A team that works well together is more effective, more productive, and more successful — not to mention happier and more fun to work with! One of the best ways to foster team unity and increase engagement is to give your team some team-building activities from time-to-time. This guide can help get you started with some activity suggestions, but the success of the activities will depend largely on you!

Make sure to know the intended audience, plan ahead, and run the activities with enthusiasm and energy!

This document will present “in-person” team-building activities, as well as activities designed for virtual audiences.

Each activity will include time required, materials needed, and facilitation instructions.

Don’t see a favorite activity listed? Send us your ideas at heartu@heart.org.

In-PersonActivities

VirtualActivities

Show and TellFormat: In Person or VirtualMaterials: Meeting Space or SkypeTime Required: 20 minsIt’s unfortunate that show and tell is something that ends when you’re young. Whether your interest is in the code you’re writing or ham radio, there are things each person would like to share with the group. Set aside time for “show and tell” at a team meeting or over lunch and give the next team member on the list the opportunity to bring something in and/or present on a topic. Require team members to be present. Have a question and answer session afterwards.Most people are eager to let others know interesting things about themselves, but not all team members are able to make that happen. Most teams are lopsided, with some members dominating discussion. Using regular “show and tell” sessions gives all team members a chance at center stage while also becoming familiar with giving a presentation and fielding questions.

#1

Organizational JengaFormat: In PersonMaterials: Wooden blocks (or Jenga blocks), labeled with the different departments in the companyTime Required: 30 mins

Using wooden blocks or an actual Jenga game, mark blocks according to the hierarchies present in your company. For example, you might have some blocks denoted as the IT department, and others as HR. You might have particular shaped blocks marked as “manager” and block shapes as “support staff.” The labeled blocks should reflect the composition of your office (e.g. if 10% of your staff is IT, so should 10% of the blocks).Divide your team into groups, giving them an equal number and kind of blocks. From here, either specify the type of structure each team must build, or provide guidelines and allow them to build any structure they want. When the time limit has been reached, each team, taking turns, must begin to remove a block at a time without destroying their structure. Do not inform them ahead of time that you will be asking them to do this.If time allows, you may ask them to repeat the exercise. See if they find a way to build a structure that can withstand removal of blocks.This exercise is meant to show how each department and the various managers and staff positions are necessary to complete the task, and that without everyone in place, things fall apart. The second round reveals what “blocks” the team sees as unnecessary as they conceive of a way to deconstruct their structure without destroying it.

#2

Blind Drawing

Format: In person or virtual (if able to separate and split into pairs)Materials: Simple picture, blank paper, pen/pencilsTime Required: 20 mins

Divide your team into groups of two each. Have each person sit with their back to the other. One person will have a picture. The other person will have a blank sheet of paper and a pen. The team member with the picture must not show the other person the image. Instead, they are to describe the image using any words, phrases, or descriptors, while the other team member is to draw what is being described. The team member drawing can ask any questions.After a set time limit, the drawing time ends and both team members view the original picture and the drawing.This is an exercise that focuses on communication and language. While the final drawing will seldom look like the picture, it is revealing to participants to see how different the interpretation of instructions can be even when they are supposedly talking about the same thing.

#3

Find the Common ThreadFormat: In Person or Virtual (If able to break into groups)Materials: Paper/PensTime Required: 30 mins

Before your regular staff meeting, break your team into groups. Instruct the groups to find out one commonality among themselves. It might be a hobby or an interest they all have, or the same favorite genre of music or favorite food. Once they discover a commonality they can agree on, they create a list of what they like about that topic, why they associate themselves with that topic, why it’s important to them, and fun qualities of associating with that topic.Then, the groups come together to announce to the rest of the groups who they are. For example, they might be “Roller Coaster Buffs” or “Jane Austenites.” For the rest of the regular staff meeting (or the day, if you’re daring), group members can act out the qualities they listed. The Roller Coaster Buffs, for example, might periodically raise their arms and holler, or the Jane Austenites might rephrase all of their speech to co-workers as quotes from Jane Austen books. At the completion of the meeting (or day), talk about how people managed to find a commonality, and the process it took to dig it up.

# 4

Silence is GoldenFormat: In-PersonMaterials: Colored Markers, 1 Piece of Flipchart Paper Per GroupTime Required: 10-15 mins

Divide the group into teams of 4-6 participants. Give each group a piece of flipchart paper and some markers. Have each team draw a floor plan or a picture of the ideal work environment for the group. Money is no object, so be creative and have fun with this one! Participants may not talk to anyone while planning or drawing. After 10 minutes, have each team share their drawing with the group. Discussion Questions:1) What did the drawings have in common?2) How did you communicate with each other?3) What implications does this have for us back on the job?

6#

Salt and PepperFormat: In PersonMaterials: Tape, a pen, a small piece of paper for each employee and a list of well-known pairs (think peanut butter and jelly, Mario and Luigi, or salt and pepper). Time Required: 10-15 mins

Write one half of each pair on the sheets of paper (Mario on one piece, Luigi on another, and so on). Tape one paper to each person’s back, then have everyone mingle and try to figure out the word on their back. The rule: they can only ask each other yes or no questions. Once they figure out their word, they need to find the other half of their pair. When they find each other, have them sit down and find three things they have in common while the rest of the team continues.

