Benefits of team-building activities that build trust

Incorporating trust exercises into the workplace can help employees improve their relationships with colleagues. Potential benefits of having high levels of trust in your team include increased collaboration, employee morale, productivity and respect.

Communication-based exercises

To enhance trust, consider ways to establish transparency in communication.

1. Be the teacher

Sharing areas of expertise can help your team members bond and improve trust. You might ask each team member to teach the team a work-related skill or personal hobby.

Consider giving team members five or 10 minutes at the beginning of a weekly or monthly employee meeting to teach the group about their expertise. You can host one of these teaching sessions at each meeting until each employee has been the teacher.

2. Opening question

Getting to know coworkers better can help employees build trust among remote teams or on-site employees in fast-paced environments.

The manager might introduce morning team huddles or meetings with a question, such as:

• If you could teach a class on something you’re passionate about, what would it be?
• If there were Olympics for everyday activities, which activity would you compete in and win?
• What emoji best describes your personality?
• You get to plan your dream concert. Which three bands or singers would perform?

Consider letting your employees take turns brainstorming the questions.

3. Active listening sessions

Regular active listening sessions allow team members to improve communication skills and learn about their colleagues’ perspectives and experiences.

Consider pairing team members together and providing a topic, such as a hobby, professional background, book or television show. You can assign one person to speak and the other to reflect on what they heard. These sessions can help participants refine their listening skills and learn to fully engage with the speaker.

For remote teams, consider using virtual breakout rooms for this trust exercise.

Trust and integrity-based exercises

Trust is typically earned when employees feel a company and its leaders maintain ethical policies and practices.

4. Verbal trust fall

In a verbal trust fall exercise, managers have team members share a professional mistake, a project they’re proud of or a recent learning experience. Participants can engage by providing similar experiences or encouragement.

Letting workers share their challenges and receive supportive feedback can help build emotional trust and empathy.

5. Appreciation circles

This exercise can teach team members to acknowledge and value their colleagues’ contributions. Each individual expresses appreciation for how a colleague contributes to the organization or an admirable quality.

Workers may do this exercise in a circle or write each team member’s name on slips of paper and draw a name from a hat. After writing a note of appreciation, the names return to the hat, and participants select one and read it aloud.

Problem-solving exercises

The following examples may help your team use collaborative thinking to inspire trust.

6. Escape room challenge

In the escape room challenge, employees work together to solve a series of virtual or physical puzzles. Consider choosing a theme that matches the industry, an upcoming holiday or your team’s interests. Each puzzle can bring the team closer to the final goal of escaping the room, potentially allowing for collaboration and a shared sense of accomplishment.

For larger groups, divide into smaller teams for this trust challenge.

7. Survival scenarios

To guide team members through this team-building activity for trust and collaboration, managers can present them with a survival scenario. For example, they may be stranded on an island or lost in the wilderness.

The team must take a list of items and prioritize the ones needed for safety and survival. This activity can enhance critical thinking skills while encouraging teamwork.

8. Group brainstorming

Group brainstorming sessions introduce topics related to workplace challenges, the company’s products or services or general ideas.

For example, if a team is struggling with project delays, a brainstorming session could focus on identifying bottlenecks and generating solutions. Or, a brainstorming session could be used to develop new product features or marketing campaigns.

By participating in these sessions, your team can practice building on each other’s ideas, valuing others’ input and uncovering new perspectives. This can teach the team how to work together toward a common goal.

9. Two truths and a lie

This icebreaker requires each employee to share two true statements about themselves and a made-up one. Employees can use what they know about their coworkers to make accurate guesses while also potentially learning new things when they discover which statements are true.

10. Team meals

As an alternative to games, you might cater a meal once per week. This event can encourage organic conversations between employees, which can help them get to know one another.

Additional ways to build trust

Other ways to build trust may include:

• Practicing transparency: Being open with your employees can create an environment where team members feel informed and confident about the company’s direction.
• Extending trust: By allowing your team to perform their job without micromanaging, you show trust in them.
• Valuing your employees’ opinions: Listening to feedback and ideas from your employees can help create a trusting environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.
• Recognizing accomplishments: Consider offering regular recognition to show you appreciate your employees.

Trust can develop and strengthen over time in an open and supportive environment. Consistent effort using these strategies can help you build trusting relationships with your team members.

FAQs about team trust activities

How often should employers conduct trust exercises?

Many employers prefer to organize sessions monthly. This lets workers build trust over time without interfering with their weekly schedules.

Incorporating trust exercises into daily or weekly routines may be beneficial. For example, you might ask opening questions before team meetings or host brainstorming sessions when developing new processes.

How do you measure the success of team-building activities for trust?

Some methods for measuring the success of team-building activities for trust may include:

• Reviewing feedback from anonymous surveys or comment boxes
• Monitoring team interactions and looking for signs of increased collaboration
• Tracking performance metrics, such as meeting attendance and overall productivity
• Conducting short weekly surveys to gauge the team’s trust and morale

What should you do if employees are resistant to participating in trust exercises?

To encourage participation, consider gathering input from workers and providing opportunities for them to suggest modifications.

Begin with simple exercises that require minimal commitment and personal information, and consider leading by example by participating in these exercises.