Buckets & Balls

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January 29, 2021 in Games

Buckets & Balls

This game is picked right from your favorite old-school game shows. Teams compete against each other to move balls from one bucket to another…without using their hands or arms.

This limitation and the timed nature of the game creates a lot of opportunities for fun mishaps. Plus, to win, players will have to work together as a team and delegate responsibilities.

Number of participants: 8-24 people

Duration: 20 minutes

Objective: Learn teamwork, task management and leadership

How to play

1. Set up your field of play. Use masking tape, chalk or cones to create separate “Start” and “Finish” lines about 10-12 feet apart. Place buckets for each team at either end of these start/finish lines. Fill the buckets behind the finish line with tennis balls.

2. Divide players into equally-sized teams. Each team must choose a “handler”. Handlers are the only people who can touch the balls with their hands.

3. Ask the teams to take their place behind the start line. Handlers must stay behind the start line at all times. Team members must retrieve balls from the finish line bucket and get them to their team’s handler without using their hands or arms.

4. The handler can then drop the balls into the team’s empty bucket. If anyone apart from the handler touches the ball, he/she is immediately disqualified and must leave the field.

5. Start the game with a 5-minute time limit. All teams play at the same time (which creates additional chaos and makes communication even more important). Team members have to work with each other to somehow pick up balls from one bucket and get them to their handlers.

6. The team that has the most balls at the end of 5 minutes wins.

Strategy

The “no hands, no arms” rule makes this simple game much more difficult and emphasizes the need for teamwork. The introduction of handlers also forces teams to delegate authority.

January 29, 2021 in Games

Hole in Many

Another simple, fun game that gets the entire team involved in something physical. Essentially, the team has to balance a tennis ball on a tarpaulin with holes cut into it randomly.

Being good at this game requires the entire team to coordinate and work together.

Number of participants: 8-24 people

Duration: 30 minutes

Objective: Learn teamwork

How to play

1. Grab a piece of tarpaulin and a few tennis balls. Cut a hole randomly into the tarp.

2. Divide the group into equally sized teams of 4-8 people.

3. Ask each team to hold the tarp stretched out between them.

4. Drop a ball onto the tarp. The team has to hold the tarp as long as possible without the tennis falling through the hole.

5. The team that holds the tarp for the longest time wins.

6. If a single hole is too easy, cut more holes into the tarp. You can also grab additional tarps and get all teams to do this activity at the same time, timing their performance along the way.

Strategy

While there is something to learn from this team building activity – physical and verbal cooperation – it’s best suited for getting people involved at the start of an event. It’s fun for everyone and simple enough that anyone can play it, regardless of age or fitness level.

January 29, 2021 in Games

Body of Words

This is a simple, fun game that gets everyone involved physically. The goal is for your team to create letters and words with their bodies alone. It’s a great way to get people to loosen up and have fun at a team retreat.

Number of participants: 8-24 people

Duration: 30 minutes

Objective: Learn planning, creative thinking and cooperation

How to play

1. Find a wide open area without any obstacles.

2. Divide participants into teams of 4-8 people. Each team chooses one team leader.

3. Write down a bunch of words with the one letter less than as the number of people in each team (i.e. if there are 5 people per team, pick words like “book”, “cats”, etc.) on index cards.

4. Pick a word at random. Each team then has to make the word with their bodies alone. Each team member can contort his/her shape to form a letter, which can then form words. The team leaders can direct their teams.

5. Set a time limit of 5-7 minute for each word.

6. The team that makes the word the fastest wins.

7. In each round, ask the team to choose a different leader.

Strategy

One of the challenges of organizing team retreats is getting people to loosen up. A physical activity that engages the entire team is a good way to get people to relax. Picking a leader and collaborating to create different letters also helps build leadership, planning and cooperation.

January 29, 2021 in Games

Blind draw

This activity is similar to back-to-back drawing, except that it focuses on teams instead of individuals. The goal is the same: draw an object using only verbal instructions. Teamwork and communication are vital to be good at this game.

