20 Team Building Exercises for Work to Bring Team Together

Team building exercises are important to keep the workforce motivated. These activities foster a sense of camaraderie between various members and also make them feel valued. However, not every kind of activity may suit the nature of every employee. That’s why you need to understand the interests of every member before choosing one. This list of 20 fun and effective team-building activities caters to every type of workforce. They are particularly helpful for teams struggling with collaboration and those where members hardly interact with one another. Try them out and feel the difference yourself.

20 Powerful Team Building Exercises for Work

1. Two Truths And A Lie

Two Truths and a Lie is one of the great team-building activities for adults. It needs every participant to share two honest things and one lie about themselves. The listeners will have to guess what is true and what is not. It’s a great icebreaker that can be played by a group of five to eight employees.

Read Also: What are Examples of Effective Team Dynamics

2. Let’s Count To 20

If you are searching for team-building exercises for work that are only a couple of minutes long, try this. Everyone sits in a circle, and a person will say a number. The aim is to count from one up to 20. But if two people say a number simultaneously, this counting will begin again. This game prompts people to work together without much communication.

3. Follow The Action

If you are in a remote setting, you can still use many team-building activity ideas. Start any video conference application like Zoom. Let an employee do an action and have other people follow it. Encourage your team members to use silly actions. This will prompt laughter and make everyone feel energetic.

4. Draw Portraits

Draw Portraits is one of the great team-building exercises for work. It also functions as an ice-breaker. The participants collaboratively create portraits of every team member. In the end, every member has their portrait drawn by others. You can also post these portraits on your social media platforms.

5. Pitch Your Product

Some of the longer team-building exercises for work include activities in which your employees need to engage in reasoning. This activity extends for 45 minutes and team members need to craft a sales pitch to promote any item from the workplace. When a person takes an object, they give it a name and a fictional brand logo. Let your employees be creative and offer short presentations explaining what makes their items worthy to be purchased.

6. Win The Race

Winning the race is one of the amazing physical team-building activities. It helps people to work in teams and win the contest. In this game, you find a course with various obstacles. Divide people into groups of two or three teams and provide each team with a list of clues. They should also have a map or some kind of direction. Set the timer for 30 minutes and commence the race.

7. Guess Who Is There In the Photo

One of the best things you can do to spread more cheer and good spirits among colleagues is to share baby photos. Tell every member to bring a photo of themselves as a baby. Then, gather them in a group and show the first photo to everyone. Every person has to tell who’s there in the photo. The one who gives the most correct guesses is the winner.

8. Relive Life’s Best Moments

Ask your team members to think about one of the best moments of their life. Give them 30 seconds to do so. Then, tell them to share that moment with others. This activity helps everyone learn more about each other and develop a sense of appreciation. It also helps to nurture positive professional relationships.

9. Think Faster

Think Faster is a great creative problem-solving exercise that will prompt your team to think and act fast. Designate an empty room for the activity and mark a space on the floor. All your team members will stand inside the marked space. Then keep reducing the space and tell your team to stay within the shrinking space. It will stimulate them to think fast and creatively to not go out of the boundary lines.

10. Draw Without Seeing

This is one of those funny team-building exercises for work that also helps build trust and communication. Make pairs of your group members. One of the members will have an object and the other will have a pencil and paper. The one with the pencil and paper will draw the object in the hands of the other person. But they cannot see it. They have to rely on the instructions about the object that the one holding it communicates.

11. A Short Outing

Does your organization have different departments whose members have rarely seen or interacted with each other? If yes, having an outing is one of the best team-building activity ideas for you. Invite the employees of different departments to a company outing. This can be anything like hiking, pottery class, or even a golf game. Ensure that it is outside the office premises. It’s a great activity that will force everyone to open up and get to know each other.

12. Unravel The Knot

Do you want to exercise the problem-solving skills of your employees? Try the human knot exercise. All the members stand in a circle and face inward. Each player joins their right hand with the one opposite to them. They do the same with the left hand. The left hand will be joined by a new member. The end goal of this game is to untangle the knot without releasing the hands of others.

13. Exciting Trivia

Let your team make trivia questions about different periods and eras. They can then ask each other these questions and learn insightful facts together. This team-building activity promotes collaboration. Every member will not only learn something new, but they will also get familiar with others.

14. What A Performance

A great team-building activity for binding, What A Performance will mesmerize everyone. Have a team of 3-4 people. Now, team members will decide among themselves who will be singers, guitarists, or drummers. Give them a specific period to rehearse, and then do a lip-synced version of any song they like. Note that the song should be workplace-appropriate. After everyone delivers their performances, teams can vote on a winner. For added fun, ask people not to vote for their team and then see who wins.

15. Volunteer Work

Volunteer work is another great way to enhance collaboration and promote a sense of unity. Ask your team to engage in a volunteer project together. They can serve at a soup kitchen, clean up a local park, or be a part of a charity event. Volunteering promotes a sense of purpose. It also builds teamwork and community involvement among different members. When people spend time together volunteering, it helps them make new friends and expand their network. This activity also enhances social skills.

16. Give Thanks

Give Thanks is one of the effective team-building exercises for work. In this game, team members will acknowledge each other for their past achievements. This activity needs a maximum of 16 individuals. Employees can sit together and recognize one another’s achievements in the past. Note that these can be simple things, such as lending a listening ear when in need. Giving thanks and appreciating each other promotes a sense of understanding and makes people bond well.

17. Wellness Challenge

Corporate wellness challenges improve both physical and mental health. You can organize a bicycle challenge or a fitness class in the workplace. A common example is yoga classes during strategic times throughout the workday. With time, diversify your fitness classes to include office workout sessions, Zumba classes, or even CrossFit training sessions.

18. Build A Shelter

In this activity, you need some construction materials like card stock, toothpicks, rubbers, sticky notes, and an electric fan. These materials will be given to the different teams who participate in the activity. Pretend as if you all are on an expedition in a very icy place. A storm has hit and it needs the teams to build a shelter. Set a timer for 30 minutes, and let the team members start creating their emergency shelter with these materials. The electric fan functions as the source of cold winds. When the timer goes off, find out which team has made the strongest shelter.

Also Read: 12 Key Workplace Skills for Success

19. Create A Social Wall

Workers in the office can create a social wall that shows a variety of content. Designate a wall space and provide supplies like push pins, sticky notes, markers, and tape to everyone. This wall can have photos from office events, inspirational quotes, shout-outs, or thank-you notes. The wall can also have Ideas or suggestions for improving team collaboration. You can use this wall as a platform to facilitate interaction and conversation among your staff. Encourage employees to leave comments and respond to posts. They may kickstart discussions based on the content shown.

20. Fly The Plane

A paper plane contest is another great team-building exercise for adults in the office. Supply team members with materials they can use to make their planes, like printer paper, scissors, tape, and markers. Let your team members feel creative with their designs as they create their amazing planes. Choose a spacious area in the workplace or outdoors. Teams can now test-fly their paper planes. This area should not have any obstacles. Ask teams to fly their planes and choose a winner based on the plane that flies the farthest.

Final Thoughts

Team-building activities help build trust and understanding among colleagues. It also makes way for more transparent communication. All of it leads to a positive work environment and greater productivity. Try out any one or more of these fun team-building exercises and see the difference in your team members in terms of motivation and better employee morale.