Team building activities
Working together effectively is the ultimate goal of team building, and we believe in getting right to it. Because team building is about much more than trust falls and holiday dinners. It’s about getting $#!t done with people you can count on. That's why the activities on this page feel more like thought exercises and collaboration techniques.
This curated collection of team building activities will help your team make progress on your work while you're getting to know each other. Two birds, one stone.
Top 8 team building activities
These plays are designed to get your team collaborating in new and different ways while you form connections and build trust.
Icebreakers
Got two minutes while people trickle into a meeting? Then you've got time for an icebreaker! We've gathered up our favorite questions and prompts. Some are silly, others set the stage for a serious discussion or problem-solving exercise. But all of them will help you build relationships.
Elevator Pitch
Reaching a shared understanding as to the value of your work and what it is you deliver is a key component of team cohesion. In this 30-minute exercise, your team will collaboratively create a short explanation of the work you do and why it matters.
Rules of Engagement
Every team has a social contract. Trouble is, the "rules" are usually unwritten and were established so long ago, nobody remembers why. In this play, you'll work together with your team to define your norms and expectations for how you work together.
Sparring
Is there anything more nerve-wracking than having a work-in-progress reviewed by your peers? But it doesn't to be. With the right structure in place, you can let your peers challenge your ideas constructively, inspire new ones, and build a whole lot of trust in the process.
Inclusive Meetings
If your team's meetings are dominated by the loudest (or most senior) voice in the room, you're missing out on valuable contributions from others. Use the techniques in this play to make sure everyone's voice is heard in every meeting.
Retrospectives
Use this classic agile technique to provide a safe space for discussing what's working and what's not. Retrospectives help teams bond as they celebrate wins, vent frustrations, and brainstorm ways to work better together.
My User Manual
In this play, each team member will answer a series of questions about how they do their best work and what they want their teammates to know about them. It's practical, sure. And a lot more fun than you'd expect.
Goals, Signals, Measures
If you haven't defined success, how will your team know when it's time for high-fives and a celebratory lunch? Run this play to collaboratively decide on a goal for your project and how you'll know when you've reached it.
also recommeded
Project Team Health Monitor
Use the Health Monitor to self-assess against eight attributes common amongst high-performing teams, then track your progress over time.
Gather your project team for an honest discussion about how you're working together.
Other resources
Because there's always more to learn
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