In this activity, each small team is given a set of card triangles. The aim is to negotiate and barter with other teams in order to match as many of their cards as possible within the allotted period of time. Team-building activities bring co-workers together to form closer professional relationships quickly. Participants are pushed to provide consistent communication.

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Team-building activities bring co-workers together to form closer professional relationships quickly. Participants are pushed to provide consistent communication and to remove personal barriers to teamwork, such as the tendency to want to work independently. With just a simple deck of playing cards, you can help your employees realize that working as a team produces more efficient and effective results for your small business than working alone does.

Sentence Creation

To improve cooperation of team members, try a sentence creation activity. Divide employees into groups of four or more and deal each person a card. Each team must use the first letters of the numbers or suits of their cards to create words to make a sentence. For instance, if the team members have a queen, six, jack, two and 12, they could create the following sentence: 'Quietly, she jogged to town.' Challenge them to make a different sentence for every member of the group. Have the groups stand in order with their cards and present the sentences to the rest of the teams. This activity teaches team members to use each person's contribution to create a finished product.

House of Cards

The house of cards game helps teams understand how to work together to overcome challenges. Divide employees into groups of two or four and give each group a deck of playing cards. Each team must build a house of cards without it falling over. The catch is that half of the group members must use their nondominant hand to build. If the house of cards falls, the team must start over, and every member must switch to the opposite hand. If the house falls again, members must switch back to the use of the first hand. Set a time limit for building. The team that has accomplished the most at the end of the time limit wins.

Playing Card Diagrams

Playing card diagrams teach members how to use communication to complete group tasks. Using the shape of a playing card, draw objects on sheets of paper. For example, create a flower diagram with one playing card placed horizontally on the paper for the center of the flower, and eight or more playing cards placed vertically -- like flower petals -- around it. Tuck the diagrams into separate folders. Divide employees into groups of two, with one person designated as the 'Giver' and one as the 'Receiver.' The givers each get a folder with a diagram to keep hidden. The receivers each get a deck of playing cards. The givers must instruct their partners to arrange the cards to create the shape on the diagram without revealing the intended design. Tell the givers to hold the folder in front of their faces so the receivers must rely on the voice commands. The receivers aren't allowed to talk or ask questions. Set a time limit, such as five minutes. Switch the employees' roles and hand out new diagrams for a second round. This time, allow the receivers to ask questions of the givers. The only restriction is that the givers cannot reveal the name of the diagram. Allow the team members to make eye contact as well. Set a time limit as before.

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Reveal Your Experiences

Plan an activity for group members to share their experiences, bond over commonalities and learn about others. Divide employees into groups of four or more. Give each team member a sheet of paper showing matching a suit or face card to a type of situation. For example, Hearts could be Things You Love, Jacks might be Embarrassing Moments, Kings are Successes and Diamonds represent Lost Opportunities. Deal each team member eight or more cards. Instruct everyone to think of at least one example from their lives for each card they have. Allow ample time for everyone to share their experiences within the group.

References (3)

  • Team Building Activities for Every Group; Alanna Jones

Resources (1)

About the Author

Based in Texas, Cynthia Measom has been writing various parenting, business and finance and education articles since 2011. Her articles have appeared on websites such as The Bump and Motley Fool. Measom received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin.

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One of the very first tasks all new employees at Hotjar must complete is penning a list of 10 interesting facts about themselves: anything from their favorite types of music, to what they do for fun, to weird stories about their childhood. It's a fantastic way to spark friendship-starting discussions.

Why do we do it? In a remote team, new hires can feel isolated from their co-workers, especially people they don't interact with on a regular basis. This task replaces typical in-office chit-chat as a way to get to know new teammates, and also combats the feeling of first-week confinement. When people find they share a common interest like a love of running, video games, or sourdough pizza, that immediately creates an affinity between them.

How does it work? During their first day of remote onboarding, new team members are instructed to compile their list and post it to Discourse. Since these pages remain live and public to the entire Hotjar team, they can also go back through old lists and learn about their new co-workers:

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