Team Building Activities, Games & Exercises

A Collection of Individual Teambuilding Exercises
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Provide your team or group with the type of facilitated event YOU would enjoy!

Our goal is to be the very best in the world at providing workshop activities. We provide professional materials, instruction and facilitative support to ensure you are completely comfortable running our activities with your groups.

The events, games and exercises listed below have been run with over 50,000 participants in hundreds of organizations, from CEO's of Fortune 50 companies to middle management to elementary students. They are proven in design and completely professional in appearance.

The team building activity comes in an easy-to-use storage bag and includes the following:

  • Comprehensive information on purpose of the game, how to set it up and the safety measures necessary during the course of the team activity.
  • Suggestions for a great debrief of the activity including some possible questions that you could ask the team.
  • Professional materials necessary to conduct the activity.

It includes everything you need to provide a good quality, well thought out and meaningful learning opportunity.

 

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Below are all the events we offer in alphabetical order.

Team Building Exercises

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Alphabet Soup

This event is designed to stimulate dialogue about how team members work together to be more efficient and effective.

A glimpse of Alphabet Soup

The groups get multiple attempts to touch a sequence of letter and numbers as fast as they can. There is an overall time limit and the group can spend their time continuing to try to do it faster by practice, or spend their time strategizing with fewer attempts.

The activity is extremely fun, is moderately active and is a great conversation stimulator for the debrief.

Ideal For: Problem solving, pure fun, communication.

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Bull Ring

Communication, Processes and loads of fun and interaction!

A glimpse into Bull Ring:

Moving a ball from one spot to another using a ring and some rope is the object of Bull Ring. Although initially appearing quite easy, we have provided instructions and materials to help increase the difficulty on a whim.

Typically, we run each group through several times with increasing difficulty and continually changing the rules during each run, simulating the effect of the constant changing business environment and the need to continually adapt to change.

‘Bull Ring’ is an icebreaker that is 100% fun and heightens communication within teams. Group synergy is at the core of this game and it provides the foundation for participants to learn to work together and to act as a team.

This is best outside, but can be run very well indoors with some room.

This is a fun activity that your group will not forget and relates easily back to work.

 

$64.95

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Chain of Command

Team challenges and tough choices - Discover the setbacks of communication gaps the fun way!

If you want your group to start interacting and enjoying themselves from the word go, then Chain of Command is your best bet.

Chain of Command is a game that fosters problem-solving skills but is an ideal icebreaker. Chain of Command enphasizes facing challenges as a team through trust and co-operation.

A glimpse into Chain of Command

The game has a line-up pattern without the ability to turn around to communicate and therefore the name Chain of Command. The facilitator indicates a strict deadline. This will simulate a fair amount of  “real life” office stress among the participants. Using the many variations to Chain of Command, you can help participants discover the pitfalls of gaps in communication and to appreciate the nuances of different communication styles.

This is a game that has a lot of fun in store for the facilitator too. You can create even more challenges and raise the bar in fun quotient, by making the going extremely tough for capable teams. But at the same time you can play benevolent, by simplifying the task for a troubled team that may be stuck and not having any fun at all!

Ideal For: Icebreaker, problem solving, trust, pure fun, communication.

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China Syndrome
, $99.95

This event is often considered impossible in the beginning. To solve it, the participants will need critical thinking, excellent coaching and communication skills, shared leadership and perseverance.

This is a challenging activity that works well with organizations that have cross-functional rolls that support one common product or service. It addresses the issues of alternate leadership and support roles that help accomplish the larger task.

A glimpse into China Syndrome:

The group must prevent a 'China Syndrome' from occurring by pouring the contents of one bucket into another using only the materials provided and staying outside a large circle. Any person using the materials must be blindfolded. Given a short timeline, this event can challenge ANY group.

Ideal For: Coaching, problem solving, critical thinking, communication.

Read more about China Syndrome...

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Don’t Touch Me, $39.95

Warning: this event can lead to major paradigm shift. Don’t Touch Me will challenge the team to think outside the box and challenge the actual and implied rules.

This is a great application for both incremental process improvement and massive improvement. Both are necessary as well as asking 'dumb' questions.

Creativity, communication and problem solving and all areas this team building activity will cover in great discussion in the debrief.

Do not let the low cost of this exercise fool you, this is a POWERFUL exercise and is one of our facilitator favorites.

Ideal For: Problem solving, critical thinking, communication, perfect for use before a brainstorming session!

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Get It Together, $74.95

The purpose of this exercise is to practice clear communication and develop keys to trust during challenging and confusing times.

This event will remind people in each position what the other role feels like and lend insights to improving relations between the two.

A glimpse into Get It Together

After pairing up, one blindfolded person goes into a large circle to retrieve certain items, with only their partners instructions as guidance. The catch here is the partner must stay on the outside of the circle. Still seems fairly simple until all the pairs are in the middle at the same time.

This activity is a step beyond our Trust Walk team building exercise and helps participants experience the need for trust, the need for planning and the difficulties of communicating while being both coach and coachee.

Most importantly, this is fun!

