Library of teambuilding games & icebreakers

Instructions:

1. Divide participants into teams of 4-6 with puzzles and workspace.
2. Teams solve the puzzle within a specified time, demonstrating leadership skills.
3. Assign the role of ‘team leader’ and allow them to oversee progress.
4. Set a time limit for completion, emphasizing collaboration and effective communication.
5. Debrief and discuss team approaches, leadership qualities, challenges, and strategies.
6. Reflect on individual and collective leadership skills, share insights and lessons.

This game is no ordinary puzzle-solving extravaganza. It challenges teams to collaborate, communicate, and showcase their leadership prowess. By assigning team leaders, setting time limits, and emphasizing effective problem-solving, this game hones their ability to guide and bring out the best in your team. So grab your puzzle pieces and get ready to unlock your team’s inner leadership maestro in a fun and engaging way.

How to play Rock-paper-scissors challenge

Who didn’t play this game as a kid? Give this energizing grown-up version a try. People should play against each other in pairs until the first win. For added fun, have the people who become eliminated in each round stand in a cheering section for their favorite in the next round. Repeat the process until there are only two players, each with a large fan base. Since this game will get loud, it’s best to play outside in a large, open space. It’s a favorite because it requires no supplies and very little preparation, and gets everyone excited right away.

Get ready for a real-life puzzle adventure that could lead anywhere. In the Mystery Destination Chase, your team will follow a trail of clues to an unknown final stop. The catch? You'll need to put your heads together, strategize, and make decisions as a team to crack the code. This game isn't just about reaching the destination; it's about the thrill of unraveling a mystery together. With excitement building at each clue, you'll experience the joy of teamwork, the rush of discovery, and the satisfaction of navigating the unknown side by side.

Instructions

• Assemble teams with diverse skill sets for balanced gameplay.
• Kick off the chase with the first clue to ignite excitement.
• Decode each clue to pinpoint the location of successive checkpoints.
• Collaborate on decision-making to interpret clues accurately.
• Build anticipation by unveiling the final surprise destination and celebrate as a unified team.

Going back to the schoolyard days. This exercise is playful and gets people moving and communicating non-verbally.

How to play:

‍People start walking slowly around the yard or where the game takes place. A person in the crowd is designated to start moving, and the rest must follow suit. They let people meander for a while and then shout “freeze” randomly. A designated person in the group starts walking again, and other players follow suit; players that are last to move to leave the game.

The last person standing is the winner.

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and enough space

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)

How to implement insights (following event)

If you want to go beyond recall, have each person describe how they will implement what they learned in their daily lives and tasks. Hearing important concepts is one thing; knowing how you can practically apply them is something else!

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Here’s an improv game for team collaboration that focuses on creativity, attention to detail, and enhancing the connection between colleagues.

How to play Mirrors

As the name suggests, it asks pairs of workmates to team up, face each other, and to imagine they have a double-sided mirror between them. In essence, they pretend the colleague opposite them is their mirror image.

One of them then takes the lead by initiating movements of some sort. They can do anything they want! Raising their hand, bending forwards, crouching down, jumping on the spot…It doesn’t matter. All they have to do is move slowly and in silence.

The other person’s task is to mirror those actions and gestures.

So, if their partner lifts their left hand to the sky, they’d lift their right hand (remember, it’s a mirror image!). And if their partner starts doing star jumps and pretending they’re a 70s aerobics instructor, then they have to do the same!

Be sure to mix things up by changing roles and partners every few minutes. Oh, and try to make the movements more complex, intense, and/or bizarre as time goes by. At the end of the task, you’ll feel energized, positive, and aligned as a team.

‍Lightening scavenger hunts are a tried and true favourite for company team building events. The game can be played by both small and large groups using your favourite video chat software. This game gets your team moving and energized for the remainder of the meeting.

How to play Lightening scavenger hunt

Before starting the game, you’ll need to prepare a list of items that your team will need to find in their homes. The items can be completely random, or you can pick a theme such as “items beginning with the letter ‘R’” or “items that are blue.” For an additional incentive, you can offer prizes for the fastest people to return with the objects.

This or That questions force your employees to choose between two equally appealing or unappealing scenarios. As each player explains their choice, you’ll gain insight into their values, moral code and priorities.

Great for: Communication, decision-making

Duration: 10 minutes

Players: 6+

You’ll need: Nothing

How to play This or That

Setup: Start by compiling a list of This or That questions that you can ask your employees.

To play: Playing the game is very simple. After hearing the question, players must vote for which option they would prefer. The questions could be serious, funny, thought-provoking or silly—it doesn’t matter, as long as they force the players to think. The best questions split the crowd and cause a debate.

How to play Top ten things

In this quick and easy exercise, you simply go around the (virtual) room and have everyone list the first ten words that come to mind based on a prompt. You can pick really straightforward subjects or get more creative. For example, if the topic is “Top vacation destinations”, have each person list their top ten places they’d like to visit. Or, maybe you ask for top ten names for a new puppy, or the ten worst date night destinations.

