Category: Team Building

In a recent article for Forbes, AJ Agrawal, CEO and co-founder of Alumnify Inc., writes about the importance of team building activities and suggests ten exercises senior management can try with their team to improve office morale today. Agrawal throws out some frightening statistics – including the fact that 80% of Americans surveyed have said they often feel stressed at work. Below are some of Agrawal’s suggestions for team building activities to help everyone have a little more fun during the daily grind:

• Helium Stick – Your team members line up facing each other. You’ll place a long thin rod on everyone’s index finger and it’s their job to lower themselves and the rod to the ground.
• Mine Field – Find a big, open space, and place some objects on the ground. Those are your mines. Divvy your team up into groups and blindfold one person from each pair. It’s their partner’s job to guide them across the space without getting blown up by a mine.
• Pipeline – This is a great game no matter how big or small your group is. Each team member will get one piece of half-pipe tubing. It’s up to your team to get the marble from one end of the pipe to the other without it dropping to the ground.

For the full list of Agrawal’s top ten activities, visit: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ajagrawal/2016/04/14/10-team-building-exercises-cmos-should-do-with-their-team/#31b1c50032bc

Do you have a favorite in-office team building activity? We’d love to hear about it!

While we like to talk about team building events and activities that you can do as a chance to get out of the office and recharge for an afternoon, there’s still something to be said for quick team building activities you can do anywhere. Is your budget for team building not quite what you’d like it to be? Or maybe you’re between company events but don’t want all the progress your team made at their last outing to fade into the sunset. Perhaps you’re just looking for a few fun activities to liven up your next meeting. No matter what your reasons are, HLNTV.com has put together a great list of four team building activities you can do today.

• Mad Libs Mission Statement – HLNTV.com suggests printing out copies of your company’s mission statement while leaving several blank lines where key words would ordinarily be. It’s up to your team members to fill in the blanks!
• 2 Truths & a Lie – This is a fun game no matter who you’re playing with! Each person announces three statements about themselves. One of those statements is true, while two are false. Team members will go around and guess which is true and which are the lies – and they’ll learn fun facts about their coworkers in the process!
• Find the Common Thread – Is there one hobby, activity, or even TV show that your entire team enjoys? It’s their job to find out. Once the group settles on an activity that unites them, instruct them to put together a list of assumptions, stereotypes, or judgments that are typically associated with people who enjoy this activity. It’s a quick way to emphasize the risks of stereotyping while also encouraging your team members to find what they have in common.
• The Perfect Square – In this interactive activity, your team members will stand in a circle before being blindfolded. Once you’re sure no one can see, have each person hold onto a rope tied together at its ends. Your team’s challenge is to turn their circle into a perfect square without removing their blindfolds. It’s an activity that really promotes communication and leadership skills – and it may give you new insights in your team members’ personalities, too!

There you have it. Four quick, easy team building activities you can do at your next meeting – all without leaving the office!

It can sometimes be easy to lose sight of our creativity during the typical day-to-day in the office, but when your employees are thinking outside the box, it can be a huge boost for your business. Creativity can help with everything from customer service to problem solving to just coming up with better ways to be more productive everyday. So why not consider a company team building event designed specifically to tap into your group’s creative side? Your team will have fun, go home with something awesome, and leave ready to tackle life back in the office with a fresh eye for clever problem solving.

Below are two of our favorite team building companies with awesome creative benefits:

• ThinkingVine –  The wonderful team at ThinkingVine is all about creative, collaborative team building. ThinkingVine’s mission is to fuel a team building experience that focuses on unique art creation (think mosaics, painting, embossing, or wire sculptures) in order to motivate and inspire your employees.
• The Art Studio – The Art Studio is dedicated to crafting a unique team building activity that’s perfect for your team’s specific needs. They promote creativity outside the office and are considered one of the top art studios in New York. No art skill is required to enjoy an afternoon with your team relaxing, getting inspired, and expressing yourself!

Bonding over a good workout is quickly becoming a favorite team building activity for several companies in the Portland, Oregon area! According to local news station KGW, Portland businesses are incorporating a little exercise and sweat into their team building routine.