5#

MinefieldFormat: In PersonMaterials: An empty room or hallway, and a collection of common office itemsTime Required: 10-15 mins

Use boxes, office chairs, water bottles, etc. to create an obstacle course of “mines” within your empty space. Divide the group into pairs, where one partner is blindfolded. The other must guide that person from one end of the course to another without setting off any mines. The “guide” cannot enter the course and must only use verbal instructions to get their partner through. Depending on the number of people you have and how difficult you want this activity to be, you can vary the number of pairs trying to complete the course at the same time so that pairs have to work harder to listen to each other and communicate clearly.

8#

Marshmallow Spaghetti TowerFormat: In PersonMaterials: 20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti, 1 roll of masking tape, 1 yard of string, and 1 marshmallow for every team. Time Required: 10-15 mins

Using just these supplies, which team can build the tallest tower? There’s a catch: the marshmallow has to be at the very top of the spaghetti tower, and the whole structure has to stand on its own (that means no hands or other objects supporting it!) for five seconds.

7#

Memory WallFormat: In PersonMaterials: Post-It notes or a whiteboardTime Required: 10-15 mins

Write a few general work-related topics on the white board or on sticky notes posted to the wall: “My first day,” “Teamwork,” “Work travel,” etc. Gather your team together and have everyone choose one of the topics and share a story from their time with your company to laugh and bond over shared experiences. Or, pass out sticky notes and have everyone write down positive memories of working together or special team accomplishments. They can use words or pictures to record these memories. Then have everyone share their memory and post it on the wall, forming a positive memory cloud.

10#

Company Coat of ArmsFormat: In PersonMaterials: Paper, pens, markersTime Required: 10-15 mins

Have teams create a team, market, or department coat of arms. In the first space, draw something that represents a recent achievement. In the second space, draw something that reflects the group’s values. In the third space, draw something that represents where you see the group going in the future. Post the finished coat of arms in your office.

9#

Whose Office is it Anyway?Format: VirtualMaterials: Skype (Use File Sharing Tool)Time Required: 10-15 mins

Before a virtual meeting, have your team members send a photo of their home offices, and then have everyone guess whose workspace is whose. Keep the game going with photos of everyone’s coffee mugs, desktop backgrounds, or the view outside their window.

12#

Wrong-Handed PictureFormat: In-PersonMaterials: Paper and Pens for Each ParticipantTime Required: 10-15 mins Give pen and paper to each participant. Give the participants 6 minutes to draw a picture of something in their workspace. Participants must draw with their non-dominant hand. Have the participants exchange their pictures with someone else. This participant will label the picture according to what they think it is and give it back to the artist. Discussion Questions:1) How many guessed correctly?2) How did it feel to use your “wrong” hand?3) How did those feelings affect your drawing?4) What implications does this have for us back on the job?

11#

Charades or Catchphrase via SkypeFormat: VirtualMaterials: Skype (Video Chat)Time Required: 10-15 mins Divide your group into two teams, and play classic party games like Charades or Catchphrase via video call. You can send everyone the link to an online Charades or Catchphrase ideas generator that will provide word prompts for you.

14#

Spin a TaleFormat: VirtualMaterials: Skype ChatTime Required: 10-15 mins

During a virtual meeting, make up the first line of a story. Then ask team members to take turns and add each subsequent line until a whole plot develops! Let the story go along on its own path and deviations. The idea is to have fun and help the team practice thinking on their feet.

13#

Group TimelineFormat: In-Person or VirtualMaterials: Bulletin Board/Whiteboard, Thumbtacks/Tape, Blank Timeline/Paper/Post-ItsTime Required: 30 mins - 1 hour

On a bulletin board or other surface which accepts thumbtacks/tape (or create on whiteboard), create a blank timeline. The timeline should start as far back as the oldest member on your team was born (if they choose to disclose) or when the company was founded, whichever came first. Mark each year on the timeline. Then, using narrow strips of paper or post-its, write down important dates for the company (e.g. founded, merged, changed names, incorporated, new product) and add it to the correct spot on the timeline.Give your team members four slips of paper, and ask them to mark down four important moments in their life. Let them pin them to the timeline.This exercise helps show, in a visual way, the different generations and experiences of your team. It leads well into talking about cultural and generational differences and the effects that has on how people work and communicate. It is also an opportunity for team members to learn more about each other.

15#

Team Book ClubFormat: In Person or VirtualMaterials: Meeting Space or Skype, Selected Book/Book SummaryTime Required: 1 hour

Select, read, and discuss a book or book summary with your team. If you want to select an entire book, you can cover a chapter or two every week or month. You can select a theme and have several related book summaries to discuss monthly. Join Heart U Book Club or contact Heart U to create your own book club for your team

16#