7 communication games for team building

In an age dominated by technological advancements, rapid email exchanges, and virtual meetings, the ability to articulate ideas clearly, understand colleagues, and respond empathetically is pivotal.

McKinsey’s State of Organizations 2023 report says it best: “Purposeful communication is a skill and an art.”

Communication games for team building in the workplace are great ways to teach employees how to communicate effectively—training games help increase engagement and knowledge retention. Communication soft skills are especially key for leaders who oversee diverse teams.

In this blog, we list fun ways to improve communication in the workplace. Let’s look at seven team-building activities for work communication that are easy to implement and will build camaraderie among team members.

Communication types

Before we take a look at the fun ways to improve communication in the workplace, let’s review different communication types.

Verbal communication

The most common type of communication is verbal, such as face-to-face conversations, phone calls, and video conferences. Good verbal communication is a vital soft skill in the workplace. Yet, misunderstandings are always a possibility, so it’s essential to be aware of tone and body language when communicating verbally.

Nonverbal communication

Nonverbal communication is what you convey through body language, not words, which says more than you may think. For example, crossing your arms or avoiding eye contact may indicate you’re unengaged with the speaker. On the other hand, leaning in and nodding your head shows you’re actively listening.

Written communication

At work, we take in a lot of written information – emails, performance reports, presentations, etc. Since you aren’t in person when communicating in written form, you have to be even more careful about how you word things. Practicing a written communication activity for work can help employees learn how to get their points across clearly and concisely.

Now let’s dive into some activities to improve communication skills in the workplace.

Activities to improve communication skills in the workplace

Effective team-building activities for work communication hinge on understanding the unique needs of your workforce. Recognizing which areas need development can guide an organization in tailoring the right communication activity for work.

Here are seven unique communication games for team building, each of which will help you build a productive and collaborative work environment.

Broken Telephone

Description: A classic game where participants sit in a circle. One person whispers a message to the person next to them. The message is passed around until it reaches the original sender.

Objective: This game emphasizes the importance of clear communication and highlights how easily messages can be distorted or misunderstood.

Back-to-Back Drawing

Description: Participants pair up and sit back to back. One person has a picture and describes it without naming it, while the other tries to draw it based solely on the description.

Objective: This activity emphasizes the importance of detailed communication and the challenges of interpretation without visual aids.

Minefield

Description: A room or outdoor space is set up with various obstacles. One person is blindfolded and cannot speak, while their partner must guide them through the minefield using only verbal instructions.

Objective: To foster trust and highlight the importance of precise, clear instructions.

Balloon Tower Challenge

Description: Teams are given a set number of balloons and tape or string. They have to build the tallest balloon tower in a set amount of time.

Objective: This game requires teams to strategize, delegate roles, and communicate effectively to accomplish a common goal.

Question Beach Ball

Description: Write different open-ended questions on a large beach ball. Toss it around in a group. The person who catches it must answer the question their right thumb touches.

Objective: This light-hearted game encourages sharing and getting to know teammates better, promoting open communication.

Charades

Description: Participants must act out a word or phrase without speaking while the rest of their team tries to guess what it is.

Objective: While fun, charades also show the importance of non-verbal communication and the difficulties/challenges that arise without verbal cues.

Story Round Robin

Description: Start a story with an opening line. Each team member continues by adding a sentence. The story moves quickly from one member to another.

Objective: This activity encourages active listening, as participants need to follow the evolving story, and can be performed remotely. It also stimulates creativity and collaboration as the team builds a narrative together.

Incorporating these games into corporate training sessions can break the ice, foster collaboration, and hone communication skills. Make sure to wrap up each activity with a debrief, discussing lessons learned and drawing parallels to workplace situations.

Develop soft skills like communication with custom training

While communication skills activities have been around for a while, they’re no longer considered just fun activities. As teams have become more decentralized with the rise of remote work, digital communication skills are crucial in the workplace.

The business landscape is constantly changing, requiring what we call Skill Agility®: your company’s ability to nimbly respond to business challenges and develop skills at the pace of change. As a leading learning and development consulting firm, Unboxed Training & Technology works with organizations to create custom training content that meets the needs of the modern workforce.

By developing a mix of engaging training content delivered by the world’s best skill-building platform, we help companies promote continuous skill development.

Want to take your team's communication to the next level? Request a demo of our custom training content to learn how we help your employees develop essential soft skills like communication today.