16 Activities to Improve Communication Skills (Effectively!)

16 Activities to Improve Communication Skills (Effectively!)

Communication is one of the most important "soft" skills someone can have. As your communication improves, it will trickle into every area of your life. Communication skills will help you achieve your goals and make life a whole lot easier.

While you understand the concept of good communication in the workplace and in your personal life, it can be easier to recognize the symptoms of poor communication. Recognizing problems is the first step to turning them around and achieving your communication goals.

Interested in improving communication? We offer communication training here →

Symptoms of Poor Communication

In a work setting, you may notice that deadlines are not being met or that projects are not being completed to your expectations. If you’re in a management position, you may notice that your team members are not coming to you with issues. Instead, they are whispering to one another in the hallways or, even worse, complaining to customers. You may see divisions between your employees who either refuse to work with each other outright, or if they do work together, they’re obviously not happy about it.

If poor communication is running amok in your personal life, you may find it difficult to emotionally connect with your spouse, or you may find that everything he or she does irritates you and fails to live up to your expectations. If you have children, they may be unwilling to come to you with problems, or they may refuse to speak to you at all. And don’t forget the infamous eye roll that every teenager has perfected.

Communication is important, and if you, your team, or your family members’ communication isn’t up to par, interactions can be painful.

How Can I Improve My Communication Skills in Everyday Life?

While it’s often considered a “soft skill” in a business setting, it’s hands-down the most important skill you can master in any setting. Being a good communicator allows you to:

  • Share your ideas
  • Persuade others
  • Get things done
  • Allow others to feel heard (most important!)

While people often conceive of communication as the speaking or writing portion of life, listening is equally, if not more, important.

At work, good communication helps teams work together towards a common goal. It helps employees feel understood and appreciated, and it helps everyone do their jobs better and move up the ladder.

What Does Good Communication Look Like?

Good communication allows you to emotionally connect with the people in your personal life, fostering relationships and expressing love. It makes day-to-day activities easier and less filled with anger or resentment. For some, it may be the difference between having a relationship and not.

Thankfully, there are a variety of activities that you can do that will help you and those around you improve their communication skills.

Activities to Improve Communication Skills

While the basics of good communication are similar in any situation (speak clearly, succinctly, and with respect, and listen to understand, rather than to respond), there are different activities that may be more appropriate depending on the setting and age group of the participants. There are also several activities that can be used in multiple situations to reinforce different aspects of good communication. Below, we’ll discuss how to improve communication in the workplace, in adult relationships, and for kids and students, and we’ll go beyond verbal communication to take a look at what our body language is saying.

In the Workplace

It’s almost impossible to find any employee that works completely independent of others. At any time during a workday, a person may interact with a boss or a direct report, a fellow employee on their team or on another team within the company, a customer, vendor, media person, etc. No matter what your role, good communication is essential to a healthy workplace dynamic.

In order to improve communication in the workplace, apply these activities:

Listen and Recap

Often times, people are uncomfortable sharing their opinions or feelings because they fear they’ll be judged, mocked, or even penalized. In this exercise, you’ll divide your employees into pairs and they’ll take turns communicating how they feel about a specific subject. When one partner is finished, the other partner will recap what they’ve said, rather than respond to it. Then, the other partner will have his or her turn to speak. This exercise encourages good listening and allows people to share what’s on their minds.

Back-to-Back Drawing

Once again, you’ll pair up your employees in groups of two. One will be the artist, and one will be the instructor. Have them sit back to back. Give the artist a piece of paper and a pencil; give the instructor a shape or image to communicate to them. The instructor will then give instructions that will guide the artist to create a similar image without naming the image itself. Recap or debrief the results, examining the communication used and how they can improve communication.

This exercise reinforces the importance of giving clear, easy-to-follow instructions and the importance of listening.

The Name Game

With your employees in teams of two, have one of them think of a famous person and write it (secretly) on a sticky note, which they will then attach to their partner’s forehead. The partner will then ask questions until they guess the name of the person. This can be a timed process. At the end of 5 minutes or so, recap and debrief how the communication worked or did not work and how they can improve communication. 

This exercise helps people understand how to ask the right questions and how to do it properly.

Y ou likely remember playing this game as a child. However, it works in a business setting as well. Have your team sit in a circle and whisper a sentence into the ear of the person next to you. Have them do the same to the person next to them until the sentence has traveled around the circle. Say the sentence out loud and enjoy the laugh over how the words were misheard and misinterpreted.

This exercise shows employees the importance of understanding instructions or a concept before taking action or communicating it to someone else.

These activities will open the flow of communication in a business setting.

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For Adult Relationships

When things are not good in your personal life, they have a way of making every other aspect of your life difficult. Whether you need to improve the quality of your romantic relationships or the relationships you have with friends, there are a variety of group activities that will help you do so. These include:

Two People Talking

Divide groups into teams of three. One person will stand in the center and listen while the other two talk simultaneously about a pre-decided topic (like their favorite vacation). The listener will do their best to absorb information from both of the talkers and then report back when the exercise is finished.

This exercise shows the importance of not talking over people (because your message won’t be heard) and helps people practice their listening skills.

Not just for a business setting, this exercise is excellent for couples. One person takes 30 seconds to a minute to speak their opinion or their feelings (uninterrupted) on a specific topic. At the end of their time, their partner will recap what was said without providing their input on the topic. Once complete, the other partner will have their turn.

This exercise gives couples the opportunity to truly be heard on important issues rather than dissolving into arguments.

This exercise can be done as a planned game or can be incorporated into heated conversations. When discussing a topic, begin sentences with “I feel…” rather than “You…” This takes the fear of being attacked off the listener and allows the speaker to communicate their feelings freely.

Guess the Emotion

Misinterpreting emotions can be a dangerous mistake in an intimate relationship. Practice by having one partner act out an emotion on a piece of paper and having the other partner guess what they are feeling. This will allow them to better read one another’s emotions during future conversations.

Good communication in a relationship with other adults can make life much simpler and more pleasant.

For Kids and Students

In a perfect world, we’d all learn excellent communication skills from our parents and our teachers and head into our adult lives communicating like champions. While it’s too late for that to be a reality for us adults, we do have the opportunity to teach children conversation skills—such as speaking with respect, turn-taking, listening, and empathy—at an early age.

While the best way to teach children appropriate communication is to model it yourself, there are a variety of games that you can use with your own children or if you work with kids as a teacher, counselor, etc.:

Show and Tell

Possibly one of your favorite activities as a child! Ask children to bring a beloved item into the classroom or to the dinner table and describe what it is and why they love it.

This activity gives children an opportunity to speak about something they care for. Their audience has the opportunity to practice listening and asking pertinent questions, and the speaker gets to work on fielding those questions.

Taking Turns

Learning to give other people the opportunity to speak is essential to good communication skills. In this exercise, children sit in a circle with one child in the center. They will have 15 seconds to talk about a subject of their liking (animals, for example). When their time is up, they can choose the next animal and pick another child to take their turn.

This game helps kids understand the importance of speaking and then turning the floor over to someone else. Audience members get to practice listening as it will be important for them to know what the next topic is.

As children get older, you may want to incorporate activities such as:

Peer Mentoring

Not only will students learn communication skills during this relationship, but they will also practice and develop their leadership abilities.

Team Presentations

If you work with students, assign them a team project that will be presented to the class. Students work together to complete the project and then present their findings to the other teams. This allows them to practice communication skills, teamwork, and public speaking (which is challenging for many).

In Body Language

Sometimes, we don’t realize that our bodies are conveying something entirely different than our words are communicating. For example, imagine walking into a sales pitch where you’ll tell the potential client how confident you are that your product will solve their problems. Unfortunately, your shoulders are hunched, and you’re having a difficult time making eye contact with your audience. As much as your words may say, “I know I can help you,” your body is saying, “I don’t believe in myself or my product, and you shouldn’t either.”

Practicing body language or nonverbal communication can help you ensure that your visual cues match your verbal cues. These exercises can help:

You Don’t Say

Create groups of 5-7 people and give them a list of nonverbal behaviors for someone to act out. Then, have the rest of the group give their interpretations of these behaviors. These can include:

  • Crossing your arms across your chest
  • Covering your mouth
  • Rubbing your temples
  • Glancing at your watch
  • Texting on a cellphone
  • Tapping your fingers on the table

Participants will learn what their body is saying.

What Am I Feeling?

Divide people into groups of two and have one person act out emotions with no words. Have the other person guess what they are feeling. Once they have completed a few rounds, have the pair switch. This will make it easier for people to read facial expressions.

Follow the Leader

Assign one person as the leader and have them lead the other people through multiple exercises, dance moves, etc. The leader cannot verbalize any of their instructions but must only use their eyes and body to influence the behavior of the “followers.” After a few minutes, have them choose a new leader. Repeat this until everyone has had the opportunity to lead. Participants must pay close attention to the leader’s movements so they don’t get left behind.

Line Up the Animals

Ask every person on your team to select an animal (silently) and then instruct them to line up in size order of their animal. They may not speak, only acting out the animal they are portraying.

Related: How to Improve Your Communication Skills With 12 Strategies

Learning better communication skills can be fun with the right activities and the right attitude. No matter which activities you use, improving your communication will pay dividends in your professional and personal relationships for years to come.

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What Is Team Building (And Is It Really That Important)?

communication activities for adults

33 Fun communication games and activities for teams

communication activities for adults

Communication within teams has been a hot topic recently, especially with an increasing number of companies going fully remote. Whether you communicate over Slack, Zoom , or in the office, nurturing communication, primarily offline, takes practice and dedication. 

These 33 team-building games are designed for in-person team-building, incorporating fun and communication skills to help you and your team spark spontaneous conversation and improve company culture .

Activities that strengthen leadership skills

Even if your company has a hierarchical structure, helping your team strengthen its leadership skills is a great way to encourage confidence in the workplace. Employees capable of stepping up to the plate to lead projects or meetings are likely to feel more invested in the company and can also offer the higher-ups a chance to focus on other tasks knowing that their team is in good hands. ‍

1. Leadership pizza

This game allows players to explore their potential leadership strengths by creating their pizza with “skill” toppings. 

How to play: Participants draw out a pizza with six slices. They are then asked to put toppings on their pizza, but instead of mushrooms, it’s a skill that they believe they would excel at. Once the pizzas are complete, people present their pizza, explaining why they chose their skills and engaging in a group discussion. 

After talking amongst one another, receiving feedback, and discussing their strengths and weaknesses, if you’re willing to take the conversation a step further, everyone revisits their pizza and updates their skills according to feedback. 

Materials you’ll need: Paper and general arts and crafts materials. Tables and chairs for drawing surfaces 

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people) ‍

2. Blindfold trust game

This trust-building game is simple and requires only a blindfold and players willing to work together. While you don’t necessarily need a big field to play this in, it would be better to have an open area to avoid too many hazards getting in the way. 

‍ How to play: Break groups into small teams of two. One player is the leader, and the other wears the blindfold. The leader has to guide the blindfolded player to the endpoint while making sure they avoid bumping into objects. 

For example, pick a start and end location; players start in the office and end at an outdoor seating area.

Materials you’ll need: Blindfold(s)

3. Building blocks

This simple card game is designed to get people talking. Building Blocks is a perfect icebreaker tool or exercise for growing teams. 

How to play: The card game has six categories with questions aimed at “removing personal barriers and creating space for teamwork.” An example of a question in the deck is: What do you wish to spend more time on both in and outside the office”. If your team is remote, this can be played in person or over Zoom. The game is marketed for workshops, meetings, and workshops. 

Materials you’ll need: Building Blocks card deck. 

‍ Games that encourage teamwork

Teamwork is essential to most industries. Even team members with highly specified roles that don’t require working with others should be included in company developments, even if that's their opinion on an upcoming change or project. 

These games focus on bringing teams together so individuals can get to know each other and learn how to work together harmoniously. ‍

4. The four quadrants

This team-building activity allows individuals to express themselves playfully and creatively. It’s an excellent game for helping team members get to know one another more intimately. It would be well suited for an onboarding exercise or bringing together teams that typically work remotely. 

How to play: Split up into small teams and give each participant a piece of paper and drawing materials. Have them fold their paper into four sections and spend five to ten minutes drawing their responses to four questions. Questions can be personal or related to a workplace topic, such as “What do I expect from my team” or “What do I see in my professional future.” 

After players finish drawing their responses, have them regroup with their team and discuss their visual answers.

Materials you’ll need: Paper and makers, general art supplies. Tables and chairs for drawing surfaces 

How many people: Small to large teams (8-16 people)  ‍

5. Perfect square

The perfect game for future leaders, Perfect Square pushes teams to communicate clearly and establish a leader who will help them complete the game. Another blindfold game that involves teams working together to, you guessed it, form a perfect square.  

How to play: Break up into small teams, around four to six people, and give each group a rope. Team members pick up their rope, which is still a circle, and work together to create a perfect square, which isn’t easy to achieve when you can’t see anything! Teams form a circle with their rope on the floor, and everyone gets blindfolded. 

This game encourages teams to establish a leader who can help focus and guide the other players to move in the right direction to achieve some four-sided perfection, 

Materials you’ll need: Rope, material/ cloth for blindfolds.

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-16 people)  ‍

6. Back-to-back drawing

The perfect game for the artists on the team, Back-to-Back drawing encourages play and communication and would be an excellent activity for a company retreat.  This team-building exercise is less about problem-solving and relaxing and getting the chance to get to know one another. 

How to play:  Have players split into two teams and face away from one another. One player gets a picture, and the other receives paper and drawing materials. The person with the image describes what and how to draw the image without identifying it. After ten minutes, players swap roles.

After each team member has described the object and produced an image, they can compare their work and see who made the most accurate drawing. 

Materials you’ll need: Art supplies and simple images (think flowers, cars, etc.)  taken from a magazine or printed online.

7. Bull ring

Bull Ring is a popular game that demands teams work together on a shared goal. You will need to purchase some materials, but this is considered one of the best games to encourage cooperation and teamwork, so it’s likely worth it! Bull Ring is more involved than some previous games, which require little more than a blindfold or some markers.

How to play:  Teams must transport a small ball from one post to another using a string system with a circle in the center. The ball rests in the center, and teams must ensure it doesn’t roll off during transport from one area. 

Team members must communicate consistently throughout the process, as each body movement significantly impacts the ball moving, so each individual must listen carefully and be aware at all times.  

Materials you’ll need: Strings, a small ball, and two stands to mark the start and finish. 

How many people: Small to large teams (5-25 people) ‍

8. Build a bridge

We all loved arts and crafts when we were kids, and this game brings out our inner child while encouraging problem-solving and creative thinking . 

How to play:  Split the group into two teams. Make sure you have enough space to place people to be apart or use a sheet to divide the space. Teams work together to construct one-half of a bridge, which will eventually be together. It’s essential for each group not to be able to see the other’s progress. The two groups can communicate verbally to ensure the design will result in a stable, “functioning” bridge. 

Materials you’ll need: Construction materials, like newspaper, tape, legos, cardboard, etc. Make sure you have a device for measuring, like tape or a long rule—enough space for teams to work privately. 

Games for teams that spark conversation on company retreats

Teambuilding games prioritize getting together and strengthening bonds that promote healthy company culture. By encouraging group work, individual members get to know each other deeper. These types of activities are an ideal way to bring coworkers together on company retreats . ‍

9. Shrinking vessel

Remember that game from childhood, “the floor is lava”? The one where you had to make it around the room without touching the floor. Good times. Shrinking vessel is somewhat similar, except you are working with a team. Strategy and Tetris skills will help me excel at this exercise. 

How to play: Mark the boundaries of the areas where team members will be placed. Slowly, the edges of the borders are moved and made smaller, and team members must work together to ensure they don’t fall outside the lines. They cannot step out of the line. 

Materials you’ll need: Anything temporarily marks the floor, like a string or tape, even a blanket, will do. Enough space to fit a small team of 4-5 people at a time is also needed. 

How many people: Mid-size to large teams ‍

10. Make the team with…

This simple game needs little material and is a perfect icebreaker—a perfect in-person game for company retreats and onboarding events.

How to play:  One person from the group, ideally a team leader, calls out the facts or questions that team members just asked one another. Individuals have to make teams as quickly as possible based on the call-outs, like” people with one cat” or “people who play video games.” 

Individuals must quickly figure out who meets the criteria and form a team. This exercise can be repeated with as many questions as you like. 

Materials you’ll need Just yourselves and some places to sit. If you have a large team, ensure enough space to play. 

How many people: Small to large teams (8 to 25 people)  ‍

11. Minefield

How to play: Gather the whole team in a vast open space and split the group. Set up an obstacle course. Each sub-group will then pick a team leader, and the rest of the team will be blindfolded. Spin blindfolded members in a few circles to disorient them and then direct them through the obstacle course, leading them with five commands: left, right, forward, back, and stop”. 

This game can be played multiple times, switching leaders to encourage leadership roles between different players.

Materials you’ll need: A wide open space, like a parking area—blindfolds and obstacles, such as traffic cones and various objects.  

How many people: Mid-sized to Large teams (15-25 people) ‍

12. Charades

This classic game is derived from holiday parties and family get-togethers, making it an ideal match to play with employees on a company retreat. The competition promotes play and humor , making space for trust and helping team members get to know one another outside the professional landscape. 

How to play:  Split the group into two teams, teams 1 and 2. The game starts with team 1 taking a category slip from the opposite team's basket. The timekeeper starts the stopwatch and gives the player on team 1 three to five minutes to act out what is on the piece of paper, while other team members on team 1 have to guess what it is. The one thing you absolutely cannot do is speak!

The timekeeper keeps track of how quickly they can guess the answer correctly, and the team with the smallest score (least minutes) is the winner.  Team 2 proceeds to play the same way. 