These companies (Energy350, Sitworks Design Build, HIS Innovations, and HUGE-Portland, among others) are hiring personal trainers to work with their employees a couple of times a week. Employees are encouraged to workout at their own pace while still enjoying group-style training exercises or exercises designed to produce healthy competition. Some of the exercises are specially designed to promote team building while still offering a worthwhile workout.

One huge perk of this new team building trend is that the personal trainers are coming to the employees. There’s no traveling involved – and no more excuses about not having time to hit the gym before or after work. Whether it’s in a conference room or outside in the parking lot, team members are working out at work, and they’re loving it.

“I think it increases productivity and gives us an opportunity to work together as a team. The team building during the workouts is pretty fun, the competitive nature of all of us kind of comes out,” one employee of Energy350 told KGW.

So what do you think of this growing company team building phenomenon? Is it something you’d like to see at your own office or would you rather leaving working out for the gym? Let us know in the comments!

Everyone loves to have a great time and a fun, relaxing afternoon or evening out can be a great opportunity to bring people together. That’s why we think comedy and improv team building activities are one of the best ways to work team building into your business.

Comedy team building is full of benefits other than just inspiring your team to start laughing. It’s proven to help improve communication skills as well as promote feelings of trust and focus among your team members.

Below are three comedy and improv team building companies located in New York that are sure to have your employees laughing from the moment they walk in the door.

Chicago City Limits – Don’t let the name fool you as Chicago City Limit’s is one of New York’s top comedy corporate team building companies. Their shows are created on the spot based on audience suggestions, which means their actors must think quickly on their feet, make unexpected decisions, and work together to seamlessly handle the unpredictable. These elements all make their way into the company’s corporate team building events, which are heavily focused upon teamwork. These are all skills that can be hugely beneficial back in the office.

National Comedy Theatre – Enjoy their custom comedy team building events no matter where you are! National Comedy Theatre is a national company that developed their own method of incorporating improv training into team building to help inspire employees to be better, more productive team members.

Stage Coach Improv – Stage Coach Improv is a country-wide team building company with programs designed to focus on promoting teamwork through humor. Their corporate team building events center around improving communication, creative collaboration, and cultivating confidence. They promise a fun day filled with laughing and learning about how to be a better team.

April is an exciting time for Chelsea Piers, one of our favorite places to head with your group for an afternoon of activity and team building. Chelsea Piers announced recently that they will be bringing in trainers from the world-class IMG Academy for two afternoons of golf training. Head to the facility on Sunday, April 17 with your team members and enjoy a few hours of learning from the best on how to perfect your golf game. You’ll spend the afternoon bonding with your team members and perhaps you’ll even discover a new favorite company team building activity!

So what are you waiting for? Gather your team and hit the greens for an afternoon of instruction of bonding at Chelsea Piers with the IMG Academy Golf Clinics!

We’ve said it here on TeamBuildNYC in the past that an investment in team building is one of the best, if not the best, investments that a company can make, and now Forbes has jumped on board, laying out ground rules to ensure that you pick a team building event that’s going to ensure your employees have an awesome time.

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Summer is almost here and what better time to plan your next company team building event? Summer is the perfect time to get outside, choose an active bonding event, and enjoy a few hours away from the office.

Luckily, there’s always something fun and creative to do outside with your team in the summer months that will help bring your employees back to the office refreshed and ready to tackle their work. Below are a few suggestions for company team building events in New York that are perfect for sweet summertime:

Chelsea Piers – Activity is the name of the team building game at Chelsea Piers! They offer top team building programs that help companies strengthen their workforce. Team building options include Mini-Olympics and experimental games that are tailored according to a certain team building goals. They work closely with their clients to personalize their organizations’ team building program that meets their objectives, goals for development and their desired level of their team’s physical involvement.

Classic Harbor Line – Enjoy the relaxing summer breeze from the water. Classic Harbor Line sails you and your team around the harbor, you’ll play some games and generally just have a good time together, all while enjoy the view from a boat.

Both activities can be designed to fit your group’s mood! Does your team prefer a lot of adrenaline and activity? Check out Chelsea Piers; they’ll help you plan something that’s perfect for your team’s physical abilities. Still want to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors without stirring up competition? Classic Harbor Line’s harbor cruises will let you and your team just do that.