7 Team Building Exercises to Improve Communication

What is Team Building?

Team building involves strengthening the connections among individuals within a group, aiming to improve their collective effectiveness in achieving shared objectives. This management approach frequently includes engaging in activities or events that take place beyond regular work hours. Through team-building events, employees have the opportunity to gain insights about their colleagues, foster effective communication, and acquire skills that enhance collaborative interactions.

Benefits of Having Team Building

Here are three noteworthy benefits of team building to gain a better understanding:

1. Provides socialization and networking opportunities

Team-building events offer a platform for colleagues to foster deeper connections and gain insights into each other's personal and professional lives. It often unveils distinct personality traits and talents among team members, enabling the group to allocate project responsibilities more effectively. When individuals discover mutual enjoyment and compatibility in working together, they can opt for future collaborations, fostering both professional partnerships and friendships in the workplace.

2. Encourages creativity and innovation

Team-building activities hold great value as they have the potential to ignite innovative solutions for challenges and shared problems. When a team is accustomed to collaborating, they cultivate a sense of comfort in their established connections. Consequently, they become more open to sharing their ideas and opinions, whether it involves enhancing a process, adjusting work procedures, or devising alternative approaches to meet project objectives. This increased willingness to contribute fosters a creative environment that encourages fresh perspectives and problem-solving.

3. Builds leadership skills

Team-building exercises can significantly enhance an individual's leadership skills by instilling valuable lessons in taking initiative, task delegation, and effective communication with teammates. These crucial abilities may not always manifest themselves fully until the conclusion of such activities. However, once acquired, they can empower individuals to assume leadership roles in different situations, both personally and professionally. By honing these skills, individuals can cultivate the confidence and competence necessary to lead and guide others towards successful outcomes.

Why is Effective Communication Important?

Effective team communication is a cornerstone of successful collaboration, extending beyond mere efficiency in work processes. It serves as a means to ensure that all team members are well-informed about any relevant topics that may impact their work. Furthermore, it cultivates trust, fosters camaraderie among team members, boosts morale, and keeps employees actively engaged in the workplace.

In a survey involving 400 companies with 100,000 employees each revealed that inadequate communication between employees resulted in an average annual cost of $62.4 million per company.

Team communication offers numerous additional benefits, including the potential to stimulate creativity, boost employee engagement, and improve productivity. These advantages underscore the crucial role it plays in the workplace. Therefore, business leaders must prioritize the cultivation of a culture that promotes strong team communication, recognizing it as a worthwhile investment.

How can team-building exercises improve communication?

1. Resolve conflicts quickly

Conflicts in the workplace often start small and seemingly insignificant. For instance, a team member may change their deadline, resulting in less time for another team member to complete their part of the project. Initially, the first team member apologizes, and the issue appears to be resolved. However, if this pattern of changing deadlines persists without clear communication from the second team member about its impact on their work, feelings of resentment and frustration can arise. When conflicts among team members are left unresolved, tensions escalate, ultimately affecting work performance.

That being said, it is essential to educate team members on conflict resolution strategies so they can promptly, directly, and respectfully address issues. By doing so, small problems can be nipped in the bud before they escalate into more significant concerns.

2. Encourage Engagement

Balancing guidance and team collaboration is crucial as nobody appreciates feeling micromanaged. Without appropriate guidance, however, team members may experience disengagement. As a manager, it is important to strike a balance by providing encouragement while also granting freedom for creativity.

Encourage information exchange and idea generation within your team through brainstorming sessions and regular workshops. Remember to not only solicit ideas from your team but also demonstrate that you genuinely value each suggestion. This reassures team members that their contributions are valued and supported.

3. Promote bottom-up communication

Team members occupying lower positions within the team structure often feel hesitant to voice their ideas and share their opinions. By promoting a culture of bottom-up communication, you empower individuals at all levels to actively participate in brainstorming sessions and express their thoughts. This type of open communication can be fostered by building trust, boosting team morale, and instilling a sense of ownership in projects.

To encourage team members to feel comfortable speaking up, provide them with a supportive environment. Actively seek their ideas, opinions, and feedback to help them become accustomed to sharing their thoughts.

4. Strive for transparency

A communicative workplace is one where team members prioritize transparency. If you and your team members can be honest with one another, then you’ll reduce the chance of miscommunication and any risks that come with it. 

One way to be transparent as a leader is to be honest about business performance and disclose information as it occurs. You should also provide constructive criticism when you feel it’s necessary so your team members can improve their skills. Most importantly, it's critical to connect their daily work to big picture goals. Giving team members context and showing them why their work is important can increase motivation and make them feel like valued members of the team.

Tip: There’s a difference between transparency and oversharing. For example, it’s helpful for your team members to know if the company met annual revenue goals, but you don’t need to share your personal issues with the CEO happening this week.

Top 7 Fun Team-Building Activities to Improve Communication

1. Virtual Escape Rooms

Escape rooms, whether in-person or online, offer an enjoyable group activity that also serves as an excellent communication game for team building.