Number of participants: 6-20 people

Duration: 30-45 minutes

Objective: Focus on teamwork and communication skills in a group setting

How to play

1. Get a flipchart, markers and a bunch of everyday objects (such as a lampshade, bicycle, etc.). Alternatively, print pictures of objects. This game works best with more unobvious objects (say, a trampoline vs a coin).

2. Divide all participants into teams of 4-6 people.

3. Ask each team to pick one person to be the “artist”. Ask the artist to take his place next to the flipchart.

4. Face the team away from the flipchart and give them an object from your pile.

5. The team will then instruct its artist on how to draw the object based on verbal instructions alone. They can describe the object but not state its name. The artist can’t see the object at any time, nor can the team see what the artist is drawing. Each team gets 3 minutes for a drawing.

6. The team whose drawing comes closest to the actual object wins.

Strategy

To be good at this game, teams have to a) delegate effectively (i.e. pick the right artist), and b) communicate well (within the team as well as between the team and artist). In your evaluation, focus on how teams chose their artists and whether they were able to pick a team leader for relaying instructions (if yes, then how).

January 29, 2021 in Games

Back-to-Back Drawing

This fast, fun activity is a quick take on Pictionary. You can do it outdoors or indoors, though the physical nature of this activity makes it more suitable for relaxed outdoors environments. Use it as an interlude between longer activities or at the very start of the event to get people in a relaxed state.

Number of participants: 6-20 people

Duration: 30 minutes

Objective: Improve communication skills

How to play

1. Head to your favorite stock photography site and print a number of vector shapes on separate sheets of paper. These can be shapes of signs, objects, or even abstract shapes. Think “Statue of Liberty”, “Formula 1 car”, etc.

2. Divide participants into teams of two people each. Make them sit back-to-back.

3. Team Member A gets a pen and a sheet of paper. Team Member B is given one of the printed shapes.

4. The objective of the game is for the Team Member A to draw the shape using only verbal instructions from Team Member B. B cannot state what the object is; he/she can only describe its uses or give instructions on how to draw it.

5. Give each team 2 minutes to draw the shape.

6. Teams that get the most shapes right win.

Strategy

This game focuses on communication skills – giving and listening to instructions. At the end of each game, evaluate what went wrong, what went right while communicating. This is not only great for getting people involved, but it can also highlight flaws in how your team members communicate verbally.

January 28, 2021 in Games

Truth and Lies

A simple game to get people to open up. Teams gather together in an intimate environment. Each team member says three truths and one lie about himself. Team members have to guess the lie out of the four statements.

Number of participants: 4-16

Duration: 30 minutes

Objective: Break the ice and get people involved

How to play

1. Ask the players to sit in a circle.

2. Each player has to think up three truths and one lie about himself.

3. Each player then gets up in the center of the circle and says four statements about himself (three truths, one lie).

4. The rest of the group has to guess which of the statements is a truth, which one is a lie.

5. The process repeats for all other players.

Strategy

There is no competitive element to this game. Instead, it’s designed to get people to open up and get to know each other better. The opportunity to lie can also get some hilariously outrageous statements from players, which further improves the group’s mood.

January 28, 2021 in Games

Odd Couples

On any team, you’ll have people with different personalities. But sometimes, these different personalities actually have things in common. Getting these team members to appreciate their differences and similarities can improve team bonding.

Number of participants: 6-20 people

Duration: 45-60 minutes

Objective: Improve team bonding and communication skills

How to play

1. Create a list of odd pairs of objects that, for some reason, go well together. Like “Peanut butter & jelly”, “chocolate & coffee”, “salt & pepper”, etc.

2. Write down the names of objects from each pair on separate sheets of paper.

3. Tape a sheet of paper to a participant’s back. Do this for all participants. Try to tape opposing pairs on people with opposing personalities, though this is isn’t necessary.

