Having motivated team members is a crucial competitive advantage for small businesses, but there are times when the daily routine starts to become a little too predictable and long faces start to show up at work.That’s when coming up with creative team building activities is a budget friendly alternative for small businesses who want to spice things up and make sure everyone gets to know each other outside of work. In this article, we’ll go over a few ideas you can use to organize the next team building event for your small business.
1 – Helping the Community as a Team
Volunteering as a team is a great way to collaborate outside of work and get to know each other at a personal level in an environment that promotes teamwork and service. An easy way to implement this simple idea is to organize one community service activity per month or per quarter. Preferably helping charities or organizations that are compatible with the mission or values of your business.
For example, if you own a vegetarian restaurant, you and your coworkers could help a local reforestation initiative and plant trees locally. The idea is to get involved as a team inside your business, and get involve with the community as well. Like this, besides getting to know each other better, you’ll also be spreading the word about your business locally and giving an opportunity for team members to be recognized as active members of the community. It’s a win – win – win scenario.
2 – The Never Ending Pipeline
This is really simple and so much fun. Each team needs to move a small ball from point A to point B by sliding it on a set of half pipes but they need to collaborate in order to move a limited number of half pipes to keep the ball moving as shown in this short video made by MoraleSolutions
3- A Picnic Hike
There’s something about nature and physical activity that just helps us connect with the environment and with each other at a different level. Maybe it has something to do with the sense of wonder and vulnerability that comes with being in the wilderness that certainly is much more exciting than hanging around the photocopy room. You could organize a moderate hike, and as a team, carry picnic supplies in everyone’s backpacks to have a nice summer snacking adventure in nature. It’s a team bonding activity that involves communication, planning and physical activity while being surrounded by nature all along.
4- The Confused Rope
In this activity, participants have to untangle a rope without talking to each other during the process. However, before getting started they can look at the rope, plan and agree on the best course of action. It’s a fun and simple activity that will encourage interaction.
Here’s a video made by Dreams for Life of this activity that may give you a better idea of how to execute it:
5- A Fun Bike Ride
Riding a bike is a quick shortcut to feel like child again. A short trip around a local park or a lake is an easy way to break a sweat and have fun together. Want to make things more interesting? You could organize a relay race, or a “themed bike ride” where each person must wear a silly hat or an improvised costume.
6- Visit a Trampoline Park
This kind of parks are often seen as an activity for children, and that is precisely why it offers tremendous potential for team building events. There’s something so primal and fun about bouncing around like a maniac that feeling happy is almost unavoidable. Definitely something unusual that is worth a try.
7- Traffic Jam
This is a simple game where all participants stand in a line, and half of them face one way while the other half faces in the opposite direction. The goal of the game is for all participants to switch places while following a few simple rules that are explained in this short video made by Pete Vigeant
8- Attending a Sporting Event with Matching Shirts and Stubby Holders!
Cheering for a local team is a simple way to have a good time together and enjoy a few beers. It doesn’t have to be a professional team, any kind of local sporting event will provide with plenty of opportunities to interact as a unit. Want to make the experience even more fun and engaging? You can get matching shirts and stubby holders for all the members of your team so they can keep the shirt and stubbies to remember the occasion and even bring their new stubby holder to work as a way to show team spirit.
9- Organize a Mystery Dinner
The idea is to get your team to socialize in an environment that is different to facilitate interaction and bonding. An easy way to do it is to organize a dinner at a restaurant that is out of the ordinary and have the company pay for it. For example, you could text the address of an Ethiopian restaurant and a time to meet there, without mentioning what kind of restaurant they’ll be attending. Alternatively, you could also have special surprise guests and organize additional activities after dinner. The idea is to create an aura of mystery and uncertainty in a controlled environment.
10- Room Escape Games
This type of games are a fun way to challenge your team to solve a problem in a safe atmosphere. They have become very popular in recent years and present team members with puzzles and clues they have to solve in order to be able to escape before time runs out.
11- Organize a Karaoke Night
This is a classic that never fails. Visit a local karaoke place with your team and set a theme for the night. Possibilities are endless. You can organize an Abba Marathon, a Bee Gees Extravaganza, or even an Queen sing along. You could even have your team members vote before the event to make them part of the music selection. Want to add a twist? Make 2 teams and compete for the funniest impressions of popular idols. The team that manages to be the most extravagant and fun wins!.
As we’ve seen in this article, there are so many possibilities to explore when it comes to finding affordable team building activities for small businesses. In the end, what’s really important is that you get to spend quality time together in order to build trust and work as an effective team together. This will create a positive team environment that will have a positive impact on your business and how your customers feel when they pay you a visit.