15-Minute Team Building Activities You Can Apply In The Workplace

3/1/2018 | By Workspace In Asia

Activities To Improve Teamwork In The Office

While most companies spend most of their energies and precious resources on keeping clients happy, they shouldn't neglect one crucial factor to their business success, and that is their employees, their most important asset. To create an atmosphere of inclusiveness and promote a corporate culture that breeds on collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, team building activities can be part of the strategy.

These exercises can be an effective motivational factor for increased productivity and can be a great way to break any communication barrier. These activities, however, don't always require complex preparations and don't always have to take place outside the office.

A 15-minute team activity can be done in the workplace before or after a meeting or whenever it feels like a good time for employees to bond and get all fired up for the remaining day's stretch. Here are some fun games and team activities to try in the office:

 

ACTIVITY 1: Two Truths And A Lie

When to do it: If there's a new guy in the office or if you just want employees to get to know each other better, this activity can be a great ice breaker. This can be nice way to start conversations, encouraging better communication among co-workers.

Props to prepare: None. It's that easy.

• On a piece of paper, each one should write two truths and one lie about him/herself. To make this activity more fun and exciting,statements written on paper should be little-known facts or even secrets.

• Ask each one to reveal what he or she has written on the paper and let the rest of the team take a guess which statement is a lie.The one reading the note should convince others that what he/she is saying is the truth, while the rest of the group can fire away questions to get to the truth.

• The game can be played as one big group or in two or more smaller teams. Points will be granted to anyone or any team who can make the right guess and those who can give others a hard time figuring out the real lie.

ACTIVITY 2: Finding The Difference In The Other Team

When to do it: This game is best played when there's an apparent lack of energy in the team, if employees seems stressed out and drained. This is a great exercise to keep them energized and more focused, as this requires a great deal of concentration.

Props to prepare: None. Just your team's participation.

• Group employees into two teams and ask each group to form two equal lines.

• Ask one team to turn around as the other group changes 10 things about themselves (clothing, jewelry, hairdo, or anything they can swap with other members of the group, etc.-changes should be visible) in just 40 seconds.

• As they face the other group, the team should identify all the changes made, requiring full concentration and testing their memory.

• Teams will then take turns. Points will be awarded for every recognized change.

 

ACTIVITY 3: A Bridge Of Strength

When to do it: If you need to inspire teamwork and creativity and encourage your team to work together in solving a problem.

Props to prepare: This activity requires one cardboard box (about 15-in. square) with an open top,mini marshmallows, toothpicks, and paperclips.

• Give each team 5 minutes to create a bridge using toothpicks and marshmallows. The bridge should go from one end of the box to the other.

• After 5 minutes, the team will be asked to add paper clips to the bridge within one minute. These paperclips will add weight to the bridge and, if the team isn't too careful, this may pull down and break their creation.

• Points will be awarded to every paperclip added to the bridge before time runs out. The bridge shouldn't collapse until the given time.

 

ACTIVITY 4: Bonding Belt