Welcome back to the second installment of our two-part series on DIY team-building exercises! In our first post, we went over a couple of great ideas when it comes to turning a disparate collection of co-workers into a cohesive team all pulling together to accomplish a universal goal. Today, we’re going to explore this concept further by suggesting strategies and activities that have been proven to work well by professional team-building experts around the globe.

DIY Team Building Activities: Consistency is the Key to Success

Speaking of weekly get-togethers, any team building activities should be regularly scheduled events. Whether it’s during work hours or outside of the office, having a consistent activity to do is excellent for strengthening relationships.

This is why one of the best casual DIY activities tend to be team sports. A company softball team might be cliché, but there’s something to be said for getting together on Saturday afternoons and throwing a ball around. A traditional approach to activities for team building can yield excellent results. However, there is a danger of competitive sports not having as good an impact on team building as more structured activities, so it will require a deft touch.

Competitive versus Cooperative: Make It a Game

One of the most effective ways to build teamwork is through a contest or competition. You’ve got to be careful here, though: you don’t want to create an atmosphere that focuses too much on competition. This could prevent a cooperative focus from developing within your organization. You want colleagues working together, after all!

There are ways to harness both competitive and cooperative aspects in team bonding activities, though. A good example of this would be to have teams compete to achieve personal best scores or have the fastest times for bragging rights. Activities that rely on puzzle-solving skills are great for this – especially ones that rely on full participation from each group. Challenges that require involvement from as many team members as possible turn an otherwise pedestrian activity to one that can act as a legitimate way to promote cohesion.

There you have it – a full range of excellent and highly effective team-building exercises, tested by professionals and passed on to you. Just remember: there’s no rule that says you’ve got to be serious all the time. DIY activities for team building don’t have to be boring or awkward in order to be effective, especially if it’s bonding you’re after!