Team Building Ideas for Inclusive Teams

Effective team building activities have to be engaging and fun. But those aren’t the only components of great team building. Work teams, more often than not, are made up of people with diverse personalities, interests and comfort levels. This means that, in order to be effective, team building activities have to be inclusive, respectful and welcoming to everyone.

In this post, we’ll explore team building ideas that help people feel valued, respected and that they belong. Introverts may prefer low-key icebreakers, while extroverts may like high energy challenges. Depending on the workstyles, backgrounds, and comfort levels of your team, you may want something that falls somewhere in between. Keep reading to discover the best team building ideas for your team.

Why Inclusion Should Shape Your Team Activities

Traditional team building activities don’t always cater to diverse personalities, abilities or cultures and this can often leave participants feeling left out. Examples of this include challenges that are physically demanding but are inaccessible for people of all abilities; high energy competitions that are overwhelming for quieter folks, or thematic elements that leave people feeling culturally disconnected. That’s why it’s important to take team diversity into account when choosing the right activities for your team.

Inclusive workplaces that implement thoughtfully designed team building events often reap multiple benefits. These include, but are not limited to, higher employee retention, a more engaged workforce, and a team that feels psychologically safe to share ideas and collaborate with each other.

In a world that is awash with buzzwords, inclusion may sound like a passing trend—it’s not. A culture of belonging at work sets the foundation for a strong team that is ready to show up for each other and give their best everyday. That is something that every team leader strives for and inclusion is an important tool in accomplishing that.

What Makes a Team Building Activity Inclusive

Inclusive team building activities make sure that everyone feels comfortable and capable of participating. This can mean different things depending on the makeup of your group. A team with remote employees might want to consider virtual activities. Teams with non-native-English speakers might consider activities where language isn’t a barrier. And don’t overlook the introverts on your team. There are always at least a few and it’s important to factor them into your team activity planning. The bottom line is that taking a thoughtful approach like this can help prevent team burnout by creating experiences that feel energizing, not draining.

When assessing an activity’s accessibility, it’s important to consider its format and style. Events that feel like “forced fun,” are highly competitive or contain pop culture references that only die hard enthusiasts will understand can make some people feel uncomfortable or even excluded.

When planning inclusive team events, here are a few things to consider: is the format flexible? Is participation optional? Can everyone relate to the themes? Look for events that emphasize collaboration, teamwork and connection. Activities that are crafted in such a way naturally boost employee engagement. The effect of this is two-fold: it makes the experience more enjoyable and meaningful for everyone; and it makes the activity more effective at reaching its team building objectives.

Inclusive Team Building Ideas to Try

Story Sharing Circles

This optional activity invites team members to share memorable work moments, lessons learned, or meaningful life experiences on a voluntary basis. Kick things off with prompts like “a time I felt supported” or “a challenge I overcame.” These inclusive team activities work well as both virtual and in-person activities, and can be a quick way to start off a meeting or held as a longer 15, 30 or 60  minute activity. You can even break folks into smaller groups and reshuffle the groups every so often.

Appreciation Rounds

These are peer-to-peer shout-outs that give introverts and extroverts alike a chance to celebrate each other’s wins or show gratitude for a teammate’s efforts and contributions. They can be either verbal or written while adding the option to be anonymous takes pressure off participating. This is also a great activity to adapt for remote-friendly team bonding.

Virtual Museum or Gallery Tour

Another activity that works beautifully in-person or remotely—explore art, history, or culture together, then invite folks to share their favorite pieces or impressions. This requires very little planning and there’s no shortage of options that cater to a wide range of interests.

Custom Icebreaker Questions

Bring a sense of fun and creativity to your team with inclusive prompts like “What’s your favorite way to recharge?” or “What’s a food you could eat every day?” These can be great conversation starters that don’t feel awkward and where everyone feels comfortable joining in.

Team Skill Swap

This activity allows team members to showcase their hidden talents by teaching something they enjoy. This can include things like origami coffee brewing, mixology, keyboard shortcuts, life or office hack—the possibilities are endless. This can be done either in-person or virtually and is a great way to strengthen team connections while learning something new.

BreakoutIQ’s Inclusive Team Events

Take the stress of event planning off your plate with BreakoutIQ team building games. Accessibility and inclusivity are at the heart of their game design and they have activities that work for all settings—in-person, virtual and hybrid. If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out these virtual brain teaser game ideas that challenge minds while keeping things light and collaborative. The best part is that all you have to do is show up and participate. They take care of everything else.

Tips for Making Inclusion Part of the Process (Not Just the Activity)

Inclusion begins at the team event planning stage of the process. The best way to know what activities will work well or be best received by your team is to ask them. There are multiple ways to do this. You could take a poll or ask people to send feedback around what they’ve liked in the past, what their interests are and what types of activities they feel most comfortable with. This type of inclusive facilitation shows the team that their needs matter and will help you choose the right activity for your specific group.

Team members should also have multiple options for how they want to participate, and even the option to not participate at all if they don’t want to without fear of judgement or reprisal. Team members will appreciate this level of respect for their comfort levels and workstyles and reciprocate that in how they contribute to the team and company.

The final piece of the inclusion puzzles comes after the event is over. It’s important to gather feedback on what felt good, what felt forced and what can be improved. This not only creates a strong feedback culture where people feel like their voices matter and are heard, it also ensures that future events continue to cater to the diverse makeup of the team.

Building Teams Where Everyone Belongs

Inclusive team building can be transformative for a team. By choosing activities that are welcoming and accommodating of different personalities, workstyles, and abilities, you can take a group of individuals and create a connected, collaborative team. And a team that feels like it truly belongs is a team that is engaged, trusting and productive.

And if you need help planning an inclusive team building event, BreakoutIQ is here for you. We’re experts at designing activities where people feel engaged, comfortable and included. And the best part is we relieve you of the stress of creating and hosting an event yourself. We take care of everything so that all you have to do is show up and enjoy the fun with the rest of your team!