Have you ever looked at a list of team building ideas and thought, “Well, those don’t fit our company at all’? The fact of the matter is, not all team building activities are alike; just as companies differ, the most successful activities are those that fit the company’s culture and industry.
So, what about marketing agencies? What kind of team building can a marketing agency provide that will strengthen the team, as well as the individuals’ skills?
Good Marketing is Telling a Story
Most marketers, if put to the idea that the best marketers are the ones that tell the best story, would readily agree. That’s why we think team building activities that center around the story telling theme are not only fun, but also helps to improve the participants’ abilities.
Here are just two team building ideas that you can try with your marketing team right now.
Team Building Idea 1: The Conducted Story
How you tell your clients’ stories makes a difference in how their businesses are perceived. Think, for instance, of Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner ad that flopped so badly in the first quarter of 2017.
That’s exactly why a team building activity such as Conducted Story plays double duty for your marketing team. Not only does it force your team members to listen carefully, but it also shows how important it is to keep a story seamless (and how fast it can fall apart if you aren’t listening).
How it’s played:
Set a time limit for how long each team will have to tell their story. Once groups are chosen, the members of each group stand in a line, with a “conductor” in front of them. You can either choose a story title or have it completely ad lib.
The conductor points to a person in the line to start the story. At any given moment, he or she can point to another person in the line to take over, even if it’s in the middle of a word. You can see how it works in the video below:
Team Building Idea 2: Swedish Story
This second team building activity takes storytelling to another level. Rather than having all team members participate in the telling, there is one storyteller.
How it’s played:
Each team should consist of two to four members. The members choose which person should be the storyteller per round.
Team members give the story teller a title, and then the team members yell unrelated words at the storyteller, who then must incorporate those words into the story. For example, if the story is about horseback riding, words like “horses” or “saddle” should be avoided, while “cat” or “skyscrapers” would fit in fine.
Bonus Effects
Yes, the two team building ideas above have the benefit of doing exactly what they’re designed to do: build teams and pull them together. However, there is also the incredible side difference of participants learning how to listen to others, think fast, reach for creativity, and quickly create a story that works.
Make Your Team Building Activities Count
Team building ideas and activities don’t have to look beyond the idea of having fun and strengthening team relationships. There are several activities, such a company culture-based scavenger hunts or rounds of charades that are just plain fun and entertaining. Nothing wrong with that. However, if you can make skill strengthening fun, why wouldn’t you?
The next time you’re thinking about how you can bring your marketing team together, consider taking a half hour out of everyone’s day for a game of storytelling. You may be surprised at how well these team building ideas do the job.
