Are you in search of some in-person team building activities for work?
Whether you have a small business or a large one, you know the value of teamwork for your organization’s success. To promote teamwork, your employees need the right mindset to cooperate with others and work towards achieving a common goal.
In this article, let’s see 15 in-person team building exercises for your workplace.
Here are the sections in this article.
- Getting to Know Each Other Activities (Icebreakers)
- Communication and Active Listening Exercises
- Trust Building Exercises
- Activities for Creativity and Planning Skills
- Adaptability and Change Management Activities
- Problem Solving and Decision Making Activities
- Unique Team Building Activities (Premium E-Books)
- Tips for Successful Facilitation
- FAQ
So, let’s get started!
15 In-Person Team Building Activities for Work
Here are some in-person activities that will create great team spirit in your workplace. It is necessary to conduct a debrief session after each activity. For that, you can use the “Debrief” section below each activity. Okay?
So, let’s go!
Getting to Know Each Other Activities (Icebreakers)
Breaking the ice is crucial for building strong relationships among your employees. These activities help team members get to know each other, fostering a sense of connection. Here are some fun icebreaker activities to get your teams started.
#1. Life Highlights
This icebreaker activity helps a person to know more about the lifestyles, passions, and personalities of their teammates. The Life highlights game is ideal before a team meeting or presentation.
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: None
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Ask the participants to close their eyes for one minute and think about their best life moments like moments with family or friends, personal/professional achievements, etc.
- Once they review their life highlights, ask them which moment they want to relive if they only have 30 seconds left in their life and why.
Debrief
- How comfortable were you when you had to share your life experiences?
- What difference did you feel when you knew more about your coworkers?
You can also read: 12 Fun Team Building Activities for Conference Calls
#2. Two Truths and a Lie
Two truths and a lie will help individuals to know more about the people around them through interaction. The goal of this activity is to identify the lie from three different statements.
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: Paper and pen
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Ask each participant to write two truths and a lie about himself/herself in a paper piece and advise them not to reveal the lie to anyone.
- Now, the rest of the participants should try to find out which one is the lie by asking different questions.
Debrief
- Were you curious enough to know more about your colleagues? If so, why?
- What was your plan in order to find out the lie?
You can also read: How to Create Team Building Lesson Plans?
#3. Coin Logo
The coin logo is one of the quick team building exercises for work. In this activity, the participants are required to create a logo using coins.
Time: 5-10 minutes
Materials: A private room, tables, and coins
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Ask the participants to empty their pockets or wallets and place their coins on the table in front of them (If you have a large number of participants, split them into smaller teams).
- Have some coins spare if someone doesn’t have enough coins.
- Now, allow some time for each team to create a team logo using their coins.
- Then, ask each team to describe their logo such as what is its meaning, what made them create such a logo, etc.
Debrief
- How did you come up with your logo? Also, explain its meaning.
- Do you think your logo clearly conveys its purpose? If so, why?
You can also read: How to Facilitate Team Building Activities in Your Workplace?
Communication and Active Listening Exercises
Effective communication is the backbone of any successful team. These activities are designed to improve communication and active listening skills, helping team members express themselves clearly. Here are some exercises you can try.
#4. The Blindfold Game
The blindfold game helps to improve communication and listening skills and build trust between coworkers. In this activity, the blindfolded members need to rely on their sighted partners and follow their instructions.
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: A large private room, furniture and other objects that act as obstacles, and blindfolds for half of the people
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Scatter furniture and other items around the room as obstacles.
- Group the participants into pairs and one person from each pair must be blindfolded.
- The sighted members must direct their blindfolded partners across the room, and provide instructions to overcome the obstacles.
- Once each team reaches the other end of the room, switch roles and repeat the activity.
Debrief
- As a sighted partner, how did you communicate differently with your blindfolded members?
- Were there any changes in the way you listened to others when you were blindfolded? If so, why?
You can also read: 50 Easy & Fun Team Building Activities
#5. Circle Story
This is one of the amazing in-person team building activities that boost communication, creativity, and teamwork. In this exercise, the participants need to create and tell a story one phrase or sentence at a time.
Time: 5-10 minutes
Materials: None
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Group the participants into different teams. Then, ask each team to sit in a circular shape.
- One person on each team should start a story with the phrase “once upon a time” and the person on his right side should continue the sentence.
- Go around the circle 3 or 4 times before concluding the story.
Debrief
- How creatively did you express your idea while creating a fresh story?
- As a group, were you able to maintain the flow of the story? If not, what were the issues?
#6. Make Your Team
This activity promotes quick and effective communication skills. In this activity, the goal is to form a team by identifying the people who belong to the same category.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: A large room and paper slips
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- The facilitator should equally divide the paper slips into 4 or 5 different sections. Pick the first section, write “RED” in all slips. In the second section, write “GREEN” in all slips. Similarly, write different color names in the remaining sections.
- Ask each participant to pick a paper slip, identify the other members with the same color and form a team.
- Allow some time for the participants to find their partners. The team that finishes first will win the game.
Debrief
- How did you communicate differently in order to find your team members?
- Have you found any “shortcuts” or “communication tricks” to quickly form the team?
