really does work, and I have almost 20 years of extremely satisfied TrivWorks clients to prove it. I hope to get the chance to show you as well!

For further reading, check out my recent blog post, “How Trivia Team Building Reduces Workplace Frustration”