Team building activities can be really incredible. When they’re done right, that is!

They’re a great way of bringing together a group of people – to help them see each other as more than simply each other’s “colleagues”.

By getting to know each member as a part of a team, you can start to appreciate the contribution everyone makes – and how their individual strengths can help you all work together to be more creative, productive and motivated.

Brilliant, right?

The key to making sure your team building exercises help you to achieve this?

Plan and think about what you’re going to be doing beforehand.

While some typical team building activities involve pitching groups into competing teams against each other – this can be pretty unhelpful, whichever side you happen to be on.

So how do you make sure your activities will help you bond your team? Read on for some great ideas:

Make sure you know your audience

Any team building exercise should be something that everyone can participate in and enjoy, even if it is a bit challenging.

While it might sound like a great idea to throw the entire team into the great unknown and hope that it works as a bonding experience, you run the risk of things going seriously awry – take a look at some of these horror stories here!

Choose something is going to be enjoyable and interesting to everyone on some level.

Everyone loves food and drink – why not try a group cookery class? Or for something a little more challenging, a puzzle or mystery challenge that the group can work on as a whole is a great way to explore the team’s dynamics.

Take the time to motivate

Team building exercises are a great way to motivate people, and reward them for their great work – so make the most of the opportunity to do this!

By using the shared experience as a time to enjoy each other’s company and value the skills everyone brings to the team, you can develop greater appreciation and trust towards each other.

And this can be a huge confidence booster – by showing that when you’re motivated and focused on an activity together, anything is possible.

This new-found confidence and energy isn’t just something to enjoy while you’re on your exercise, though. It’s something that you can bring back with you to the office, by reflecting on the great time you’ve been able to spend with each other.

Include time to relax

One of the biggest mistakes on team building exercises is to try to pack too much into a short space of time.

Remember that quality really does trump quantity – and doing more isn’t going to result in a more productive or effective team!

Allowing some down time and breathing space between activities or over the course of the period will help people relax and enjoy what they’re going to be doing more.

And if you’re planning something more strenuous and outdoorsy, then balancing it with a casual and relaxing get-together at the end is a fantastic way of wrapping it all up, and keeping the positive energy of the event.