9 Simple and Easy Team Building Exercises for Managers

Building a great team doesn't have to be complicated, expensive, or time consuming. Whether you're managing a remote team or working in person, the right team building exercises can make a huge difference in communication, problem solving, and trust.

Today, I'm sharing nine simple and easy team building activities that are fun, effective, and can be implemented with minimal resources. So let's jump in and discover how these exercises can transform your team dynamics.

Hey everybody and welcome back to the channel. I'm Doug Howard. If you're new here, I help managers and leaders develop practical tools to build stronger teams, improve their leadership skills, and navigate workplace challenges with confidence. If that's what you're looking for, then go ahead and hit that subscribe button before we dive in. Make sure you ring the notification bell on my channel too. So you don't miss any of the upcoming episodes.

In today's episode, we're talking about team building exercises that are easy to implement, cost next to nothing, and pack a big punch. These exercises can be done with any team, whether they're new or established, and they all focus on improving communication, problem solving, and collaboration throughout your team. I'll explain how each of these exercises work, why each exercise is effective and when you should use it. Plus I'll share a few tips to make sure you get the most out of each one.

Exercise 1 - Two Truths and a Lie

The first exercise is called two truths and a lie, and here's how it works. Each team member shares two true facts about themselves and one lie. The rest of the team has to guess which one is a lie. It's a quick, fun way to break the ice and to help people learn more about each other on a personal level.

Now, here's why this works. This game helps build personal connections and it opens up conversations. People start sharing unique or quirky things about themselves, which can spark interest and discussion within the team. Also, when people come up with pretty creative lies, it, makes people laugh and cheer up and also think like, what made you think of that? A lot of times people share a lie that is a truth. So then there ends up being a funny story behind that thing that's not true.

What I want to share though, is how you should do this and when you should use it. This is perfect for new teams that don't know each other well, but it's also good for kicking off a meeting with a little energy and laughter. If things are being complacent in your team and you want to mix it up, start a random production meeting or start a random standing meeting that you have with your team. Start it this way, catch your team off guard and get a little, have a little fun with it.

Exercise 2 - Egg Drop Challenge

The second exercise is called egg drop, and here's how it works. Teams are given materials like straws, tape, and paper, whatever you think of. The goal is to create a structure that will protect an egg when it's dropped from a height. Each team is going to have a set amount of time to design and build their structure before the drop test.

Now here's why this exercise is effective. The Egg Drop Challenge emphasizes creativity, teamwork, and problem solving. It forces the team to think critically about how to use limited resources to achieve a common goal. This is a great activity for teams that need to work on collaboration and creativity under pressure. So it's ideal for problem solving workshops or off site team building events.

Exercise 3 - Escape Room

Exercise three is escape room. Now, if you're not familiar with escape rooms, in an escape room, teams work together to solve puzzles and unlock clues to escape from a themed room within a time limit. This can be done at a local venue, or you can do it yourself with your own puzzles in the office.

Escape rooms are all about collaboration and communication. Each team member is going to bring a unique perspective to solving the puzzles, which requires everyone working together, speaking up, and communicating under a deadline. Escape rooms are perfect for teams that need a deeper challenge, or teams that want to work on problem solving and critical thinking in a fun, immersive way. It's ideal for team building days or workshops, and it's a good reason to get out of the office, too.

Exercise 4 - Human Knot

Exercise four is called the human knot. Here's how the exercise works. Team members form a circle and they reach across and hold hands with two different people. The goal then is to untangle themselves into a circle without letting go of anyone's hands.

The human knot exercise builds communication skills and emphasizes the importance of collaboration and patience. It's a physical challenge, but it's also mentally engaging as the team figures out how to entangle themselves. This exercise works best with smaller teams and it's perfect for breaking the ice or encouraging teamwork in a fun, low stakes environment.

Exercise 5 - Minefield

Exercise 5 is the minefield, and here's how it works. You want to set up a minefield using objects scattered on the floor. One person is going to be blindfolded, and then their teammates are going to have to guide them verbally to navigate through the minefield without stepping on any objects.

