Creating strong bonds between members of the same team is not exactly an easy task. While they may be forced by their job requirements to work in a team, the employees involved have different personalities. Getting everyone to work together smoothly can be quite daunting. Team building games are meant to break the ice and create relationships outside work for the members of your team.
Introduction games
You will need the members of your team to get to know each other better, and for this, you need them to at least know each others’ names. There are quite a few team building games focused on remembering names and getting acquainted. Here are some ideas you can try:
Passing the clap – this game consists of having all the team members standing in a circle in an escape room, with one person having the said clap. The person makes eye contact with another person, and then they clap their hands, and the clap is passed over. This game is based on promoting visual communication, and it can be a lot of fun.
Hospital tag – the rules for this game are simple. Everyone will try to tag others by touching them. When someone is touched – tagged – they have to place one hand on the spot where they were touched. At three tags they are out, while the rest continue the game.
Getting to know each other better
After the team members have been introduced to one another through visual team building games as shown earlier, it is time for escape games that promote a better knowledge of the others. Here are some fun ideas to try out.
Two truths and a lie – this game are designed to work like this: each team member has to say two true things and one lie about themselves, then the others must guess which is which. This game assists team members to get to know each other better.
The triangle game – each person, participating in the game has to name three others who have a certain thing in common. The rest must guess the pattern. While this game can be pretty difficult, it is an excellent brain teaser.
Wrap up activities
After you have the members of your team get to know each other better, you will need some games to wrap things up. Here are some tips on how to create stronger bonds in your team through such entertaining strategies:
The essence circle – this is the type of game that helps people on your team demonstrate how well they have come to know each other. Everyone writes down their names on pieces of paper that are afterward placed into a hat. Then a person extracts one name and starts describing the person, by habits, opinions, ideas, anything that defines their essence.
The human knot – while it is basically about touching and non-verbal communication, this game serves for strengthening the bonds in your team. While everyone is placing one hand in the middle of a circle, they have to clasp the free hand with another and repeat the move without losing contact.
Team building games are designed to make team members comfortable with one another. As it has been proven that friendships and positive relations between team members promote success, they are great for building stronger teams.