High energy team building activities don’t have to include aerobics, white water rafting or other sometimes challenging physical activities. Although those can be fun and productive, they’re not necessary for an engaging, energized team program.
To create the energy that leads to a successful team building event you’ll want to include challenge, buy-in from participants, authenticity and success. These attributes all contribute to a great program – and a great team program contributes to increased employee engagement.
The problem is that it’s not easy to find authentic team programs that will appeal to you and your workforce. There’s lots of well-worn formulas that people are tired of. There are too many uncomfortable forced bonding experiences that can drain the energy right out of a room.
A team building program that generates energy will pay dividends beyond the event itself. This is worth doing. And it’s worth taking a bit of time to find a program that fits your team. Let’s consider the basic elements and traits you should be looking for in a program that won’t put you to sleep!
Elements of high energy team building activities
If you find yourself saying, “Hey, I put energy into that trust fall and all I got was a sore butt from getting dropped.” I hear you. I have been through plenty of bad team building experiences myself. I’ve seen it all in the team building space and a lot of it’s not good.
To find a program that will help your team exude energy, boost motivation and generate excitement, consider these elements as in integral part to every program.
- Communication – A high energy team building activity will offer your employees the chance to communicate with each other. This could look like sharing ideas, solving clues, or even giving direction to one another. If you don’t see the potential for your team members to communicate between themselves and the facilitator, then the event may not represent much of an energy buy-in. Get the communication flowing during your event and you will find the lines of communication renewed within your team afterwards.
- Collaboration – Give your team the chance to work together on a project during the event. You don’t want team building where there’s a ton of passive listening or siloed individual work. Ideally, there should be space for each team member to contribute and collaborate. Everyone should be able to give input and work together to solve a problem and achieve a goal. This collaborative energy will flow back into your work culture and create a safe space for new ideas to blossom and grow.
- Shared Goals – Is your team working together towards a shared goal during the event? If there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, your team might not have any incentive to contribute their talents and energy. Make sure you’ll be accomplishing something together during your event.
- Push the comfort zone – Growth most often occurs outside of our comfort zone. That’s why it’s important to push the boundaries of that comfort zone just a little bit with any team building activity. The zing of excitement that comes from stepping outside your day-to-day norm is foundational to all high energy team building activities. Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting taking the whole office skydiving. But it’s wise to push it a little bit!
- Movement – Is there some opportunity for movement during your chosen event? Whether it’s simply getting a chance to stand up out of your seats and clap, move around a room to solve clues, or even make music, movement helps add energy and beats boredom. And most of us sit too much during our normal work week.
Programs To Energize Your Team
Here are specific program ideas that should fit your goals of delivering an engaging, high energy team building activity.
1) Escape game – Escape challenges have been a bit overdone lately, but there’s good reason for it. The activities are challenging. They’re accessible and will keep your energy level up as you work together to solve a series of clues to get out of the room you’re in. Themes range from a James Bond casino experience to zombie apocalypse to Sherlock Holmes and more. Communication and collaboration will abound as your group moves around the room together to solve clues. In fact if you don’t collaborate, you won’t make it out successfully!
2) White water rafting – If you have an adventurous group on your hands and your location or travel budget allows for it, try white water rafting. Leave the comfort zone on dry land and get ready to take on some serious currents. Your group will have to communicate and collaborate to keep the boat afloat and make it through the obstacles that lie ahead on the river. The shared goal will be making it to the other side of the rapids in one piece! There’s lots of opportunity for physical engagement here, not to mention the bonding that takes place during this formidable group challenge. You’ll walk away with a priceless shared experience that will be sure to bring a new connective energy back to your office.
3) Team Building Energizers With Music – You know that feeling you get at a concert? You’re inspired, you’re moving with the beat and you’re focused on the present moment. Add it all up and it really feels good. Think of concerts you’ve attended with friends, lovers or even your children. You’ll probably be thinking about the bonds you formed with the people you were with. Music just does that! Now imagine if you could harness the power of music to create your own company song. Collaboration, creation and live performance will bring your team to a new level. This is high energy team building at it’s best. Yes, this is what my company does. But our track record speaks for itself, so check out our team building energizers as an option for your workforce.
Great Team Building Should = Energy
Communicate, collaborate, push your comfort zone and move. Make sure your team program has these attributes. Imagine the pay off down the line when your entire group comes out of a program with that certain something, that energy high buzz. It will pay off back at the office. So don’t hit the snooze button, get on it.
- Here are 4 more examples of rocking team building.