Ideal For: Coaching, trust, communication.

Read more about Get It Together.

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Group Juggling

Communication, Processes and loads of fun and interaction!

If inter-departmental communication and processes are your office bugbear, then opt for ‘Group Juggling’ and you will soon witness all round improvements back at the work place. 

‘Group Juggling’ is an icebreaker that is 100% fun and heightens communication within teams. Group synergy is at the core of this game and it provides the foundation for participants to learn to work together and to act as a team.

A glimpse into Group Juggling:

The Group Juggling kit has several objects that participants pass around. The game is meant to cue office situations where juggling too many projects or tasks can lead to goof ups.

A rubber chicken included in each kit will fascinate the participants since it is a difficult object to throw around. It should remain hidden till the last and usually elicits a surprise reaction among participants. When the chicken (new object/ alias “new project”) finally gets thrown around, the group will react in unexpected ways and really start having a good time with lots of amusement and shared laughter all around.

 

$49.95

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Knot A Team, $39.95

The purpose of this exercise is to bring group members closer together.

Physically they will be close together, and the reality of their interdependence is played out in this game.

Touch creates a setting for cohesiveness and teamwork, and begins breaking down the invisible walls we have around us. The tools it will take to unravel the knot are the same tools needed to overcome challenges the company or team will face.

Ideal For: Decision making, problem solving, pure fun, communication.

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Knot or NOT a Knot

Does the group Stand Together or Stand Apart?

That is the crux of this activity and makes for a great metaphor. Throughout the short activity, individuals will have to make a decision about the length of rope in front of them. Does the pile of rope have a knot, or not?

As the group progresses through a series of these decisions and short activities, they learn that listening to instructions, as well as standing together as a group, is key to their success.

This becomes a fantastic metaphor for the group moving forward and has become a unifying theme for groups that become teams.

Ideal For: Decision making, problem solving, pure fun, communication.

$34.95

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Learning Maze, $129.95

A step into the unknown and a fascinating peek into group processes !

Do you have wonderful thinkers but do they buckle under pressure in unforeseen business situations? Do mistakes get swept under the carpet and forgotten? Does your group shy away from risks?

We have all heard the adage “learning through our mistakes”. Teams can now experience it through Learning Maze. Facing unforeseen situations is common in organization but it is important for a team to learn, grow and move ahead from the experience. If you want your team to discover how, then try out Learning Maze.

A glimpse into Learning Maze:

Teams usually have a very good time as they balance their way through the stones. As the name suggests the game literally involves stepping through an array of stones in solving a problem.

The planning processes that each of the teams go through in dealing with the challenge can be fascinating for the facilitator. You will also gauge the manner in which your teams deal with their mistakes and will be able to identify the individuals who discover these mistakes within each team.  

Ideal For: Coaching, communication, group processes.

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Let Go My Ego, $69.95

Spiraling conflict and a gathering storm within the team but finally a strategic solution!

High pressure, stress, conflict and divergent views that reflect the real life work place are simulated in this well thought out and remarkable mind-bender game.

Every team member is an important spoke in the wheel of an organization and wields a significant influence on the group process. In this game, team members will find themselves pitted against each others views. They must work through frustrations and differences of opinion to solve this strategically challenging exercise.

A glimpse into Let Go My Ego:

Participants will be asked to pick a partner and form two parallel lines with the partners facing each other. A bar is placed along the index fingers of the team. The team has to co-ordinate the movement of the bar based on the instructions provided. A solution for this exercise is almost impossible!

While Let Go My Ego is a 'team'- based activity, it also emphasizes the accountability of each individual and their responsibility to communicate well.

Ideal for: communication, problem solving

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Perfect Square, $69.95

The Perfect Square is an easy event that can be very powerful. A blindfolded event represents many of the 'filters' we view the world through. With blindfolds on, communication can be difficult.

Interdependence is clear in this activity and group consensus can be difficult to reach, but very important.

A glimpse into Perfect Square:

Putting the group in a circle, they all reach forward to grab a rope that is laid down in front of them. After putting on their blindfolds, the group must form a perfect square. Once the group feels they have formed the perfect square, they take off the blindfolds to see how close they are. Seemingly easy, this activity is challenging.

Ideal For: Problem solving, trust, critical thinking, pure fun, communication.

Read more about Perfect Square...

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River Crossing

River Crossing requires clear communication as well as the passing of critical information from person to person. This event will show what happens when there are gaps in communication and the resulting frustration will be a source of long dialogue.

The goal of the exercise is to have the entire team involved, demonstrate the power of teamwork and show the interdependence teams have.

You may use many variations of this activity to achieve different outcomes, depending upon what is desired.

This is best outside, but can be run very well indoors with some room.

This is a fun activity that your group will not forget and relates easily back to work.

Ideal For: Coaching, Communication, Problem Solving

$99.95

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Search & Rescue, $99.95

Will your group put all your eggs in one basket or take smaller risks?!

The goal here is to have the entire team involved, demonstrate the power of teamwork and show the interdependence teams have. Each perosn is needed to accomplish the goal and with a tight timeline, easily simulates projects at work.

