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Get-to-know-you games are ideal for introducing new team members to the workforce. These activities can help to lay the foundations for an inclusive workplace and vibrant team culture. We have gathered 10 get-to-know-you games for co-workers, and we will break them down for you in this short guide. Without wasting time, let’s dive straight into why these games matter.
Get-to-know-you games encourage team bonding and create an inclusive atmosphere. For new team members to hit the ground running, these lighthearted activities can help them settle into the workplace. According to researchers at MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory, conversations outside of formal meetings are the most important factor contributing to team success.
In a large organization, it can be challenging for all team members to stay in regular contact. Team building activities represent a rare opportunity for team members to get to know those working on the other side of the office. This has the power to break down barriers associated with poor cross-team communication and make co-workers feel more approachable.
Water Cooler Trivia is the go-to platform for fun among workplaces trying to drive cross-team communication. The quizzes, hand-written by trivia pros, can be sent to your inbox or Slack channel weekly. Team leaders can customize the quiz length, difficulty, and categories. As much of the solution is automated, this is perfect for leaders with little time on their hands.
Setting up a trivia quiz as your next team bonding activity doesn’t have to come with a serious time or logistics commitment. This intuitive solution takes care of the heavy lifting, including the laborious task of finding genuinely engaging trivia. If you’re firmly committed to improving team culture, Water Cooler Trivia is the platform that will get your team talking.
“Birth map” is an unconventional team bonding game that requires very few resources. All you need is a geographical map and a few pins. Once the team members are in a conference room, you can ask them to place a pin where they were born or raised. As pins populate the map, this will trigger conversations between co-workers about their diverse backgrounds.
“Two truths and a lie” is a classic icebreaker activity that people enjoy in many settings. In the workplace, you can ask team members to brainstorm three potential facts about themselves - with two of these facts being true and the other being a lie. To ensure everyone gets a chance to share their three possible facts, try and keep this activity moving around the room quickly.
Who doesn’t love a quick scavenger hunt? This activity will get team members rummaging around the office to find a short list of items in small groups. A scavenger hunt will likely present opportunities for cross-team interaction - with communication necessary to find the items. Also, you could use the activity to help new employees learn their way around the office.
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A personality quiz is perhaps the most straightforward option on our list. To get this activity started, you will need to search online for a personality quiz. Once all team members have completed the personality quiz, encourage them to share their results with each other. You should allow time for the inevitable conversations between co-workers that will follow.
“Would You Rather” is an all-time classic that can go in many different directions. This can be a fast and effective icebreaker in the workplace. It gives co-workers the chance to learn about each other’s personalities and preferences. At the start of your next team meeting, you can ask co-workers to take turns going around the room - posing “Would You Rather” questions.
To get the ball rolling, here are some fun examples of “Would You Rather” questions:
The one-word icebreaker game easily integrates into team meetings. In a meeting room, you should divide the team into small groups and ask them to think of a single word to describe something. This activity could have thematic links to a topic that will later be the focus of the meeting. For instance, you could ask them to think of a word describing positive team culture.
To set up the marshmallow challenge, you must divide your team into groups of four and provide each group with 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and a marshmallow. The team to build the tallest structure wins a prize. The twist? The marshmallow must be on the very top of the structure. This team building activity is bound to generate a few laughs.
“No Smiling” has the potential to be rather amusing, especially if you have serial jokesters and pranksters on your team. Get your co-workers to form a circle and ask a volunteer to stand or sit in the middle. You must then inform the volunteer that they cannot laugh or smile, no matter what happens. Every co-worker can take turns to tell the volunteer a work-appropriate joke.
For this get-to-know-you game, you must answer questions about your favorite things. There is no shortage of categories to explore, from favorite movies and television shows to food recipes and sports cars. The only limit is your imagination. This quick game can take place during the opening few minutes of a meeting. Why not start by asking about their favorite music album?
Water Cooler Trivia can play a pivotal role in boosting cross-team communication across your workplace. The intuitive platform is well-positioned to spark thought-provoking conversations between co-workers. With the freedom and flexibility to customize the quiz difficulty and length, you can build trivia quizzes that specifically appeal to your team’s interests.
Last but not least, Water Cooler Trivia offers a free four-week trial. Get started with a four-week trial of Water Cooler Trivia today!