Trust Building Exercises
Trust is the foundation of a strong team, allowing members to feel secure and supported. These exercises are designed to foster trust, promoting a sense of reliance and cooperation. Here are some activities that encourage trust building.
#7. Minefield
Minefield is one of the fantastic team building activities for work and is similar to the blindfold game. Here a sighted person guides his blindfolded member, but only through verbal instructions.
Time: You decide
Materials: A large indoor or outdoor space, enough blindfolds for half of the people, and soft objects like cones, foam balls, large paper cups, empty plastic bottles, etc.
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Set up the “minefield” by placing obstacles like empty plastic bottles, cones, foam balls, large paper cups, etc. all over the space.
- Divide the participants into different pairs. In each pair, one person should be blindfolded and is not allowed to see or talk. The other person is able to see or talk, but must not enter the minefield or touch his blindfolded partner.
- Now, the blindfolded person should walk through the minefield (without touching the mines) by listening to the verbal instructions of his/her partner.
- Once the blindfolded person reaches the other side, switch roles and repeat the activity.
Debrief
- How did you guide your blindfolded partner considering you couldn’t help them physically?
- As a blindfolded person, how well did you listen to your colleagues?
#8. Eye contact
This is another simple, yet powerful exercise for trust building. Eye contact enables members to trust each other and makes them work towards a common goal.
Time: 5 minutes
Materials: None
Participants: Pairs
Instructions
- Divide the participants into pairs and each pair stand facing each other.
- Ask each pair to stare into their partner’s eyes for at least 60 seconds. Remember, people are not allowed to wear sunglasses in this activity.
Debrief
- How did you feel when someone’s attention was fully on you?
- Did you become uncomfortable at any point during this exercise? If so, why?
#9. Snakes
This exercise focuses on building trust between coworkers by helping each other. In this activity, a sighted person should guide the rest of their teammates by providing nonverbal instructions.
Time: You decide
Materials: A large room, soft objects that can be picked up easily, and enough blindfolds
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Place the soft objects all around the room and divide the participants into small teams, preferably 6 members.
- Each team should stand in a line where the first five members should be blindfolded and the last member (tail end) is able to see.
- The sighted member should guide the “snake” to pick up the object by providing nonverbal instructions to his partners in front.
- The blindfolded person who is standing at the head end should pick the object. Once this is done, they can remove the blindfold and go to the tail end.
Debrief
- As a blindfolded partner, did you have any difficulty trusting your sighted partner?
- How well did the sighted partner communicate with you through nonverbal instructions?
Activities for Creativity and Planning Skills
Creativity and planning are essential skills for strong team performance. These activities are designed to stimulate imagination, encourage out-of-the-box thinking, and promote strategic planning. Here are some exercises that spark creativity and improve planning skills.
#10. The Paper Tower
The paper tower is one of the simple team building exercises for work. It focuses on testing and improving people’s creativity and planning skills.
Time: 5 minutes
Materials: Sheets of paper
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Split the participants into small teams.
- Give a large sheet of paper to each team and instruct them to build the tallest free-standing structure.
- Set a time limit for this activity and each team should build a structure only using paper.
- Finally, review each structure.
Debrief
- How did you plan differently to build the tallest structure?
- What were the difficulties in your planning and how did you overcome them?
#11. Road Map Game
The Road Map Game is an excellent activity that improves the planning skills of employees. In this activity, the group members should plan an event through collaboration.
Time: You decide
Materials: One map (a state map, country map, or any specific location) for each group, paper, and pen
Participants: 4-8 people per group
Instructions
- Divide the participants into several groups and instruct each group to plan a vacation based on the available resources and information.
- Provide a map to each group and also a list of available resources and information for the trip such as the money in hand, type of car, price of fuel, towns they can find fuel, etc.
- Give a paper and pen to each group and tell them to write down their travel plans. Make sure that any group that runs out of money or fuel will be disqualified.
- Finally, you can give awards to the group that did the most with what they had or for the most exciting trip.
Debrief
- Were you able to effectively utilize the resources you had? If so, why?
- How did proper planning help you avoid waste of time and resources?
Adaptability and Change Management Activities
Adaptability is key to navigating change, uncertainty, and unexpected challenges. These activities help teams develop flexibility, resilience, and a growth mindset. Here are some exercises that test adaptability and promote agile thinking.
#12. Tag Team Game
Tag team game helps a person adapt to their weaknesses by learning more from their colleagues. In this game, each person will know the attributes of a great team.
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: Large sheet of papers and pens
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Divide the participants into small teams (4-6 members).
- Now, ask each person to write down their qualities as well as strengths that help their team succeed and share it with their teammates.
- Instruct each team to create a “virtual teammate” by combining all those qualities and strengths and write a profile/story about him.
- Finally, each team can share this with others so that everyone can identify their own strengths and weaknesses.
Debrief
- As a group, how did you adapt to the new situation or change?
- During this exercise, were you able to understand your strengths and weaknesses as a group? If so, why?
#13. Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
This activity requires employees to work together to solve a complex problem within a set timeframe. It helps them adapt to changing circumstances and think on their feet.