Focus your teams into an agile mindset with a game of Iteration Auction. The game moves quickly and helps employees to prioritize, negotiate, and adapt quickly, which are all core staples of agile methodology.

Set up:

Give each player a set amount of “iteration dollars” to spend on actions (tasks, improvements or project features) on a shared board. These actions will apply to a basic project you give them, such as delivering a product to a certain market. Assign each action a cost based on its complexity or value (how much you think it will help their project). Let them bid, apply the action and review after each round, letting them bid again in the second round. These are the “project updates.” By bidding on tasks, team members are getting used to weighing impact and urgency in iterations, much like in real agile sprints.

How to play What do we have in common?

In large organizations, it can be hard to encourage interaction. Use this exercise to improve relations whether in person or in virtual meetings. The moderator should simply ask the group to come up with 5 or 10 things they all have in common. This could be a favorite pizza flavor or Starbucks order, or the ability to speak another language. Colleagues will have to have an extensive dialog to learn about each other and come up with these commonalities, which can be really beneficial for relationship-building.

How to play Suddenly” story

This is a fun game that brings out lots of creativity and improves communication. Have your team sit in a circle and instruct everyone that they will get to share 3 sentences only. Choose a person to start, and they’ll share their 3 sentences. Once finished, they should say “suddenly!” and then the next person in the circle takes their turn.

This cycle continues until you reach the last person in the group, who should conclude the story. For a twist, you can have people make up a completely fictional story, or include real-world information to form a realistic narrative. This makes it amusing but also helps with overall story-telling, which is a key part of effective marketing

How to play Ping Pong Tournament

As open office plans became more popular, more companies started setting up breakout rooms where employees could decompress by grabbing a coffee or playing ping pong. If you already have a ping pong table in the office, this is an ideal game to add to the Office Olympic games—a ping pong competition works well with individual players and teams.

While there is the classic two-person setup for table tennis, there are numerous games, like playing with two balls at a time or a group game that gets smaller as people must step out if they miss their turn to hit the ball.

How to play Movie elevator pitch

You may have heard of an “elevator pitch”, where people have a brief summary prepared in advance about what they do, or what their company does. This is an important skill for everyone to have for networking and connecting with other professionals. This game helps workers to practice these skills and get a little creative in the process.

Start by choosing a movie and then asking employees to create a short elevator pitch regarding something present in the movie. For example, they might want to create a pitch based on Batman’s mask or an engagement ring from your favorite rom-com. See how everyone incorporates innovative marketing strategies and descriptions into their elevator pitches.

How to play Turn back time

Turn Back Time" is a heartwarming activity that brings people together through sharing personal memories. It taps into the positive things people remember from the past, sparking nostalgia and curiosity among the listeners.

This is a great way to boost team building without materials, as participants need only their memories. Why is it a hit at corporate events? Well, we spend so much time in the office, but how often do we really get to know our coworkers beyond the water cooler chat?

So, if you're looking to sprinkle a little fun and nostalgia into your next corporate shindig, "Turn Back Time" is your golden ticket. As you uncover the beautiful tapestry of memories that make your team tick, get ready to laugh and reminisce.

Our final minute-to-win-it cup game is a hilarious way to round off the list. It also takes a steady hand and a surprising amount of patience! You’ll need a few rolls of toilet paper, some cups and refillable water. Here’s how to play:

Set-up:

1. Prepare your contestants: Each player should be given 1 roll of toilet tissue. At the end of a long table, place one cup per contestant. Fill the cups up (it shouldn’t be too heavy, as the paper will rip). Under the filled cups, place the end of the toilet tissue roll, and let the toilet tissue unravel all the way to the other end of the table.

2. Wind the cup towards you: On your mark, each player then carefully rerolls the toilet tissue, slowly dragging the filled cup toward them. Things can get really fun when a player is losing halfway through the race. They start to panic and speed up the rolling process. This often causes a bit of spillage, tearing the paper. When that happens, they need to clear up and reset their roll.

This super simple game is a barrel of laughs, so try it out with your teams today. It’ll bring team members closer together and keep everyone on a roll!

Instructions:

1. Share inspiring leadership quotes and allow people to individually reflect on their meaning.
2. Make sure you are the one to lead a lively group discussion around the quotes and their relevance to leadership.
3. Encourage people to share personal experiences related to the themes expressed in the quotes.
4. Foster an inclusive environment for exploring different perspectives and insights.
5. Summarize key takeaways and encourage people to apply the wisdom gained to their leadership journey.
6. Provide resources for further exploration of leadership quotes and their authors.

