You’re an avid fan of outdoor activities, but you’re unsure if they can work to build your team’s morale, trust, and communication skills. Traditional team-building activities were cringe-worthy, but do outdoor activities improve team-building skills? And if so, how do they do so?
Outdoor activities can improve team-building skills by encouraging participants to use problem-solving and communication to achieve an outcome due to having skin in the game. Your team gets outside and away from work and focuses on non-work tasks, which can improve their social bonding experiences.
Outdoor activities can improve team-building skills by encouraging participants to use problem-solving and communication to achieve an outcome due to having skin in the game.
This article will discuss why traditional team-building activities don’t work, why outdoor activities can work better, and the benefits of outdoor activities, so stick around. And when you want to create team-building activities that your team will look forward to, schedule a free coaching call with me at your earliest convenience.
Why Traditional Team-Building Activities Don’t Work
“We’re going to do some team-building exercises! Aren’t you excited?” When you hear this, do you roll your eyes and cringe? Or do you actually look forward to traditional team-building activities?
If you cringe when you hear this, you’re not alone. Many employees feel that these activities do nothing to build trust or communication and dread going through them. Why is that?
Several people, myself included, strongly dislike being thrust into social situations where they’re forced to bond with others socially. And most activities aren’t challenging enough where the participants have “skin in the game.” In other words, they don’t require people to put something on the line, so there is nothing to get out of the activities.
Most of these traditional activities might include some of the following:
- The trust exercise is where one person falls, and another person catches them.
- Blindfolded activities
- Role-playing games
- Sharing likes and dislikes about co-workers
While some people might like these activities, most people can’t stand them and would instead put in 12-hour shifts several days in a row rather than go through those types of team-building activities.
Teamwork and communication only happen when something is on the line. Team-building activities should be challenging enough for people to lose something, perhaps if they don’t participate. However, if the exercises are too hard, people can also lose interest, so there is a delicate balancing act between the two.
Teamwork and communication only happen when something is on the line.
To get it just right, I can help you. Schedule a free coaching call with me at your earliest convenience.
The Workplace Continues as Normal, but Is That What You Want?
One of the most significant consequences of doing things as always, and using traditional team-building activities, is that your organization continues as usual. But what is normal? What is your workplace like?
If it’s like many places, there’s a lack of trust, and no one communicates appropriately. There’s tension, stress, potential backstabbing, and other issues. Is this what you want?
More than likely, you don’t, so let’s look at a new way to build your team.
Outdoor Team Building Activities Are Revolutionary
Believe it or not, several team-building activities work to build up your team. But they happen with outdoor activities more often because the feedback loop takes seconds or minutes.
What does that mean?
When participating in team-building activities in an office setting, the consequences of a wrong decision don’t catch up with you very soon. But when you’re out in nature fighting for your life, such as during mountain climbing, a wrong decision can mean certain death.
So you have “skin in the game,” and you depend on your team members to do their part so that everyone reaches the top of the mountain alive. These types of team-building activities can do what they’re intended to do: build trust and social bonding.
But what’s the difference between outdoor and traditional activities that people loathe? Most of those traditional activities don’t have a clear goal in mind and don’t accomplish anything. This leaves the team without any guidance.
Most of those traditional activities don’t have a clear goal in mind and don’t accomplish anything. This leaves the team without any guidance.
On the other hand, when outdoor activities are properly planned, they have clear goals and guidance. People are also more willing to participate in outdoor activities if they are a normal part of the work environment.
3 Benefits Of Outdoor Team Building Activities
The feedback loop in nature is very short, so you can practice your decision-making several times during the same activity and learn more in the process. The benefits of moving your team-building activities outdoors include coming up with new solutions to old problems and building trust within your team.
When executed correctly, outdoor team-building activities can improve the trust and cohesiveness of your team.
Check out this article if you want to train leaders using outdoor activities.
1. New Solutions To Old Problems
You know that feeling you get when you get tired and sleepy from sitting at your desk too long? You feel worn out, have brain fog, and want to lie down and nap, right? Getting out in nature can breathe new life into your team’s problem-solving skills.
What happens when you get outside for a quick 5-minute walk? Do you feel energized? Do solutions to problems that you wrestled with suddenly present themselves?
Outdoor team-building activities can increase your team’s problem-solving skills through physical activities in the fresh air and sunshine. This gets the blood flowing and energizes the brain.
New solutions come when the brain is rested and the body is energized.
2. Your Team Builds Trust
Returning to the mountain climbing example, if your team is connected through a fixed rope, everyone must trust that each member will do their part and keep each other safe. Back in the office, team members have a renewed bond and trust that wouldn’t happen with traditional team-building activities.
3. The Team Increases Their Communication Skills
Having skin in the game in outdoor activities means that team members are more willing to communicate with each other. During the climb up a dangerous mountain, the team must communicate each move so that everyone works together as one.
Once your team is back on the job, these communication skills can increase productivity and a general sense of well-being within your team.
Conclusion
While it might be true that people dread traditional team-building activities, they might actually look forward to participating when you take them outdoors for more challenging activities. To learn more about how to set up outdoor activities that people actually want to participate in, schedule a free coaching call with me to see if I can help you with your goals.