Beneath the surface of mystery and sleuthing, escape rooms provide a unique opportunity for employees to work together in a challenging scenario. The emphasis on communication is crucial as team members must effectively collaborate to navigate their way out of the immersive and high-pressure situation.

With a wide range of virtual escape room options available, you can find one that aligns with your team's interests and preferences, making the experience even more engaging and relatable for everyone involved.

2. Blind Drawing

Form pairs within the group, assigning one person as the speaker and the other as the listener. Provide the speaker with a picture of geometric shapes, without revealing it to the listener. The listener should have a pencil and a sheet of paper.

In this activity, the speaker's task is to describe the picture to the listener, who must silently listen and draw what they understand. Once the listener finishes their drawing, compare it to the original picture.

This exercise effectively demonstrates the consequences of breakdowns in communication, highlighting the importance of two-way communication. It showcases that effective communication involves not only transmitting and interpreting a message but also developing strategies to ensure mutual understanding.

3. Forming Groups

This activity is an excellent choice for practicing effective communication exercises, especially within large teams or among team members who may not be well acquainted.

The game involves asking employees to form groups based on a shared characteristic. For instance, participants can be instructed to form a group with others born in the same month, those who share similar hobbies, or individuals with the same number of siblings. The possibilities are endless, and you can tailor the criteria to be as creative as desired. The key objective is for employees to utilize their communication skills to quickly form new groups based on the given criteria.

This activity not only encourages effective communication but also facilitates team bonding and the discovery of commonalities among team members. It promotes engagement and collaboration while fostering connections among individuals who may not have interacted closely before.

4. Two Truths and a Lie

The objective of this activity is to cultivate interaction and open communication among team members, making it an ideal icebreaker for both in-person and remote teams. Each team member begins by sharing two true statements and one false statement about themselves. As the activity progresses, participants become more comfortable with stretching their creativity, resulting in some wonderfully absurd statements.

The challenge lies in determining which statement is false, and this task is undertaken by the other team members. This engaging team-building activity provides an opportunity for team members to gain a deeper understanding of each other. By encouraging open communication and creating a lighthearted atmosphere, this activity promotes team cohesion and allows teammates to connect on a more personal level.

5. Don’t Listen

This team building activity is designed to test the participants' ability to hold back their response. Typically played by two individuals, the game begins with one person intentionally uttering something they do not wish the other player to hear. The attentive listener must pay close attention to grasp the hidden message. Once the listening phase starts, the responder can only listen for the remaining two minutes, refraining from answering. If the responder successfully refrains from responding within the time limit, they win the point, and the game concludes.

Companies can utilize this communication activity as a valuable training exercise to enhance their team's interpersonal communication skills. It proves beneficial in improving teamwork and promoting effective interactions among colleagues. By incorporating this activity within a team or company setting, it can effectively nurture stronger teamwork and improve overall communication qualities.

6. Zen Counting

The ability to listen is essential for effective communication. Zen counting is a highly recommended team-building exercise that emphasizes listening skills. It is a simple and cost-free option that can be easily adapted for online settings.

To play, initiate a remote video feed and gather the participants. The objective is to count collectively up to the number of people present on the call. For example, if there are six participants, the goal is to count from one to six in sequential order. However, there are specific rules to follow: each person must say only one number, and no one can interrupt or repeat a number. If a mistake occurs, the counting process starts over.

Zen counting is an excellent way to encourage active listening and foster cooperation among team members. It challenges individuals to listen attentively, be patient, and collaborate effectively to achieve a shared goal. By participating in this game, teams can develop their listening skills and enhance their ability to work together towards a common objective.

7. Card Pieces

This activity is considered one of the most effective and enjoyable team-building exercises for promoting efficient communication and teamwork. To begin, divide the participants into three teams, ideally with around 6 people in total. Each team member should have 5 playing cards. Instruct everyone to cut their card diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner to create a triangular shape.

Prepare an envelope for each team containing an equal number of card pieces, ensuring they are thoroughly mixed. The objective is for teams to arrange their card pieces in a way that allows them to assemble complete cards. However, the crucial phase comes next: allocate a few minutes for teams to negotiate and trade card pieces with the other teams to obtain the ones they need to complete their cards. The team with the highest number of completed cards at the end of the activity emerges as the winner.

This enjoyable team-building exercise emphasizes the importance of skillful communication and collaboration. By fostering effective communication and encouraging empathy, this activity strengthens the bonds between team members and promotes a cooperative mindset. It provides an engaging platform for teams to practice their communication skills while working together towards a shared goal.

Conclusion

In conclusion, team building exercises that focus on improving communication are invaluable for fostering strong and effective teams. These activities not only break down barriers and build trust among team members but also enhance collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving skills. By engaging in interactive exercises like escape rooms, role-playing scenarios, or communication games, team members can practice active listening, clear expression, and empathy.