May 28, 2019 05:31 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

Humans are social beings, they like to spend time in the presence of others, to interact and exchange opinions, to discuss and spend their time leisurely. That is no different for company employees and the way they interact with one another.

Therefore, companies have to take into account team building activities in order to be successful and have their productivity increased. Not only will the employees' work performance increase, but their morale and efficiency will improve as well.

Importance and benefits

At first sight, one may question the importance of team building activities, but there are several reasons why it is essential.

• Teamwork and communication

There is nothing more pleasant to watch than a team working in synchronicity to achieve their goal, and team building activities not only facilitate teamwork, but they also strengthen communication and cooperation. With the team learning how to work together, learning each other's strong and weak points, unity and collaboration can be successfully achieved.

• Leadership and responsibility

Team members will be able to show or discover their leadership skills, putting them to good use. If one does not have these skills, it will be a great opportunity to learn from the others what it means to be a leader.

• Bonding, trust, and entertainment

Teamwork relies tightly on bonds and their strength among team members. The stronger the bond is, the stronger the team. Moreover, with strong bonds comes a strong sense of trust. To be able to trust your team members, to be sure they have your back in need, is an essential thing for a team. Plus, while your bonds strengthen and your trust in each other deepens, fun comes along the way. A team does not always need to be serious and somber, fun times are a requirement in order to achieve success as well.  

• Confidence and respect

Each and every team member has to be aware of his or her position and value. Everyone can contribute in a way or another to the team, therefore everyone should have confidence in their skills. In addition, you not only gain respect for your co-workers but also respect for the company you work for.

• Morale boost and results

A positive mood and enthusiastic atmosphere in the workspace is essential for everyone. Problems are easier to resolve when the mood is positive, when everyone cooperates and when there are no negative feelings involved. A helpful attitude, instead of a negative one, can work wonders when results are shown as well. When the team morale is good, the results are on the plus side and vice-versa as well. Therefore, harmony at work is quite beneficial.

• Creativity

When alone you tend to follow orders, and rarely, come up with something interesting, new, and creative. Thus, while working in a team, it is best to let your creativity flow. You never know when your idea might be the best solution to a problem, and fresh, new ideas are always welcomed.

• New cultures, more diversity

In a team, there might be people from different cultures, with different habits, visions, and values. This is quite beneficial, as it is always a plus to learn something new, not to mention extremely interesting. To find out something new about a culture is always delightful and refreshing. More cultures brought together, means more diversity, and therefore more ideas. You never know when you can learn from your team member so be open-minded!

• Risk-taking and barriers

Risks might seem a bit too much for many, as people tend, as they advance in age, to be more conservative, happy to stay in their daily routines. However, taking risks has its own benefits. It not only forces you to face your fears, but it forces you to grow and improve yourself, to bring down those self-created barriers and step forward.

Doing so as a team adds that certain safety which you might not have when you decide to risk alone. Risking as a team means that you will not be the only one that loses, but everyone will be put in the same situation. Therefore, you will not only be more attentive with your tasks, as you do not want the whole team to suffer, but you will have the confidence to achieve your goal thanks to your co-worker's support as well.

Possible activities

Now that you know how important team building activities are, you might wonder what those activities are. The limit is your imagination, as any kind of fun, entertaining or productive activity will boost your employees' performance.

Depending on where you want to do the activities, they can be divided into indoor and outdoor. As indoor activities take place inside the building, they tend to have a serious air around them. Usually, they can be done during work hours, or, sometimes, on weekends. However, indoor activities can be done in other surroundings, like the arcades, where you are all together but in a different setting that the office. Outdoor activities are more entertaining and less serious than the indoors ones. But both types have the same goal: improve trust and collaboration skills among team members.

Hit the arcades

A setting that is sure to bring out the inner child in everyone is the arcade, a spot where you find activities and games fun for everyone, from video games, coin-operated billiards, electro-mechanical games, air hockey tables, to pinball machines. These are the spots we all used to frequent as children and they are just as fun for grownups as they are for the small ones.

What the arcades have to offer

There's an activity to suit each individual's taste here and, as aforementioned, there's a long list of activities put at your disposal, so everyone is sure to leave pleased and with tons of fun memories. Let's have a look and see what the most popular activities offered by the amusement arcades are:

• Pinball: It might be a single-player game, but it's sure to awaken that sense of competition between colleagues as those who take it up will compare scores and do their best to be the ones on top to impress the others. A game where you have to manipulate one or more steel balls to score as many points as possible, the coin-operated version which is found in amusement arcades has been around since 1931 and hasn't dropped in popularity since.