One thing to note is that Charades has general rules and guidelines for acting out the category. 

For a complete list of gestures and categories, see here . 

Materials you’ll need: Paper and writing material for keeping score, a stopwatch or phone, and blank paper. Two baskets to keep various categories. 

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-15 people)  ‍

What to play to create understanding and empathy 

We are with our coworkers a lot, sometimes more than our own families. For this reason alone, and many others, we need to understand that we all have our struggles and successes in and out of the workplace to maintain understanding and empathy. 

These games help lay the groundwork for more empathy in the workplace, so you can deal with frustrations and misunderstandings before they create deeper issues.  ‍

13. Zen counting

This easy game is perfect for breaking up an in-person meeting with a quick exercise that encourages listening and concentration, depending on the size of your team, which can be done in a meeting or break room.

How to play:  Set up chairs in a circle facing one another so your team members do not face to face. This game is about listening, so get ready to use your ears and not your eyes. Have your employees start counting from one to ten or higher if you’re a big group. Each person goes around in a circle saying a number, but since you are not looking at one another, you have to be patient and listen carefully for your neighbor to speak theirs. If you interrupt them, you start back at zero and start the whole game again. 

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and enough chairs and space to have your whole team sit in a circle. 

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8 to 15 people)  ‍

14. Phrase ball

This game is a fun and energetic game that gets the blood pumping, and its team members get to know each other in an informal way, which is essential to boosting workplace morale. 

How to play: Stand in a group, and the first player answers one of the written prompts on the ball after reading it aloud, so the group knows what they’re answering. After they finish, they call out the next person's name to that they will be throwing the ball (they wouldn’t want to hit an unsuspecting player in the face), and they do the same as the first player.

The game continues until everyone has a chance to answer a question. 

Materials you’ll need Enough space for people to gather comfortably and throw a ball.

How many people: An icebreaker thumbnail or a DIY version can be a soccer ball with phrases written on it. ‍

15. Looks count

This card game challenges the psyche and asks employees to get outside their comfort zones. A fun game for a team that is making a company retreat and one that brings out the inner actor in everyone. 

How to play: Split your team into large groups , around ten people, is ideal. Make a small deck of cards that includes an even amount of each suit (diamonds, clubs, etc.) which will then be evenly distributed. Team members draw a card, but without seeing it, the team-building organizer tapes it to their backs. Everyone is then instructed to go around talking to others based on the card on their back. The suit dictates the behavior:

  • Spades are ignored
  • Diamonds are treated well
  • Act indifferent toward Hearts 

After completing the game, sit down as a group and discuss how you were treated and how that made you feel. Group members will get the chance to acknowledge how they treat people as a marker of how others will perform and feel in the workplace. 

Materials you’ll need: Desk of cards and ample space

How many people: Large teams (20+ people) ‍

16. Elephant list

This game is about open and honest communication; even when it’s not an easy topic, teams that work remotely, or have been together for a long time, can take advantage of this game to avoid stagnant communication and encourage growth.

How to play:  Leaders hand out a sheet of paper or sticky note for participants to write down one issue, or “elephants in the room.” Those leading the game then ask participants to address their elephants by applying “control, influence and accept” (C, I, A), asking them to decide which method would best approach the problem.

After everyone writes down their elephant and decides how they would address it, the notes are collected and then separated.

  • Elephants that are “accepted” are put into one pile and accepted
  • The remaining elephants are then discussed in a moderate group discussion to address how they should be dealt with as a team

Team leaders should encourage players to answer questions about the elephants in the room, such as, “why is this an issue, and how can we solve it as a team.”

Materials you’ll need: Sticky notes.

How many people: Small to large teams (8-15 people) ‍

17. Just listen

Listening is a huge part of communicating, and it’s hard to step back and hear what others say when we get stressed at work. This group exercise encourages teams to practice their listening skills, allowing others to speak and respecting their voice. 

How to play:  Team leaders will choose a topic that will be discussed in subgroups, ideally of two, with an assigned speaker and listener. After the speaker is done, the listener will summarize what they said and subsequently switch roles.

Afterward, the group gets back together to review the process and talk about what it felt like to speak without interruption and what positives came out of that experience. Listeners are also encouraged to give feedback on how it affected them. 

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and various seating areas to break them up into groups and a stopwatch/timer.

How many people: Small to large teams (8 to 25 people) ‍

18. Guess the emotion

You've probably guessed what this game is about based on its name, but guessing an emotion can be trickier than you think. Practicing your ability to read people’s feelings can pay off in the long run, especially when it comes to reading the room at company meetings and asking the right questions if something feels off regarding an employee's emotional state.

How to play:  Your team is split into two groups and draws a card from a deck with emotions written on each card. One team chooses someone to have the lead role and act out an emotion while the whole group tries to guess whether or not they're angry, sad, happy, etc. 

If a team correctly guesses the emotion, they win ten points. The groups can rotate like this through as many emotions as possible, or at least until each team member gets the chance to act.

Materials you’ll need: A deck of cards with emotions written on them. 

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-15 people) ‍

19. Stinky fish

Like the Elephant list, Stinky Fish is a game that helps teams bring up complex topics before they sit too long and start to stink up the place, like an old fish forgotten in the fridge. This is an excellent game for encouraging sharing and developing a culture of trust in the workplace.

How to play:  Give each player a piece of paper with a fish picture on it. Make sure there is enough space inside the fish to write their concerns and issues, as that’s why the fish stinks, after all! Give each participant five to ten minutes to write their problems down. 

After everyone has written their answer, bring the group back together and allow them a minute or two to discuss what they wrote down and why. 

Materials you’ll need Paper/ a template with a picture of a fish that can be written inside and writing materials.

How many people: Small to mid-sized groups (8-15 people) ‍

20. Pay it forward

This game is an interactive outdoor activity perfect for a company retreat. If you’re taking the whole team to Paris for a city getaway to boost morale, Pay it Forward is the perfect game that helps you get to know your surroundings and encourages team members to collaborate.

How to play:  Split your workers into small teams, not more than ten a group. Each group will be given a small recording device or asked to designate one player as the videographer. Teams will be given an envelope that contains tasks. Each task is worth a certain number of points. 

Each team is sent out into its surroundings, ideally a place where there are plenty of people to perform random acts of kindness for strangers. These random acts are found in the envelope given to your team at the beginning of the game. The person recording is documenting each task completed. 

Examples of tasks could include:

  • Paying for a strangers coffee at a cafe
  • Telling someone they look great today 
  • Offering a small shopkeeper to help take out the trash 

Once teams return to the home base, they tally up their points based on the number of tasks they completed. 

Materials you’ll need: You’ll need plenty of space for your team to roam around, like a village or city center. A small recording divide like a GoPro or personal cellphone. 

How many people: Small to large groups (8 to 20+ people) ‍

Creative games for strengthening communication  

Of course, it’s essential to be professional in the workplace, but there is a line where a work environment can feel too stiff, leading to burnout . These games prioritize listening, creativity, and play to help teams loosen up and get out of their heads. ‍

21. Direction direction

Think you’re good at following directions? This game will test how good you are, testing your communication skills, so you follow the right directions. 

How to play:  Pick one person from your team who will pick a game or activity that is complex or hard to follow. After reading the directions out loud to the rest of the group,  everyone else will attempt to play the game only based on what the speaker has told them.  They will have to work together and communicate to figure out how to play correctly. 

Afterward, the leader and team can briefly discuss where there were any communication breakdowns and what could have been improved. 

Materials you’ll need: A game with complex directions

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-5 people) ‍

22. Communication origami

A relaxing game that helps you boost communication amongst team members. This exercise shows how well team members can listen and follow directions. You only need some paper and tables for people to make their shapes. 

How to play:  Hand out a sheet of A4 paper to each group member and then instruct them to close their eyes. Everyone must keep their eyes closed while one person reads the instructions to fold and create their piece of origami. 

After you’re done instructing them, the whole group opens their eyes and compares their shapes. 

Materials you’ll need: A4 Paper, seating areas with tables 

23. Best and worst

This game relies on solid opinions, sure to get people talking. As the game's name implies, your team will get to know each other quickly, discussing the things they love and hate the most. 

How to play:  Team members go around and ask a question about the best thing they can learn from the group. After each participant's answer, they go to the next person who asks about the worst thing their team can talk about. That can be like, “what is the best meal you ever had.” 

This continues until everyone has the chance to ask a question, and receive answer.

Materials you’ll need Just your team and a large seating area. 

How many people : Small to large teams (8-25+ people) ‍

24. Compliment circle

There’s something to be said about being kind and spreading positive vibes. While it may seem like “good vibes” is just tossed around flippantly, there is compelling evidence that being excellent and complementary is good for your health. 

How to play:  One person, likely the team leader, gets the ball rolling and asks team members to go around the circle and give a compliment to someone on their team. It can be as simple as thanking someone for being so knowledgeable and helping you figure out a computer malfunction, or more specifically, to a project the whole team is working on together. 

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and, ideally, outdoor space

Icebreaker games for onboarding

Starting a new job or meeting the team in person for the first time can be intimidating for some.

These icebreakers aim to put everyone on an equal playing field, creating space to play and laugh, which is a great way to make new employees feel comfortable. ‍

25. Twenty questions

A classic getting-to-know-you game, Twenty Questions is fun and easy to play, taking up minimal space and great for after-work activities or as a bar game on a company retreat. 

How to play:  Split into a team of two or small groups and assign one person who will think of an object, animal, etc. The other team members can ask twenty questions to determine the person's feelings.

Another way to keep score is to time how long it takes for those asking the questions to figure it out. If you ask 20 questions and still don’t know the answer, you lose, and the other person wins. Those who find the solution in less time are the winners and get a higher score. 

Materials you’ll need: A list of topics and a timer

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-15) ‍

26. One word

A simple and low-stress icebreaker game that gets the ball rolling can be done on large and small company retreats. 

How to play:  Break your team into small groups with no more than five people. Give them the prompt, a simple question, like, “how would you describe your work day?” Each team has five or ten minutes to develop a one-word answer that sums up their response. After the exercise is finished, each team goes around and reads their answer out loud, facilitating discussion amongst the group. 

You can play this game as many times with as many questions as you can come up with! 

Materials you’ll need: Just your team!

How many people: Small to mid-sized groups ‍

27. Jenga thoughts

This is a guaranteed good-time game that can be played after work on a retreat or at a weekend getaway with your team. It only requires the game Jenga and adequate seating and surface area for playing.

How to play:  The same rules apply to Jenga Thoughts to the original Jenga. There is a tower made out of rectangular wooden blocks that players have to remove, so the whole tower doesn’t fall strategically.  

With this team-building-friendly version, each block has a question the player has to answer. The objective is to keep the tower intact, but questions facilitate discussion and break down walls, bringing teams together while playing. 

Materials you’ll need: A Jenga set, multiple, and seating areas with tables where people can play. 

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams and a large one for setting up the game so everyone can play. If you have multiple Jenga sets, ensure you have several tables to seat and several small groups.  ‍

28. Two truths, one lie

Easy to play in areas with limited space and perfect for getting to know each other better. This game also helps more introverted team members have the opportunity to share something about themselves. 

How to play: Each person gets a chance to tell three “facts” about themselves, two are true, and one is a lie. The rest of the players have to guess, ideally communicating with one another about which one they think is the lie. 

Materials you’ll need: Your team and a comfortable place to sit.

How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-15 people) 

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and a comfortable place to sit with tables.  ‍

29. Penny, for your thoughts

This simple game tests your historical knowledge and is a great way to spark conversation outside the office. While organizing a company retreat that emphasizes relaxation, this game is a great way to get people talking. 

How to play:  Hand out several coins, around five max, to each person. Go around in the group and have them start with one currency and tell a personal story that was meaningful for them. 

If they are the only person with that experience, they can place the coin in the center of the table. If another team member shares a similar experience, they must put theirs. 

The game is played until someone gets rid of all their coins. 

Materials you’ll need A handful of pennies or equivalent coins in whatever currency you use. Just make sure the currency is recent (not older than 20 years old) 

‍ How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8 to 15 people) 

Listening games for better communication 

There are a lot of teams that are immensely talented but need help communicating. Teams will only work together with solid communication, potentially stifling creativity and growth.   

30. Freeze walk

Going back to the schoolyard days. This exercise is playful and gets people moving and communicating non-verbally.

How to play:  People start walking slowly around the yard or where the game takes place. A person in the crowd is designated to start moving, and the rest must follow suit. They let people meander for a while and then shout “freeze” randomly. A designated person in the group starts walking again, and other players follow suit; players that are last to move to leave the game.

The last person standing is the winner.

‍ Materials you’ll need: Just your team and enough space

‍ How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-15 people) 

31. Background noise

Background noise can be a common challenge if you work in an office or go to your desk in the living room daily. This game relies on an everyday challenge, asking players to listen with intention and remain calm, even if the environment is overwhelming.

‍ How to play:  Pick two people from your team to be the “speaker” and the “noise maker.” The person in charge of making noise is as loud as possible while others usually talk. 

Team members listen carefully to try and retain as much information as possible. Many suggest that other team members close their eyes to try to hear as much as possible without visual distractions or prompts.

Materials you’ll need: No materials needed , just your team!

‍ How many people: Small to mid-sized teams (8-15 people)  

32. Telephone

Many people might remember this game from their childhood. Commonly used as an exercise to get kids to enhance their listening skills, this simple yet effective game still works just as well in adulthood!

‍ How to play:  Gather everyone on your team and have them line up or sit in a big circle. There is a group leader who whispers a sentence into the first person’s ear. That next person whispers that same (hopefully) sentence into their neighbor's ear, and the game continues as such. 

This is a perfect game for large teams, as not much is needed, and it’s more challenging to get the message across perfectly the more people it goes through. 

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and space to the lineup, or sit in a circle. 

How many people: Small to large teams (8-25+ people) ‍

33. Sandwiches and hamburgers

This game isn’t just a different name for “lunch,” It could be the perfect one to play just before you and your team sit down for a meal.

How to play:  One leader will gather everyone in a circle and give them two cues; one is “sandwiches” and the other “hamburgers.” Depending on their title, each person is also given a corresponding movement to go with their category. 

For example, Sandwiches raise their left hand, and Hamburgers do a little jump. 

For the first round, every time the leader says the word, they will do their assigned action as well, but after a few plays, they will start switching the steps up to create confusion. See how many team members can catch on to changing commands and keep up! 

Materials you’ll need: Just your team and space to the lineup, or sit in a circle.

Add communication games to your next company retreat!

When planning your next team-building retreat, consider adding one or two, or all 33, communication games to your daily activities. Many of these can be used to break up the day and get the productive juices flowing.

Implementing activities encouraging coworkers and team leaders to bond is integral to creating a dynamic and trust-based work environment. All these games and exercises can be done with limited materials if any, so pick the ones that work best for your team and bring them along with you to your next company retreat.

If you’re still unsure what type of team-building retreat will be appropriate for you and your team, the Surf Office can help you decide what works best for you based on the needs and goals of your company.

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28 Emotional intelligence activities for work teams

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26 Connection-building activities that will unite your team

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10 Team-building brain teasers that have heads scratching

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23 Team activities for Mental Health Awareness Month

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12 Team-building examples to catapult team performance

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43 communication games for teams

communication activities for adults

Effective communication is a vital aspect of how we work with others. When communication is open, honest, and effective, our working relationships are richer and more satisfying. When this breaks down, it can create friction, misunderstandings, and disconnection - leading to an ultimately unproductive workplace.

In this guide, you'll find communication games and exercises designed to improve and teach communication skills to your team. Try running these activities with any group that wants to communicate more effectively, be better listeners and improve their interpersonal relationships.

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A step-by-step guide to planning a workshop, how to create an unforgettable training session in 8 simple steps, 47 useful online tools for workshop planning and meeting facilitation, why are communication skills important at work .

Effective communication is a vital aspect of any high-performing team. With good workplace communication, teams can more effectively align on what’s important, feel connected, and effectively achieve their goals.

Communication skills like active listening, honesty, radical candor, and respect can help your team create strong working relationships, be more productive and feel happier too! 

Without effective communication, problems like team siloing, misalignment, employee unhappiness and more are likely to surface. Something as simple as an unsent email or a bad Zoom meeting can be what makes a campaign fail or a team become unproductive. Working to improve team communication can be transformative for your interpersonal relationships, whatever your role or workplace!

What are the benefits of improving workplace communication?

The benefits of good communication in the workplace are numerous and extend beyond meetings, interpersonal communications, and emails.

Effective communication is at the heart of how your team interrelates and collaborates. Team members who communicate well are often more connected, more resilient and able to be productive in their roles too!

With a considered effort to improve communication skills and bolster emotional intelligence across your team, you can see some of the following benefits:

  • Better conflict management and conflict mitigation
  • A more connected and resilient team
  • Improved surfacing of problems and challenges
  • More productive and engaged teams
  • Supercharged innovation and ideation
  • Help cross functional teams work together effectively
  • Improved employee happiness and satisfaction
  • A culture of trust, openness and radical candour
  • Knowledge and skill sharing
  • Better relationships and improved empathy
  • More effective, fit-for-purpose solutions
  • Highly aligned and driven teams

The best format for improving team communication is often a workshop or training session.

By guiding your team members through a series of activities that includes experiential games and opportunities to practice their conversation skills and sharpen their emotional intelligence, you can have a profound impact on how your team members collaborate.

With SessionLab, it’s quick and easy to create a group workshop on any subject.

Drag and drop your activities into place to create your schedule in minutes. Design an effective learning flow or training session with clear timing for every item in the agenda.

