THE BEST 5 TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES FOR A TEAM OF 50
THE BEST 5 TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES FOR A TEAM OF 50
May 10, 2018 4:00:00 PM
When you see your co-workers for at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, it is normal that you are not always too excited to spend more time with them. That’s why team building activities are sometimes welcomed with frowns especially in bigger teams. And for HR people and managers, it is often really difficult to get employees excited about spending a team building weekend together. But believe it or not, team building activities and corporate events are a good way of engaging employees. For some people, they are an unpleasant exercise in forced bonding. But most of the time, they are a morale-boosting activity to escape your box and get to know your co-workers better.
If you are not sure why you need to engage your employees, let me show you a few stats. 75% of people in the US leave their job because of their boss. 90% of leaders think that an engagement strategy would help. But less than 25% have one. Most importantly, companies with engaged employees make 2.5X the revenue. And additionally, highly engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their company.
Yes, engaging your employees is really a big deal. Let’s see what team building activities you can think of for your team of 50 and more. Note that the best way to get your team excited is by getting rid of old trust exercises and embarking on something super-adventurous. Here you go!
SINGING IN A TEAM
Oh, I know that your team might not be a professional choir. And I know that for many of your employees, the idea of singing might sound weird. The fun part is about not being able to sing properly but still having to do that. Because, why not?
Singing in a team can be a perfect icebreaker and energizer. Teams of 10 to 5000 can opt for this activity. Team building activities like this usually take some 30-90 minutes. The rules are super-easy. You need to demonstrate the power of teamwork through singing. I assure you that you will remember this experience for years.
Usually, artists, singing coaches, and animators lead the whole process: they pick a famous song and show how the singing should be done. At the very beginning, right when everyone is sitting comfortably around their tables, the band comes in and performs a well-known song. Everyone is happy and is clapping. But, as soon as the performance is over, it is announced that it is everyone’s turn to sing the same song. Boom! This will be a shock to your employees. Yet, the fun part is about overcoming fear and doing something crazy together. So, the band helps the crowd to warm up a bit by teaching them a few singing tricks and then, after a few rehearsals, everyone starts singing.
At the end of this event, your team will realize that everyone can sing! What is more important, your team will be able to see the potential within. A truly moving experience indeed!
BEATBOX EVENT
Do you have a team of mostly millennials? If yes, then a beatbox event is what you need. But wait, beatboxing is really fun and even your older employees will enjoy it. You can have a team of any size for this activity. And it usually lasts for up to 60 minutes. The event planning industry is full of nice suprises, isn’t it?
For those who are not so familiar with beatboxing, let me explain what it is. It’s basically a form of urban art. Beatboxing as a team building activity is cool since it suits any size team, it requires no special equipment or musical instruments, and it does not take much to set up. Most importantly, beatboxing is fun and enlightening...for any age!
A beatboxing event can be organized pretty much the same way as the singing event. The sessions promise to be truly entertaining. Non-stop laughter is guaranteed. If your employees are especially active, the animator might even ask them to form bands and to try composing rap to perform under the beatboxing. This is called freestyling.
TRIBAL DANCING
After singing and beatboxing, what else could you expect next? Tribal dancing of course!. It fits any team of any size. And it won’t take too long either. Usually, dancing activities last for up to 2 hours depending on the engagement level of the participants.
Watching your co-workers slap the wrong leg and turn the opposite side or clap in a wrong place can be funny. However, some 10-15 minutes later, you will be amazed how a well-organized and cohesive team of dancers you are.
One little note here: if the weather is fine, tribal dancing can make a good add-on to outdoor team building activities too.
VOLUNTEERING OR ORGANIZING A FUNDRAISER
This one requires a bit more planning than the other team building activities. But this one can be quite rewarding indeed. In addition, volunteering or organizing a fundraiser for a good cause can be a surefire way of building trust and respect among your employees.
Your team will gain a sense of achievement as a group by choosing from the different philanthropic projects to dedicate time to. Whether it is raising money for an ill child, or volunteering for an orphanage, or treating the elderly to a warm meal, the excitement of giving back to the community will remain for days, even weeks.
SAILING THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY
If you are located in San Francisco, then forget about anything else since sailing the San Francisco Bay is what you should opt for. It is one of the most amazing San Francisco attractions you could think of. Even if you are not located in San Francisco, you can make this happen by buying airplane tickets and organizing a retreat day.
Instead of hanging out in a bar, as usual, you can come up with something extraordinary and refreshing. I am sure your employees have been working hard all the year. So, you all deserve to be treated like gods and goddesses now. Bay Lights Charters can offer you the excellent opportunity of experiencing the picturesque views of San Francisco Bay. Yacht and boat cruises can be refreshing indeed. In addition, they are a good option if you are planning to offer your team something special.
Even if you can afford to organize them just once a year, paid trips or group retreats can really boost employee engagement. They can refresh teams and make the new team members feel comfortable. So, go ahead and plan activities that are fun, creative, and exciting. Your team won’t think twice about participating!