Managing groups of people in a work setting can be a challenge. Encouraging people with different personalities to work as a team is crucial to increase productivity and general workplace moral. Team-building exercises help employees develop a sense of working toward a common goal, while allowing them to better get to know one another. There are many team-building activities ranging from quick, verbal exercises that can be conducted at meetings, to activities that take place at an off-site location and last for an entire day.

Introduction by 3 P's

This team-building exercise can be conducted at weekly meetings and is generally intended for small groups. The purpose of the game is for each person to introduce themselves with one fact about themselves from each category. The categories, or the "3 P's" are Personal, Professional and Peculiar. Personal information can include any fact, while facts from the Professional category must be something related to their role at the company or their long-term career goals. Statements from the Peculiar category can include any unusual descriptor or event. Participants should be encouraged to give answers that were previously unknown by others in the meeting.

Human Knot

Because this exercise involves a great deal of movement can include up to 200 people, an adequate amount of space is needed. This area can be an outdoor park or a large indoor room in which chairs and tables have been cleared from the center of the floor. The activity begins with participants dividing into groups of 10 to 12 and lining up shoulder to shoulder, forming a circle and facing each other. Each person in the group should then put their right hand in the air and grasp the right hand of another person across the circle from them. The same should be done with the left hand. At this point each group has formed a "knot" and should rearrange themselves until they are standing in a circle, holding hands.

Marshmallow Tower

To prepare for this exercise, purchase 100 small marshmallows and 75 toothpicks for each group of three to six people. These groups will have 10 minutes to build the tallest tower possible with the toothpicks and marshmallows. At the end of the 10 minutes, each tower must be able to stand for 15 seconds before being measured. The group with the tallest tower wins.