Quite a few corporate and retail employers enjoy looking for fun ways to bring employees together. One of those ways is to plan team building activities.Sometimes team building activities are held on the premises of an employer. However, quite often employers will provide unconventional team building opportunities off site. The following is a list of some of the most commonly planned types of team building activities:

1. Problem Solving Games

One of the most popular team building activities that involves problem solving is “murder mysteries”. This particular game involves the solving of a mystery with given clues.

Solving a murder mystery is an activity that requires players to use all of his or her finest problem-solving skills. While playing this type of game, some players may be able to exercise their management skills of delegation and organization. Likewise, other players will learn more about how to work well with a close-knit employee group. Treasure Hunts are also another type of problem solving game that calls for group activity. This usually involves finding some type of valuable gift or object with just the use of location or object description hints that are given. This particular type of activity is perfect for helping a group of people learn how to follow directions and to use time wisely.

2. Driving Sport Events

Driving events are sometimes planned for employee groups. Quite often these are planned for pure enjoyment. However, one of the benefits of planning a driving sport event day is that employees learn how to get along even if they are competing against one another. Examples of driving sport events include quad racing (four wheeler racing), off road racing, buggy racing, and remote control car racing. For a very crazy (in a good way) adventure some corporate or employee teams may enjoy reverse steer car races.

The reverse steer car race may deserve a little more explanation than the other types of car racing. The cars used in this type of race involve the use of a backwards type of steering wheel.

3. Communication Exercises

Another type of activity involves playing games that require people that do not know each other well to talk to each other. These are typically called communication exercises, and are planned to help people improve interpersonal activities within the office. Sometimes employee groups who are involved in communication games will play “Twenty Questions” or “Get to Know You” games. For instance, one of the questions for the “Twenty Questions” game could be as follows:

“If you could have one new type of food in the office cafeteria what would it be?”

The type of direction involved in “Get to Know You” games could include something along the lines of the following:

“Find someone in the room who has the same hobby as you.”

Usually communication games not only require quite a bit of verbal communication, but they may also require non-verbal communication as well. For instance, most people know what “Charades” is, or “Pictionary”. Charades is a silent acting game and Pictionary is a drawing/word guessing game. Communication exercises are usually meant for resolving issues that are directly work-related. However, they may also be designed to help teach employees how to resolve personal issues between one another.

4. Social Events

Sometimes entertainment such as music, dancing, or theatre productions may be planned for a corporate event. Moreover, employee events that are organized by employers and/or third party activity coordinators may involve themed parties. Two of the most popular themed parties include the Wild West theme or the Hawaiian themed party.