Corporate team-building activities are usually done under the heat of the sun or answering a few get-to-know-me questions in the office. There was a time that these strategies were extremely effective, but it became overly predictable and dull over time. Today, some resort to arranging a virtual event and trusting that it will be enough to keep their employees engaged.
As a team leader, you’re probably wondering what else to do to pull your team together and foster a positive atmosphere. When you’re handling a team of professionals, you will notice the amount of stress they undergo each day. They might not even be coordinating with each other. A foolproof way to address this dilemma and be able to build strong relationships as well as know a coworker is by arranging an in-store team-building session.
Escape room games are more demanding than other team-building games in the sense that it challenges the players to think proactively and work together to achieve a common goal: escape. If you’re wondering why choosing escape room games as a team-building activity is a good idea, read on.
Escape Room Team Building Activity Benefits
1. It’s Surprisingly Affordable
Booking a venue, providing lodgings and food for a weekend-long team-building outing is awfully expensive. On the other hand, escape rooms cost way less and take little time. There’s no need to book a hotel and whatnot as the team will spend about an hour escaping. Conducting an escape room team-building session is a guaranteed cost-effective way to bring your employees closer together.
2. There Are In-Person And Virtual Escape Rooms For Team Building
If you want a hands-on interaction with absolutely no distractions, it’s best to play in-person. But if your employees hail from different cities or countries, it’s better to hold an engaging virtual event within the comfort of your team’s homes. So, if you’re one of those challenged by distance, why not try a virtual escape room?
Conducting escape room team-building activities virtually poses a different challenge from playing it in a facility. As communication barriers may be harder to overcome, players are motivated to do their best to communicate more effectively with their team.
3. There Are So Many Room Themes To Choose From
Choose the right themes for each team to play. Maybe you’re aware of a common interest of a team. For instance, maybe all of them are interested in medieval adventures. In that case you can pick a medieval-themed escape room for them to make the experience more fun. You should also consider the skill you want to unlock or uncover in the players. For instance, if you want the team members to pay attention to every detail, you should book them a mystery-themed room. Or you can just randomize it and let fate decide!
4. Escape Room Team Building Exposes Strengths And Weaknesses
Escape room games force players to step up to the challenge. The one you expected to take the lead in the game may end up cracking puzzles or making sense of clues. Or maybe the one you thought wouldn’t do as well as the others end up being the one who figures out how to solve the most complicated problems. Having escape rooms as the main team building activity is full of surprises that reveal a player’s hidden quirks.
5. Makes The Players Communicate With Each Other
If your team is not used to regularly chatting or sharing ideas and strategies, you may want to make them bond to improve their communication skills. During escape room team-building activities, the players have no choice but to speak out as their ideas might be the key to solving the puzzle to get them out of the room. No matter how unusual or silly the idea is, it is entertained. This in turn eliminates any inhibitions a person may feel about sharing their suggestions.
6. Enhances On-The-Spot Problem-Solving Abilities
No one can fully prepare themselves for an escape room. Sure, players expect to solve a lot of puzzles, but they have no clue as to what kind of puzzles those are! Players will be challenged to to solve problems they aren’t able to prepare for beforehand. Problem solving in this low stakes environment is a great way to exercise the problem solving skills necessary in an office!
7. Improves Time Management Skills
Speaking of time, players are usually given an hour at most to solve the puzzles and get out of the room successfully. Due to the time constraint, players are motivated to make do with the time they have and do their best to finish the game before time runs out! They can’t afford to sit around for a few minutes because they have to quickly make sense of the clues they find scattered within the room. What players usually do is individually discover clues and then share with the group what they’ve found, which saves a lot of time!
8. Natural Leadership Skills Are Manifested
To cover more areas of the room and solve puzzles quickly, a team needs a leader who will delegate tasks or split them up into pairs. The aim is to cover more ground and find clues faster. Because not all groups are well-oiled machines, one will feel the need to step up and take charge. This act will reveal the member who has hidden leadership skills that can be used even in the corporate setting.
9. Creative Thinking Is Challenged
What the players will encounter in escape room games is far from their usual tasks. The theme of the room may be an office breakout, but instead of clients and paperwork, they have to solve cryptic puzzles creatively. In the office setting, the players might be used to getting things done in a snap simply because they have mastered it or because they follow a method. So, if the team is used to things being done in a certain way, this is a good way to make them think out of the box, look from a different perspective, and use new problem-solving strategies.
10. Escape Room Team Building Boosts Camaraderie
Let’s face it, no escape room – may it be onsite or virtual – can be solved by a single person all alone. Teamwork is of utmost importance. Everyone has a role to play. Even those having trouble keeping up with the gameplay can cheer for their team and try to help out by gathering clues from time to time. No one is left behind. Win or lose, they all did their best working as a team. At the end of the day, they’ll find themselves basking in the spirit of teamwork.
Escape room team-building activities really have a lot to offer its players. Right from improving existing skills to character growth, to boosting company morale, your team-building will surely be fruitful if done in an escape room. You can even amp up each team’s motivation to win by setting up a contest of who gets to escape in the shortest amount of time per room. The fun as well as the possibilities in crafting an interesting escape room team-building session is endless.
Ready To Play?
There’s no time like the present so why not book a schedule for an in-store session for you and your team? Create new and exciting memories while strengthening your relationship as a team.
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