Inventive Team-Building Activities

Inventive Team-Building ActivitiesInventive Team-Building ActivitiesTeam building can be humdrum but it doesnt have to be. Boost staff spirits and build camaraderie with one of these unforgettable team-building activities.Ill never forget the first team-building activity I was asked to participate in when I joined Robert Half, TCGs parent company, as an intern mora than 10 years ago. It took place during a Corporate Communications department offsite meeting in Half Moon Bay, Calif. The setting was idyllic and I was excited to be included in the brainstorming and strategy workshops despite being a newbie, until We were asked to split into groups and come up with and perform a song about the company. My heart started pounding. For one, Im tone-deaf and a horrible singer. And two, I knew I had to suck it up and rise to the challenge or risk being seen as poor sport by my new boss and team.In the end, I survived and shared some laughs despite my initial anxiety. And, more important, I g ot to know my new coworkers better. All this to say, it pays to get creative when planning team-building activities.And Im not the only one who thinks so. The Creative Group asked 400 advertising and marketing executives to share the most unusual team-building activity theyve participated in or heard of a company participating in. Here are some of their responses.Unusual team-building activitiesA dance-off.We had a psychic come and do readings.Getting pedicures.Indoor skydiving and surfing.A one-week retreat in the desert.An improv class.Some of the examples prove team-building activities dont have to be elaborate to be effective. Often, a simple game or outing can do the trickSpeed meeting like speed dating.We had to tell everyone something about ourselves using movements and not speaking.Making up a song about the company.A painting class.Some teams broke the ice by having employees share their answers to the following questionsIf you could be any superhero, who would you choose? If you could be a vegetable, which one would you be?What animal would you be and why?If you had to change one thing about the world, what would it be?Others opted to engage in a friendly competitionAn office tournament.We held a cubicle decorating contest.Everyone had to hop on one foot and the last person standing was named the winner.A handful of companies preferred to physically get outside the box for their team buildingRiver rafting.Climbing a mountain.Participating in a 200-mile relay across the state with 20 people.Going to a Renaissance fair.We went into the wilderness and had to figure out how to get back by relying on each other.Finally, these teams prove you can build camaraderie, while doing goodWe put on costumes and visited patients at a childrens hospital.We put together food packages for a nonprofit organization.We hosted an ice cream social for another department.SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG