What types of team building activities are there

By Simon Nichols

Every company, department, team and indivdual is unique; and with so many types of team building activities available we answer the question of "What types of team building activities are there?", as well as the kinds of activities you can book for particular types of teams.

1. Problem solving team building activities

By developing the problem-solving skills of your team, you can improve their ability to get to solve complex situations and assist the business overcoming the various the hurdles that you will face.

Problem solving activities are a great way for team members from different departments to discover ways to work together in unison, consider problem solving activities such as escape rooms, survival skills, virtual escape games, and desktop code breaking games.

2. Collaborative team building

Showing your team, the importance of working as a team is vital for good team building, Henry Ford once said “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is a success.”

This highlights the importance of teamwork. There are many collaborative team building activities where working together is vital for success including team cooking challenges, scavenger hunts, and murder mystery events.

3. Passive team building

Energetic, collaborative, competitive and problem solving may not be forms of team building to suit every team or individual, consider how low interaction avctivities could work for your team.

Many employees will just want to sit back and enjoy themselves, so passive team building could be an option – consider this for quieter members of staff, or employees who don’t like physical activities.

Good examples of passive team building activities can include quiz nights, walking tours of historic buildings, culture events such as opera, or wine tasting.

5. Energetic team building

You can use energetic team building as part of your team building plans, as a way of getting the team to work together in high energy scenarios, where hearts get pumping and bodies are pushed to the limits.

Consider a range of energetic team building activities that includes Zorb football, dance lessons, aerobics, drumming classes, and trampolining.

Your team will sweat together, get fitter, and create some great memories.

6. Confidence boosting team building

Many of your employees will benefit from a team building session that provides them with an opportunity to build confidence which they should hopefully bring back to the workplace.

There are many challenges which can assist in building confidence, they can include high ropes courses – where you must brave heights, zip lines which traverse you quickly down a line high above the ground, kayaking in the ocean, and climbing walls in custom built climbing centres.

You should see confidence grow in your team after tackling these kinds of hurdles and obstacles.

7. Health focused team building

There are many team building activities that you can use to improve the health of your team and provide a platform for a more productive unit.

Whether you decide to look at boosting mental health, diet, physical strength, or posture. Look for wellbeing activities such as yoga, pilates, breathing masterclasses, and countryside walks to ensure that you can focus on the importance of your team’s health as part of your team building programme.

Employees who are happy, healthy, and satisfied in their working lives are more likely to bring a greater array of benefits to the organisation.

9. Stress relief team building

You can use team building as a way of relieving stress within your team, as great way of energizing your team after stressful moments.

Stress-relieving activities are a great way to tackle burnout, as they allow employees a chance to hit the pause button and let off some steam.

Consider arranging activities such as paintball, white water rafting, and indoor bodyflying coincide with a major project or a period of intense work may prove to be highly beneficial.

10. Educational team building
 
Treat your team to a new experience, perhaps something they would love to try but not had the opportunity or would be keen to improve their skills.

Many employees lead such busy lives (both in and out of the workplace) that being educated on a particular activity would be great for retention and moral.

Perhaps a photography workshop? A day working with animals is an option or step into the world of virtual reality and prepare them for the future of technology. You could consider a sport such as archery or golf, or perhaps a nice session of beer tasting with a trained beer expert.