Category: Team Building

Most times, the pursuit of a common goal is enough to get a team working together. However, there is a vast difference between a good team and a great team; between a good work environment and a work environment that engenders continuous advancement. How happy the workers are and how well they relate with each other is often the biggest differential. According to this infographic, companies with happy employees outperform their competition by 20%. A good way to bring fun into your workplace is through corporate team building exercises. These give workers the opportunity to relate with one another in an informal environment, allowing them to bond and maybe even become friends.

If you are looking to take your workers out on a team building/bonding trip, ScavBoss and Watson Adventures are 2 of the best in the business. In the spirit of good fun, here is how they compare against one another:

What they Offer

ScavBoss offers private/public scavenger hunts and fun activities that foster a connection between team members; mini challenges that get everyone working together, and an option to customize the entire experience to promote the values of the participants’ company. ScavBoss’ hunts are often described as “fast-paced and competitive”, and in addition to an exhilarating experience, prizes are given out at the end.

Watson Adventures also offers private/public scavenger hunts and group hunts. The company was founded by a veteran writer (and editor) and he started by giving tours laced with light-hearted commentary. Over the years, the tours became scavenger hunts.

Extras

ScavBoss’ scavenger hunts take place in different settings—parks, resorts, museums, monuments, and more recently, cities. By creating powerful storylines around these places, ScavBoss’ goal is to help participants unearth interesting secrets that would otherwise be overlooked. Team members go through this experience collectively; they complete tasks together, bond over puzzles, and learn new and interesting things.

Watson Adventures’ hunts are characterized by fast-paced games and witty questions that make for a fascinating experience. The whole arrangement was designed to bring the best out of all participants and their website describes it as “walking tours spiked with caffeine”.

Location, location, location

Watson Adventures organize scavenger hunts in 7 cities in the United States, and they promise to deliver a unique experience to all comers.

ScavBoss, on the other hand, focus their attention on New York City and the culture-filled locales that can be found in the Big Apple. Be it at the Grand Central or in the heart of the financial district, ScavBoss creates fun activities and exercises that “build strong teams and improve employee job satisfactions”.

Rave Reviews

Both companies have worked with some of the top brands in the world. ScavBoss, especially, has provided corporate team building services to companies you’re likely to see among “the best places to work on earth”. The likes of Google, Facebook, LEGO, Foursquare, KPMG and so on.

If you are looking to improve the relationship between your workers and foster a healthy work environment in New York, ScavBoss is, without doubt, your best bet.

When you have a room full of people with different interests and backgrounds, it can be hard to break the awkward silence that wafts through a room. Icebreakers are relaxed questions that help ease your employees into talking about themselves and learning about each other. Properly executed icebreakers are ideal for cutting anxiety in team building situations.  Sometimes people feel more comfortable answering questions that require a specific answer, rather than offering up a general personal fact.

However, not all icebreakers are created equal!

We’ve saved you from an icebreaker disaster by compiling a list of five fun and creative icebreaker questions.  You can use these to get your team warmed up before a team building activity or meeting. At their core, these icebreakers are light and fun but the answers you hear will be insightful. You’ll find your team bonding over shared qualities and laughing about things in no time.

Here are the five questions…

#1 If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be?

• The question, while sounding slightly superficial, will actually give your team insight into what people enjoy outside of work. That could be a type of food, music, or product!

#2 What was your least favorite food as a child or now?

• An easy childhood question that doesn’t pry. The goal is to avoid having your team members feel uncomfortable sharing something. A simple question like this can give your employees a little background on each other.  

#3 If you had to be on a reality TV show, which one would you choose and why?

• Pop culture questions are always funny and get people giggling, laughing and connecting. You’ll learn a lot about a person from the type of TV they like or dislike.

#4 If you were a wrestler what would be your entrance theme song?

• Having your employees envision their wrestling personality is hilarious for learning about personal taste. What kind of music they choose could reflect the type of music they enjoy outside of work.

#5 If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do?

• A fun way to ask what qualities people value in themselves. Your employees will have fun thinking up answers but also get insight into what their co-workers feel they are good at.

The great thing about icebreakers is that they involve little to no planning. Keep this list of icebreakers on hand and use them at team meetings or at the start of a particularly busy work day. You don’t have to make it a big event. Just remember that the more relaxed and comfortable your team, the better the exercise will work!  

Building strong, cohesive, and powerful teams can be a daunting task. From team building activities to creating a positive company culture, the ways to boost performance and help teams succeed are endless – which is why we’ve compiled a list of our favorite tips for creating – and sustaining – strong teams.

Check out these six simple tricks to help you create an amazing team!

#1 Show your teams that you value them.

• Teams often perform better if they know they are valued and feel the work that they do matters. Be creative and show your teams how important they are to overall company success.

#2 Encourage team members to congratulate each other.