When you’re done, create a printout of your agenda to bring to your communication workshop and facilitate with confidence.

communication activities for adults

Communication games to improve listening  skills

Better communication starts with learning to listen. Particularly in our working relationships, a failure to listen effectively can be the root cause of many strained conversations and misunderstandings.

Learning to listen means being more present, trying to understand what other people are trying to communicate, and empathizing with their position.

Whether it’s everyday meetings or team building sessions , learning to listen can be swiftly transformative for groups of all shapes and sizes. The communication activities below are a great place to start on your journey to being a better listener, so let’s get started!

Blind Drawing

A key part of developing our communication abilities means learning to navigate gaps in understanding and listen more carefully to what other people are saying.

Put your team’s communication and listening skills to the test in this quick, creative game. Start by asking team members to pair up. Next, one person must describe an object in abstract terms, without giving away what the object is. The other team member must draw the object as best they can with the instructions they receive.

This team communication exercise is great demonstrating the power of clear communication while also warming up your group. Debrief the exercise and ask participants what they would do to improve next time for best results.

Blind Drawing   #teambuilding   #communication   #creative thinking   #remote-friendly   Test your communication and interpretation skills with Blind Drawing!

Best Summary

In many cases, better workplace communication begins by paying closer attention to our colleagues, whether that’s on Zoom, over email, or in real life. Best Summary is a great communication exercise for teaching the value of paying attention, taking notes when necessary, and listening more actively. 

Start by preparing a presentation into several logical units. After the first unit, distribute index cards and ask each participant to summarise the presentation so far. Next, sort everyone into teams and have each team pass their summary cards to the next group to evaluate and rate. 

Once the best summaries have been decided, offer feedback on key points and then continue the presentation. Follow this with another summary and evaluation step so everyone can quickly and effectively use the feedback from the first round to improve their listening and summarization skills. 

Best Summary   #thiagi   #debriefing   #closing   #presentation   #action   Asking listeners to summarize your presentation from time to time is a good technique for encouraging people to listen carefully, take notes, and to review the content. Best Summaries uses this basic concept.

Active Listening

Whether you’re a practiced active listener or not, using the method with a practical communication activity is important in building the skill and ensuring you really live the values of active listening in your workplace. In this communication method from Hyper Island, start by introducing the idea that when we listen to others, we often do so without giving our full attention. 

Split participants into groups of three so they can each explore the roles of subject, active listener, and observer while working on a common problem or topic. By ensuring each group member experiences all three roles and reflecting on their experience, you can help your team improve workplace communication with better listening and presence in communication. 

Active Listening   #hyperisland   #skills   #active listening   #remote-friendly   This activity supports participants to reflect on a question and generate their own solutions using simple principles of active listening and peer coaching. It’s an excellent introduction to active listening but can also be used with groups that are already familiar with it. Participants work in groups of three and take turns being: “the subject”, the listener, and the observer.

Spread the Word

When trying to impart the practical benefits of being a better listener to a group, it can help to show how active listening can help prepare us for follow-up tasks. With this communication game, begin by sharing a short 10-20 minute presentation with your team. Next, invite small groups to independently prepare a 3-minute presentation on the key points from your presentation for a specific audience such as 7-year-old children, engineers, or volunteers. 

This is also a great way to impart other aspects of effective communication to a group, such as the need to tailor content for an audience and bring concision to what we’re discussing. Be sure to debrief effectively and highlight how teams that listened carefully were better able to summarise key points and deliver effective presentations.

Spread the Word   #thiagi   #presentation   #skills   Asking the participants to summarize the key points from a lecture is an effective way to strengthen their understanding and recall.

Open Questions Role Play

A common pitfall for people who need to improve their communication is focusing on what they are about to say, rather than listening to the other person. This communication activity uses the power of open questions and active listening to teach participants better communication skills.

Begin by sharing the six kinds of open question with the group: What, Why, When, How, Where and Who. Next, invite one team member to volunteer and leave the room while the other team members decide something they wish to know about the volunteer. For example, the group may wish to know where the person last went on holiday.

Invite the volunteer back and ask them to make a statement about anything they wish. The group can then ask any open question to try and learn where the person last went on holiday but can only ask a question based on the last thing the volunteer said.

So for example, let’s say the volunteer starts by saying, “I had to have a cup of coffee to start my day.” The group might ask, “Where do you usually drink your coffee?” and then attempt to use the volunteers answers to guide the conversation forward while always referring back to something they said.

Experiential communication games like this one can be incredibly powerful when it comes to teaching communication skills and making them stick. Be sure to bring it to your next communication workshop or training session!

Open Questions – Role Play   #communication   #skills   #active listening   An extract from Rudyard Kipling’s poem in “The Elephant’s Child” literally OPENS up  opportunities to practice a key skill as part of a communication skills course as well  as allied skills in active listening and observation.

Team of Two 

Whether it’s at home or at work, many of our closest and most important relationships are between us and one other person. When communication with that person becomes strained, it can affect our personal and working life in a profound way.

Team of Two is a communication exercise designed to explicitly help two people work and communicate together more effectively. Improving your communication skills through the lens of a single person-to-person relationship can make the process more approachable and instantly gratifying. Be sure to give it a go!

Team of Two   #communication   #active listening   #issue analysis   #conflict resolution   #issue resolution   #remote-friendly   #team   Much of the business of an organisation takes place between pairs of people. These interactions can be positive and developing or frustrating and destructive. You can improve them using simple methods, providing people are willing to listen to each other. “Team of two” will work between secretaries and managers, managers and directors, consultants and clients or engineers working on a job together. It will even work between life partners.

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Fun communication games for teaching communication skills

Improving how a team talks to one another can be hard work. Teaching better communication techniques and improving core communication skills such as active listening is important, but it’s vital you help everyone warm up and arrive in the workshop ready to become a better communicator. 

These games are great ways to demonstrate the power of effective team communication while also helping a group warm up and get to know each other. Let’s take a look!

Stress Balls 

Energizing your team while demonstrating the importance of good communication is a great way to kick-off any team workshop. Stress Balls is a fun communication game that starts simple but can easily get out of control – a good analogy for workplace communication! 

Start by forming a circle with a single stress ball and a rule to pass it along to the left. Over successive rounds, you’ll add more balls with additional rules and debrief how the added complexity impacted the efficacy of the task. Not only is Stress Balls a fun energizer but it can serve as a great introduction to communication skills and concepts you might explore later in the session. 

Stress Balls   #energiser   #communication   #teamwork   #team   #thiagi   #action   #icebreaker   Understanding the importance of communication and teamwork is an important requirement for high performance teams of knowledge workers. This exercise is an effective energizer that requires communication and teamwork. Ask participants to form a circle and throw a ball around to simulate the movement of a message. Change different variables such as speed, quantity, and complexity to create a mess.

Few games improve communication skills as well as needing to navigate an obstacle course while blindfolded! In Minefield, teams must go through the course in the time allocated one by one while other team members will verbally guide them.

Start by creating a simple obstacle course of soft toys and mines that players must navigate. Have a large group? Create two courses and two teams and keep track of how many mines are hit to determine a winner.

Minefield   #teampedia   #teamwork   #action   #team   #icebreaker   A fun activity that helps participants working together as a team while teaching the importance of communication, strategy and trust.

Sticks – A Metaphorical Simulation Game

A powerful learning point from any discussion of communication in the workplace is that conversations often feel different for all those involved. While an email, video call, or impromptu meeting might be zero stress for you, it might take a lot of energy for someone else. 

Sticks is a game that can help a group build greater awareness of how our energy levels, intentions and responses can affect workplace communication. Start by asking pairs to hold a stick between them without using their hands. One person is designated to lead the pair around the room or to a destination with the goal of keeping the stick upright without talking. Switch roles before then adding the rule that the person being led must keep their eyes closed. During the debrief, ask everyone to share what they learned about effective communication and what the effects of applying different pressures on their partner were. 

Sticks – A Metaphorical Simulation Game   #communication   #team   #teamwork   #action   When people interact or communicate with each other, they use certain amount of energy or pressure. Here’s an activity that makes participants aware of such energy exchange and helps them explore how to manage this process.

Broken Email

When communication fails, it can be hard for a group or team to pass knowledge or tasks effectively between members. Avoid potential frustration by helping a group learn how to better communicate ideas and pass information on effectively. 

For this communication technique, start by asking small groups to stand in a line. Show the person in the back a simple image and then take it away. That person is then tasked to trace the image on the next person’s back using their finger. Each group does this with the next person in line until the person at the front must then draw the image on a piece of paper. For added fun, add a time limit or give each time a different image. The result is a fun, reflective team game that can help kickstart a session on improving communication in the workplace too! 

Broken Email   #communication   #collaboration   #teampedia   #icebreaker   #team   This a simple game in which participants play in teams and their task is to replicate an image shown to the first team member as they are set up in a chain. The winner is the first team to correctly reproduce the “email”

Double Talk

Sometimes, the cause of ineffective communication is simply the fact that people are preoccupied with other thoughts and aren’t fully present in the conversation. Try this communication exercise if you want to jolt a group awake or gently introduce concepts of active listening while having fun. 

Start by putting people into pairs and ask one person to be a listener while the other person plays the role of the IV. While the facilitator gives a short, preferably dry, presentation, ask the IV to whisper distracting thoughts in the listener’s ear. Next, ask the group some questions based on your presentation and reflect on how well they listened. 

Reveal to the group that IV stands for inner voice and debrief on how letting your inner voice distract you while attempting to listen or communicate can lead to frustration or missed insight. Be sure to give kudos to the most creative inner voices for their distractions while debriefing to make this communication game extra memorable!   

Double Talk   #energiser   #thiagi   Participants at a training session are often preoccupied with other important things in their life. Here’s a simple jolt to wake them up.

Nonverbal communication games

Humans communicate in so many different ways beyond verbal communication. We use body language, eye contact, touch, proximity and many more methods to communicate with others, often without knowing!

These nonverbal communication games are designed to improve self awareness and teach communication skills that lie outside of traditional verbal methods.

Birthday Lineup

The best communication games are often the most simple. Birthday Lineup is a great communication exercise that teaches the importance of nonverbal communication. Begin by asking team members to organize themselves in a line according to their birthday without speaking. Without the ease of verbal communication, team members must attempt to communicate effectively by using body language, hand signals and touch.

Want to complicate things or try a variation? Blindfold a few team members or ask people to line up alphabetically. In any case, debrief by asking what the experience was like and what they learned about different people’s communication styles.

Birthday Lineup   #icebreaker   #team   #teampedia   #opening   This is a simple warmup game where people use non-verbal communication to organise themselves into lines based on the give criteria

Becoming more aware of the body language of others (and ourselves!) is an important part of improving our communication skills. In this simple communication game, ask team members to get into pairs and choose one person to be the leader.

The goal of the game is for both people to become perfectly in-sync, as if they were the reflection in the mirror. Have one person start leading by moving and creating shapes and then, after a few minutes, switch leadership to the second person. Switch back and forth a few times and eventually let them share leadership.

This communication exercise is especially effective for teaching teams to communicate in a way that their partners can follow (not too fast!) and that communication is more enjoyable when you’re working together!

Mirrors   #improv game   #flexibility   #active listening   #listening and awareness   #speaking   #accepting offers   #trust   #leadership   #em   #fb   In pairs, players mirror one another’s movements.  

Nonverbal improv

Nonverbal communication is all about communicating meaning with our bodies, our eyes, our gestures and more. As human beings, we often do this unconsciously. In this communication game, teams are invited to consciously try and communicate a phrase to a partner without speaking.

Start with simple phrases to warm-up your group before moving to more difficult ones. Miming, “Would you like a drink?” is one thing, but how about, “Don’t go swimming! There’s a shark in the water!”

As with all communication exercises, the experience of working with good, poor or plain different communication styles can be an effective way of improving communication skills and asking participants to be more thoughtful in how they communicate.

Non-verbal improv   #improv game   #energiser   #fun   #remote-friendly   An improv game where participants must use non-verbal communication and actions to communicate a phrase or an idea to other players. A fun game that’s a great way to open a discussion on better communication!

Near and far

Whenever you bring a group of people together, you are also creating an interconnected system. How we choose to communicate with one another and the group at large can have a profound effect on that system. Consider how a spat between managers can ripple out to impact group dynamics. The Near and Far nonverbal communication game is a great way to teach communication skills while also introducing systems thinking to group.

Start by asking team members to stand in a large circle where they can make eye contact with one another. Next, ask each team member to silently choose one person in the group to stay close to and pick another they attempt to stay far away from.

Finally, have everyone attempt to be simultaneously near and far from their chosen people while moving around the room. As soon as the group moves into action, interesting dynamics will unfold. Afterwards, ask everyone to share their experiences and how this might relate to group dynamics and communication within groups.

Near and Far   #icebreaker   #energiser   #action   #thiagi   #outdoor   #warm up   Near and Far is a wonderful warm up game that provides excellent avenues to build connections and to discuss various issues of corporate culture and dynamics. I have used it in conferences and it is suitable for small, medium, and large groups.

Communication activities to improve honesty and openness

Good communication is all about finding ways to be open and honest while staying productive, respectful, and empathetic toward others. These communication techniques are designed to help everyone in a group communicate their needs, concerns, and challenges with a framework that promotes cohesion and trust. 

Finding ways to be more open and honest is key when it comes to solving organizational problems and these activities can be helpful in encouraging these values in your team. 

Appreciative Interviews

When trying to move past a problem or communication block, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of focusing on the negative elements and what went wrong. Appreciative Interviews is a great method to solving problems by starting from a point of exploring previous successes in pairs. 

Each person tells a story about a time they worked on a challenge and were proud of the outcome. Each partner then takes turns interviewing the other to discover why that situation was a success. Afterward, groups of four retell their partner’s story and listen for patterns and insight the group might use or learn from in the future.  Not only is this communication activity great for surfacing solutions positively, but it also encourages active listening, empathy and openness within a team. 

Appreciative Interviews (AI)   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   #storytelling   In less than one hour, a group of any size can generate the list of conditions that are essential for its success. You can liberate spontaneous momentum and insights for positive change from within the organization as “hidden” success stories are revealed. Positive movement is sparked by the search for what works now and by uncovering the root causes that make success possible. Groups are energized while sharing their success stories instead of the usual depressing talk about problems. Stories from the field offer social proof of local solutions, promising prototypes, and spread innovations while providing data for recognizing success patterns. You can overcome the tendency of organizations to underinvest in social supports that generate success while overemphasizing financial support, time, and technical assistance.

What will you tell who about what made your day today?

If workplace communication has become difficult there are things we might tell one person about how we’re feeling but not others. Think about workplace issues that you don’t feel you can share with your boss, but then discuss with your partner or friends outside of work. Often, after talking about a workplace challenge with someone outside of work, we then feel ready to talk about it inside of work. 

This communication activity utilizes this effect by asking a group to reflect on what they would say about a meeting, workshop or challenge and who they would say it to. By employing this framework, a group can not only concretize their learnings for the day but also consider how they communicate to different people. Often, we are more open and honest with some people than others when debriefing an event. By touching on this as a group, we can think about how we might communicate more openly with those people who most need it.   

What will you tell who about what made your day today?   #closing   #commitment   #prepare for action   #communication   #celebrating   #feedback   At the end of a meeting, participants have to go back to their boss, organization, community or family. There they’ll asked a question like “what did you do?”. This prepares them to that question, informs them about what others will say – and who   maybe the source of this message and it give them as well as you feedback on the session. It also reinforces commitment.

Stinky Fish

Communication is hard if uncertainties, anxieties or interpersonal issues don’t have space to surface and continue to have an effect on our relationships. Stinky Fish is a framework for sharing issues, creating openness, and finding solutions as a group. As a communication exercise, it’s effective at helping a team get things off their chest constructively and with a view to create solutions rather than attribute blame.

Invite each group to write down their personal stinky fish relating to a core organisational challenge or around the subject of communication or connection. Next, give everyone time to share their fishes with the rest of the group and reflect on the experience. For best results, follow-up with an exercise that helps resolve those issues though bear in mind that finding time and space to share these worries constructively can often have a positive effect in itself! 

Stinky Fish   #hyperisland   #skills   #remote-friendly   #issue analysis   A short activity to run early in a program focused on sharing fears, anxieties and uncertainties related to the program theme. The purpose is to create openness within a group. The stinky fish is a metaphor for “that thing that you carry around but don’t like to talk about; but the longer you hide it, the stinkier it gets.” By putting stinky fish (fears and anxieties) on the table, participants begin to relate to each other, become more comfortable sharing, and identify a clear area for development and learning.

Generative Relationships STAR

When workplace communication is strained, it can feel tough to find a productive way to explore what has affected everyone’s working relationships safely. Communication activities that include a set framework for guiding conversations can help keep things on track and also ensure the group’s psychological safety is maintained. Start by introducing the four points of the star: Separateness, Tuning, Actions and Reasons for working together. 

Ask each person to reflect on where the team is currently at in regards to each of the four points before then sharing these in small groups and find points of consensus and difference. From there, brainstorm actions you can take to improve these points and find those you can make immediately. By ensuring everyone first has a chance to share their feelings openly and be heard, you can help a group communicate effectively and then improve a situation from there.   

Generative Relationships STAR   #team   #liberating structures   #teamwork   You can help a group of people understand how they work together and identify changes that they can make to improve group performance. All members of the group diagnose current relationship patterns and decide how to follow up with action steps together, without intermediaries. The STAR compass tool helps group members understand what makes their relationships more or less generative. The compass used in the initial diagnosis can also be used later to evaluate progress in developing relationships that are more generative.

Bright Blurry Blind

Organizational silos or feelings of an ‘us and them’ dynamic is anthical to good workplace communication. Building a one-team mentality that helps people interact meaningfully and positively regardless of their department of role. Bright Blurry Blind is a great communication activity that gives employees the chance to speak openly and honestly about concerns and then build a more positive working relationship. 

