There’s something magical that happens when people gather together. Whether they’re solving problems, creating content, or just hanging out and having fun, the atmosphere changes when people are near each other. Barriers break down, minds begin to sync, and trust develops. That’s because we can read body language in addition to what’s being said verbally. We can shake hands or pat each other on the back. We realize we’re part of a group, not just talking heads on a computer screen. We belong to something bigger than ourselves. That is what in-person team building events accomplish.
What In-person Team Building Does
In-person team building brings people together in a shared space to, well, build up a team through activities and exercises that are often fun. Throughout history, people have gotten together to collaborate on projects, but true team building as a concept developed in the U.S. in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
The Hawthorne Studies were a series of experiments conducted at the Western Electric factory in Illinois between 1924 and 1932. Activities were designed to see what would happen to groups of workers under different conditions. It was discovered that employees increased their work effort because managers showed an interest in their well-being and wanted to help improve working conditions. Workers also increased their productivity because the change in environment for their team building activities for work acted as a break from their daily job routine. Worker satisfaction increased. That’s one of the reasons why team building is important, but it’s not the only one.
Why In-person Team Building is Important
There are several reasons why in-person team building activities are important. For one, they help build new relationships and improve understanding between employees and leadership in your organization. This results in better overall performance for employees and the company, helping make everything more efficient.
Other ways that in-person team building games help organizations are by enhancing company culture, promoting shared goals and values, discovering new leaders in the company, improving creativity and innovation, developing new skills and professional growth, and encouraging cross-departmental interactions and collaborations.
Five In-person Team Building Activity Ideas
There are several team building ideas for work available for groups of every size and persuasion. Which ones you decide on depends on the goals you want to achieve for your teams. That said, there are some tried-and-true ones that almost every organization finds enjoyable, exciting, and invigorating. Here are five team building activities for work in 2025.
Trivia Contests — One of the most popular team building activities in the workplace for groups is trivia contests. These can be done with individual participants but are often more fun when done with teams. Topics can range from general to specialized, depending on what you want the focus to be. One of our most popular music team building activities is our Rock & Roll Game Show, which features music trivia contests. The friendly competition helps strengthen team bonding and creates a memorable experience for groups of all sizes.
Scavenger Hunts — These in-person team building games involve participants searching for specific items. They can be played solo or in teams. The person or group who finds the most objects wins the hunt. You can add variations to the game for your particular group. One idea is to have the hunt happen at the company headquarters where teams must visit different departments for objects. This will help everyone familiarize themselves with co-workers and company operations. Another variation is a reverse hunt. That’s where teams receive objects, have to identify them, and then place them back in their original places. Scavenger hunts help promote collaboration, creativity, a shared purpose, and resourcefulness.
Lip Sync Battles — Nothing fires up teams like a little friendly competition. These high-energy team building activities for work help break down departmental barriers, strengthen team bonding, and increase employee engagement. During our Lip Sync Battle, our professional facilitators guide participants every step of the way, from selecting the perfect song to perform to creating show-stopping choreography that amps up their overall performance and brings the energy to a whole new level! We can customize the Lip Sync Battle to match your company’s goals or event’s themes. Ready to show off your lip-syncing skills? Step up to the mic!
Improv Workshops — The underlying basis for improv is the concept of “yes, and,” which means you should be open to ideas, possibilities, and situations. While being receptive is one thing, the other is adding to the experience. That’s the “and” part. Improv teaches collaboration, creativity, and quick-thinking skills, all important traits for successful teams. Improv also teaches how to embrace and get comfortable with failure. Through failure, teams learn how to pivot better and rely on resources to reach positive outcomes. This makes learning improv skills a great team building activity for the workplace.
Co-creating Music Together — These types of music team building activities are similar to lip-sync battles, but you actually co-create the songs instead of miming them. With our Live Band Karaoke experience, team members get the opportunity to perform some of their favorite songs from a curated list while backed by our world-class musicians. This event helps boost morale, break down inhibitions, and encourages everyone to have fun. And with The Song Slam experience, teams get to participate in a “Battle of the Bands” situation. Your group is split into teams, each with one of our session musicians as their coach. Team members will learn how to write a song, create their song, and then perform it backed by a live band for the other teams to see. This experience helps break down walls, boosts communication skills, and helps people bond.
Other types of in-person team building activities to consider include cooking classes, escape rooms, a power choir, ropes courses, a VIP Recording Studio Experience, and volunteer work.
What About Remote Teams?
While meeting in person is great for bonding and direct interaction, there are times when organizations may need to do a bit of team building virtually for their remote employees. Many of the in-person team building ideas for work are customizable for groups who are not in the office. For example, The Song Slam can be done virtually, as can the Lip Sync Battle and music trivia experiences.
Connect with us to help you customize your next in-person team building experience. We’ll make sure your group hits all the high notes. And for more information about how music plays a fundamental role in team bonding, check out our blog.