4. Ask participants to mingle with the group. Their objective is to figure out what’s written on their backs. The trick is: they can only ask yes/no questions (“Do I add flavor to food? Do I make the food spicy?”).

5. Once participants figure out what’s written on their backs, they have to find the other half of their pair.

6. After they’ve found their pairs, participants have to find three things they share in common with their opposing pair.

Strategy

In any team building event, one of your biggest challenges is bringing different people together. An exercise like this can give participants a reason to sit down and share experiences with people they might not mingle with otherwise. The focus on yes/no questions also improves communication skills.

January 28, 2021 in Games

Silver Lining

Recollecting memories is a good way to get team members to bond with each other. But not everyone on a team will have the same perspectives of a memory, especially if it’s a negative one. Pointing out the silver linings in a negative memory can help shift perspectives, improve morale and help people see things from their team members’ perspectives

Number of participants: 4-12 people, divided into teams of at least 2 people

Duration: 30-60 minutes

Objective: Reframe experiences and shift perspectives

How to play

1. Divide the participants into teams of two or more people who’ve had a shared work experience (such as working on a project together).

2. Ask Team Member A to share a negative experience they had working together with the rest of the group.

3. Team Member B then shares the same experience but focuses on the positive aspects of the experience, aka the “silver lining”.

4. Team Member B then shares his/her own negative experience, and Team Member A shares the positive aspects of it from his/her perspective.

Strategy

A “negative” experience is seldom exactly that. Often, it’s a matter of perspective. By sharing a negative experience, then reframing it in a positive light, you can shift perspectives. Sharing experiences also promotes team bonding and helps build deeper relationships.

January 28, 2021 in Games

Office Trivia

Sometimes, you need a quick activity to break the ice and get people involved in an event. Asking relevant “trivia” questions about your workplace works well in such situations. This game doesn’t require any equipment or significant preparation. It can also be held indoors or outdoors, with small teams or large teams, making it a flexible option for team building.

Number of participants: Any

Duration: 30-60 minutes

Objective: Get people engaged and improve team bonding

How to play

1. Come up with a list of trivia questions related to your place of work. Questions like “What does the poster in the cafeteria say?”, “How many people named ‘John’ work in the IT department?”, “How many people work in the accounting department?”, etc.

2. Write all questions and their answers on index cards.

3. Ask questions to the whole group and solicit answers out loud.

4. The participant who gets the most answers right wins at the end.

Optional: To make it more competitive, consider dividing participants into teams and adding ‘buzzers’ for each question.

Strategy

Your workplace is the one thing common to all members of the team. The objects and people in your office tie your team together. A game like this is not only fun and easy to run, but also highlights the things common to everyone in the room, improving team bonding.

January 28, 2021 in Games

Radio Play

Making movies is fun, but what if some team members are shy and would rather not appear on camera? Or if you don’t have the equipment or the expertise to make and edit movies?

In such situations, you have an alternative – creating a radio play.

This evergreen format offers a way for teams to work together and express their creativity without the hassle of working with film equipment. It also supports smaller teams and can be done in smaller rooms.

Number of participants: Any

Duration: Up to to 2 hours. Keep it shorter if you want time management to be a learning outcome.

Objective: Promote creativity, teamwork, collaboration and time management.

How to play

1. Procure the equipment – notebooks, pens, markers, flip chart papers, microphones, and props for making different sound effects.

2. Divide participants into equally sized teams of 3-12 people.

3. Set up a theme or let teams choose their own.

4. Give teams 60 minutes to plan and write the play, 15-20 minutes to perform it. Since the play is for radio, it’s audio only.

5. Strategy each play and award the best-reviewed play a prize.

Strategy

The radio play is a much more approachable creative format than making movies or actual plays. Since it only requires voice acting, people are generally more willing to participate. At the same time, putting together a successful radio play requires collaboration, teamwork and lots of creative thinking.