6 teambuilding ideas for teams and groups
We present 6 non-awkward formats, methods, and exercises that help bring teams closer together.
This tool selection was curated by Martin from the Neue Narrative team.
When the word “teambuilding” comes up, many team members immediately resist. I understand why: too many methods used in professional contexts really belong on youth retreats.
At the same time, we don’t need to argue that teambuilding is important and that smart formats can help people connect and build trust more effectively.
In this collection, I present 6 non-awkward ideas for successful teambuilding.
1. Understanding emotions together
Many of us were taught that emotions should stay outside the workplace. Yet emotions shape how we think, decide and interact with others. Learning to recognise and name them can strengthen trust within a team. In this format, participants explore their emotional vocabulary.
For example, participants:
- Describe how they feel in the moment
- Expand their emotional vocabulary
- Reflect on situations at work that triggered strong emotions
- Practise expressing emotions clearly and constructively
In the final round, participants share insights on how recognising emotions can strengthen empathy and collaboration within the team.
2. A professional friendship book
Everyone knows friendship books that kids swap to collect entries and learn personal things about each other. The People Profiles are basically a friendship book for colleagues.
You create work-related profiles with categories such as:
- 5 stages of my professional life
- My strengths
- What makes me anxious in organisations
- Feedback I have received that has stuck with me
In this session, participants create an individual People Profile and then share it with the group.
3. Good questions connect
Small talk is annoying. Icebreaker games are even worse. This dice game is for anyone who wants to avoid small talk and shallow get-to-know-you games. It contains a set of really good questions that every team member will enjoy answering. For example:
- Do you prefer being alone or with others?
- If you could be invisible, what would you do?
- Who would you like to have a conversation with over dinner?
- What really makes you angry?
Participants roll for their questions in turn and answer them. By the end, you’ll have learned at least one thing about each person that you didn’t know before.
4. The big failure exhibition
In a few organisations, failures are openly discussed. Yet this can be very bonding.
In this group tool, participants create a “CV of Failure,” a resume documenting weaknesses and unsuccessful stages.
Then you open the Gallery of Failure, displaying the CVs and silently reading through them.
You will likely feel connected and realise: nobody is without mistakes.
5. Walking and listening
Sometimes it’s enough to walk together and really listen to each other.
The exercise is done in pairs, though of course up to 30 people can participate in 15 groups at the same time.
At the start, you set an organisational question to reflect on, e.g., “How have I experienced myself in the organisation over the past three months?” The listening person consciously focuses on four types of listening:
- Downloading
- Factual listening
- Empathic listening
- Creative listening
6. Differences bring you together
When people think about good teamwork, they often imagine working with others who think and act just like they do. In reality, teams often benefit from differences in personality and working styles.
The Personality Testing with the Team exercise helps make these differences visible and opens a constructive conversation about them. Based on the Big Five personality model, participants reflect on how they approach work, collaboration and decision-making.
The exercise unfolds in three steps:
- Position yourselves along a scale for several personality statements
- Reflect individually on the five personality dimensions
- Discuss what these differences mean for your collaboration
The goal isn’t to label people, but to better understand how different personalities shape teamwork and how these differences can become a strength for the team.
One more boring tip to finish with: Of course, really good methods can help to facilitate bonding in groups. However, the most important thing for good team cohesion is not simulation, but everyday cooperation and the joint achievement of goals.
Therefore, even at team offsites, create programme items in which those present simply do their work together. And see what a force a really good team can be.