Top 15 team building activities for small teams and groups to build a great team
Team Building Activities for small teams and groups
All businesses are different and require different numbers of people. If you have a small team or work in a small company then team building is still an important factor.
Firstly we need to define what is a team. It is defined as a group of individuals that work together in order to achieve their common goal. Normally teams will be comprised of members that have complimentary skills and therefore create synergy through their combined effort. This allows people to optimise their strengths and weaknesses. A team is more than a group. A group can consist of individuals with varied interests and attitudes but do not necessarily work towards common goal.
The purpose of forming teams is to provide a structure that will enable individuals to work with other people in planning and executing processes to achieve their goal.
Teamwork can provide:
- A support framework
- Understanding of required tasks
- An increase in contribution and collaboration
- Ownership of the project
In order for teams to accomplish their goal, it is vital that they focus on their objectives and the task at hand.
Tips to build a great team
Successful teamwork is essential in order to create meaningful group work. But how do you create a great team? You have to build it with an environment of trust and support.
Here are a few tips of how you can build your perfect team.
You can not build a team without Trust
Trust is essential to any working relationship. It is prerequisite in order to produce any sort of meaningful work with others. You must trust in each other’s talents, unique abilities and dedication to the ultimate goal for your company.
But how can you build trust in a competitive business environment? It is impossible to know the inner workings of another human being; you simply have to trust their actions and that they are working towards the same goals that you are.
Your Team must learn to respect each other
After trust comes respect for those you are working with. This is respect for their work ethic, their differences and their personal lives. Ideally, your colleagues want to work with each other because they feel their needs are understood and their abilities are acknowledged.
Encourage Supportiveness
If a team member is struggling with their workload it is up to the other team members to help out. Remember that everyone is working towards the same goal and therefore their work is your work too. Offer support and it will be offered back to you.
A great team requires a great leader
Often it is only when management has changed, and you are working underneath a bad leader that you realise what good leadership is (or was). If you are in a leadership position it is up to you to set the mood and work ethic of your team. If you are working under a leader, you can help make them better too. Leaders rely on trust and support. A good leader will accept constructive criticism and be concerned for their staff.
Work co-operatively
Cooperation ties in with trust, respect and supportiveness. Remember you are working towards a common goal, not against each other. Once this is realised cooperation and collaboration can assist you to reach and exceed your goals.
Build Communication skills
Communication is the backbone of any successful operation. While email is great, sometimes things get lost in seemingly endless stream of your inbox. Take time to have face-to-face meetings with the people you are working with and limit constant emailing. Having a good 10minute chat about a project can save you about 20 emails and countless miscommunications down the line. Sometimes this can be easier in a small team.
Be Accountable
Checking in and reminding the team of their accountability helps keep your team on schedule and honest. If you check in regularly with colleagues, it can be a good incentive to get all the work done and done well.
Show Commitment
Teams need to commit to each other and to the vision of the business. Commitment usually means that everyone cares about the team, the performance of the team and getting the job done. Attending team meetings, contributing to discussions, suggesting how to make the team better etc. all work to show you are committed to the team.
Be Honest
Honestly is required both when things are going well and also when they are not going well. You have to be able to tell someone when their work is not up to par or if they have gone in the wrong direction, but also need to praise when things go well. Be honest in your feedback always.
Develop an amazing Culture
If you are working in a highly motivated team who are all pulling in the same direction, then the chances are very high that you are also working in an exceptional culture
While it can seem like it’s all up to the leader to implement top-down team building strategies, you can build a great atmosphere of trust and commitment with hard work and dedication no matter what your position. Team Building Activities for work small groups play an important part in developing a great Culture.
Selecting a Team Building Activity that is right for your team
Any small group team building activities, should have a clear purpose, which should also be communicated to your team. The ability to be upfront about the objectives will assist in greater buy-in and participation, and thus help make sure the team building activity will be a success.
When deciding on your goal think about your team in terms who they are and how they work together. Are they a new team that are just getting to know each other? Have they worked together for a long time and already know each other well? Are there any particular challenges they’re facing now or that may come in the future due to changes in the workplace?
There are many Team Building Activities for small teams available. The first thing to decide on before selecting your activity is what objective you want to meet with the event.
Identify your objectives
The first and most important step when planning team building activities is to identify your objectives based on your team’s strengths and weaknesses.
Consider the following questions when planning small business Team Building Activities.
- Is there conflict between people that are creating divisions and tensions within the team?
- How well do team member know each other?
- Is your team competitive or collaborative?
- How well do they communicate with each other?
- Do some members affect the group’s ability to move forward through resistance to change?
- Does the group need a morale boost?
- Does everyone feel included – or are there “clicks”
You can choose specific team building activities to help your team to address any issues that the questions unearth.
