Five Outdoor Team-Building Activities to Boost Morale

Do you ever get bored with your standard business lunches? I do. So when I plan a meeting, I try to make it interesting. Sparring in a boxing ring or lifting weights with a colleague has taught me things about them, and myself. These are things that I couldn’t have learned over lunch, and sharing unique activities with others creates a special bond. Food is great; I do business lunches and dinners. But whenever possible I like to try something new and different to keep things fresh and stimulate new ideas. This works best when you share something that you are genuinely interested in with a coworker or client. For me, that’s fitness. Here are five fitness-centered team-building activities that I find to be particularly successful.

The Importance of Rapport in the Outdoors

In the corporate world, it can be easy to fall into a rut where you feel uninspired and don’t communicate well. You can use team-building exercises to pop your people out of these ruts. Do this, and create a bond that allows for more communication and collaboration. Going outside for fresh air and more organic views can help.

During the colder months, I look forward to the sharp, invigorating chill in the air. During the darker months of the year, exposure to the sun can help fight off the blues as well as generate vitamin D. Wanting to stay warm gives me one more reason to exercise. There is something very special about working up a sweat on a brisk autumn day. As such, I have many special memories of outings and games with family and friends in the fall.

Idea #1: A 5k Run or Group Jog

The best team-building exercise is the one your employees will like the most. Therefore, unless your plan is to surprise them, ask your team what activities they have enjoyed in the past. Use this to help you to determine which ones they would most look forward to in the future. Then, plan accordingly. Incorporating your team in the planning process helps you find the best activities for everyone and builds anticipation and excitement for the event.

You can try fun team-building activities that include group-oriented events. At 1AND1 Life, we enjoy group personal training sessions, but there are lots of other ideas to choose from. If some of your team members enjoy jogging, sign up for a 5K or go jogging together. Encourage the members on your team who do not usually jog to give it a try. For people who want to up their running game, there are running exercises you can do to help increase the speed and duration of your runs.

Idea #2: 5-minute Team Building Activities

In today’s fast-paced, competitive world, you don’t always have a lot of time for corporate team-building activities. In addition, you may have people on your team who love their work and who are focused intently on deadlines. They may not want to take time away from work tasks. Therefore, time-hungry activities may actually hurt their morale. But coworkers need to develop relationships so they can communicate well and stay on track. A team that communicates well and looks out for each other is happier and more productive. Finding fun and easy things you can do in just five minutes will help you help your team create a better rapport.

Even a short walk around the office park can help reinvigorate the body and mind. You’ll give coworkers the opportunity to talk about non-work topics. But if your team’s schedule just won’t allow you to get outside, a short game or activity will give people a chance to have some fun and sharpen their focus. Collect a list of team-building games that can be introduced whenever there is a lull in the action, like “Three Truths and a Lie.”

Five-minute activities can also help create a sense of urgency in your team without adding anxiety or stress. The time limit encourages players to pay close attention and stay on their toes so they don’t fall behind. Building a sense of urgency and a desire to communicate in your team will help them bond and work better together.

Idea #3: Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Take your workgroup outside for some invigorating fresh air and exercise. This will help your team grow closer together and build excitement about your common goals.

Large corporations love team-building activities, but what can you do to make 200 people feel closer together? A scavenger hunt is a fun activity that can scale to include as few or as many people as you have. When you take it outside, the sky is the limit. You can use 5 people or 500, and the size of your field is limited only by the amount of time you have allotted for the activity. Organize people into small, randomized teams. This helps employees meet and build relationships with other individuals from your organization that they wouldn’t normally interact with. Having a friend in another department often leads to not just one but several new acquaintances. Consequently, it can open lines of communication that would otherwise remain silent.

Idea #4: Capture the Flag

Scavenger hunts can take significant planning in order to run smoothly. Keep in mind, you may be limited on time and resources to plan your outdoor team-building event. If so, then games like capture the flag are good ways to get a lot of people working together in groups. But it has the advantage of not needing more than a big open space to play.

Like scavenger hunts, capture the flag gets your teams to circulate and work together with people they wouldn’t normally see. This activity is also a little more physical than a scavenger hunt, so this is a good option if you really want to get the blood pumping.

Idea #5: Outdoor Yoga

On a sunny fall or spring day, outdoor yoga is a great way to combine fitness and team building in a way that will boost everyone’s mood and lower their sensitivity to negative emotions. Most people don’t get enough exercise, and yoga is one of the most recommended exercises to reduce anxiety. Studies show that when people move in the same way at the same time, it creates an effect called muscular bonding. This effect brings people closer together and encourages trust and communication. Doing yoga in a nearby park will provide even more benefits to your team. This is because there are positive health impacts associated with spending time in parks and natural areas.  

A Note About Weather

Incorporating fitness into team-building activities can be especially effective in the fall and winter because the outdoor temperatures naturally encourage movement. The cooler weather makes fall an ideal time to encourage your people to work up a sweat and have fun.

Stacking your team-building with fitness creates an exciting atmosphere full of positive energy that is good for both physical and mental health. The five activities we have discussed will help you increase productivity and communication. More importantly, they’ll also help people to build friendships and relationships that will last for years to come.