Why Trivia Is Great For Team Building
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Huddled Together, Heads Down, Whispers Rampant.
This isn’t a football game but it’s just as competitive. What movie won an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1998? Ashley knows! Titanic came out the year she got her braces on and started the 7th grade. Boom! Your team whispers excitedly because they know she’s right and then quickly hush, awaiting the next question. This is trivia- where every single point earned is valuable and the satisfaction of getting that one hard answer can feel as good as winning the whole competition.
Trivia is fantastic for team building. Logistically, it’s a dream. All you need is a few good rounds, some quality tables and chairs, and a great host to entertain and guide you through your game. It’s perfect as its own stand alone event, or to enhance a happy hour or holiday party. Experientially, it hits all the criteria. It’s fun, it’s easy, and in the end, you know your team better than before.
Already sure that trivia is right for you?
Good Trivia is a Variety Pack.
Trivia for team building isn’t about knowing random facts. Not only should a good trivia night consist of content that appeals to everyone, but it should provide a chance for people to engage in different ways. If your team is baby boomers, asking them to name songs by One Direction isn’t going to get their gears grinding. Rounds that are less about right and wrong answers and more about intuition and deduction spur conversation and can make anyone feel as though they are a value to their team.
BreakoutIQ uses this method by incorporating rounds such as Tribond, where teams are tasked to find the common thread between three words, or a Google Grub round, where teams need to determine the most common foods Googled in 2018. By using the information in front of them rather than fun factoids, everyone participates and no one feels left behind. When able to engage, teammates will organically learn more about each other while bonding together.
Trivia is as customizable as you need it to be. Rounds are created to intrigue everyone across the board. Multiple rounds in one game allow an assortment of subjects to be brought together in a way which they could never connect otherwise. And it doesn’t just lend itself to a variety of subjects, but it can also include themes or styles.
Looking for a way to spice up the company Halloween party? Create rounds about popular candies across the globe or top horror movies. Need your interns to know more about the company? Looks like a few jeopardy rounds about its history might be in store. As BreakoutIQ creators know, trivia can be tailored to your needs. And in going through the different rounds, players will learn more about their team and unite in competition.
A Healthy Approach to Competition Can Improve Participation
A sense of team and competition is inherently present in trivia. From the beginning, groups are bound together in the creation of their team name; the name which defines them for the rest of the competition. The names created can be generic, a fantastic pun, or a way for the trash talking to begin- we’re looking at you team You Know Nothing Steve Miller. With rivalry already beginning, its spurred on with each score update. As one team pulls ahead, the chirping begins. As one falls behind, an energy sparks, with teammates pumping each other up with a “we can come back from this” mentality. And they can- trivia isn’t geared around completion. The nature of the game is just to get more answers than the other team. So one bad round won’t take you out of the game and having one stellar round won’t clinch victory.
As the competition gets heated, so does the participation. More ideas are tossed into the group for consideration as suddenly there is encouragement to talk out loud and work together. Sure, the name of the singer might be on the tip of Jay’s tongue but the best way to get there will be by bouncing ideas off his teammates. Suddenly, someone may know where he is going, and be able to supply assistance. Through this back and forth, answers can be found, along with a connection to each other.
Just as sports fans do, each team will have their own personality based on the makeup of their members. While learning about each other, teams make the game work for them. Some participants will be the rowdy, competitive types, others may take a more academic approach, and some may casually play as they are just there for the social interaction. No matter the reason each person is there, they can make it work for their interest level and still feel as equally involved in the game.
BreakoutIQ specifically hosts their games to cater to the positive notes of competition in a way that makes everyone feel welcome. With a vast variety of shorter rounds, the event is kept just as fun and friendly as the host, keeping all participants included.
Laugh A Little, Learn A Little
Fun ideas that aren’t work related are hard to bring up in a work environment, but not during trivia. Around the proverbial water cooler, you probably wouldn’t argue about what the most popular dance move was in the 80s, but you could at trivia. You could learn that Karen knows this answer because she taught dance for four years to support herself through college. Then you’ll discover that David teaches ballet on the weekends. These seemingly random facts will naturally come up throughout your trivia game, allowing teammates to learn about each other and uncover shared interests across the group.
Trivia has a specific emphasis on creating situations where teams laugh together. For example, TrivIQ includes consensus rounds, where both halves of a team must answer superlative style questions about their group in the same way to receive points. Who is going to rule the world? Who is most likely to wear two different shoes to work? When comparing answers, teams will laugh and contend with each other’s responses. This bonds teammates in a way that an event, such as a comedy show, couldn’t because the team is generating laughter on their own. Studies show laughter is necessary in social interactions, and people use it as a gauge for their relationships. When coworkers laugh together, they automatically hold their work relationships in higher regard. With participants feeling connected to their coworkers through laughter, stress will decline and morale will improve, allowing productivity to increase.
Interested In A Trivia Activity For Your Team?
Create some fun, laugh filled memories together by adding some trivia to your next team outing!
BreakoutIQ offers a twist on trivia called TrivIQ, filled with content that sparks discussion and engages every participant, not just the trivia buffs. TrivIQ features a diverse set of rounds that focus on creative problem solving, office culture, and lighter, more accessible content, rather than focusing on obscure knowledge and you-know-it-or-you-don’t type questions. We also offer a premium activity tier where we can customize much of the games content for your company, event themes, and/or learning goals.
To learn more or book a BreakoutIQ trivia event, click here
We hope you’ll join us soon!