Start by sharing the three metaphor cards for what is bright, (clear, common knowledge) what is blurry, (known but not spoken about openly) and blind (not known and should be). Have groups arranged by role or department then create a presentation of what is bright, blurry or blind for them and their department to share with the rest of the organization. Follow with some reflection on the process and consider how you can help blind issues surface, what you can do to ensure blurry issues become bright and how to better communicate any concerns between teams in the future. 

Bright Blurry Blind   #communication   #collaboration   #problem identification   #issue analysis   This is an exercise for creating a sense of community, support intra and inter departmental communication and breakdown of “Silos” within organizations. It allows participants to openly speak about current issues within the team and organization.

Communication exercises to improve empathy and understanding

Without empathy and understanding, working with others can prove difficult, if not impossible. Whether it’s how we communicate in the workplace or converse in our interpersonal relationships, it can always be helpful to find ways to empathize with the other person and understand their position. 

If you’re a leader wanting to improve your facilitation skills and figure out how to help your team, empathy and understanding is possibly the best place to start. Let’s get started.

Heard, Seen, Respected 

One of the baselines for effective workplace communication is ensuring that everyone is heard when they try to speak, is seen and recognized in their efforts, and is respected by others. In this activity for communication, start by briefing the purpose: to practice listening without trying to fix anything or make any judgments. Next, break the group into pairs and ask everyone to share a story of a time when they were not heard, seen, or respected. 

By first sharing these stories before moving to groups of four to discuss patterns, your team can effectively see how the concepts of listening and helping people be heard without first rushing to judgement can help everyone communicate better and be more understood. The result is a group that can more effectively empathize and help one another be seen and heard – a surefire way of improving communication in the workplace.

Heard, Seen, Respected (HSR)   #issue analysis   #empathy   #communication   #liberating structures   #remote-friendly   You can foster the empathetic capacity of participants to “walk in the shoes” of others. Many situations do not have immediate answers or clear resolutions. Recognizing these situations and responding with empathy can improve the “cultural climate” and build trust among group members. HSR helps individuals learn to respond in ways that do not overpromise or overcontrol. It helps members of a group notice unwanted patterns and work together on shifting to more productive interactions. Participants experience the practice of more compassion and the benefits it engenders.

Understanding Chain

Building shared understanding is fundamental to creating a culture of clear, effective communication. In an organization, it often falls to managers to impart information to the rest of the team and help them understand their position though, without the right approach, this isn’t always effective. 

Understanding Chain is a communication activity designed to help create an audience-first approach to communication. Start by asking a group to think of who they’ll be talking to and invite them to brainstorm questions that the group might ask of them. Next, invite the team to place those in the understanding chain, under one of three headings: situation, complication, or resolution. By first empathizing with an audience and sorting questions into a story chain, your group can effectively understand what they need to present and in what order in order to successfully build understanding. 

Understanding Chain   #gamestorming   #communication   #action   In the Understanding Chain game, a group shifts from a content focus to an audience focus, and draws out a meaningful, linear structure for communication.

Seven Words

Words have impact. Not only do the words we choose have an effect, but our tone, delivery and where we place stress in our sentences and arguments have an impact too. This activity is based on the concept of thinking about how we say something, alongside thinking about what we say. Start by writing a seven-word sentence about yourself on a flipchart while stressing the “I” of the sentence. Ask the group to comment on the message and meaning that was conveyed by how you said the sentence and collect different interpretations. Follow with pair work where participants write and interpret their own sentences before debriefing as a whole group. 

By asking the group to consider the importance of how we say things as well as reflecting on moments they felt misunderstood, they can better empathize with others and try to create conversations free of possible misinterpretation in the future.  

Seven Words   #thiagi   #communication   #skills   #remote-friendly   Ever heard the cliché, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it”? The Seven Words jolt dramatically demonstrates this principle. You demonstrate how the meaning of a sentence changes as you emphasize different words. Later, you invite pairs of participants to explore this concept.

Translated Rant

When passionate people care about something and something goes wrong, this can lead to people feeling upset, hurt, or angry. When this happens, it’s easy to react to the immediate situation instead of trying to understand where they are coming from and help them move forward. This communication game for work is a highly effective way to helping a group better empathize and communicate under conditions of upset or duress. 

Start by asking pairs to work together with one person ranting for sixty seconds on their pet peeve or major annoyance. Next, invite the second person to translate the rant into what the first person cares about, what they value, and what’s important to them. Check to ensure the second person got it right before switching roles and debriefing. By helping a group see what’s behind the rant and focus on what an upset person might care about and value, future conversations, and disagreements can be handled more empathetically and productively. 

Translated Rant   #active listening   #emotions   #values   #trust   #conflict   #introductions   #opening   #connection   One person rants for 60 seconds. The second person translates their rant into what they care about and value.

When we receive different sets of advice that might seem contradictory, it might seem that there is a lack of understanding or empathy which can be frustrating. An important aspect of receiving advice and moving forward constructively is understanding that advice is contextual and that even if the advice might seem contradictory or not wholly helpful, the intention of the person is good. 

Both Sides is a communication activity that helps a group explore the advantages and disadvantages of two sets of advice or sides of an argument and reach an understanding that incorporates elements of both. It’s so easy to get ourselves into a position of saying one side is right and the other is wrong, though this isn’t always an empathetic or understanding approach.

Try using this activity the next time differences of opinion or advice create a blocker at work. You’ll often find that by seeing both sides, you can help all parties feel more seen and valued while also finding a productive way forward.  

Both Sides   #structured sharing   #issue analysis   #thiagi   #team   Organizational life is full of paradoxes. It looks as if you always get contradictory advice. For example, one manager suggests that all your training should be on the Web. Another manager extols the virtues of classroom teaching. In a situation like this, it is useless to ask, “Which is better: online learning or instructor-led learning?” The answer is invariably, “It all depends.” In the complex real world, the effectiveness of any strategy depends on the context. For example, training effectiveness depends on the content, objectives, learners, technology, and facilitators. In order for you to come up with the best strategy, you must explore the advantages and disadvantages of conflicting guidelines. That’s what BOTH SIDES helps you to do.

What, So What, Now What?

One of the first steps to improve empathy and understanding at work is being able to see an event free from judgment and from multiple perspectives. This exercise from Liberating Structures is a great framework for reflecting on an event as a group and building mutual understanding without conflict. 

Start by asking individuals to reflect on what happened and what they noticed before discussing why it was important and then finally making suggestions on how to move forward as a team. By surfacing thoughts and feelings objectively and sharing them, a group can better understand an event and its importance in an effort to do better next time. With practice and a considered approach, this communication technique can be your goto activity for debriefings and building team understanding.    

W³ – What, So What, Now What?   #issue analysis   #innovation   #liberating structures   You can help groups reflect on a shared experience in a way that builds understanding and spurs coordinated action while avoiding unproductive conflict. It is possible for every voice to be heard while simultaneously sifting for insights and shaping new direction. Progressing in stages makes this practical—from collecting facts about What Happened to making sense of these facts with So What and finally to what actions logically follow with Now What . The shared progression eliminates most of the misunderstandings that otherwise fuel disagreements about what to do. Voila!

Better Connections

Workplace communication can prove difficult if you don’t know your colleagues very well and feel disconnected from your team. Truly getting to know everyone in your team as people and not just because of their role can be what makes all the difference. Better Connections is a communication exercise designed to help a group understand one another as individuals, form better relationships and thus contextualize how we communicate in future situations. 

Start by asking a group to pair up with someone they don’t know too well and rate how connected they are to that person. Next, ask each pair to take three minutes to describe a close relationship with someone they love very much while the other person listens carefully. Debrief afterward and reinforce the point that better connections are formed through sharing, listening, and finding safe ways to communicate in the workplace.   

Better Connections   #interpersonal relationships   #teambuilding   #team   #connection   #thiagi   #get-to-know   We build a stronger relationship with people when we see them as human beings with whom we share similarities in terms of family and life situations. It is very difficult to form strong relationships with people about whom we know very little.We feel more connected to “full” people. For example, take John, the accountant. If I think of John as an accountant, I might put him into a box of what I think I know about accountants. I might not feel connected to accountants and will treat him accordingly. But when I think of John as a keen mountain climber and outdoor adventurer with two children, one of whom is graduating from university next month, then John becomes human to me, and I can feel connected to him.

Exercises to teach clear communication

Have you ever felt a discussion around a workplace challenge or new project go around and around to the point of being unproductive or frustrating? 

Finding ways to be clear, concise, and stay on topic is a vital communication skill that can help both in and out of the workplace. These communication games and activities are effective at not only providing a framework for clear communication but can help teach groups and individuals how to be more clear and concise in the future. This alone can be a surefire way to help teams be more productive! 

What I Need From You

A common reason for unproductive or frustrating workplace relationships is a lack of clarity in what two parties need from one another. Misalignment or misunderstandings are problems within themselves but can also create further frustration and communication issues. 

What I Need From You is a communication technique that encourages a small group to share their core needs simply and clearly with those affected and then invite the other person to respond with concision. Ensure everyone makes clear, concrete requests and to give clear requests too. By practicing this communication style, your team can fix existing issues and also find better ways to communicate needs and dependencies in the future.    

What I Need From You (WINFY)   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   #team   #communication   #remote-friendly   People working in different functions and disciplines can quickly improve how they ask each other for what they need to be successful. You can mend misunderstandings or dissolve prejudices developed over time by demystifying what group members need in order to achieve common goals. Since participants articulate core needs to others and each person involved in the exchange is given the chance to respond, you boost clarity, integrity, and transparency while promoting cohesion and coordination across silos: you can put Humpty Dumpty back together again!

Clear Communication

Some communication concepts are best explored with simple games that allow people to learn and engage while having fun. When it comes to helping a group communicate more clearly, this communication game is a great way of iterating quickly and building on learnings. 

Start by choosing a category of communication skill. Good examples include active listening techniques or purposes of communication. Have small groups each write a clear response to the concept on an index card and then vote for the clearest example (no voting on your own card!). Repeat and reflect to help a team share examples of best communication practices quickly while also learning the value of concision. 

Clear Communication   #thiagi   #skills   #idea generation   #communication   In any content area, one difference between a beginner and an expert is the latter’s ability to come up with different examples that belong to the same category. This activity strengthens your ability to come up with examples of communication concepts.

Customer Service Categories 

Clear, effective communication is a staple of great customer service. But learning how to anticipate the needs of others and respond concisely to their requests is helpful whatever your role. 

In this communication game, start with a customer service category such as ‘How to win customer’s trust’ or ‘What customers expect.’ Invite each person in the group to take turns to say an item that belongs to the category while listening to the items supplied to the other players. Ask the group to eliminate any player who hesitates for too long, repeats an item, or offers an item that doesn’t belong to the category. This game is great for encouraging the learning of key communication concepts but also for building core communication skills. 

Customer Service Categories   #customer service   #improv game   #issue analysis   #thiagi   #idea generation   Players take turns to supply items that belong to a specific category related to customer service. Any player who hesitates too long, repeats a previous item, or supplies an inappropriate item is eliminated. The last player left standing wins the game.

500-year-gap

Gaps in a group’s shared understanding can be one of the biggest challenges to effective workplace communication. While these gaps are likely to occur when people from different backgrounds and disciplines work together, there are things we can do to close these gaps and facilitate better communication. 

In this communication activity, start by splitting a group into pairs and having one person role-play someone from 500-years-ago. Have one person explain a modern-day object or appliance – such as a mobile phone or airplane – to the person from 500 years ago without telling them what it is. Encourage those people to fully embrace the mindset of someone from the past and ask questions in character. When debriefing, be sure to ask how the group made assumptions in understanding and how they tried to navigate the knowledge gap with concision and clarity. 

500 year gap   #active listening   #speaking   #communication   #intercultural communication   #empathy   #improv   #em   In pairs, one person describes a modern appliance to someone from 500 years ago

Name That Tune

So many misunderstandings and breakdowns in communication can simply come from a gap in the information two parties posess. Communication games like Name That Tune are effective methods of teaching communication skills in an experiential manner.

In this game, start by getting team members into pairs. One person will start as the listener and the other will start out as a tapper. The goal of this communication exercise is for the tapper to choose a familiar song and to tap out the rhythm on the table with their fingertips. While tappers might expect listeners to easily guess the tune, the information gap between them can make this a nigh impossible task.

To demonstrate the power of sharing information when communicating with others, try running a second round where one person can hum or give a clue and see how different the results are.

Name That Tune   #communication   #learning   #thiagi   #skills   In his book, You Are Not So Smart, David McRaney describes an experiment by Elizabeth Newton that explains the illusion of transparency. This happens during the communication process when others are not privy to same information as we are. While we may think all of our thoughts and feelings are visible to others, we often overestimate the actual transfer of information. The participants pair up and one partner taps out a familiar song with fingertips. The finger-tapping partner predicts the listener will be able to guess the tune. These partners are surprised to discover that while the tune is obvious to them, their listening partner is unable to guess it.

Activities to help identify and improve your communication style

Communication is often more complicated than it first seems. Articulating our needs, listening properly and responding with care takes time and effort and people communicate differently. Learning your communication style and taking steps to become a more effective communicator by being aware of how others communicate can be truly transformative. 

If you or your team find that conflict arises easily or that some members regularly feel unheard or unable to speak, that’s likely a problem with clashing communication styles. While most of the communication techniques in this post can help improve communication generally, it can also be effective to reflect on how our individual communication styles can impact group dynamics. Dedicated effort on this can help unblock unproductive working processes and improve interpersonal relationships in a cinch! Let’s give it a go!

Grounded Assertiveness Communication

Navigating workplace communication successfully means not only identifying how we communicate, but how others do it too. With this exercise, start by introducing sets of cards with the four basic communication styles: passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive. 

Have pairs or small groups then draw a random communication style card and roleplay a scenario using the scenario on the card. When debriefing, be sure to reflect on the tone, energy, and body language generated by each scenario. Learning how different communication styles can impact the openness or productivity of a conversation can be transformative. Be sure to give this game a go if you want a quick and easy way to introduce communication styles to your team.   

Grounded Assertiveness Communication   #communication   #boldness   #openness   #body language   Framework: Consideration for Others x Openness of Communication Participants practice 4 modes of communication – Aggressive, assertive, passive, passive-aggressive in improv scenario

Yes and Picnic

For some groups, the traditional labels associated with communication styles can be limiting or difficult to get their heads around. Whatever framework you use, the end goal is the same – to help everyone communicate better while understanding that people communicate differently. 

Yes and Picnic is a great workplace communication activity to help show a group how our approach to a conversation can massively impact the outcome. Start by asking pairs to plan an imaginary event together and have four conversations on the subject. One person should enthusiastically want to do the activity while the other person responds with a response ranging from a simple no, to a yes and back and forth. By having each pair use responses that correspond with typical communication styles, they can see how these can impact a conversation and consider how to use them moving forward. 

Yes, and Picnic   #improv game   #yes, and   #active listening   #accepting offers   #flexibility   #specifics   #em   4 conversations about how to listen, acknowledge, and build

Reframing Silence

When working as a team, silence can be interpreted differently by everyone in a group. What might be necessary reflection time for one person might be considered awkward or a sign of non-participation by others. Using a communication activity to reframe silence and help quieter group members contribute is a great way to help a group grow and learn to sit with silence. 

Start by explaining all the ways in which silence can be interpreted, ask for understanding and space, and then gently encourage participation from quieter teammates. When it comes to effective workplace communication, helping everyone be understood while being given a chance to contribute can make all the difference. Try following this exercise with further activities and discussions and challenge the group to be aware of the lessons learned, whatever the workplace context.

From Silence to Vibrance   #managing difficulties   #group development   #online   #engagement   #team dynamics   Sometimes a number of people are silent and there is not necessarily a dominant person in the group. This often happens in cultures where being assertive is not valued.

Communication games to improve self awareness 

Some workplaces issues can stem from failing to understand or be aware of the ways in which our actions or communication styles can affect others. Being self-aware when we communicate often means being mindful of how we listen, speak and deliver information, all while also being aware of our own needs, triggers, and sore points. 

As with all communication skills, what might seem easy for one person or situation might not be easy in another. Recognizing that this is an important element of communication and then moving towards improving it is the first step on your communication journey. 

Everyday Hassles

Even the most self-aware of us can often have automatic responses and behaviors which can affect those around us. Think about how getting stuff in traffic might lead to us getting angry without thinking. Does that response actually help or make us feel good? 

This communication game is designed to show us that our automatic responses can be changed and we can improve behaviors that might otherwise affect our workplace relationships. Start by asking small groups to brainstorm alternative, better ways to respond to an annoying situation such as getting stuck in a traffic jam. By then considering alternative responses to a series of hassles and then identifying patterns, your group can each see how we might reconsider our automatic responses and be more self-aware of how we communicate with others.

Everyday Hassles   #issue resolution   #issue analysis   #stress management   #thiagi   It is a great activity to show participants that it is plausible to change our automatic behaviours and reactions to annoying situations.

Lasting Impression Elevator Pitch

Most people know that first impressions have a lasting impact that can make all the difference to how we later communicate. Being aware of how we introduce ourselves and our roles can be crucial at improving both our careers and workplace relationships. 

This exercise from Thiagi Group asks participants to prepare an elevator pitch for quickly describing themselves, their role and interests. By workshopping and reflecting on how they’ve presented themselves to others, your group will be more self aware in future communications. Plus, they’ll learn a valuable skill in being able to discuss themselves and their role with efficiency and clarity. Perfect when it comes to working with others and communicating better at work!

