Team building is an essential part of building a strong, cohesive, and collaborative team. However, many organizations don’t know where to start or how to develop their teams and foster collaborations. Thankfully, it’s not as hard as it seems if you know how to properly utilize team building questions.
With team building, you can develop a team that is more engaged, motivated, efficient, creative, and much more—which is why you should focus on team building. If you take the time to get to know your team and ask the right questions, you and your team will work together better and overall be a better team.
In this blog, we’re going to go over team building questions that you can use to foster collaboration. We’ll be looking at many different types of questions, how and why they help, and other ways you can build a more cohesive and collaborative team.
Team Building Questions
With the introduction out of the way, let’s move onto team building questions that you can use in the workplace with your team. These questions range from fun and lighthearted to more focused and serious. It’s important to consider your team and what makes the most sense for them.
For example, if you have been working with your team for a while now, you should probably ask different questions than you would for a newly formed team. But if your long-time team is on the shy side, asking some of those icebreaker style questions may be a good idea. You should use your knowledge of your team to choose the questions that will work best for them.
With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at some specific team building questions to use to strengthen your team’s dynamics and build relationships that empower your team.
Icebreaker Questions for New Teams
Icebreaker questions are a tried and true way to get to know others. From elementary school to Fortune 500 companies, seemingly everyone uses icebreaker questions as a way to get to know people. While they may seem a bit childish, they are one of the best ways to help build your team.
“What’s one thing you’re passionate about outside of work,” is a great starter question. It’s simple, to the point, and helps you learn more about who your team members really are. Peoples’ passions are very important to them, and they are an important part of who we are. Knowing your team members’ passions, hobbies, and interests can help you build more rapport and become closer.
Another great fun team building question is, “if you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?” This question might seem a bit superfluous, but it can be a very insightful question. It might illuminate an interest in a certain figure, time period, or subject matter, and it can be a great way to start a conversation that helps build rapport.
Icebreaker Questions for Established Teams
Now, let’s look at icebreaker questions for established teams. Since these are teams you’ve been working with for a little while, you should already know a lot of basic information about your team members. As a result, you’ll have to dig a little deeper.
A great question to ask an established team is, “if you could switch roles with any team member for a day, whose role would you choose, and why?” This is a really great question because it centers around the team itself. It can be a great way to spark dialogues about different positions, what they do, and why they are important.
Another good question is, “what is one skill or talent you have outside of work that your team members might be surprised to know about?” Even though you’ve been working together a while, you still don’t know everything. This question can help you learn more and get to know your teammates even better, an important part of fostering teamwork and collaboration.
Also, consider pairing these questions with some team building activities that break the ice. Combined with ice breaker activities, you’re sure to end the day knowing a lot more about your team and who they are.
Personality-Based Questions
Team building questions for work can focus on many different aspects of your team, including their personality. Getting to know everyone’s personalities is a very important part of building relationships and becoming a more cohesive team.
A question like, “are you someone who likes to plan and organize things in advance, or do you prefer to be more spontaneous and adapt as you go? How does that influence you at work,” can be incredibly helpful. Simply knowing whether or not a team member is more spontaneous or more of a planner can make planning and assigning tasks easier. But it can also help you learn more about how your teammates think and work.
Problem Solving Questions
Problem solving is a fundamental part of working on a team, so it makes sense to ask some problem solving based questions. They can be a great way to initiate conversations about strategies, roles, and more.
“Imagine our team is stranded on a deserted island. What three items would you choose to have with you, and how would they contribute to our survival,” is a great, fun problem solving centered question. It can showcase how a team member thinks, what they prioritize, and how they approach difficult situations, as well as get people to talk about the importance of every team member and the role they play.
And remember that team building is fun. Some questions like this might lead to some excited discussion, which is good. But it’s important to make sure that everyone stays respectful and that everyone can have their voice heard.
Goal Setting Questions
Goal setting is another good lane when it comes to team building questions for strengthening team dynamics. Teams are regularly setting goals and achieving them, so you should know how everyone on the team views and approaches goal setting.
“Are there any stretch goals or ambitious targets we would like to set as a team? How can we inspire and motivate each other to strive for excellence,” is a question that can be very useful. Besides the usual stuff like starting conversations and providing an insight into thought processes, this question can help get your team in alignment for long term goals.
Creativity Questions
Every good team is highly creative, so it is an important skill to focus on. It can also be a great lens through which you can learn more about your teammates, how they think, and how they work.
One of our favorite questions is, “if you had unlimited resources and no constraints, what kind of project or idea would you pursue and how?” This question touches on numerous important topics besides creativity, such as personal interests, long term goals, and planning. You can learn more about their creative side, as well as the practical side, all in one question.
And when it comes to creativity, it’s not a bad idea to consider some creative team building events. Events can give your team a chance to really showcase their creativity. For example, our food focused team building activities will let your team members get creative and show off their skills, all while having fun and developing relationships in the workplace.
Funny Team Building Questions
Team building is serious, but it’s also supposed to be fun. Game show team building events for example are a great way to strengthen your team and build better, more connected teams. So don’t forget to consider some fun team building questions too.
“What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done at work that you can laugh about now,” is a great question to ask your team members. Though embarrassing events can be hard to talk about, it can be a fun and engaging way to let loose, get to know your team members better, and build friendships. We all do embarrassing things, so share them together and have some fun.
Would You Rather Questions
Would you rather questions for work team building, really? Though you may think of would you rather questions as sophomoric, they can be fun and exciting questions that are great for team building. So don’t underestimate would you rather questions for team building.
A good would you rather question to ask is, “Would you rather have a team of coworkers who are all incredibly talented but difficult to work with, or a team of average performers who are all easygoing and cooperative?” This question makes team members think hard about what they look for in team members, and it can start a great discussion about your team as well.
Consider Team Building
Before wrapping up, it’s important to talk about how team building can also be a great way to get to know your team and build better relationships in the workplace. Team building can lead to improved motivation, enhanced, increased productivity, higher engagement, more creativity, and much more.
We have numerous events that are perfect for getting to know your team and strengthening team dynamics. Each event has its own focus, so be sure to consider that when choosing an event.
For example, our Charity Bike Build focuses on communication, collaboration towards a common goal, and having fun. Meanwhile, Corporate Survivor is a physical, mental, and emotional challenge that can encourage friendly competition and teamwork. And our Mystery Bus is more centered around boosting morale, comradery, and having fun.
Strengthen Your Team with Team Bonding
Communication with and understanding your team is essential if you want to be successful. Knowing your team, their strengths and weaknesses, their preferences, and being able to communicate effectively with them will help you better achieve your goals.
Strengthen your team’s dynamics with Team Bonding. We have been doing corporate events for over 25+ years, helping businesses and their teams grow and thrive. We have a multitude of events and activities that are perfect for building a stronger, more cohesive team. So get in touch with us today.
