The Ultimate Team Building Guide

There is a lot of information on team building. A lot to cover too. From theories, ideas, and strategies, but do you know what truly lacks all of that advice?

Actionable recommendation.

Not to worry. FOCUS covers that up in this text.

First of all, for all the newbies here (and our dear entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to host their first/new team building) – What is team building?

Team Building Are Tactics That Make One Team “Work”

Every organization is built around teams. The better, and the healthier the team is, the better and healthier your company will be.

Teams dominate the business world of the 21st century. 

Teams can also be described as groups of people that came around for a common purpose/task. 

Following that – Team building is seen as a process, or even tactics and actions you (as an employee) take to turn a group of individuals into a cohesive team.

Through various types of activities, team building successfully enhances social relations and even serves to define roles within teams; especially ones that often involve collaborative tasks.

How do Team Buildings Make teams better

By investing in team-building exercises, activities, and approaches, you can turn them into an efficient, effective team.

That’s why we created this Team Building Guide to provide the knowledge you need to build successful teams.

A team that works together performs and excels. 

So – Is team building really worth the investment?

The answer is a BIG Yes!’

That is why FOCUS gives you a head start, and our tried and true team building planning approaches and practices for developing better communication habits in your working environment.

1. Clear Goals and Responsibilities Get You Far

Clear goals motivate employees and help them see the big picture of your business objectives. Another important aspect of goals is to make them attainable. 

To ensure that everyone is on the same page and understands each other’s contribution well, carry out a small exercise:

• Ask each person to write their responsibilities according to their priorities
• ask them to write the top responsibilities of different team members
• Let your team members compare each other’s notes 
• Review their notes and conclude by creating a chart that depicts each team member’s roles and responsibilities.

This little exercise will enable everyone to understand each other’s contributions better. 

2. Think About Implementing Daily Activities

You can have team-building exercises daily, and with close to no costs. A few team building activities that you can try are as simple as playing the following games:

• Two Truths and a Lie – a fun 10 to 15 minutes icebreaker game, and a creative way of bringing coworkers who have not directly worked with each other.
• The Egg Drop Challenge – See how teams work together to protect a higher cause.
• Show and Tell – Let each team member get one minute to show and talk about something they own, do, or considered important/passionate to them.

3. Team Outings

Offsite retreats can be an amazing way for team building. While it involves more cost, it can also offer more time and space for teams that don’t work together to bond with each other. 

Volunteering, Escape room, etc. are all activities that help employees perceive their strengths and open communication as a team.

4. Be Vigilant About Team Selections

A smart way to select your team is to bring people who have similar traits together. For example, at FOCUS we help groups and individuals understand more about each other by learning more about the aspects of their personalities that can result in gelling up or clashing with each other.

5. Do Not Forget The Remote Company

There is no doubt at all that remote work is on a sharp rise across the world. Some predictions say that by 2025, remote working will completely coexist with office locations, creating an already significant “hybrid workforce”.

We’ve written quite a few articles on that, be sure to check them out:

Five Trends We Can Expect to See in Hybrid Workspaces

A Guide to Hiring and Managing Remote Teams

The Coworking Evolution In Times of Crisis

Now, for many (especially smaller) organizations, remote workers bring up a unique challenge: how do you build a cohesive team if your team members aren’t in the same office?

Well, we have a few answers that can help get you on the right track…

Virtual Team Building Activities

Remote team building is much different than in-office team building. When your team is never in the same room together, you have to take a different approach to build your company culture.

Virtual activities are a great way to keep your remote teams engaged and learn more about each other. You can use “ice breaker games” to introduce new hires to teammates in a fun way to make them feel comfortable.

You can even host a virtual lunch hour where everyone can log in and savor their meals together. For your colleagues living out the pandemic by themselves, it’s a good way to make them feel they’re not alone, and support everyone’s life-work balance.

6. Make Sure You Keep Regular Check-ins

Schedule a team check-in at the start of every new week. Share experiences on how life is at home and what’s keeping everyone busy once work is done for the day.

Let’s wrap it up…

Over the past decade, new collaborative tools, technologies and coworking spaces have changed how we think about employees and team-building activities. 

Worldwide, there was a nearly 2500% increase in interest in online and virtual team building activities during the quarantine.

FOCUS coworking spaces can help you and your teams forge stronger connections by enabling people to conduct team-building activities, and games and feel more productive in a curated working environment.

Hope you find this team building guide helpful to point out the most important aspect of it. This guide should give you the direction you need to start your team building process.

Just focus on your team. Their communication. Emphasize collaboration and – use the right tools. 

Try some of our modern coworking spaces to address any gaps in your team’s cohesion, and you’ll build a strong team. We hope to hear from you soon.