Before embarking on planning such an event, therefore, it is imperative to delineate clear and measurable objectives that align with your professional goals, but also to gather intelligence on how said goals can reasonably be achieved. For instance, a tech firm aiming to enhance interdepartmental collaboration might set a
goal to improve communication and problem-solving skills among teams through interactive workshops or simulated projects. And then, of course, there might be a gap between what a specific team feels most inclined to doing and what they actually need to work on. Defining specific aims ensures that the team building activities serve a purpose beyond mere recreation and contribute tangibly to the company's objectives.

1. What does your team want?

Let’s take one step back: what do you want? One thing you do not want is for your employees to feel like they have to endure a team-building outing, feel uncomfortable or embarrassed and then resent you for making them do something they were not happy doing. You want team-building to be something your employees will thank you for, not a hurdle they will tolerate in order to humour you. Understanding the unique preferences, likes, and dislikes of your employees, therefore, is paramount to curating impactful team building events that your team will actually enjoy and that they will benefit from. Employing methods such as surveys, one-on-one discussions, or even having an open suggestion box (be it a physical or virtual one) can provide invaluable insights into the diverse preferences within the workforce. For instance, discovering that a marketing team prefers brainstorming sessions and creative challenges while the IT department leans towards analytical problem-solving activities allows for tailored event planning. Or you may accidentally stumble upon the information that some of your employees are sports enthusiasts that love adrenaline-packed activities and being outdoors: this is exactly the kind of insight that will get you on the right track. By catering to these preferences, activities become more engaging and relatable to participants, thereby enhancing their overall experience and ensuring active involvement.

2. Fun vs purpose: can the two go together?

Balancing entertainment and utility within team building activities is essential to their effectiveness. While the activities should be enjoyable, they must also contribute meaningfully to team cohesion and skill development. Pure fun should be left for other, purely social occasions. This is precisely what makes team building tricky: you can’t focus uniquely on entertainment value, but you should be mindful enough of it, because if the activity you pick is boring, embarrassing or in any way unpleasant, not team-building goals will be achieved, no matter how hard you work on the details. Consider a scenario where a retail company organises a teambuilding event incorporating customer service role-playing scenarios and team-based competitions. This mix of enjoyable role-playing exercises and goal-oriented challenges not only fosters a sense of camaraderie but also reinforces customer-centric skills among employees, ultimately driving tangible results in improved service quality. On several occasions, for instance, we have worked with marketing teams asking them to make things on the spot and then “pitch” the product of their craft to the group: the more pleasant and interesting the first activity is, the more useful the second will turn out.

3. Take feedback. Always

Feedback acts as a compass, guiding the customisation and refinement of future team building activities. Creating avenues for feedback, whether through post-event surveys, open forums, or anonymous suggestion boxes, encourages honest insights from participants. This input aids in understanding the strengths and areas for improvement in past activities. Beware: this only works if you actually listen! Taking feedback only helps if you do something with it. It’s not virtue signalling: do not gather feedback just to set it aside and then do what you were planning to do anyway. For instance, after a team-building retreat, collecting feedback about the effectiveness of team exercises or the overall experience helps in refining future plans, but, if your employees tell you that they disliked a particular activity or rank it last among their preferred moments, it is not a smart idea to plan the same activity on the next team-building outing! This iterative approach ensures that subsequent events are more attuned to the evolving needs and preferences of the team, enhancing their impact.

4. Company culture matters

Using team building as a tool to reinforce and strengthen company culture is a strategic approach to fostering a cohesive workforce - and that, of course, works best for companies that have already nurtured a clear and recognisable company culture in the first place. Aligning these activities with the core values and ethos of your organisation helps in instilling a sense of belonging and shared purpose among employees. For instance, if a company values innovation and considers it a vital component of its identity, organising activities like idea pitching sessions, hackathons (if applicable) or innovation challenges during team building events promotes a culture of creativity and blue-sky-thinking. It makes it plain that you value employees that share their ideas, even when they deviate from the beaten path. When employees find a resonance between team-building activities and the company's values, it contributes significantly to fostering a culture that supports and thrives on these principles.

5. Team building should be cool

The presentation and overall appeal of team-building events play a pivotal role in their success. Making these activities 'cool and slick' not only captures attention but also ignites a sense of excitement and anticipation among attendees. Imagine an investment firm organising a teambuilding event in a luxurious, exclusive venue, blending intellectually stimulating activities and interactive technology-driven simulations with first-class entertainment and mouth-watering catering. Such an event not only exudes sophistication but also reflects the company's commitment to excellence, elevating employees' pride in attending and participating. This is also why you should always work with professionals when planning a team-building event: improvising is, to say the list, inadvisable. Team-building is the ultimate collective effort and that means it will only work if every element is harmonically synced with all the others and designed to serve a purpose. You need a plan and a purpose, but you also need logistics: the best venue, the right staff, a seamless schedule and the level of attention to detail that only a professional service can grant. Are you ready to give this a try?