Author: Liza

Have you ever tried to understand someone else’s behavior when they act in a way you never would? People can be perplexing to understand and frustrating to communicate and deal with. In an attempt to better understand each other, people throughout history have developed personality theories, models and assessments to help explain how and why people do what they do. Whether in school, in the workplace or on social media, you’ve likely encountered personality profiles. Some commonly used ones are the Myer Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), DISC assessment, Enneagram and the Big Five. These assessments are excellent tools to help…

In this activity, the team is tasked with tossing and catching a beanbag while everyone is in a circle. The aim to improve the time taken to complete one round of tossing and catching. Resources: Small beanbags. You can substitute it with a ball or something that can be safely tossed and caught. Stopwatch/timer Space Required: Large. Outdoors or indoors. 
Group Size: 6 – 20 participants. Total Time: 25 – 30 minutes    5 minutes to brief and setup    10 – 15 minutes for the activity    10 minutes to review and debrief Set-Up    Instruct participants to form a large circle. Running…

In this activity, the team has to work together to flip a tablecloth from one side to the other using only their feet! Resources: A tablecloth or a piece of fabric in a similar size, preferably one with a ‘front’ and ‘back’ (e.g. one side has a print while the other is just a solid colour) Space Required: Large. Preferably indoors, where there is a clean surface for participants to lie down. 
Group Size: 6 – 30 participants. If you have a large number of people, you may split them into groups of 6 – 10 pax. Total Time: 20…

In this activity, each small team is given a set of card triangles. The aim is to negotiate and barter with other teams in order to match as many of their cards as possible within the allotted period of time. Resources: A deck of playing cards, with the cards cut diagonally into triangles Envelopes for each set of card triangles Space Required: Small. Outdoors or indoors. 
Group Size: 6 – 30 participants. Each small team should consist of 3 – 4 participants. Total Time: 25 – 35 minutes    5 minutes to brief and setup    10 – 20 minutes for the…

In this activity, each team member will assess each other’s personality using the Johari Window. Through this activity, each individual will learn more about how others’ perceive them. The activity can facilitate a discussion on each team member’s strengths and how the team can better work together to achieve their goals. Resources: The Johari Window assessment can be found at http://kevan.org/johari Computer and internet access so that participants can complete the assessment Space Required: Small. Outdoors or indoors. 
Group Size: 4 – 12 participants. Total Time: 30 – 45 minutes 10 minutes to brief and setup 10 – 20 minutes…

In this activity, the team has to ensure that each member crosses a river safely, without spilling water in their bucket! Resources: 2 long pieces of rope, at least 1m long 1 long piece of rope, at least 2m long A small bucket Water, approximately 1 litre Space Required: Medium. Outdoors, near a tree or somewhere where you can hang a rope from. Group Size: 6 – 10 participants Total Time: 30 – 40 minutes    10 minutes to brief and setup    10 – 20 minutes for the activity    10 minutes to review and debrief Set-Up Lay out the 1m ropes…

In this team building activity, the team has to build a structure using wooden blocks. What they don’t know is that they then have to remove blocks without compromising their structure! Resources: Wooden blocks or a Jenga set Sticky labels Space Required: Small. Ideally indoors. 
Group Size: 6 – 20 pax Total Time: 30 minutes    10 minutes to brief and setup    10 minutes for the activity    10 minutes to review and debrief Set-Up The sticky labels should have the different departments/functions/hierarchies, in the company (e.g. HR, IT, Front Office, manager, executive, admin staff etc). Ideally the number of labels should…

In this team building activity, the team has to transport marbles from the start line to the finish line, using only PVC pipes. Resources: PVC pipes of various lengths Marbles A medium-sized container/box Space Required: Medium. Indoors or outdoors. Group Size: 8 – 20 participants Total Time: 40 minutes    10 minutes to brief and setup    15 – 20 minutes for the activity    10 minutes to review and debrief Set-Up Set up a start line and a finish line for the activity. The more people you have in the group, the bigger the play area should be. If you’re conducting this…

In this activity, each participant wears a sticky label with an adjective on it. Their attitudes and responses throughout the day should reflect their adjective. This activity highlights how different attitudes and behaviours can have an impact on workplace morale. Resources: Sticky labels (one for each participant) A small box Space Required: NA Group Size: Minimum 4 Total Time: This activity can be conducted throughout the day.    10 minutes to brief and setup, at the beginning of the day    10 minutes to review and debrief, at the end of the day Set-Up The sticky labels should have adjectives on them…

In this team building activity, the aim is for everyone on the team to catch a ping pong ball in a cup. The challenge is that the ball must bounce once in the cup before it is caught. The activity is completed when all members of the team have each bounced and caught one ping pong ball in their cup. Resources: Ping pong balls 2 small baskets or boxes to hold the ping pong balls Plastic cups Masking tape Space Required: Medium. Indoors or outdoors 
Group Size: 10 – 30 participants Total Time: 30 minutes    10 minutes to brief and…

This team building activity challenges participants to be creative in solving a simple problem: how many sheets of paper can two people hold up? The catch: the papers should be held up (somehow, creatively!) between their bodies. Resources: Sheets of paper — to be environmentally-friendly, please use recycled/used sheets of paper! Space Required: Medium. Ideally indoors. 
Group Size: Minimum 12 participants — ideally the group should be an odd number as they will be divided into smaller teams of 3. Total Time: 30 minutes    5 minutes to brief and setup    15 minutes for the activity    10 minutes to review and…

This outdoor team building activity has the group working together to form the longest shadow they can, using only their bodies. Resources: None. Space Required: Large. Outdoors. This activity works best if conducted in an open field on a bright, sunny day. Group Size: 10 – 20 participants. Total Time: 30 minutes    5 minutes to brief and setup    5 minutes for planning/strategy    10 minutes for the activity    10 minutes to review and debrief Running the Activity    Explain the activity: In this activity, the team is tasked with forming shadows in order to create the longest one they can. The team…