Lasting Impression Elevator Pitch   #communication   #elevator pitch   #thiagi   #skills   #action   How do you explain what you do to someone you meet for the first time and make a lasting impression? Being able to explain what you do may result in a career spurt—or at least help you avoid some embarrassment. Participants write a short pitch they can use to introduce themselves to clients or new acquaintances or to make unscheduled presentations. Later, they have the pitch critiqued and improved using a three-part rating system.

Blame or Praise 

A large part of using self awareness to be a better communicator is in gaining knowledge of how we can interpret situations because of preexisting conditions. This communication game is another great method for helping a group develop workplace awareness. Start by distributing the two different versions of the blame or praise handout among the group and ask them to record their responses. 

Both versions of the handout explain how a company chairman’s decisions either had a positive or negative effect on an outcome. Crucially, each handout differs in regards to whether the chairman intended the outcome to happen or not. By reflecting as a group, we can learn to separate intentions from outcomes and practically examine how certain conditions can impact how we perceive and communicate with others. 

Blame or Praise   #decision making   #communication   #thiagi   #issue analysis   This exercise is based on Joshua Knobe’s experiments on intentional activity and side effects. It explores how a person’s intentions affect our decision to assign blame or praise to a behaviour. Participants work with two different versions of the same situation. One version focuses on a harmful side effect of a decision, while the other deals with a helpful side effect. The debriefing discussion explores how we are more willing to blame for harmful side effects than praise for helpful side effects.

Social Virus

We’ve all been caught up in workplaces where positive or negative feelings have spread through the team. By considering how our emotions can be transmitted through a group, we can start to practice a greater degree of self-awareness and control in all of our workplace communications. 

Start by choosing one person at random to be the infector general, whose job it is to infect other people in the group with a negative facial expression. Once infected, a player’s role is to try and infect three other people. After a negative round, switch it up to a positive infection. Communication games like Social Virus are great for teaching concepts in a fun, memorable way while also inviting self-awareness. Try it at your next team meeting as part of a broader conversation on group communication for even better results!

Social Virus   #emotional intelligence   #positive psychology   #teamwork   #thiagi   #action   #issue analysis   We all know how quickly the cold or flu can spread through the office, but we don’t often think about how contagious our emotions can be. This exercise provides a brief simulation of how quickly both negative and positive emotions can be transmitted. One participant is selected to be the Negative Infector General and asked to infect others with a negative emotion. During the next round, you pretend to select another participant to be the Positive Infector General. At the end of the second round, participants are surprised to find out that they became more positive even though no one initiated the emotion.

Playing with Status

Organizations aren’t flat. Sometimes, communication between people at differing levels of seniority or expertise can feel tough because of this imbalance, but it doesn’t have to be! Playing with Status is a communication game where pairs roleplay a simple workplace situation multiple times with different levels of status. 

Being aware of how power dynamics can not only affect how others speak to you but how you might speak to them can be transformative when it comes to improving communication at work. When we’re made to feel inferior in status or are simply unempathetic to how status affects others, the result can be damaging. Don’t let this be the case in your organization!  

Playing with Status   #teambuilding   #communication   #team   #thiagi   Participants are given a short script of 8-10 lines of neutral dialogue. The scene may depict a job interview (see the sample below) or a coaching session. Pairs take turns enacting the scene, playing with the status relationships through non-verbal behaviours.

Communication techniques for giving feedback

All teams have times when they need to reflect, debrief and share feedback. Done correctly, it’s one of the best ways to improve group dynamics and be more effective in your working practices. Done incorrectly, poorly delivered feedback or unfocused discussion on what went wrong can do more harm than good. These communication activities are designed to help a group give better, more focused feedback that helps everyone share how they feel in a productive manner.

Feedback: Start, Stop, Continue

Effective communication is all about concision and empathy, though when teams come to giving one another feedback, that can often go out of the window. Communication frameworks such as this exercise are great for helping groups have productive feedback sessions that build trust and openness. 

Have small groups work to write feedback to each other using a simple start, stop and continue structure. By filling in the gaps in set sentences, each person is able to deliver consistent feedback that is simple and useful to everyone. Finish by having each person deliver feedback verbally and then handing the post-it to the person addressed. You’ll find that feedback is not only more effectively transmitted but also received, and without the potential for as many difficult, unproductive discussions. 

Feedback: Start, Stop, Continue   #hyperisland   #skills   #feedback   #remote-friendly   Regular, effective feedback is one of the most important ingredients in building constructive relationships and thriving teams. Openness creates trust and trust creates more openness. Feedback exercises aim to support groups to build trust and openness and for individuals to gain self-awareness and insight. Feedback exercises should always be conducted with thoughtfulness and high awareness of group dynamics. This is an exercise for groups or teams that have worked together for some time and are familiar with giving and receiving feedback. It uses the words “stop”, “start” and “continue” to guide the feedback messages.

Principles of Effective Feedback

Outcomes and frameworks shaped by a group are often more effective than those simply given to them. What works for one team might not work for another, and this communication exercise is all about coming up with a set of rules for giving feedback that is bespoke and designed by the team that will use it. 

Start by working in pairs to give examples of when they have received effective and ineffective feedback. As a group, you’ll then brainstorm principles of effective and ineffective feedback and agree on a set to use in feedback sessions moving forward. By finishing with a discussion of how to ensure these principles are followed, you can have more meaningful and productive communications around feedback. You’ll also have a readily usable resource for the future! 

Principles of Effective Feedback   #hyperisland   #skills   #feedback   The purpose of this exercise is for a group to discuss, define, and come to agreement around key principles of effective feedback. Participants discuss examples of effective and ineffective feedback in pairs, then work together to define “effective feedback.” Then, as a group, they create a list of principles that they will aim to work by.

One Breath Feedback

Unfocused communication can be frustrating and unproductive for all involved, especially when it comes to giving and receiving feedback. Some people might feel intimidated when giving feedback at the end of a session or alternatively, someone might continue speaking long after their point has been made. 

Avoid these situations and create a more productive, concise feedback culture with this communication exercise. Simply ask your group to give feedback using just a single breath – often just 20-30 seconds per person. By clearly outlining this rule in advance, your team will also have to carefully consider what they might say too – a great result for any workplace communication! 

One breath feedback   #closing   #feedback   #action   This is a feedback round in just one breath that excels in maintaining attention: each participants is able to speak during just one breath … for most people that’s around 20 to 25 seconds … unless of course you’ve been a deep sea diver in which case you’ll be able to do it for longer.

In conclusion 

Strong, effective communication in the workplace is crucial for effective teams, though, without considered effort, it can become problematic. 

We know that when group communication breaks down or is in need of improvement, it can be difficult to know where to begin. By using communication games, team members can find a framework for moving forward, improve their listening skills and develop their emotional intelligence too!

Ready to go further? Explore this guide on how to plan an effective workshop for the next time you’re leading a session of communication skills.

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  •  Guest Posts

20 Communication Games for Team Building and Collaboration

Explore the list of 20 engaging communication games to activities foster collaboration, boost morale, and improve overall team communication.

Communication Games for Team Building

Table of Contents

Teams who communicate effectively may increase their productivity by as much as 25% .

In today’s modern workplaces, effective communication stands as the cornerstone of success. The ability to convey ideas, collaborate, and build strong interpersonal relationships is crucial for fostering a positive work environment. To inject an element of fun and engagement into the realm of communication, many organizations are turning to communication games. 

These games not only break the monotony of traditional communication methods but also serve as powerful tools for team building and skill development.

Breaking the ice: Communication games as icebreakers

In the corporate world, where teams often consist of diverse individuals with varying backgrounds and personalities, breaking the ice is essential. Communication games serve as excellent icebreakers, helping colleagues become more comfortable with each other. Activities like "two truths and a lie" or "human bingo" encourage employees to share personal details in a lighthearted manner, fostering connections that go beyond professional roles.

Building trust and collaboration

Trust is the bedrock of any successful team, and communication games play a pivotal role in building and strengthening this trust. Games such as "trust falls" or "team building circles" require individuals to rely on each other, fostering a sense of mutual dependence and trust.

As teams navigate these challenges together, they learn to communicate effectively, rely on each other's strengths, and develop a collaborative mindset that extends beyond the confines of the game.

Fun and engaging communication games to supercharge your workplace!

Effective communication is the lifeblood of any successful team. But let's face it, traditional team-building exercises can sometimes feel forced and awkward. Why not shake things up with some fun and engaging games that teach valuable communication skills?

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Back-to-Back Drawing

What you need : Paper, pencils, chairs

How to play

  • Divide players into pairs and have them sit back-to-back.
  • Give one person in each pair a drawing (simple object, animal, etc.).
  • The person with the drawing silently describes it to their partner, who must draw it based solely on the descriptions.
  • Repeat with different partners and drawings.

Benefits : Active listening, clear communication, teamwork

2. Telephone pictionary

What you need : Paper, pencils, timer

  • Form a circle with players seated close together.
  • Choose a starting word or phrase.
  • Whisper the word to the person next to you.
  • Each person whispers the word they heard to the next person, and so on, until the last person has received the message.
  • The last person draws what they think the word is on a piece of paper.
  • Pass the drawing back to the beginning, where the first person guesses the original word based solely on the picture.
  • Compare the original word to the final guess and laugh at the hilarious misinterpretations!

Benefits : Active listening, clear communication, humor

3. Word Chain Challenge

What you need : None!

  • Stand or sit in a circle.
  • Start with a word (e.g., apple).
  • Each person must take turns saying a new word that starts with the last letter of the previous word.
  • Keep going until someone hesitates or repeats a word.
  • The last person standing wins!

Benefits : Vocabulary, quick thinking, active listening

4. Two Truths and a Lie

  • Each person takes turns sharing three statements about themselves: two true and one false.
  • The other players guess which statement is the lie.
  • This game is a great way to learn fun facts about your colleagues and practice critical thinking.

Benefits : Communication, trust-building, storytelling

5. Collaborative Storytelling

  • Sit in a circle and start a story together.
  • Each person adds one sentence to the story at a time, building upon the previous contributions.
  • See where your imagination takes you!

Benefits : Creativity, teamwork, active listening

20 More communication games for a vibrant workplace

Here are 20 more engaging communication games for a vibrant workplace:

Warm-up & icebreaker communication games

  • Name bingo : Create bingo cards with colleagues' names and fun facts. First to complete wins!
  • Would you rather? : Ask silly "would you rather" questions to spark laughter and conversation.
  • Scavenger hunt : Hide clues around the office related to colleagues' hobbies or accomplishments. Teams work together to find them.
  • Mystery bag guessing : Place random objects in a bag. Colleagues describe them without saying what they are. Others guess.

Communication games to improve active listening & clarity

  • Broken telephone (reversed) : Start with a message, whisper it down the line, then the last person speaks it aloud. Compare the original message to the final version.
  • Draw my life : One person silently draws their life story while others guess key moments. Discuss communication styles and clarity.
  • Yes, but...: Play a "yes, and..." game, but each sentence must start with "yes, but..." This challenges active listening and adaptation.
  • One-word story : Start a story with one word. Each person adds one word, building a collaborative narrative.

Creative expression & problem-solving communication games

  • Improv role-playing : Create scenarios related to workplace situations and act them out, focusing on communication and teamwork.
  • Collaborative drawing : Start a drawing, pass it on, and add to it, creating a unique and unexpected final piece.
  • Marshmallow challenge : Build the tallest tower using spaghetti, tape, and a marshmallow within a time limit. Promotes teamwork and communication.
  • Escape room challenge : Design a themed escape room with puzzles requiring teamwork and clear communication to solve.

Feedback & appreciation communication games

  • Compliment round : Everyone says one positive thing about each person, fostering appreciation and communication.
  • Thank you note exchange : Write anonymous thank-you notes to colleagues highlighting their contributions. Read them aloud for reflection.
  • Feedback sandwich : Give positive feedback, constructive criticism, and another positive remark for balanced communication.

Fun communication games to improve teamwork

  • Human knot : Stand in a circle holding hands, create a "knot," and untangle yourselves without letting go. Emphasizes teamwork and problem-solving.
  • Minute to win challenges : Play quick, quirky games requiring teamwork and communication within a minute.
  • Murder mystery dinner : Organize a themed dinner party where everyone plays a character and solves a "mystery" together.
  • Charades with a twist : Divide into teams and act out phrases related to your work or industry. Add a time limit or difficulty levels.
  • Board games : Play collaborative board games like Pandemic or Hanabi that require communication and strategy.

By incorporating these fun and engaging communication games into your workplace, you can help your team build stronger relationships, improve collaboration, and boost overall productivity. 

Benefits of incorporating communication games in your workplace

Here are some Benefits of incorporating communication games in your workplace.

1. Improving verbal and non-verbal communication skills

Effective communication encompasses both verbal and non-verbal elements. Communication games provide a platform for individuals to hone their skills in both these areas. Games like "Charades" or "Pictionary" encourage participants to communicate without words, emphasizing the importance of body language and non-verbal cues. 

On the other hand, activities like "Role Reversal" or "Communication Obstacle Course" focus on verbal communication, challenging individuals to convey information clearly and concisely.

2. Encouraging active listening

One of the often overlooked aspects of communication is active listening. Many workplace misunderstandings can be traced back to a lack of attentiveness. Communication games designed to enhance active listening skills help participants become more mindful of their colleagues' perspectives.

"Listening Pairs" or "Reflective Listening Circle" are examples of games that prompt participants to listen attentively, summarize information, and ask clarifying questions – skills that translate seamlessly into professional settings.

3. Conflict resolution and problem-solving

Workplaces are not immune to conflicts and challenges. Communication games provide a safe and controlled environment to practice conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.

"The Marshmallow Challenge" or "Escape Room" style activities require teams to collaborate under time constraints, encouraging them to navigate challenges and resolve conflicts efficiently. 

These experiences strengthen teamwork and equip individuals with valuable skills that can be applied in real-world work scenarios.

4. Stress relief and morale boosters

Work-related stress is a common issue faced by employees. Communication games offer a welcome break from the daily grind, serving as stress relievers and morale boosters. Light-hearted activities such as "Office Trivia" or "Desk Chair Jenga" provide moments of levity, promoting a positive atmosphere within the workplace. 

A team that can laugh together is more likely to collaborate effectively and weather challenges with resilience.

Communication games at the workplace are not just a form of entertainment; they are powerful tools for enhancing team dynamics, improving communication skills, and fostering a positive work culture.

As organizations recognize the importance of effective communication in achieving their goals, incorporating these games into training programs and team-building activities becomes imperative. 

By leveraging communication games' engaging and educational aspects, workplaces can create an environment where collaboration thrives, conflicts are resolved efficiently, and employees feel valued and connected.

In the end, the investment in communication games pays off through stronger teams, increased productivity, and a more satisfying work experience for all.

15 Thursday Work Memes to Unveil the Charm of Workplace Humor

Casual friday at work: boosting productivity and morale in the workplace, unlock the biggest secret of engagement to retain your top performers., -->guest contributor -->.

We often come across some fantastic writers who prefer to publish their writings on our blogs but prefer to stay anonymous. We dedicate this section to all superheroes who go the extra mile for us.

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  • 7 Targeted Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults
  • Active Listening >>

Feature image for the Article '7 Unique Active Listening games, exercise and activities for Adults. Three women and one man, in casual attire, sitting in a corporate training room holding slips of paper and a drawing board for team building activity.

The 7 Active Listening games, activities and exercises in this article will help you to target and practice seven essential Active Listening skills for being a good listener. They’re not simply warm-up activities! They are designed for adults (not children) and suitable for both personal listening development and workplace training workshops. Step-by-step instructions are provided.

Index of Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults

Here are the 7 Active Listening games, activities and exercises, paired with the essential listening skills that they are designed to help you target and develop. Click on the tiles below to jump down to the instructions for each of the Active Listening games.

It’s How They Say It

Recognising and Interpreting Non-Verbal Cues

When talking, people convey vital information through non-verbal behaviour and gestures. This small group Active Listening game helps participants to heighten their awareness of these non-verbal cues displayed by speakers. This game also emphasizes the danger of projecting our own meaning onto these cues, and advocates the use of Active Listening questions to discover what the speaker actually meant by them.

  • Designed for training workshops
  • Active Listening Games Resource: 11 Conversation topics
  • Active Listening Games Resource: List of 11 non-verbal cues

Tell Me What You See

Asking Questions To Seek Information and Clarify Understanding

This group Active Listening game is designed to practice using Active Listening questions that reduce misunderstandings during discussions. It also promotes collaboration.

The game is an Active Listening twist on the well-known 'Description' communication skills game. Breaking into pairs, group participants take turns asking Active Listening questions about a simple drawing that they cannot see in order to draw it as accurately as possible. Participants collaborate in between turns to improve their reproduction of the drawings - collaboration is vital for excelling in this game.

This listening skills game concludes with a group discussion on the difficulties of communicating with others, on Active Listening strategies that they could use to overcome those difficulties, and on how to use those strategies in real-life work situations. 

  • Active Listening Games Resource: Two printable simple drawings

Just Listen

Listening Without interrupting

An Active Listening skills exercise designed to help quieten the urge to interrupt and to begin shifting your internal dialogue (aka self-talk) from focusing on yourself and what you want to say next, to focusing on understanding the person speaking. This exercise is done with another person. So, you will need to enlist a volunteer.

  • Designed for personal listening development and adaptable for training workshops
  • Active Listening Games Resource: 14 Conversation starters

Listen First, Speak Second

Having the Mindset of a Listener

A solo Active Listening skills exercise to develop the habit of entering discussions with the mindset of ‘listening first to understand the speaker.’ Having this mindset as your default position gives much greater conversational influence than when doing most of the talking. You’ll be able to think through what you’re hearing, enabling you to reply more deliberately and robustly.

