What's the best team building exercise you've done (planning a large work retreat)

[Anonymous]

We put together bags of soup mix for a kids charity.

[Anonymous]

I did one once with cups and string and rubber bands. You had to move or stack the cups without touching them and only could use the string which was tied to the rubber band. It was fun!!

[Anonymous]

So I actually used to work for an organization (volunteer) that put on team building events for revenue- it was a competitive sports team that I was on- its a sport that is incredibly easy to pick up but not easy to be good at (like rowing) so we used to take them out, teach them basics, get them a good work out, run a bunch of races in team and then do A BBQ with booze after (so physical fun for 1 hour, bbq for about 3-5). We always heard from people at the events that it was their favorite event because it was just day out in the park and not alot of forced gaming.

[Anonymous]

Get in a kitchen together!

http://dccentralkitchen.volunteerhub.com/Events/Index

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let them go home early.

+1. Team building activities are horrible, everyone hates them and they don't do any good. Sorry but true.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously? Is this marshmallow thing for real?
No one wants to to do that shit

I did it, and it sucked big time. It did reveal who was sleeping with whom though.

[Anonymous]

When I was working in London, our team building activity consisted of a day off from work spent drinking, eating, and playing game in the park. It was awesome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let them go home early.

+1. Team building activities are horrible, everyone hates them and they don't do any good. Sorry but true.

+1

+1 again. It's all a waste of time and either takes away from billable one or from vacation time and everyone ends up resenting the management that came up with it.

[Anonymous]

I've always liked the volunteer activity events the best--building a house with Habitat for Humanity, build/clean up a playground/park, sandwich making for a homeless shelter. Scavenger hunts can be fun as well but with 200 people, it will be tough.

[Anonymous]

Unless it's to benefit charity, I've never understood the point of team building activities, retreats, company parties, etc. Employees do *not* want to do these things. They come to work to get their work done, and then they want to spend what little time they have left in the week with their families (or, relaxing by themselves/with friends). Company parties, retreats, whatever - they do not boost morale. They make me pissed that I have to waste my time or, worse, hang out with my employer in my free time.

[Anonymous]

I agree - do something meaningful that involves people working together rather than activities or games.

[Anonymous]

can someone recommend one of these bike-building groups to work with?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless it's to benefit charity, I've never understood the point of team building activities, retreats, company parties, etc. Employees do *not* want to do these things. They come to work to get their work done, and then they want to spend what little time they have left in the week with their families (or, relaxing by themselves/with friends). Company parties, retreats, whatever - they do not boost morale. They make me pissed that I have to waste my time or, worse, hang out with my employer in my free time.

A thousand times yes.

I guess it does unite people....against HR, or the idiot managers who either read a book/went to a "leadership seminar/bought into a consultant's idea that this kind of "training" is good for morale or engagement or whatever. When my team had low morale or was frustrated about something, we would do some kind of real problem-solving exercise. Doing something fake would have stressed them out more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking for GREAT activities you can do with a large audience (>200 people). I've heard great things about the Marshmallow Challenge (build a tower with Spaghetti and Marshmallow) that they've done the TED talk about but a large chunk of the attendees have already done it. Anyone have other ideas?

200 people is not a "team." What's the point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our company did one a few years ago that I thought was cool...they built bikes which we then donated to a kids charity.

+1. This actual is a team build that IS worth it. Kids come in, thinking they are there to help, and they wins up getting the bikes at the end. I know Destination Paradise out if Annapolis does this ( no, not me).

+1 My company did this-- it was wonderful. You're building something as a team but it has an actual purpose. Having the kids there is amazing.