• Air hockey: Easy to learn and tons of fun, air hockey is a must if you choose this venue for your team building outing. Rent enough air hockey tables for everyone to be involved in the fun, and competition between colleagues to win is sure to spark some funny moments that result in bonding and unwinding. There's the added benefit that it qualifies as a physical activity as players have to move their arms at a fast speed to score points, which means that those who don't usually lead the most active lifestyle will have to move their bodies entirely to win at this game.

• Video games: Insert a coin or token in the machine that plays the game you like, and you won't even notice the time fly by. Variety is a given with video games here too, which is another plus as groups can be formed depending on what games people find to be most entertaining, comparing scores and competing with each other to see who's name will sit at the top when the "mini-tournament" ends.

Rules to get familiarized with beforehand

Chances are that everyone has hit the arcades at least once, but this doesn't mean that all of your employees will be familiarized with the rules of the games and activities here. To avoid wasting time during your team building outing on explaining the rules, you should have a small "presentation" where you talk about the activities they can participate in and what to expect when taking each of them up.

You can use the online environment for help too if you want to take a more modern approach and have an easier time explaining everything. For example, at PopularReviews you can find guidelines to playing air hockey and other info that employees who haven't taken it up yet will findair  useful. The same goes for the various video games at the location as these are consecrated games on which the internet delivers more than enough details regarding play. Whatever you do, don't overlook this step as it helps save time and prevent frustrations amongst those who don't like losing because they don't know how to play right. After all, you are there to have fun, not get upset.

Indoor activities examples

• 'Movie Makers'

It ensures team creativity, as the members will have to decide on different roles, themes, and positions. Who will be the director? The main actors? What will the movie be about? Let your creativity flow and the fun will follow. You might be surprised how skilled some of your co-workers are. Maybe some excel at acting, while others are good at singing. Bring a camera for filming, a karaoke machine for the soundtracks, and some papers for the script. Everyone has their strengths and while being put together in such a fun and entertaining way, the cooperation is certain to improve.

• 'Solution Finder'

Boost analytical thinking while doing something useful at the same time. Split the 'players' into teams. Each team has to come up with a problem - real or not - while the other teams have to come up with the solution to it. You will be surprised to see how an apparently, complicated problem, might have an easy answer. More minds, more solutions, and increased cooperation.

• 'True or False'

Nothing beats a co-worker's observational skills when it comes to the work environment. Do you know your teammates? Find out with the True or False mini-game. Each participant has to tell three things about him or her, two being true while one, a lie. The other participants have to figure out which one is the lie.    

• 'Office Trivia'

Do you know as much as you think about offices? Test your knowledge with office trivia. Match the pictures with the right people and see if you can score your team some points. Easy and fun, a great group activity.

Outdoor activities examples

• 'Athletic Words'

A fun way to communicate, it improves versatility in exchanging information and ideas. Split the members into teams. One person from each team has to think of a word. He or she has to spell the word, using his or her body to form and shape the letters. It improves not only communication but also physical endurance.

• 'Easy Ride'

Have you ever wished you could build up something from scratch, but you never had the chance to do so? Now it is time for your dream to come true! While working as a team, come up with an original design to make a cart. Choose your pieces correctly, design it to work and race the other teams to the finish line in your new, speeding- cart!

• 'Through the Jungle'

You enjoy spending time in nature and trekking? Then, this particular activity will be to your liking. While going through a series of obstacles, you and your teammates will race the others to the goal. Wall-climbing, zip-lining, and speed testing will be only a few obstacles you will encounter along the way. Choose your members carefully and savor the victory flavor!

• 'Find me!'

If you are good at orientation and your finding-skills are top notch, then you will definitely enjoy this activity. While only having a few clues, a map, and a compass, you and your team will have to work together to find one lost teammate. Try to read nature and the signs left by your lost teammate. You have only so much time to find him or her before nightfall when the campfire starts. Sure to bring your adventurous side to the surface as collaboration and team-work are a must in this activity.

All in all, regardless of where you find yourself, indoor or outdoor, team building activities are always fun and enjoyable, offering you the possibility to find out more about your colleagues, ensuring a better work environment, atmosphere, and mood. 

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