  • Solo Active Listening skills exercise

A Mile in Their Shoes

Developing Cognitive Empathy with Your Discussion Partner

An Active Listening skills activity for pairs (or done with a volunteer). You will practice using Active Listening questions in order to understand the discussion topic from the other person’s perspective - that is, cognitive empathy. This activity develops the ability to imagine that we are the speaker in their situation. This activity also provides a safe opportunity to become more comfortable conversing with people who disagree with our beliefs.

Uncovering Core Beliefs

This group listening skills activity enables participants to practise using ‘The 3 Whys’ Active Listening technique. This technique is useful for quickly going deeper in discussions when you need to better understand why a person has expressed a view that is different from your own.

  • Designed for training workshops and adaptable for personal listening development
  • Active Listening Games Resource: 10 Thought-Provoking Conversation Starters

The Emotion-Whisperer

Utilising Emotional Intelligence

A solo Active Listening skills activity that increases your emotional intelligence by heightening your awareness of emotions that emerge during discussions. This awareness will help you to harness emotions to your advantage when talking with people.

  • Solo Active Listening skills activity

Structure of the Active Listening Games, Exercises & Activities

All of the Active Listening games, activities, and exercises for adults are formatted as self-contained instruction sheets consisting of:

  • An 'In Brief' summary of the Active Listening games.
  • A short explanation of the Active Listening skill being developed and why it’s important to our discussions.
  • Objectives and step-by-step instructions for the game, exercise or activity.
  • Follow-up discussion/debrief prompts.
  • Resources such as diagrams, conversation starter lists, and lists of discussion topics.

The exercises, activities and games utilise well-recognised habit-forming techniques that have greatly improved my own personal ability to listen actively.

Four activities are original. Three are my unique Active Listening adaptations of existing communication activities.

All the Very Best & Acceptable Use

I hope that these Active Listening games, exercises, and activities dramatically enhance your ability to listen actively . Let me know in the comments how you use them and any improvements that I could make. Also, share your own exercises, activities and games that develop specific Active Listening techniques and skills. I might be able to add them to the article.

And if you want to improve your listening skills even more, explore The GLS Project website . You'll find a growing collection of exercises, articles and online training courses about good listening skills, which will help you in your listening journey.

So, enjoy! And let’s make listening fashionable.

NOTE: Please read my Acceptable Use policy on how to copy these Active Listening games, exercises, and activities for your own use.

Active Listening Games for Adults

1. game - it’s how they say it.

Approximate Time Needed

Setup - 5 minutes

Game - 10 minutes

Follow-up Discussion - 10 minutes

This is a small group Active Listening game for adults. The participants are divided into groups of 5. [1]

Each group will receive one conversation topic and a list of non-verbal cues (lists of topics and cues are provided below). Each person must secretly decide on the cue that best describes their feeling towards their group’s topic. 

In turn, each participant is to imagine that they are in a discussion about the group‘s topic and do a 5-15 second mime of their chosen non-verbal cue in order to express how they feel about the topic. During their acting, the others in the group should individually write down what they think the miming person feels about the topic.

Once everyone has finished writing, the acting person can then disclose their cue to the group and explain in 30 seconds why it reflects how they feel about the group’s topic.

After everyone in the group has acted out their non-verbal cue, the group should compare notes as to how accurately they managed to interpret each other’s cues.

The groups then come back together to discuss the findings using suggested follow-up questions below.

The objectives of this Active Listening game are to:

  • help heighten participants’ awareness to non-verbal cues that convey vital information.
  • emphasise that assumptions about the meaning of non-verbal cues will almost always be wrong to some extent
  • emphasise the importance of asking Active Listening questions about the speaker’s non-verbal cues to understand their true meaning rather than assuming we know what they mean. 
  • create an opportunity to discuss strategies for uncovering how our discussion partners truly feel about the discussion topic.

Why Is This Active Listening Game Important?

We need to actively listen with both our ears and our eyes. “Any message a person tries to get across usually has two components: the content of the message and the feeling or attitude underlying this content.” [2] That is, it's not what they say. It's how they say it.

Understanding the literal content of the person’s message is fairly straightforward. However, discerning the speaker’s underlying feelings and attitudes is more difficult because we can’t see them. They are hidden inside the speaker.

Occasionally, a speaker will say how they feel. Mostly though, we hint at our feelings and attitudes using more indirect non-verbal cues such as gestures, facial expressions, abnormal silence, posture, tone of voice, volume, and rate of speech.

Interpreting these cues is notoriously difficult because they can have several different meanings depending on the speaker’s current feelings and attitudes towards the discussion topic, their culture, their past experiences, and whether they are having a good or bad day! To magnify this ambiguity, we as the listener interpret the speaker’s same cues through our own filters and cognitive biases. 

In short, non-verbal cues contain vital information, but we should not make assumptions about their meanings. 

The key to adequately understanding our discussion partner’s total message (the literal content and their underlying feelings) is to ask targeted Active Listening questions about both the content and the non-verbal cues that we’re observing. [3]

For this game, use the list of conversation topics and the list of non-verbal cues in the ‘Resources’ section below. Write the topics on separate pieces of paper. Each group will receive one topic. Make multiple copies of the list of non-verbal cues. Each group will receive a copy of this list.

Have paper and pens available for the participants. They will need to make notes.

  • Split the participants into groups of 5.
  • Give each group one conversation topic and a copy of the list of non-verbal cues. Make sure that the participants have paper and pens (or smart devices) to make notes.
  • Allow 10 minutes for participants to do the following within their groups.
  • Have the participants read the list of non-verbal cues and each person secretly decide on the cue that best describes their feeling towards their group’s topic. It’s okay if participants choose the same cue.
  • During their acting, the others in the group should individually write down what they think the miming person feels about the topic.
  • Once everyone has finished writing, the acting person can then disclose their cue to the group and take 30 seconds to explain why it reflects how they feel about the group’s topic.
  • Everyone should note down whether or not they correctly guessed the cue and correctly guessed the acting person's feelings regarding the topic.
  • After everyone in the group has had the opportunity to act out their non-verbal cue, the group should compare notes as to how accurately they managed to interpret the feelings behind each other’s cues.

Follow-up Discussion

Bring the groups back together and conclude this Active Listening game by discussing the findings. Here are some possible discussion questions to ask:

  • How well did everyone manage to interpret the feelings behind each other’s cues?
  • Were there different interpretations for the same cue? What were some of the differences?
  • What thoughts do you have about interpreting non-verbal cues?
  • Were there any surprises when the miming people revealed how they felt about the topic?
  • What could we do to better understand non-verbal cues that we observe?
  • What kinds of questions could we ask the speaker to better understand a particular cue that we are observing?
  • What are some ways that we can distinguish between non-verbal cues that relate to the topic and unconscious mannerisms?
  • Follow-up question: Reflecting on that situation, what could you have done to better understand that cue?
  • Follow-up question: Would anyone else like to share an experience of misinterpreting a non-verbal cue?
  • Any other thoughts about this Active Listening game?

Resource - List of 11 Conversation Topics

Here are some conversation topics that the participants will have a wide range of feelings and attitudes towards. Give each group one of these topics, or use your own topics:

  • Climate change isn’t real
  • Humans are better at creation than destruction
  • Country and Western music is divinely inspired
  • Artificial intelligence is great
  • Activism and violence 
  • Art is essential for society
  • Social media is a necessary part of daily life
  • We need to use poison-bait aerial drops for pest control
  • We need to colonise other planets
  • Human nature is essentially bad

Resource - List of 11 Non-Verbal Cues

Give each group a copy of this list. Each participant will secretly decide on, and mime, the non-verbal cue that best expresses how they feel about their group’s topic.

  • Leaning back in a chair
  • Leaning forward in a chair
  • An animated or subdued gesture that conveys an emotion. For example, happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear, disgust, indifference, boredom, nervousness, confusion, feeling of guilt.
  • A facial expression that conveys an  emotion.
  • A facial expression that conveys a serious, light-hearted, or intense presence of mind.
  • Resting chin in hands
  • Tapping fingers on the table
  • Looking at your watch
  • Gazing around the room

This Active Listening game for adults is adapted from the communication skills game called “You Don’t Say” in the article titled ‘39 Communication Games and Activities for Kids, Teens, and Students’ by Kelly Miller. https://positivepsychology.com/communication-activities-adults-students/

Rogers, C., Farson, R. E., "Active Listening", Gordon Training Inc., www.gordontraining.com/free-workplace-articles/active-listening/ , Extract from 1957 article.

  • 3 For more information on utilising both verbal and non-verbal content, see The GLS Project article, ‘Non-Verbal Cues Help Avoid Misunderstandings. Here’s How – Step 2’, www.goodlisteningskills.org/step2-listen-for-total-meaning/
  • 4 This game was originally published along with other Active Listening games in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at www.goodlisteningskills.org , © 2020. To further improve your listening skills, visit The GLS Project,  www.goodlisteningskills.org .

2. Game - Tell Me What You See

Game - 14 minutes

Follow-up Discussion - 15 minutes

This is a small group Active Listening game for adults. Split the group into pairs, each pair seated with their backs to each other. Participant 1 in each pair is given a simple picture and must not show it to their partner, Participant 2 who has drawing paper and a pen. Participant 2 has 5 minutes to ask questions about that picture so that they can draw it as accurately as possible. Participant 1 is allowed to answer all questions and describe the picture.

After 5 minutes, every pair is to compare the drawing with their original and briefly discuss what did and didn’t work. Then they will swap roles for another 5 minutes with a new picture.

Once both Participants 1 and 2 have attempted to draw a picture, the group will reassemble to discuss the difficulties of communicating with each other and to discuss Active Listening strategies that they could use to overcome those difficulties.

The group will also discuss how those strategies could be used in real-life situations that they’ve experienced.

Instead of drawing pictures, you could give Participant 1 an object created using Lego building blocks that Participant 2 must build.

  • develop the active listening skills of (1) asking questions to seek information and clarify understanding , and (2) listening attentively to the answers. These skills help reduce misunderstandings when communicating with others, such as in a work environment or project team.
  • promote collaboration. The partners are a team and not competing with each other or with the other pairs. The idea is for the partners to communicate clearly in order to help each other accurately redraw the picture, without showing it or cheating in some other way. Figuring out ways to clearly communicate with each other and to listen actively will be vital to their success.

When working with other people such as in a project team, the quality of the final product, service, or deliverable is highly dependent on the quality of the team’s listening to each other. 

Poor listening results in misunderstandings.

Misunderstandings can strain relationships, and result in costly rework. Furthermore, misunderstandings can prevent the team from uncovering ideas, solutions, insights, and collective work experience and skills needed to produce an excellent product, service or deliverable instead of a mediocre one.

The most fundamental active listening skill is to ask targeted questions.

Preparation

For this game you will need the following:

  • A blank A4 sheet of paper for every participant to draw on.
  • Pens for drawing.
  • Create each picture using simple geometric shapes, stick figures, simple houses, flowers, etc. Put the shapes at different positions and angles. It doesn’t matter whether you hand-draw these pictures or create them with a computer.  
  • See the Resource section below for downloadable examples.
  • Don’t make the pictures too detailed. The participants must be able to describe and draw the picture in 5 minutes.
  • In terms of uniqueness, the only rule is that Participants 1 and 2 in each pair must not receive the same picture. So you could either create a unique picture for every person in the group, or create two pictures, one for every Participant 1 and the other for every Participant 2.
  • Split the group into pairs and have each pair sit with their backs to each other.
  • Give Participant 1 a simple picture. Ensure that Participant 2 does not see it.
  • Give Participant 2 a blank sheet of paper and a pen for drawing.
  • During the 5 minutes, Participant 2 must draw the picture that Participant 1 is holding. They can ask any questions they like, and Participant 1 is to describe the picture as prompted by those questions. The goal is to collaborate and help each other, not to compete.
  • The only rule is that Participant 2 must not see the picture (or a photo of the picture). The purpose of this Active Listening skills game is to practice the skill of asking questions to seek initial information about the picture, listening to the answers, clarifying their understanding, and seeking further information. So, there is no benefit in cheating.
  • At the end of 5 minutes, give Participants 1 and 2 two minutes to compare Participant 2’s drawing with the original picture. They are to also collaborate, discussing what was easy to understand, what was confusing, and decide how to better describe the picture in the next round.
  • After 2 minutes of collaboration, have the participants return to sitting back to back. 
  • Swap roles. Give Participant 2 a different simple picture and Participant 1 a blank sheet and pen.
  • Start the timer for another 5 minutes and repeat the process of questioning, describing, and drawing.
  • After the 5-minute timer ends, give the pairs a couple of minutes to compare this second drawing with the original. Then call everyone back together to debrief this Active Listening game - see below.

Finish the Active Listening game with a group discussion. Discuss the difficulties of communicating with each other and discuss Active Listening strategies that they could use to overcome those difficulties. Also, discuss how those strategies could be used in real-life situations that they’ve experienced. 

Here are some possible discussion questions:

  • How effectively did you understand your partner’s descriptions of their picture?
  • What difficulties did you encounter?
  • Follow-up question: What could you have done to overcome any differences in understanding?
  • Follow-up question: What kinds of clarifying questions did you ask?
  • Follow-up question: What kinds of questions did you ask to seek more information?
  • Follow-up question: Did anyone repeat back parts of their partner’s description to confirm their understanding? How effective was this technique?
  • Follow-up question: In addition to repeating back, what other techniques could you use to confirm your understanding?
  • Follow-up question: What benefits did you get from it?
  • Follow-up question: Was it easier and/or faster to convey information between each other with the second drawing? Why? 
  • Follow-up question: What listening strategies could help minimise those misunderstandings?

Additional optional questions:

  • Were you distracted by the other pairs and if so how? How did you cope with the distraction?
  • How much were you influenced by the other pairs? Was their influence helpful or misleading? 

Resource - Printable A4 Simple Pictures

For this Active Listening game, you can create your own simple pictures, or use the pictures below. Click each image to download an A4 PDF version of the picture.

Resource for Active Listening Game 7 called "Tell Me What You See." This is simple picture #1, which participants must draw from a verbal description. The image is comprised of concentric triangles, concentric squares, a spiral, a star, a heart, and a circle. Click the image to download an A4 pdf version of the image.

  • 1 This Active Listening game is adapted from the well-used 'Description' communication skills game.
  • 2 This game was originally published along with other Active Listening games in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at www.goodlisteningskills.org , © 2020. To further improve your listening skills, visit The GLS Project,  www.goodlisteningskills.org .

Active Listening Exercises for Adults

3. exercise - just listen.

Exercise - 10 minutes

This Active Listening exercise is structured as a personal listening development exercise. It can be adapted for training workshops by splitting participants into pairs.

You will need a volunteer for this exercise.

Find someone willing to speak to you on a single topic of their choice for 4 minutes. Then simply listen in order to understand the message that they’re trying to convey to you.  

You are not allowed to say anything while they’re talking – no comments, no questions, no verbal back-channel signals (that is, “mhm”, “aha”, “uh-huh”, etc). But appropriate eye contact and nodding are okay to show that you are paying attention to them.

Just listen in silence and try to understand the speaker. 

At the end of 4 minutes you may speak. Paraphrase in your own words the main points that you think you heard the speaker say - they should remain quiet while you're paraphrasing.  Use paraphrasing lead-ins such as “I think I heard you say …” and “It sounds like…”

Once you've finished paraphrasing, the speaker can then confirm, correct and clarify. And you may ask follow-up questions if desired.

Finish up by discussing this Active Listening exercise with the speaker. 

The objectives of this Active Listening exercise are to help you:

  • quieten those urges to interrupt in order to jump in with your comments.
  • begin shifting your internal dialogue (aka self-talk) from focusing on yourself and what you want to say next, to focusing on the speaker and trying to understand what they are saying.

Why Is This Active Listening Exercise Important?

It is torturously tempting to do the talking, or to let our minds drift off somewhere far away. 

Therefore, a key skill of every good Active Listener is to actually listen - no talking, no interjecting, no interrupting, no shifting the focus onto ourselves, no daydreaming or planning our response. Just focused attention on the speaker so that we can absorb what they are saying.

  • Invite a trusted person to help you with this exercise (e.g. a family member, a friend, or a work colleague). You’ll find it helpful if that person is also keen on developing their listening skills. Say something like, “Hey, I’m keen on developing good listening skills. I need someone to help me with a listening exercise. Can you help? It will take no more than 25 minutes.”
  • Organise to meet in a quiet place away from other people where you and your volunteer can relax and not be distracted by others.
  • Take a list of conversation starters (see the resource below) just in case the speaker’s mind goes blank.
  • Meet at your agreed ‘quiet place’.
  • Limit the whole exercise to 25 minutes.
  • Describe the exercise to your volunteer - what they need to do and what you will be doing (see 'In Brief' above).
  • Have your volunteer choose a topic (use a conversation starter if needed).
  • Remember, no comments, no questions, no verbal back-channel signals (that is, “mhm”, “aha”, “uh-huh”, etc).
  • Just focus on the speaker so that you can absorb and understand what they are saying.
  • “What aspects of the speaker's message most interest them?”
  • “What aspects most interest me?”
  • “What is the main theme(s) of their message?”
  • “What are the key takeaways from the speaker’s message?”
  • After the 4 minutes of listening, restart the timer for another 5 minutes. 
  • Briefly share what you think you heard the speaker say (i.e. paraphrase their message). Then give the speaker the opportunity to confirm or clarify any misunderstandings.
  • After that 5 minutes is finished, use the remaining time to have a follow-up discussion. Use the discussion points below.

