Latest in Team Building

The Latest in Team Building

Team building has long been a valuable method of bringing people together, fostering relationships, strengthening bonds and learning about previously undiscovered skills and untapped abilities. Though recent circumstances have forced changes in the way team building activities are sometimes facilitated, they continue to be an important tool for businesses both large and small.

Virtual and remote programs have been developed that have proven to be highly successful, and there are hybrid options, too, along with the return of in-person activities among groups who are ready to reconnect in a more tactile way.

Team Bonding has served as a leader in this market long before the pandemic, showed great innovation and resilience throughout all of its challenges, and has emerged with an even more diverse portfolio of options for team building activities and programs across a range of platforms.

According to David Goldstein, C.O.O. (creator of opportunities) for Team Bonding, “…we will continue to offer and deliver virtual events and focus in the near future on summer and outdoor-themed activities.”

Among Team Bonding’s newer programs is The Game of Drones – an inperson team building event where teams must carefully maneuver their drones through eight “man-made” obstacles between launch and landing pad.

Another new option for groups is Team Bonding’s Virtual Music Festival, which puts team dynamics to the test in this global team building activity. Prove which team is the ultimate festival fan through this program that includes seven music stages, various genres, riddles to be solved, researching of acts and facts, photos and videos by participants, and completion of tasks in an effort to gain the most points for their team.

Beat the Box has long been a popular offering by Team Bonding, the “ultimate competitive team building game,” asserts Goldstein. “Teams work to open the box only to discover four cases inside. Each case contains ‘Escape Room’ style challenges that must be solved in order to open the next case and ultimately discover a mystery slogan that will stop the clock.”

Outrageous Summer Games is great option for this year, capitalizing on the excitement generated by the Summer Olympics. From the opening ceremony to the closing awards presentation, Outrageous Games is perfect non-athletic entertainment for a company picnic, employee meeting, or annual corporate summer outing.

Team Bonding’s Build a Boat is a highimpact team building water activity that helps identify the leadership characteristics of attendees in an exciting, hands-on, fun environment.

“We have become very adaptable with technology, and with hundreds of team building programs available as virtual, hybrid and in-person, we are able to tailor our offerings to the needs of clients - wherever they are,” explains Goldstein. “We keep the safety of our staff and clients in mind when suggesting and delivering any of our team building activities.”

So many employees have spent the last year apart, working remotely or facing a wide range of restrictions on

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gathering whether in the workplace or socially. After all that time, team building is perhaps more important now than ever before.

“We often call it team 'rebuilding,' as companies and their teams need one another to rebuild their business,” notes Goldstein. “Colleagues want to rebuild their trust, invest in their relationships, and work together to support each other. Team building has many forms, from competition to collaboration and training, and that allows employees to connect with each other for the common good and for the good of the company.”

The excitement and enthusiasm of such in-person activities has been missed, he adds, explaining that, as we reunite once again, it serves as a great reminder that all of us are better together. “One of my favorite quotes comes from an African proverb – ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’.”

Team building provides a forum in which to take risks, receive rewards, give and get feedback, share success and overcome failure, Goldstein continues. “Virtual team building events have and will continue to be great placeholders for inperson events, but nothing can replace the excitement and enthusiasm of inperson team building.”

Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Bucks County, PA offers a wide variety of team building activities of its own, ranging from Murder Mystery Shows to Cupcake Wars to Beer and Wine Tastings to Terrarium Making to Scavenger Hunts. These fun activities bring teams together to work toward a common goal.

“Scavenger Hunts are always fun,” observes Ann Lipcsey, assistant director of sales for Peddler’s Village. “They usually are outside, using our shops and restaurants for clues. Each team works to-

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“We are seeing more and more events on the schedule for the summer and into the fall,” Lipcsey notes. “We are hoping with travel restrictions being lifted that we will see more corporate meetings on the horizon. The team building events will come with the meetings, especially with people getting back into their office spaces. Teams and departments will look for ice breakers to bring their teams together.”