Time: You decide
Materials: Small indoor or outdoor space, 1 x large jigsaw puzzle, and small bags to hold the pieces
Participants: 4-10 people per group
Instructions
- The facilitator should divide the jigsaw puzzle and put an equal number of pieces into different small bags.
- Split each team into 2 small sub-teams and give a bag of puzzle pieces to each sub-team. Make sure that each team’s puzzle pieces appear to be a whole puzzle.
- Ask each sub-team to assemble the puzzle within a certain time limit. Each sub-team may think that they are competing against each other, but they can’t complete the puzzle unless they discuss and collaborate with the other sub-team.
- Allow some time for each sub-team to discuss, negotiate, and collaborate with the other sub-team and complete the puzzle.
Debrief
- As a group, how did you adapt to the changing scenario during the activity?
- During this exercise, how did collaboration help with better problem solving?
Problem Solving and Decision Making Activities
Effective problem-solving and decision-making are crucial skills for any team. These activities challenge teams to think critically, collaborate, and make informed decisions. Here are some exercises that foster problem-solving and decision-making skills.
#14. Inter-Group Problem Solving Challenge
This activity helps to improve the creativity as well as problem solving skills of your colleagues. Here each group should create a unique problem and challenge the other groups to solve it.
Time: You decide
Materials: Paper and pen
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Divide the participants into small groups.
- Instruct each group to come up with a self-created, unique problem and write it on paper.
- Now, ask each group to share their problems with the other groups and let them find the solution in a given time.
- Finally, find out the best-performing group by evaluating which group created the most complicated problem and which one solved more problems.
Debrief
- How did you come up with a unique problem as a group?
- How did you manage to solve multiple problems at a time?
#15. Who is The Best Decision Maker?
The main goal of this activity is to improve the decision making skills of employees. In this activity, each team needs to analyze a very complicated situation and make the right decision.
Time: You decide
Materials: Paper and pen
Participants: Groups of any size
Instructions
- Group the participants into small teams.
- Explain a business/management-related problem with each team.
For example, Shop A and Shop B are selling product X for $100 and they are getting equal number of customers per day. Suddenly, Shop A reduced their price to $80 and they started getting more number of customers as well as profit compared to Shop B. Now, what should Shop B do in order to get more number of customers and increase their profit?
- Ask each team to come up with the right decision to solve the issue and explain why. Then, allow them to write this on paper.
- Once this is done, share it with other teams and find the best decision.
Debrief
- How decision making through group discussion differ from individual decision making?
- What alternatives did you consider before making the final decision?
Want Some Unique Team Building Activities?
The above-mentioned activities are conventional. If you want some unique team building exercises for your employees (both in-person and virtual), you can get my premium e-book:
Or Want Some Unique Leadership Development Activities?
If you want some unique activities to equip your employees (both in-person and virtual) with leadership skills, qualities, and mindset, you can get my premium e-book:
Tips for Successful Facilitation
Effective facilitation is key to unlocking the full potential of in-person team building activities. A skilled facilitator can create a productive environment, fostering collaboration among team members. By following these tips, you can ensure successful team building experiences that leave a lasting impact.
Set Clear Objectives
Define the purpose of the activity to ensure everyone is on the same page. Clearly communicate the objectives to the team to avoid confusion.
Create a Safe Environment
Establish a comfortable space where team members feel safe to share ideas or take risks. Encourage open communication to build trust among team members.
Be Flexible
Be prepared to adapt the activity or agenda if needed. Flexibility helps to keep the team engaged or focused on the objectives.
Encourage Active Participation
Design activities that involve everyone, encouraging participation from all team members. Use techniques like think-pair-share to get quieter team members involved.
Debrief and Follow Up
Take time to reflect on the experience, discussing key takeaways with the team. Follow up with team members to reinforce new skills or behaviors.
Final Words
As a leader, it is important to foster collaboration, boost morale, and drive success in the workplace. The activities outlined above offer a range of options to suit different team sizes, personalities, and preferences. Remember, the key to successful team development is choosing engaging and relevant exercises for your employees. So, be creative, flexible, and willing to try new things.
FAQ: In-Person Team Building Activities for Work
You might have these questions in mind.
What are the benefits of in-person team building activities?
These activities promote face-to-face interaction, improve communication, and foster stronger relationships among team members. They also help to build trust, boost morale, and increase productivity.
How often should we organize these activities?
The frequency of these activities depends on the team’s needs and schedule. Ideally, teams can benefit from regular activities, such as monthly or bi-weekly, to maintain momentum and engagement.
What if some team members are hesitant to participate?
If some team members are hesitant, try to understand their concerns and involve them in the planning process. Choose activities that are inclusive and cater to different personalities or abilities to encourage participation from everyone.
How can I measure the effectiveness of these exercises?
To measure the effectiveness of these exercises, you can conduct surveys, gather feedback, or track changes in team dynamics, communication, and productivity. Setting clear objectives helps assess the impact of these activities.
Can these activities be tailored to our company’s specific needs?
Yes, these activities can be customized to fit your company’s specific needs, goals, or culture. Consider your team’s strengths, weaknesses, or interests when selecting activities to ensure maximum engagement and impact.