Millennial team building activities

I’ve avoided writing posts like this in the past, and for several good reasons. I am neither a social psychologist, nor a market researcher; I have conducted no randomized double-blind studies, collected no empirical evidence, analyzed no meta data. But perhaps the most glaring reason I’ve refrained from these sorts of topics is that whenever I read something generalizing an entire group – particularly millennials – it always sound preachy. This is especially true when you’re not a member of said group.

Let me be clear that I am NOT a millennial – I’m what you’d call “Generation X,” that far less-sexy group born in the 70s who came of age when there were 13 TV channels, and Mad Libs were the only entertainment for long car rides. Many of my colleagues were born in the 80s, including event hosts, producers and graders. However, I’d say about half of the team building trivia events I produce are for young groups in their 20s/30s. I’ve spent a lot of time up close and personal with this audience over the past decade (longer than the descriptive moniker has even been thrown around), not only studiously planning and preparing events for them, but engaging and witnessing firsthand what it’s like to program group bonding activities for millennials. As such, I can say with some degree of certainty that I’ve discovered what this unique cohort of knowledge workers responds well to – and what it doesn’t.

With that, I give to you, my fellow event planners, a list of the six things to never, ever do when putting together team activities for this generation:

• 1. Don’t say the event is for “Millennials” – There’s a good chance that whoever is planning this get-together isn’t part of the age group in question. More likely, you’re like me (or older), and as such you tend to lump the youngsters into their own bucket. The problem is, when older folks start referring to a younger generation by their cohort name, it may come off sounding – well, condescending. Unless you’re in the age range – or a significant portion of the committee planning this event are – I’d avoid using the term in your event branding, invitation, and collateral. Stick to more generic, less touchy terms such as “young professionals,” “new hires” or the like.

• 2. Don’t make it boring – Nobody likes boring team building events. However, I’ve observed this is even truer for the first generation to come of age in the days of the Internet, on-demand entertainment and smartphones. This group of employees is plenty bright, motivated and ambitious – however, they may also have a short attention span. And you know what? It’s not their fault, and I certainly don’t fault them for it. The reality is, this group has grown up accustomed to things being instant, be it communication, obtaining information, or being entertained. Being patient and waiting for something to get better before tuning out? That’s hard for all of us, but especially for this group. As such, an important solution is to make whatever you’re doing fun, compelling, and engaging. Speaking of which…

• 3. Make it engaging, not passive – Unless you want a roomful of colleagues sneaking glances at their mobile devices while waiting until dismissal, you had better make sure your chosen activity is – well, ACTIVE. This can most easily be accomplished doing something which requires gross motor skills, such as scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, sailing or the like. One of the reasons I enjoy producing trivia events for this age group is because they get totally into it, and stay fully engaged from beginning to end. I think it’s a combination of friendly competition, showing off how smart you are, and (often) the presence of alcohol which make these events particularly appealing for folks in their 20s. But whatever you do, please don’t do something where all they’re doing is sitting there while some “expert” drones on about teamwork and soft skills. They WILL tune out, I can guarantee you.

• 4. Don’t do something that’s just not a good fit – I harp away at this point for events of all ages, but it really does have particular importance when dealing with this crowd. You MUST make sure what they’ll be doing is appropriate to them. Don’t stick them with something that feels dated and stuffy (trust falls, anyone?). Rather, do something that taps into their interests. Can we integrate technology in any way, particularly social media? How about something that is heavily pop culture influenced? This goes for the venue as well. Where will this event be held? Does it make sense to hold it in the same formal event space that board meetings are held, or can we make it feel more “built” for them, maybe a bar or cool restaurant?

• 5. Don’t assume all millennials are the same – So long as we’re grossly generalizing here, let’s take a step back and remember that not every person born after 1980 fits into the same neat little box of adjectives. Your group at your office might be totally different from that in another company or industry, or even down the hall! There’s no “one size fits all” solution here; you MUST make sure you are creating an event with your group, and your group specifically, in mind.

• 6. Don’t assume you know what they want – The big one. It’s easy for people like me (or perhaps you) to look at a group of 20-somethings and say, “I know exactly what they’ll love.” Well, guess what? We don’t! Even after doing this for so many years, I don’t know with absolute certainty how one group of young employees to the next will respond. A trivia question which went over brilliantly at last week’s gig might fall flat at the next one, even though both audiences are college-educated Americans between ages 21-26. You really just don’t know. So…ASK THEM! Find out what they like, what they don’t like, and get input directly from those whom you aim to engage. Not only will you get a more accurate reading, but they’ll have a sense of input and ownership, and feel invested in the outcome as well.

I’ll leave you with this – a glimpse of one of my favorite events of the year, for Fordham University undergraduate students! Don’t you wish ALL events could generate this much enthusiasm?

Another fantastic #Fordham @Orient_RH New Student Leaders trivia night! WOW! @fordhamnotes h/t @RMBouton pic.twitter.com/NfV5Luo5rb

— TrivWorks (@TrivWorks) August 25, 2016

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