Team Building Activities

Whenever I receive an inquiry from somebody asking about team building activities in NYC and beyond, the first question I ask is: why are we doing this event? What is the intended purpose – and, more importantly, what is the desired outcome?

More often than not, for team building inquiries the answer is one or more of the following:

• Wanting to do something fun and engaging
• Boosting staff morale
• Rewarding employees
• To blow off steam

All of these are excellent reasons for bringing in companies like TrivWorks and others who specialize in corporate team building, to produce an event for your group. However, I think what bosses who request group bonding events are REALLY looking for through these activities is something much simpler:

To get people talking.

If a team building activity is done right, it will create an environment which is not only an opportunity for staff to socialize, but which naturally fosters positive workplace skills such as communication, collaboration, teamwork and conflict resolution. However, even more importantly it will allow people who don’t know each other well – or at all – to instantly connect and learn about each other in a fun, memorable way. If this camaraderie and positive sentiment can be carried back and employed at the office, than your team is well on its way to working better together – which means more efficiency, higher quality, and greater results.

If nothing else, team building activities should strive to spark a dialogue among staff, to help them establish meaningful workplace relationships built not just on a professional level, but on a personal level as well.