• This type of camaraderie and pride is great for making your teams stronger. If your team is remote try creating a space for positive feedback and small wins where employees can share something AWESOME a co-worker did or accomplished.

#3 Don’t leave any team members behind.

• Sometimes it can be difficult to get teams together outside of work hours. When planning team building events think about doing them during work-day-hours or cater to your employees’ personal lives by providing services like childcare or a car service during the activity. This gives everyone the opportunity to get involved.

#4 Create a safe and open environment so everyone feels comfortable sharing.

• Teams are normally made up of an array of personality types: introverts, extroverts, ambiverts (that’s someone who has both introvert and extrovert qualities) – so don’t forget to plan activities and organize meetings in a way that embraces all personalities. Everyone should feel comfortable participating or get a chance to speak.

#5 Practice, teach and get better at problem-solving.

• Encourage your teams to try creative problem solving and solve problems on their own first. This can help make them become more confident in their roles.

#6 Encourage collaboration!

• If you create an environment that promotes collaboration, your teams will share ideas, create new ones, and help each other do their best and make decisions.

What They Do: Clue Chase is New York’s largest escape room venue. They specialize in corporate team building events and offer themed escape room games like The Lost Spy, Egyptian Tomb, Ultimate Heist, and Alien Encounter.

How They Do it: Clue Chase will work closely with you to accommodate your corporate team of up to 100 for a 60-minute experience. Your team will need to work together to solve mysteries, find hidden relics, and infiltrate secret vaults.

What Makes Them Special: At over 4000 square feet, Clue Chase is the largest escape room space in New York City. Each escape game includes a story-driven mission that brings it to life. The entire experience is very polished and all of the rooms have been built by by professional movie, TV, and Broadway set designers.

Quote From The Website: 

Corporate Events at Clue Chase

Our escape games immerse your team in cinematic stories that invigorate their group dynamics and promote long-lasting bonds. Together your team will sharpen their skills in an unforgettable 60-minute experience, including:

• Critical thinking & problem solving
• Communication skills
• Teamwork under pressure
• Adapting to evolving challenges

The perfect activity for groups up to 100! Ideal for:

• One-of-a-kind team bonding
• Celebrating team goals, employee birthdays, retirements, and more!
• Holidays and other special occasions
• Welcoming new hires
• Entertaining out-of-town clients and co-workers

Could meditation be helpful for team building? Phil Jackson, a renowned National Basketball Association (NBA) coach, sat for a conversation with Oprah Winfrey on the Super Soul Sunday television show. During their chat, he talked about using mindfulness and meditation in his coaching practices. Click here to check out the full interview. Elba Mueller, a meditation expert and life coach, seems to agree with Jackson’s idea of using mindfulness and meditation for team building purposes. She shared “five ways meditation can benefit businesses” in a blog post on the Chopra Center website.

1. Practicing meditation can provide “clarity and focus.” When team members possess these two qualities, they are in a better mental state to bond and to solve problems.

2. Companies that provide classes on mindfulness and meditation can promote feelings of “employee loyalty.” Loyalty can form the building blocks for building a happy and unified team.

3. In a group setting, communication is key. A team member who knows how to be mindful and thoughtful will be better equipped to communicate their ideas and galvanize a group to work towards realizing those visions.

4. Meditation can be helpful towards one’s overall state of well-being and health. Team members who experience less sickness will have more time to commit to getting things done at the office.

5. When one is enjoying good health, they may also feel more energetic and productive. That energy could be very useful in strengthening team bonds and making contributions towards team goals.

Taking time for team building exercises at your company is a great way that to ensure your entire staff is on the same page and working together. If you are looking for some simple team building exercises, that you can do on a break or during a meeting, here are some ideas! These top team building exercises need minimal equipment and planning.

Two Truths and a Lie:

A great activities that to use for introducing new employees, as well as encouraging teams to learn more about each other.  Hand out sheets to each player and have them write down one lie and two truths. After each player has written down their list, each member will be asked to read out the truths and the lie in a random order. Participants will need to guess which response are true and which one is the lie. This game is great for creating constructive conversation and for learning more about employees.

Blind drawing:

In this activity, communication skills are important. Divide players into teams of two and have a stack of pictures for the players to describe. One player is given a photo and while sitting back to back with another player, they describe the image without using words that could it away. The end goal after 20-30 seconds is to have the person who guessing to successfully describe the main subject in one sentence.

Use what you have:

This activity involves creating a challenge for your employees to think on the fly. Create two teams. Each team will be given the same set of supplies. Their end goal will be to solve a particular problem. The first task could be sending an email to someone with certain members of the group only being able to touch certain keys. Or creating a new logo design with nothing but a few simple materials. Divide up into groups, create a time limit and see what amazing things each group comes up with.

If you are looking for excellent activities to use at work, keep these company team building exercises in mind.