What are some team building activities for software industries?

Team Building Activities

People involved in the software industry need to spend a lot of their time on their desktop and laptop, thanks to their job profile. Glued to the screen devising codes and writing programs, using their mental and cerebral faculties, it can get quite monotonous and mentally challenging at times. Hence professionals engaged in software industries need to be indulged in some sorts of physical activities and tasks. Not only a corporeal activity but it also needs to be physically challenging and adrenalin pumping.

These are few team building activities that should be practised by software companies on a routine basis so that it can provide the employees with ample opportunities to bond and create an amicable professional relationship with each other. All this helps instil a positive working environment with employees more engaged than ever before leading to higher productivity levels.

The Drum Jam Session

A typical warm-up activity, this one serves as an effective icebreaker and a great stressbuster. Get all employees in an indoor space. The activity can also be done in an outdoor area like a lawn or a garden area. Hand over each participant with a Djembe drum. This kind of instrument is popularly used by African tribes from West Africa. The concept is to beat the drums with bare hands to create a distinct hypnotic sound.

The activity could be led by a professional band of Djembe players or one can also make use of recorded music. The participants are required to match the beats that they hear by beating the drums. Quite obviously the initial part of the activity would see participants getting used to the instrument and its sound while the latter part would witness the tempo of the environment rising, as the beat of the participants matches with one another in a rhythm.

By the end of the event, members will all be exhilarated with a great sense of enthusiasm, freshness and passion. Just the kind of diversion team members would be looking forward to with eagerness for the next time.

Foot Loose

Another activity that is far removed from their daily routine work and schedule this activity is about grooving rhythmically to the sounds of a piece of music. For the ones who love dancing, there could be no greater activity than this. For ones who are shy and not quite forthcoming with their moves, will find this opportunity to shed off their inhibitions and come out of their comfort zones to embrace something new.

The group is divided into two teams. Lead by an experienced facilitator each team is handed out a couple of easy dance steps that they need to learn and practice together. Within a given time limit, members of both the teams are expected to learn to dance in complete coordination with each other.

At the end of the activity, there is a competition that takes place where each team needs to showcase their dance moves to the other team. Beyond making members understand the effectiveness of team spirit it is also about enjoying the activity and having a good and fun time to refresh the mind and the body.

The Glass Walk

Software professionals are great at handling latest technology and gadgets but getting to do some ground activities can be really daunting and challenging for them — especially if it needs them to fight their fears and walk on a bed of broken glass pieces. Not everyone is comfortable with the idea because we fear to hurt ourselves.

This activity is organized under the supervision of trained facilitators but still, it demands that each participant performs the activity with a sense of commitment and with complete presence of mind. You cannot afford to do it half-heartedly. A great way to re-enforce self-belief and trust in oneself, the activity is also about challenging your own limitations and going beyond the expectations.

It is also an ideal team event because often it has been observed that colleagues walk across the bed holding hands, trusting each other more than having confidence in themselves. The sense of achievement for those who can successfully complete the event is incomparable.

Fire Walk

Another interesting and dare-devil act, it helps pump in adrenalin and provides the much-needed sense of thrill to participants. An individual activity, each member is encouraged to come out of their comfort zones and go in on self-realization and self-challenging journey.

It is natural to be scared because this one involves walking barefoot over a bed of coal heated to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. A unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience that surely must not be given a miss by any member. In the backdrop, the facilitators ensure all safety measures and there is faint music that helps create the right ambience.

A journey of self-discovery that does not take more than few minutes this one is an ideal team task for people who have desk jobs, with very little scope of physical activity on-the-job and need to focus a lot on the task at hand.

The Cook It up session

This is a team or a group activity where small teams of 5–7 people are formed, and each is given a task to cook a dish from the menu of the day. Under the close supervision of a trained 5-star hotel chef, the teams need to put their best foot forward to come with a delicious and attractive looking dish.

The challenge gets more interesting and exciting as the facilitator announces that the dishes being cooked by the teams is what everyone in the group will be served to eat for the day. This puts extra pressure on the members that help them focus all their ideas and energies into making the best and most delectable food for the day.

It is also one of the most preferred group activities that help forge a deeper bond and greater understanding between team members. A creative task, it helps software professionals put on new caps to prove their mettle and talent.

For more interesting team building activities, visit Trebound.