A glimpse into Search & Rescue:

The group must make fast decisions about how many people to save from various places within a circle in a short amount of time. Remaining outside the circle, the group must guide a plane onto landing platforms inside the circle. The more difficult landing platforms have more people on them so the group must decide quickly whether to try for one large platform or several smaller, but easier platforms.

Ideal For: Coaching, problem solving, critical thinking, communication.

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Supply Chain

The purpose of this exercise is to physically demonstrate the metaphor that every member of a team is an important “link in the chain.”

This event is also a good way to examine individual team member’s sense of value and accountability to their team.

A glimpse into Supply Chain:

Giving each participant a 'link' in the chain, the group must pass marbles from point A to point B through each participant's' link' without touching the marbles. The distance between A and B can be either far, which allows the game to be run equally well inside or out.

Ideal For: Problem solving, critical thinking, communication.

$69.95

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Team Shackles, $79.95

Overcome challenges by ‘unlocking’ the compartments in the mind!

If people in your organization tend to work in isolation or in ‘compartments’, if information sharing or seeking a co-worker’s counsel is non-existent, then you need Team Shackles. Team Shackles can bring about a paradigm shift in attitudes toward fellow workers. The game demonstrates how the whole team can benefit if there is willingness to seek and give help. It will also build confidence within the group and disprove the notion that some things are impossible.

A glimpse into Team Shackles:

This exercise has a simple setup but offers a great challenge. Within each team participants are ‘handcuffed’ to each other. The challenge is not only in each pair untangling the Shackles but in the entire team getting disentangling within a given time limit.

In this game you will notice some stereo-typical behavior among participants. Although the game requires the entire group to untangle, pairs that have managed to un-cuff earlier than others will usually not offer their help to other team members until time is running out or sometimes not even then. It was not in the 'rules'!

The game attempts to correct this behavior and develop a more supportive and helpful attitude among participants.

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Tied In Knots, $79.95

Cultivate the twin skills of decision making and consensus building

Decision-making and consensus building techniques go hand-in-hand. Tied in Knots will facilitate decision making as a group. The challenge in this game is posed by a series of ropes. The exercise is designed with 10 levels of difficulty. Not only will the levels add to the excitement of the challenge but will also help participants discover their own managerial strengths. In the course of finding solutions, participants recognize the best techniques that work for them in-group decision-making. This game will tap into problem solving skills and the ability to reason, critically assess and arrive at a solution.

A glimpse into Tied in Knots:

Participants will be shown a set of independent ropes that have one rope holding them all together. Without disturbing the arrangement, the team has to jointly identify the one rope that is holding the rest together.

As each team moves one step higher on the difficulty levels, this thought-provoking exercise will help the participants discover the best decision making techniques that work for them as a team.

Once a team identifies a good technique to solve the activity, they will have a lot of fun by setting for themselves time limits to arrive at a decision. This process builds the ability for consensus speed within the team. The exercise requires roughly 60 Minutes to cover the decision-making at various difficulty levels.

Read more about Tied In Knots...

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Trust Walk, $99.95

Trust Walk is about leading, following, trusting and communicating.

Many leadership styles emerge during this event. Whatever the experience, the Trust Walk is a powerful learning opportunity.

A glimpse into Trust Walk

After pairing up, each individual takes turns leading the other person through obstacles - we provide 100% safe, but very real, mouse traps and rat traps - and overcoming adversity. While a very simplistic activity, many people find it difficult to trust their partner and find they will 'cheat'.

Because it is so simple, very few people take the time to strategize or find out exactly how far 'X' number of steps is for their partner. This create the scenario for a great lesson in coaching -- we need to communicate with other people the way THEY hear it best, not the way WE hear it best. This is an activity every manager should master before going back to work!

With several variations, you can run this activity with both pairs alone and then all the pairs together at the same time to create a completely different level of communication.

We do not recommend driving a motorized vehicle during this event!

An advanced version of this game is Get It Together!

Ideal For: Trust building, communication, coaching.

Read more about Trust Walk!

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Win Win Win

Collaboration Vs Competition – What should a team’s strategy be?

In this game participants will discover that competitive spirit works only up to a point but it is collaboration that actually builds success. As the game develops, it becomes apparent that working towards a common goal yields far better results. The activity revolves around a profit maximization objective. The game offers lessons in collaboration both within teams as well as across teams.

A glimpse into Win Win Win:

The activity consists of 5 rounds. If you like, the 5 teams could be given names that reflect different departments or functions in your organization. The game works well for intra-departmental collaboration as well as inter- departmental collaboration.

The 5 teams are arranged around a large loop and the exercise requires the participants to collect balls from the central loop as well as from other teams. These balls represent organization profits and the challenge in the exercise is to maximize profits.

In a variation to the game, you can defuse the competition between teams by combining the profits earned across teams in each round. In such a scenario, the teams will have several opportunities over the 5 rounds to improve the overall profits for the organization. This will highlight the benefits of identifying a common goal and collaborating rather than competing to achieve the highest possible score/profit.

  $99.95 More details about exercise...

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