Finish this Active Listening exercise by discussing the following:

  • Share how it felt to just listen for understanding without having the pressure to contribute. 
  • Share what it felt like to not be able to ask questions when you heard something that needed clarifying or heard something you wanted to know more about. What kinds of questions might you have asked?
  • Discuss what happened to your internal dialogue.
  • Did you actually need to plan your response? Why? Why not?
  • Discuss how the speaker felt to have your full attention.
  • Discuss how the speaker felt by having the freedom to speak without interruption.
  • Discuss anything else that impacted you both.
  • Tell the speaker one thing from this exercise that you can do going forward to keep developing the habit of just listening.
  • Discuss any other thoughts about this Active Listening exercise.

Resource - 14 Conversation Starters

Your volunteer can use one of these conversation starters if they can't think up their own topic. [1]

  • Who is your longest friend? Where did you meet them? What do you appreciate about them?
  • What were you really into when you were a kid? Why did it capture you? Discuss.
  • What three words best describe you? Why?
  • What would be your perfect weekend? Talk your way through that perfect weekend.
  • If you opened a business, what kind of business would it be? What draws you to that idea?
  • What is the strangest dream you have ever had?
  • Describe a controversial opinion that you have.
  • Who in your life brings you the most joy? How?
  • Who had the biggest impact on the person you have become? How has your life changed because of them?
  • What are some things you want to accomplish before you die? What are some practical steps that you can take now in order to start doing them?
  • Describe a book that’s had an impact on your life. What was the impact and how is it affecting you today?
  • If you could call up anyone in the world and have a one hour conversation, who would you call? What would you talk about?
  • Imagine that time freezes for everyone but you for one day. What do you do?
  • If your mind was an island, what would it look like? Walk me around that ‘island’. 
  • 1 Special thanks to C. B. Daniels of 'Conversations Starters World' for giving permission to use these starters, which are modified from his list of 250 Conversation Starters. Head over to www.conversationstartersworld.com for 1000s more on all sorts of topics.
  • 2 This exercise was originally published in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at www.goodlisteningskills.org , © 2020. To further improve your listening skills, visit The GLS Project, www.goodlisteningskills.org .

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Active Listening Exercise - Just Listen

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4. Exercise - Listen First, Speak Second

Debrief - 3 minutes

This is a solo Active Listening exercise.

You will utilise a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of ‘imagination’ and ‘reflection.' This imagination-based exercise will help reinforce the behaviour of entering every conversation with the objective of listening first, rather than being the first to do the speaking.

Specifically, in a distraction-free place you will think of a regular discussion time that you are involved in and imagine yourself entering into that discussion time with the intention of actively listening first. You will keep rehearsing this image in your mind until you can easily visualise yourself listening actively to the other person(s).

Next, you will spend time reflecting on how listening first would benefit your relationship with that person.

Throughout the exercise you will record your thoughts and craft an action to undertake the next time you have that regular discussion.

The objective of this Active Listening exercise is to help you develop the mindset of entering into every discussion firstly wearing your ‘listener’ hat, so as to focus on understanding the other person’s perspective. Then, once you adequately understand them, you can switch into the role of ‘speaker’ in order to share your perspective.

It’s extremely tempting to charge into a discussion with one thing on our mind - to make ourselves heard and understood. When we do this, listening can become a bit of an afterthought.

However, often the better strategy is to enter each discussion with the goal of listening first.

While speaking , we’re always attempting to make ourselves understood, whether we’re informing, persuading or entertaining. 

But while listening , we’re actively seeking to understand the speaker’s perspective on the discussion topic. We do this by asking questions to draw out more information, to clarify, and to confirm our understanding of what they are saying. This is called Active Listening . [1]

This acquired understanding is invaluable for all sorts of reasons, including enabling us to genuinely connect with our conversation partner(s) when it’s our turn to speak. Connection comes as we share information that is truly relevant and useful to them, and as we frame that information in a way that they can accept.

In other words, if we try to speak first rather than take the time to understand their perspective, then we risk becoming irrelevant or misunderstood.

A Key Principle

This Active Listening exercise utilises a well-recognised habit-formation strategy - the process of ‘imagination’ and ‘reflection'. You’ll be using your imagination to rehearse the act of listening. This ‘rehearsal’ process will cognitively reinforce the behaviour of listening first and speaking second. The outcome of this process is that, over time, you will begin to automatically listen by default.

  • Find a place free of distractions and sit down with a notepad and pen.
  • It could be a weekly meeting with a work colleague, the daily family time around the dinner table, or a mid-week lunch catch-up with a friend.
  • Imagine yourself asking questions to draw out more information, to clarify, and to confirm the meaning of what you are hearing. 
  • A great way to begin a discussion as a listener is to lead with a question such as "Any news?" or, "What's the progress since our last catch-up?"
  • Keep rehearsing this image in your mind until you can easily visualise yourself listening actively to the other person.
  • How would your relationship with that person(s) change if you regularly listened first?
  • How would you change if you regularly listened first?
  • Record your thoughts on the notepad. Writing helps with the cognitive reinforcement process.
  • Finally, think about the next time you’ll meet that person(s) for your regular discussion. What is one practical action that you can take at the start of your next discussion in order to listen to them first and allow them to speak?
  • Go have that discussion.

After having that discussion, come back to this Active Listening exercise and debrief the discussion using the following steps:

  • Briefly reflect on what did and didn’t work.
  • Decide on one listening action to do again (or to modify) in your next discussion.
  • Take a couple of minutes to imagine yourself doing that action.
  • Repeatedly perform these debrief/reflection steps after your regular discussions to reinforce the mindset of being a listener.

If you regularly reflect on your listening efforts, you’ll begin to automatically listen more in your real-life discussions. Listening will become your default approach.

  • 1  For more information about how to listen actively, see The GLS Project article, ‘Active Listening How To – 5 Easy Steps to Your Best Conversation Yet’, www.goodlisteningskills.org/active-listening-overview .
  • 2 This exercise was originally published in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at www.goodlisteningskills.org , © 2020. To further improve your listening skills, visit The GLS Project,  www.goodlisteningskills.org .

Active Listening Activities for Adults

5. activity - a mile in their shoes.

Activity - 30 minutes max

Debrief - 15 minutes max

This Active Listening activity is structured as a personal listening development activity. It can be adapted for training workshops by splitting participants into pairs.

You will need a volunteer for this activity.

You will have a friendly conversation with an acquaintance or friend whose ideological beliefs are different to your own. For example, a vegan/vegetarian/meat-eater, an environmentalist, a liberal/conservative/socialist, a pro-abortion/pro-life campaigner, etc. 

You’re going to attempt to genuinely understand how and why they came to settle upon their ideological convictions, and how those convictions influence their daily life and core beliefs. 

This may put you well outside your comfort zone. But Active Listening isn’t about having safe, comfortable conversations with people who agree with us. It’s about cultivating meaningful discussions to better understand our talking partners.

Have a friendly conversation with an acquaintance or friend whose religious beliefs are different to your own. For example, an Atheist, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Sikh.

The objectives of this Active Listening activity are to:

  • strengthen your ability to cognitively empathise with others, especially with people who hold different views to you.
  • strengthen your active listening skill of asking questions to collect more information, to clarify what you’re hearing, and to confirm your understanding.
  • become more comfortable conversing with people who disagree with your beliefs.

Why Is This Active Listening Activity Important?

Cognitive empathy is our goal as Active Listeners.

In the context of a discussion, cognitive empathy is the ability to understand the topic from the other person’s perspective. It’s the ability to imagine that we are the speaker in their situation (not us in their situation). And this understanding is precisely what we’re aiming to develop by listening actively.

Note: Cognitive empathy is different from emotional empathy , which is the ability to share (experience) another person’s emotions - this is what most people think of when they hear the term ‘empathy’.

Developing cognitive empathy with our conversation partner benefits our discussions in four major ways:

  • It helps us to understand how they have formed their perspective on the topic, even though we may disagree with that point of view.
  • It reduces the possibility of us misunderstanding them.
  • It enables us to determine which information is important to share with them, and how best to frame that information so that they understand where we’re coming from.
  • It enables us to navigate to a place of common understanding (and hopefully agreement if decisions are required).

It’s easy to develop cognitive empathy. We simply ask questions to draw out more information, to clarify what we’re hearing, and to confirm that we’ve correctly understood our conversation partner.

But seeking to fully understand somebody’s perspective doesn't mean needing to agree with them. It only means keeping an open-mind and withholding judgement long enough to adequately understand the other person’s perspective. [1]

Identify someone who has a belief that is different to your own.  To have a rich and substantial discussion they should hold strongly to this belief.

Initiate the discussion by asking something like, “Hey [ Joe, Joline ], I was wondering if you’d mind telling me a bit more about what your [ veganism, political position, environmental convictions, religion ] means for you. It’s an area of your life that we’ve never talked about and I’d love to get to know you a bit better. Would that be okay?”

A conversation of this kind can be quite absorbing. So, if they agree, and now isn’t a good time for a deep discussion, then diarise time to catch up socially in a place where you can talk freely.

When you meet up, break the ice by asking “So tell me... what does it mean to you to be a [ vegan, vegetarian, environmental activist, liberal, socialist, pro-abortion campaigner, pro-life campaigner ]? And then listen.

Here are some tips to help make your conversation productive:

  • Maintain respect at all times.
  • Remember that you're not obliged to agree with them. 
  • Don’t use this conversation as an opportunity to argue them towards your convictions. Using ‘empathy’ as a smokescreen for ‘evangelism’ is manipulative and deceitful. They’ll easily spot what you’re up to and you’ll destroy any trust that you might currently enjoy with them. Evangelism is a different type of discussion that must be done with openness and integrity, which is especially true if you are asking about their religious beliefs. Stay focused on getting to know this person better.
  • Temporarily suspend your opinions and feelings about their ideology so that you can clearly hear their opinions and feelings about that ideology.
  • Set aside your preconceived ideas of what they believe and ask questions to discover what they actually believe . For example, Pro-abortionists and Pro-lifers often have incorrect ideas about what each other believes because of what they’ve heard second-hand.
  • Throughout the discussion, just listen. Don’t interrupt or try to share your beliefs. Your goal is to learn about them. Only speak in order to ask genuine questions.
  • “So how did you come to be a [ vegan, vegetarian, environmental activist, liberal, socialist, pro-abortion/pro-life campaigner, etc ]?”
  • “What is it about [ veganism, vegetarianism, environmental activism, liberalism, socialism, the pro-abortion/pro-life stance, etc ] that you find so compelling?’
  • How do you live out your convictions day-to-day?
  • “What do you like about being a [ vegan, vegetarian, environmental activist, liberal, socialist, pro-abortion/pro-life campaigner, etc ]?”
  • “What is the most difficult part of being a [ vegan, vegetarian, environmental activist, liberal, socialist, pro-abortion/pro-life campaigner, etc ]?”
  • “Tell me more.”
  • “Why’s that?”
  • “What does that look like?” or “What might that look like in practice?”
  • "How did you come to that opinion/conclusion?"
  • “Earlier you mentioned [ xyz ]. How does that [ impact on, relate to, affect, compare with ] what you’ve just shared?”
  • “And that means?”
  • For example, ask the following: “Hang on a minute, I heard you say [ their statement word for word ]. I’m stuck. What did you mean by that?”
  • For example, rephrase what they’re telling you: “Are you saying [ r ephrase the speaker’s sentences in your own words ]? Yes?”
  • Also feed back the speaker’s feelings. For example, “You sound [ passionate ]. I guess [ you have been greatly impacted by that ], huh?” 
  • Most of all, just relax and be curious. 
  • Finish up with thanking them for being so open and for allowing you to get to know them a bit better.

After having that conversation, come back to this Active Listening activity. Spend some time alone and reflect on the following questions:

  • What Active Listening techniques went well?
  • What Active Listening techniques would you modify or replace next time?
  • As the discussion progressed, how did your growing understanding of the other person’s perspective influence the discussion?
  • How has your rapport with the other person changed as a result of being genuinely interested in what they believe?

Tip: Journaling your answers can be helpful for clarifying your thoughts.

  • 1 For more information on cognitive empathy, including how it differs from emotional empathy, see The GLS Project article ‘Want to Avoid Poor Discussions? Listen With Empathy,’ www.goodlisteningskills.org/listen-with-empathy
  • 2 This activity was originally published in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at www.goodlisteningskills.org , © 2020. To further improve your listening skills, visit The GLS Project,  www.goodlisteningskills.org .

6. Activity - The 3 ‘Whys’

Setup - 7 minutes

Activity - 8 minutes

Follow-up Discussion - 10 to 15 minutes

This Active Listening activity is designed for training workshops. It is a group activity for practising the Active Listening technique called ‘The 3 Whys.’

The group is split into pairs. Each pair is given a thought-provoking conversation starter (see ‘Resource’ section below).  One participant will ask their activity partner a conversation starter question and then respond to their answer using ‘The 3 Whys.’ The other participant will take the role of genuinely responding to those ‘Why’ questions. After 4 minutes, the participants will switch roles.

Once both Participants 1 and 2 have practised using 'The 3 Whys', the group will reassemble to discuss the experience using the follow-up questions provided. 

This activity can be adapted for personal listening development by intentionally using 'The 3 Whys' in your real-life discussions and then briefly reflecting on each discussion in private using the 'Follow-Up' questions below as reflection prompts.

The objective of this Active Listening activity is to help group participants practise using ‘The 3 Whys’ Active Listening technique. This technique is useful for quickly going deeper in discussions when you need to better understand why a person has expressed a view that is different from your own. [1]

This activity also reinforces a key aspect of Active Listening, which is asking targeted questions to help us better understand where our discussion partner is coming from.

Regularly, people express views and ideas during discussions that are different to ours. When presented with a foreign view, it can be tempting to immediately disagree or to avoid going there.

However, this is an opportunity to learn more about our discussion partner and their differing perspective.

Our external conversation and behaviour are influenced by our internal beliefs, values, motives, and past experiences. With a little bit of respectful digging using the Active Listening technique called ‘The 3 Whys’, we can quickly uncover their internal/hidden core beliefs and values regarding that topic in order to better understand their external/public response .  [2]

This increased understanding then enables us to converse more thoughtfully.

Technique Description

When a person expresses a view that seems unusual to you, ask “Why?” three times tactfully and genuinely.

Each time you ask the question, don’t bluntly ask “Why?” Soften and modify it in response to what the other person is telling you. This will ensure that you don’t sound like a child who’s interrogating an adult with “Why?! Why?! Why?!” 

To demonstrate, here’s the essence of a real dinner-time discussion about politics:

Person 1: “In the upcoming election are you still planning to vote Labour?” 

Person 2: “Yes I am.”

Person 1: “Why’s that?”

Person 2: “Because I’ve always voted for them.” 

Person 1: “Why do you always vote for them? Is there something specific that you like about them?”

Person 2: “Because they look after the working class.”

Person 1: “Why do you feel like the other main political parties don’t look after the working class?”

Person 2: “Because…[and they opened up with some rather passionate views!]”

How It Works

Conversation starts at the surface level. Typically, we don’t freely share our internal beliefs with others. With each asking of the “Why?” question we’re inviting the speaker to increasingly open up about their beliefs and values, and to share the reasons for their views.

It only takes three iterations to uncover some very personal beliefs. 

Warning: digging deeper can result in lively discussions!

  • Describe the technique to the group.
  • Split the group into pairs.
  • Give each pair a conversation starter question (see the resource list below)
  • Each pair will take turn-about. One participant will take the role of asking the conversation starter and then the 3 ‘Whys.’ The other participant will take the role of genuinely responding to those ‘Why’ questions.
  • After 4 minutes, switch roles.
  • The participant asking the conversation starter and the 3 ‘Why’ questions must not shift the focus of the discussion onto themselves. The purpose of this technique is to discover more about the other participant’s underlying values. It is not a method for creating opportunities to talk about themselves. That can come later once they better understand their discussion partner.
  • The participant replying to the 3 ‘Why’ questions should not be intentionally evasive. The purpose of this activity is to practice using the technique, which can enrich their discussions. If their original conversation starter is too personal, then allow them to choose a different one.
  • After everyone has attempted both roles, reassemble the group.
  • Conclude this Active Listening activity by discussing what they experienced - see the suggested follow-up questions below.
  • With respect to the ‘Asking’ role, what was it like to ask someone “Why” three times? What happened?
  • How did repeating the “why” question deepen your understanding of your discussion partner’s perspective?
  • With respect to the ‘Replying’ role, what was it like to have someone ask you “Why” three times?
  • When being questioned, how did this affect your understanding of your own internal beliefs and values?
  • Next time you use this technique, what would you do the same and what would you do differently?
  • What other thoughts and insights do you have about this technique?

Resource -  10 Thought-Provoking Conversation Starters

  • What activity causes you to feel like you are living life to the fullest?
  • How would you define genius?
  • How much does language affect our thinking?
  • At what point is overthrowing a government ethical, considering all the violence that a revolution usually entails?
  • What would be the most ethical way to give away five million dollars?
  • Should there be limitations on the right to free speech?
  • Should euthanasia be legal?
  • What is the most recent success you’ve had?
  • Who is the most successful person that you know personally?
  •  If you could be the CEO of any company, what company would you choose?

Thanks to Conversation Starters World. [3]

This Active Listening activity is modified from an extremely effective and useful Active Listening technique shared by Nick Read of ‘Training For Change’ during a corporate management short course, "Managing People – Enhancing Your Interpersonal Communications", via The University of Auckland, August 2006, www.training4change.co.nz .  Used with permission.