One-off team building exercises can be a useful, effective way to address a particular weakness or problem. However you want to make sure that they don’t do more harm than good.
Poorly planned events can be embarrassing, or physically and emotionally uncomfortable, for participants. When planning small Team Building Activities for work you need to consider implications of returning to work and how people will feel.
There are many effective team building activities to choose from once you’ve identified specific areas that you want to focus on.
Top 15 Team Building Activities for small teams and groups
Teamwork is the secret that makes common people achieve uncommon results
Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha - Author
Time and Budget
Once you have decided on what you want to achieve your should also work out how much time do you have and what is your budget. If you only have 1 hour that you can allocate for your event then you need to be realistic with what you can achieve – you are not going to solve all your objectives and issues in 1 hour. The same can be said if you have a very small budget.
Ask questions such as:
Will the activity achieve the objective I want focussed on?
Will all team members be able to be included in the activity?
Do I have the budget for the activity – as well as the time away from the office
How will the activity be perceived by the team – will they be reluctant to do it as it may make them look silly in front of colleagues? Will it expose fears or stir conflict between team members?
All our activities are tailored for corporate groups – knowing that everyone’s fitness levels are different. As a result most activities include a number of problem solving aspects as well – so all people can be included in the activity.
Many normal team building activities can be tailored into small group team building activities – however you may find that providers will have a minimum charge that may cover 10 – 15 people even though you have less than. Sometimes this can make many small group team building activities out of your budget. This can seem like the per person price for a small group is very high. If you are wanting good team building activities for small groups then it is useful to give the provider as much information as you can when you initially enquire. Including your max budget and number of people.
If the cost of an activity covers up to 10 or 15 people sometimes combining with another small team in your organisation and sharing the cost may be a great option. It can also be a great expansion of networking within an organisation. However, this option is not always possible especially if you are a small business or start up company. An option in this case may be to also include people’s partners and hold the event on weekend or weeknight. A great way to get to know people in a different light and also their partners.
Team building Icebreakers activities for small groups
Team Building Icebreaker activities for small groups is a quick and easy way to stay connected. Perhaps you need an activity to start your morning off with a BANG, to re-energise your group after lunch or to close off the day. Well then, Energisers and Icebreakers are just right for you.
These short team building activities for small teams are short and sharp and run for between 30 and 60 minutes each. Depending on the time that you have available, you could run 1 single activity or perhaps put a couple together to fill your available time.
These activities promote communication and awareness that can lead to increased productivity back in the workplace.
They are a great way to optimise participants’ learning and engagement. It’s important to establish a warm and friendly environment from the outset with an Icebreakers activity.
Benefits to participants include:
- Boosting energy levels
- Driving engagement and promoting participation
- Encouraging cooperation
- Adding some fun and excitement to the day
We have a free resource you can download that gives you 5 energisers that you can run yourself.
Small group events Sydney
Our top Team Building activities for small group events Sydney
There are large number of good team building activities for small groups. Team building activities for work small groups can often come to your office, if you have space or can be run in a conference room space.
Contact us for a wider range of small group team building activities.
Small Team Building Activities Melbourne
Our top small Team Building activities Melbourne
If you are looking for small team building activities Melbourne here are our top suggestions. There are many more Team Building activities for small groups available in Melbourne, and we can look at customising events as well.
Small Team Building Activities in office
There are quite a number of good team building activities for small groups. There are also a range of small team building activities in office that you can choose from. These activities are mobile and can come to your office, if you have space or can be run in a conference room space.
Key points
- If you have a small team or work in a small company then team building is still an important factor.
- The purpose of Team Building Activities is to: “motivate your people to work together, to develop their strengths, and to address any weaknesses.” Team building activities should encourage collaboration rather than competition.
- There are many Team Building Activities for small teams available. The first thing to decide on before selecting your activity is what objective you want to meet with the event.
- The Benefits of Team building activities are more than just team bonding time. They provide opportunities for learning in a fun, stress-free environment. The benefits of Team building are not only for the individuals who are part of the team, but for the whole organisation as well.
- All our activities are tailored for corporate groups – knowing that everyone’s fitness levels are different. As a result most activities include a number of problem solving aspects as well – so all people can be included in the activity.
We also have an article dedicated to Large teams and groups. If you would like more information on our Top 15 Team Building Activities for Large Teams and Groups to Build a Cohesive Team please click on the article name.
Contact us
Let us organise your next small Team Building event.
Remember Team Building was meant to be easy
Team Building Activities are an integral component of building and developing your team. But how can you make sure you choose the right activity to suit your team’s needs?
Read our in-depth article – Ultimate Guide to Team Building Activities for just that purpose. By the end of it you will be an expert and know all the advantages, disadvantages, common mistakes and what to do in order to organise an amazing Team Building Activity.
We will share resources and our extensive knowledge and experience in organising corporate team building activities