Here's why this exercise works. Minefield builds trust and sharpens communication skills. The blindfolded person has to rely entirely on their teammates for guidance, which is going to emphasize clear communication and listening. It's going to force the blindfolded person to ask questions when they're not clear.

This exercise is ideal for teams that need to improve their trust and communication skills. It's especially effective after a team has worked together for a while and is very familiar with each other, but they need to strengthen their relationships with each other.

Exercise 6 - Puzzle Races

Exercise six is puzzle races. Now this one might be self-explanatory, but I wanna break it down for you. What you wanna do is you're gonna have separate teams race against each other to complete a jigsaw puzzle or a word puzzle as quickly as possible. Each team is given an identical puzzle and the first one to complete it wins.

This is a good exercise because puzzle races encourage teamwork, focus, and time management. They also introduce an element of competition, which can add excitement and extra motivation. This exercise is great for energizing a team during a meeting or off site. It's ideal for teams that enjoy working under pressure and love a bit of competition.

Exercise 7 - Scavenger Hunt

Exercise 7 is Scavenger Hunt. Here's what you do. Teams are given a list of items or clues to find within a designated area. Then they must work together to solve the clues, find the objects, and complete the challenges.

This is a good exercise because a scavenger hunt promotes creativity, problem solving, and teamwork, and it encourages team members to rely on each other's strengths to solve clues and complete the hunt. This exercise is perfect for outdoor team building events or larger group activities and it's a fun way to get people moving and thinking creatively.

Exercise 8 - Marshmallow Tower

Exercise 8 is the Marshmallow Tower. Here's how it works. You're going to divide your group into teams and each team is going to be given marshmallows and spaghetti or straws or toothpicks, something like that. They're going to be tasked with building the tallest freestanding tower made of marshmallows within a set time limit. This is a fun way to challenge creativity and collaboration, even if your team is not filled with structural engineers.

The reason this exercise works is because it emphasizes collaboration and critical thinking. The teams are going to have to work together to build a stable structure while also considering time constraints and resource limitations. This exercise is perfect for a quick team building break or to energize a meeting that's getting stale. It's also ideal for creative teams who thrive with hands on challenges.

Exercise 9 - Paper Plane Content

Exercise nine is the paper plane contest. Now, this one might be self explanatory as well, but I'll break it down still for you just in case. What you're going to do is divide your group into teams and each team is going to design and build paper airplanes. Then they're going to compete to see whose plane flies the farthest or stays in the air the longest. You can make a competition first for one of those two and then have a second competition for the other. Or you can have two different prizes if you're playing with really large groups.

Now what's great about this exercise is that it costs nothing except for a few pieces of paper and this activity promotes creativity, innovation, and friendly competition. It's going to be a light hearted challenge, kind of brings you back to your childhood days with making paper planes, and it's going to encourage problem solving in a fun, low pressure way.

Quick tip on this. If you do it, make sure everyone stands behind the person that's throwing the paper airplane so they don't get, any injuries or poking eyes out or anything like that. All kidding aside this exercise is perfect for energizing a team or adding a bit of fun to a random meeting that you're going to go into. It's a quick and easy way to boost morale and creativity without needing any extra resources.

So there you have it. Nine simple, fun, and effective team building exercises that can transform the way your team works together. Whether it's fostering collaboration through a creative challenge like egg drop, or building trust with activities like minefield. These exercises are designed to strengthen your team without requiring a big budget or tons of resources. The best part is that you can start using these exercises right away.

But here's the thing. Team building is just one small piece of the puzzle. As a manager, you also need to know how to unlock your team's full potential through powerful coaching. That's why you don't want to miss my next episode, which is called Five Open Ended Questions Every Manager Needs To Know For Powerful Coaching. These questions are game changers when it comes to coaching your team, driving results, and fostering real growth. I'll see you in the next video.

check out my FREE pdf download - “OPTIMIZE ENGINEERING
TEAM EFFICIENCY”

Strategies to Dominate Productivity in Today's Shifting Landscape

Your company is tasking your team to produce more, with less - and you're struggling to figure out how to get it done.

Download this FREE handbook to gain insights into the 5
essential strategies engineering leaders and companies need to catapult your team's efficiency - even with limited resources!