After many months of Zoom meetings, people are looking forward to the opportunity to get out and interact, and to see their counterparts again. “Companies can bring employees together through team building,” says Lipcsey. “It’s a great way for new employees to interact with long time employees and learn things about their counterparts. If it’s outdoors, in the fresh air, even better.”

Numerous unique team building activities of all types for groups of a wide range of sizes can be found throughout Montgomery County, PA, observes Scott Higgins, associate director of sales and business development for the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board.

“Groups are able to re-live history by visiting the Valley Forge National Historical Park or go floating on the river at Port Providence Paddle,” he explains. “The ropes course at the Elmwood Park Zoo is available for those looking for a little thrill as they learn to navigate together. Those looking to move indoors can take a cooking class at Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center.”

“In many cases, it’s been more than a year since team members have seen

Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina in the Maryland Eastern Shore town of Cambridge provides a waterfront meeting and team building destination for groups that includes everything from kayak bird watching tours and PaddleFit classes to programs held in its inspiring outdoor venues.

“Whether groups are looking for a fun and exciting day exploring Chesapeake Bay by boat, interested in learning about local wildlife, or exploring the area with cultural tours, our resort has something for everyone to enjoy,” observes Cari Ruppert, director of sales, marketing and events at Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay.

Throughout the summer season, groups can enjoy water activities directly from the resort’s dock. The property partners with Blackwater Adventures to provide kayak, jet ski, powerboat, and standup paddleboard rentals. The organization also offers several group excursions including kayaking bird tours where attendees can search for eagles, osprey, and great blue heron from the water, and bicycle tours of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Groups also can enjoy a private golf clinic at the resort’s River Marsh Golf Club, or partake in friendly competition with a round of glow-in-the-dark golf.

The resort also provides access to cultural tours and sites in Cambridge, such as the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Park, which includes a visitor center, museum and research library. Groups can visit 30 sites along a driving tour of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, as well.

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Puzzle Break

Puzzle Break, the first U.S.-based escape room company, recently announced its virtual professional development series, Excellence Unlocked. Created after nearly a decade of astute observation, research and data pulled from Puzzle Break’s own game operations, these half-day workshops are designed to capture the fun and excitement of escape rooms while also fostering honest conversations about areas of opportunity as well as hone collaborative skills in real-time at the individual and team levels.

“One of the most intriguing things about Excellence Unlocked, and Puzzle Break overall, is the level of deep research and meticulous planning that has gone into every detail of the experiences – from the game play to the training of our facilitators,” explains Nate Martin, CEO and co-founder of Puzzle Break.

Using an exclusive formula conceived by Puzzle Break, Excellence Unlocked takes teams through a variety of collaboration-based virtual escape experiences designed to challenge and refine the group’s communication tactics and problem-solving skills. Each workshop includes four game segments, two discussion periods and a final debrief that recaps the experience and provides an opportunity to discuss lessons learned.

Specially-trained senior Puzzle Break facilitators are present throughout the experience and monitor the teams’ performances closely to unearth specific trends and recommend further collaboration strategies that go beyond game play. At the end of the workshop, participants are provided take-home reports that further analyze both individual and team performances, strengths and weaknesses, along with individually-tailored roadmaps for ways each person can apply what was discussed in the workplace setting.

Headquartered in Seattle, Puzzle Break has physical escape room locations in New York, Massachusetts and on Royal Caribbean cruise ships around the world. In addition to its virtual escape room offerings, Puzzle Break has operated workplace team building challenges for off-site meetings, retreats and corporate events. each other in-person,” Higgins notes. “With Valley Forge and Montgomery County now re-opened without any capacity restrictions, we’ve already heard from organizations that they want to get back together. We anticipate this will be the trend through at least 2021 as leaders look to re-connect their teams.”

He adds that remote working also has left many feeling isolated, and that bringing teams back together and strengthening their skills is more important than ever.

“Team building is about connecting with your coworkers and learning more about their strengths and opportunity areas,” observes Higgins. “The past year has been the most challenging year that most of us will face, both professionally and personally. By bringing your team back together through activities, they’ll be reminded how great it is to work together toward a unified goal.”