Who says leadership can't be profound and thought-provoking? This game sparks intellectual conversations and encourages your team to explore different perspectives. By diving into the wisdom of great minds, they'll gain new insights, expand their horizons, and ignite their leadership spark.

Rev up your office adventure with the Desk Dash Dash, a high-energy escapade through the corridors of cubicles and the realms of workstations. Teams must maneuver through a maze of office furniture, execute synchronized chair spins, and complete paperclip toss challenges. The twist? Team members can only use office supplies to communicate and navigate. The rush is on, and the winner takes the title of the ultimate Desk Dash Dash champion!

Instructions

• Form teams with a mix of skills.
• Create a course with obstacles through the office space.
• Teams navigate the course, completing challenges at each station.
• Use only office supplies for communication during the challenge.
• The first team to complete the course wins.

How to play Social media shoutout

A social media shoutout on internal workplace channels and public ones (as long as the person getting appreciation is okay with that!) in the workplace is a great way to show gratitude and appreciation for your employees.

A shoutout is a simple yet effective way to boost morale and strengthen the sense of community within your workplace. Make sure when doing a shoutout you are prioritizing using a gratitude-focused message that shows appreciation. This message highlights specific achievements, projects, or team efforts that the company is grateful for. Encourage Engagement with team members and customers if applicable, but always ensure dialogue remains professional.

By publicly acknowledging hard work and dedication in the form of gratitude, organizations can foster a positive and collaborative work environment.

Team-building doesn’t only need to be about silly games. Sometimes, you strengthen your team while contributing something valuable to your local community.

Great for: Company culture, company perception, job satisfaction

Duration: 2–3 hours

You’ll need: N/A

How to start:

• Consult your team about the type of community service they’d like to get involved with. It could be anything from a beach cleanup to helping out at an animal shelter.
• Once you’ve settled on an activity, reach out to your chosen organisation and inform them you’d like to offer a helping hand.
• Don’t forget to document the event by taking photos or making a video—these images will make additions to your employee breakroom!

How to play Wordle

Another word game great for a motivational boost is Wordle. It can be played individually or with teams. Wordle is a letter-based guessing game, in which players need to guess a five-letter word within six attempts. Teams need to use letters of the alphabet to figure out what the chosen word is. Every guess needs to count!

There is usually a category to make things a little easier, like “films” “sports” or “animals.” A team chooses 5 letters from the alphabet, and the game host lets them know if they’re right or wrong.

After you guess a word, tile colors provide feedback:

• Green means the letter is correct and in the right spot.
• Yellow means the letter is in the word but in the wrong spot.
• Gray means the letter is not in the word at all.

Keep going for 6 total guesses and strive to find the Wordle of the game!

How to play Postcard drawing

Sometimes also called “doodling together”, this activity is a fun and creative one where the group works collaboratively together to draw using postcards started by others. Have everyone get a blank postcard and then the moderator should give some direction about what to draw. Then, they lay the postcard down and the next person adds their postcard, continuing whatever pattern or drawing was started by the previous person. The process keeps going until a large drawing is completed using the postcards. You’ll need to do this in a very large room or outdoors, and have plenty of postcard-size paper and markers or crayons available.

How to play Wikirace

The Wikirace is a simple game, loved by college students bored in class. In the chat, send one Wikipedia article hyperlink and call it ‘start page’, then another hyperlink titled ‘target page.’ The rules are that the player must get from the start page to the target page in a limited number of mouse clicks. It might be as random as going from ‘pizza’ to ‘Apollo 13.’

Try it out in teams to have everyone strategizing frantically. Try making it even more difficult by decreasing the amount of allowed clicks between pages. There’s no going back once a new hyperlink is clicked. Share your screen and try this one out for a laugh in a virtual meeting.

Our penultimate improv game for virtual teams is far more relevant to professional settings – especially if you work in sales!

With a potent combination of improvisation and sales training, your team should end the call feeling more confident in their ability to sell, more comfortable speaking in front of a group, and more bonded with their colleagues.

How to play Sell it to me

To play Sell It to Me, teammates take turns trying to sell the group a random item on their desk (or that’s in the vicinity). The twist is that they don’t get to choose what they’re selling! Their colleagues do – by looking at the items they can see (on the screen) in the person’s room and deciding from there.

Once the participant’s been told what they’re selling, they get 30 seconds to prepare a pitch. They then have another 60 seconds to persuade their teammates to buy that item! When their time’s up, everyone else rates the pitch’s quality from 1 (needs work) to 10 (world-class). Whoever has the highest score at the end gets a prize!

Want a slight variation of this activity?

Consider calling for a sales pitch in between other parts of the meeting. It becomes a less structured exercise, but it adds an element of surprise – keeping everyone on their toes and making the meeting more interesting.

Whichever approach you take, try keeping the atmosphere light and jovial. The point isn’t to highlight your employees’ sales skills! It’s to have fun, make each other laugh, and work together to come up with successful sales pitches.