  • 2 Understanding a person's core beliefs and values helps us to understand the topic from the other person’s perspective. This is cognitive empathy, which is the goal of Active Listening. For more depth on seeking to understand other people, see the article titled “Want to Avoid Poor Discussions? Listen With Empathy,” www.goodlisteningskills.org/listen-with-empathy
  • 3 Special thanks to C. B. Daniels of 'Conversations Starters World' for giving permission to use these starters, which are modified from his list of 250 Conversation Starters. Head over to  www.conversationstartersworld.com for 1000s more on all sorts of topics.
  • 4 This activity was originally published in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at www.goodlisteningskills.org , © 2020. To further improve your listening skills, visit The GLS Project,  www.goodlisteningskills.org .

7. Activity - The Emotion-Whisperer

Activity - 15 minutes

Ongoing Application - 2 to 3 minutes per discussion

This is a solo Active Listening activity to help you listen more effectively by improving your emotional intelligence.

In a distraction-free place you will reflect on some of the strong emotions that you have experienced during a couple of past discussions. Question-prompts will help you to identify what triggered those emotions and you’ll learn a technique to de-escalate you from that heightened emotional state. Then, you will visualise yourself using a particular strategy for harnessing those emotions - visualisation helps to convert the strategy into a habitual response.

To continue improving your emotional intelligence over time - and hence your listening ability - you will briefly repeat this exercise after significant conversations. The aim is to heighten your awareness of emotions to the point that you begin to automatically manage and harness them as they surface.

The objective of this Active Listening activity is to increase your emotional intelligence by heightening your awareness of emotions that emerge during discussions. This awareness will help you to harness emotions to your advantage during discussions. 

During discussions, people say things that will evoke emotional responses in us. We can’t stop these emotions from appearing. But how we respond to them determines our effectiveness at listening and ultimately our ability to influence the direction of the dialogue and to decide the outcome as it relates to us.

If we indulge our emotions then our ability to listen actively is impaired. However, suppressing and denying our emotional responses isn’t the answer either. Instead, we retain our effectiveness, influence and self-determination by increasing our emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is firstly being aware of our own emotions and those of the speaker. Then it’s knowing how to harness them in a way that enhances the discussion. 

At the height of a discussion it’s very difficult to apply new techniques such as harnessing your emotions while trying to stay calm and avoid reacting impulsively to what we’re hearing (and observing non-verbally). It’s a cognitive limitation of the way our brains are wired.

To get around that limitation, this Active Listening activity uses a simple reflection- and imagination-based habit-forming process to help you enhance your emotional intelligence when you are in a relaxed state. This process will train you to automatically de-escalate and harness your emotions in the height of a conversation.

  • As you work through this exercise record your thoughts on the notepad. Writing helps with the cognitive reinforcement process.
  • Here are some possible emotional reactions: confusion, a knot in your stomach, anger, indignation, offense, injustice, caution or wariness, joy, enthusiasm, a nebulous feeling that you ‘couldn’t quite define.’
  • “Why did I react in such an [ irritable, annoyed, frustrated ] manner?”
  • “What did they say that triggered that emotion?”
  • “Was it triggered by any of their non-verbal gestures or expressions?”

Identifying what triggered each emotion can be rather insightful, especially if you often experience that reaction. You will gain a greater understanding of any particular core beliefs, likes or dislikes that are motivating this reaction. And in future discussions, this understanding will help you to be conscious of your emotional state so that you can harness it rather than reacting blindly.

  • Visualise yourself resisting saying anything spontaneous that might damage your relationship with your discussion partner.
  • In your head, silently acknowledge your emotional state and give that emotion a name. For example, “Gee! His/her flippant response makes me so angry right now.” “Blimey, that news scares me!” “I feel like I want to cry.” Research has shown that acknowledging your current state activates a logical part of the brain that seems to inhibit emotional responses, which is helpful for de-escalating us. [1]
  • Take slow deep breaths through your nose until you can let go of that emotion and can start thinking how to respond productively.
  • Emotion - Offense. Possible imagined response: “Interesting! That’s provocative. How did you come to that view?”
  • Emotion - Confusion. Possible imagined response: “How does your idea solve our situation? Tell me more.”
  • Emotion - Knot in your stomach. Possible imagined response: “Based on what you’ve shared, your proposal [ concerns, intrigues, perplexes ] me. What are you planning in order to mitigate [ xyz ]?”
  • Emotion - 'Nebulous' and indescribable. Possible imagined response: explore the situation. Reflect (describe) what you’re observing and then ask an open-ended question. For example, “Everyone seems very quiet. What are your thoughts regarding [ the design of our new widget ]?”

Ongoing Application

Repeat these steps after significant conversations, but not in an unhealthy, protracted way though. Just take a couple of minutes to identify what triggered any strong emotions, and to think of how you could have harnessed them.

Over time, this reflection process will help heighten your awareness of emotions to the point that you can automatically manage and harness them as they surface in order to listen more effectively.

  • 1 Goulston, Mark, “Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone”, New York: American Management Association, 2010.
  • 2 This Active Listening activity is also a good emotional intelligence activity.
  • 3 This activity was originally published in the article '7 Unique Active Listening Games, Exercises and Activities for Adults' by Andrew G. Ward, at www.goodlisteningskills.org , © 2020. To further improve your listening skills, visit The GLS Project,  www.goodlisteningskills.org .

Related Posts

Want to avoid poor discussions listen with empathy, non-verbal cues help avoid misunderstandings. here’s how – step 2, follow-up questions are the secret to meaningful conversations – step 3, active listening how to – 5 easy steps to your best conversation yet, about the author.

Hello, I’m Andrew Ward and I’m the Kiwi guy writing most of the stuff on this website. You can read more about my story here .

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45 team building games to improve communication and camaraderie

Alicia Raeburn contributor headshot

Team building games bring everyone together without the added pressure of work. Here, we’ve listed 45 of the top team building activities broken down by icebreaker, problem solving, indoor, and outdoor games.

As Ashley Frabasilio, Employee Engagement Manager at Asana puts it, “Creating a shared experience for teams to build relationships is one of the best ways to increase trust and encourage collaboration."

Whether you’re looking for indoor or outdoor activities, quick icebreaker games, or activities to bond with your remote team members, we compiled a list of over 45 team building games that you’ll actually enjoy. 

How to make team building inclusive

Teams with an inclusive culture tend to be more transparent, supportive, and happy because everyone feels accepted. It’s essential to make any team activity feel productive and enjoyable for the entire group, regardless of personalities or skill sets. Whether you’re working on building an inclusive remote culture or want in-person teams to feel more comfortable together, consider the following for an inclusive team building experience:

Inclusive team building means including everyone. Depending on the type of team building activity, you may benefit from hiring an outside expert to facilitate a team building event that everyone can participate in. Plus, the activity may feel more authentic because a professional is guiding you.

If you have introverts on the team, they may not be as excited about an exercise that involves lots of social interaction and do better in small groups. 

Teammates with speech, sight, or hearing impairments may feel left out during a game that involves blindfolding players and communicating without looking at each other.

Physically active games could exclude physically impaired teammates. 

Before choosing one of the team building games from this list, take stock of everyone's abilities. Find an activity that everyone on your team can participate in. Maybe even send out an anonymous poll to see what kinds of activities your team would be willing to partake in. Ultimately, the best team building activity will be the one that everyone can enjoy.

Team icebreaker games

Icebreaker questions and activities are the perfect “getting to know you” games but they’re also fun to play with teammates you’ve known for a long time. You can play them to get everyone up to speed for a meeting (especially on those 8am calls) or use them to introduce new team members.

Team icebreaker games

1. Two truths, one lie

Team size : 3+ people

Time : 2–3 minutes per person

How to play : Ask everyone in the group to come up with two facts about themselves and one lie. The more memorable the facts (e.g., I went skydiving in Costa Rica) and the more believable the lies (e.g., I have two dogs), the more fun the game will be! Then, ask each team member to present their three statements and have the group vote on which one they think is the lie.

Why this exercise is great : This game is perfect for groups who don’t know each other well yet. The details you share can be used as building blocks for late conversations (“What else did you do in Costa Rica?”) to give you a better idea of who you’re working with.

2. Penny for your thoughts

Team size : 5+ people

How to play : You’ll need a box full of pennies (or other coins) with years only as old as your youngest team member (not the time to brag about your 1937 collector’s penny). Ask every team member to draw a coin from the box and share a story, memory, or otherwise significant thing that happened to them that year. This can be anything from learning how to ride a bike to landing your first job.    

Why this exercise is great : This is a fun twist on a stress-free and simple icebreaker that gives everyone the chance to share a personal story with their team. You can play multiple rounds if the stories are on the shorter side or let team members elaborate on their stories to gain deeper insight into their lives.

3. Mood pictures

How to play : Prepare a variety of images before you play. You can collect newspaper clippings, magazine cutouts, postcards, and posters or print out different images from the internet (Pinterest is a great spot). The images should show landscapes, cities, people, shapes, or animals in a variety of colors and perspectives.

Lay all the images out and ask team members to each pick one that resonates with their current mood. Once everyone has picked an image, ask them to share what they resonated with, how it makes them feel, and why they picked it.

Why this exercise is great : This exercise is a great way to get a meeting or a workshop started because it allows you to get a feel of the room in a creative and unexpected way. You don’t always have to ask your team to pick an image that reflects their mood—it can also be their expectations for a workshop, their feelings about a current project, or how they hope to feel at the end of the day. As they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words, so this exercise makes talking about feelings easier for a lot of people.

4. One word exercise

Time : 5–10 minutes 

How to play : Pick a phrase related to the meeting topic and ask everyone to write down one word that comes to mind on a post-it. Then, gather these words on a whiteboard or put them in a presentation. For example, if you’re hosting a meeting about your annual holiday event. Everyone would take a moment to respond with the first word that comes in their head. If the team is responding with words like stress or exhaustion, you might want to rethink your process.

Why this exercise is great : This is a way to collect opinions, thoughts, or feelings about a meeting that’s well within most people’s comfort zone. You’ll have the chance to read the room before diving into the topic and may uncover some concerns or questions to focus on, which will make the meeting more beneficial to everyone.

5. Back-to-back drawing

Team siz e: 4+ people 

Time : 5–10 minutes

How to play : Split your team into groups of two and make them sit back to back. Hand one person a pen and piece of paper and show the other person a picture of something that’s fairly simple to draw (e.g., a car, a flower, a house). This person now has to describe the picture to their teammate without actually saying what the item is so they can draw it. They’re allowed to describe shapes, sizes, and textures but can’t say, “Draw a lily.” Once the blind drawing is finished, compare it with the original to see how well you communicated.

Why this exercise is great : This activity is a fun way to polish your communication skills, especially your listening skills. It also gives your team a chance to get creative and innovative by thinking outside the box to describe the image to their teammate.

6. Birthday line up

Team size : 8+ people

Time : 10–15 minutes

How to play : Ask your entire team to form a line in order of their birthdays without talking to each other. You can encourage other forms of communication like sign language, gestures, or nudges. If you want to add a little bit of pressure and excitement to the exercise, add a time limit! 

Why this exercise is great : Besides learning everyone’s birthday (which can always come in handy as a conversation starter later on), this exercise encourages your team to learn to communicate towards a common goal without using words. Although this can be a challenge and get frustrating, this exercise promotes problem framing skills, cooperation, and non-verbal communication skills.

7. Charades

Team size : 8–10 people

Time : 10–25 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of four or five people. The person who goes first is given or shown a random object (e.g., printer, stapler, keyboard) in private. They then have to demonstrate how to use the object without actually showing it in front of their team. Their team gets 30 seconds on the clock to shout out the correct word (you can adjust the time depending on the difficulty of the objects).

Then it’s the other team’s turn. You’ll keep playing until every team member has had the chance to demonstrate an object to their team. 

Why this exercise is great : This classic game is a nice way to break up a mentally taxing day and get your team to do a creative exercise that isn’t work-related.

8. Swift swap

Team size : 10–20 people

How to play :  Split your team into two groups and line them up facing each other. Team A gets a quick observation period (15–30 seconds) in which group members have to memorize as many things about the people in front of them as possible. Then team A turns around while team B changes as many things about their appearance as possible. 

Anything from changing the line up order to swapping shoes with someone or changing your hairdo is fair game. After about 45 seconds, team A turns back around and gets 5–10 minutes to find out what’s changed. You can adjust the time depending on the size of your group.

Why this exercise is great : This game is a great way to break up a long day and take everyone’s minds off work for a little while. Your team also gets to practice time-sensitive non-verbal communication during the swapping phase.

9. Code of conduct

Time : 20–30 minutes

How to play : This game is a great way to tune into a new project or workshop. Write the two categories “meaningful” and “enjoyable” on a whiteboard and ask the group to share what they believe is needed to accomplish these two things for your project or workshop. This can be anything from “regular breaks'' to “transparency and honesty,” which could fall under either category.

Everyone will choose ideas that they agree are both meaningful and enjoyable . Record these values in a shared tool to establish the code of conduct for your upcoming project or workshop. This list will function as a reminder for the team to uphold these values.

Why this exercise is great : Whether it’s the first day of a workshop, the beginning of a new project, or simply a Monday morning, this exercise is great to get everyone on your team on the same page. By establishing group norms and values early on and holding everyone accountable with a written code of conduct, you can create a sense of cohesiveness. If you’d like to do this exercise virtually, use our team brainstorming template to collect everyone’s thoughts.

10. Common thread

Team size : 10+ people

Time : 30 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of three to five people. Then ask your team to find things everyone in their group has in common. This can be a favorite TV show, an ice cream flavor nobody likes, or a common hobby. Encourage your teammates to find common threads that aren’t too superficial or obvious. The more things they can find that everyone in the group has in common, the better! If you have the time, bring everyone together afterward and ask the teams to share their experiences.

Why this exercise is great : This fun game allows your team to find commonalities that they may not get a chance to discover otherwise. It’s also a great way to reunite teams that feel a bit divided. Talking about shared likes and dislikes can be helpful to reconnect you with teammates.

Remote or virtual team building games

Bonding with your teammates can be more difficult when you’re working remotely. Remote or virtual team building games can improve remote collaboration , motivate teams , and create a sense of community even though you’re physically apart. You can use Zoom to connect with your teammates or do quick team building exercises via your remote work software during the day.

Virtual team building games

If your team is located across multiple time zones, you may have to get creative with scheduling. Ashley Frabasilio, Employee Engagement Manager at Asana encourages leaders to schedule these activities during normal work hours. Ensure that the activity is appropriate for all participants in all time zones so no one feels excluded. Using work hours for these exercises can also increase the participation rate because you’re not interfering with personal time.

11. Show and tell  

How to play : Ask everyone in your team to bring something they’re proud of or that brings them joy to your next meeting. This can be anything from a pet to a plant, a painting they did, or a certificate they received. Everyone gets two to three minutes to show off their item and answer questions from the team if they have any.

Why this exercise is great : Show and tell isn’t just fun for kids, it’s also a great way to connect with your team. You’re probably going to learn something new about your teammates and may get a couple of conversation starters for your next meeting from this game.

12. Photo caption contest 

How to play : Collect a few funny photos—for example a few memes that have recently been circling the internet. Send these to your team before the meeting and ask everyone to submit their best photo caption for each image. You can put these together in a quick presentation and present them to your team during the call. You can have a good laugh together and even vote for the best captions.

Why this exercise is great : This exercise is a fun way to get creative as a team and have a good laugh together.

13. Morning coffee 

Time : 15–30 minutes

How to play : Schedule regular coffee calls for your remote team to give everyone a chance to get to know each other like they would in an office setting. You can schedule team calls with four to five people or randomly assign two people to each other that switch every time. You can offer these casual calls once a week, bi-weekly, or once a month, depending on your team size and the interest in this opportunity. 

Why this exercise is great : Remote teams don’t often get a chance to just chit-chat and get to know each other without talking about work or feeling like they’re wasting meeting time. By designating 15–30 minutes on a regular basis to a casual call, your team members will have a chance to bond with people they might not typically interact with.

14. Lunch and learn

How to play : Hold a weekly or monthly “lunch and learn” where one team member presents a topic to the whole team during their lunch break. This presentation can be on a tool everyone uses at work, on a lesson learned from a recent project, or even on a book they read that everyone can learn from. 

Why this exercise is great : These events are a great opportunity for your team to connect in a more casual yet educational setting. If your team budget allows, send restaurant gift cards to your team members so they can order lunch for the call.

15. Online group game  

Time : 30–60 minutes

How to play : Invite your team to play a game online together. This can be an actual video game if everyone happens to use the same console at home or you can download an interactive game (like Jackbox ) which you can screen share with the rest of the group. 

Why this exercise is great : Playing a video game or an interactive game that has nothing to do with work can be a fun way to switch things up, create a more casual work environment, and get to know each other better. It will also give people with great sportsmanship a chance to shine!

16. Trivia games 

Team size : 6–20 people

Time : 30–90 minutes

How to play : Start a meeting with a quick game of trivia or host a regular virtual trivia night at the end of the work day. You can play a game of office trivia (e.g., facts about the company) or pick random other themes like TV shows, music, or national parks. To mix things up, ask other team members to host trivia night.

Why this exercise is great : Whether you’re making the trivia game office-themed or creating a regular team activity that takes everyone’s minds off of work, you’ll get to spend time with your team playing a competitive, educational, and entertaining game that gives everyone a chance to bond.

17. Quarterly challenge  

Time : One month

How to play : Create an optional challenge for your team to participate in. The challenge can be centered around healthy eating, meditation, journaling, or reading. Create a chat or thread where your teammates can exchange their experiences, wins, and questions to keep each other motivated and accountable throughout the month. 

Make sure your team knows that participation is optional. It never hurts to ask for feedback to spark future team challenge ideas.

Why this exercise is great : Creating a challenge like this for your team shows them that you care about their work-life balance. By offering a quarterly challenge, you provide your team with the opportunity to share an experience together. Plus, it’s always easier to complete a challenge when you have a team who supports you and an incentive to work toward.  

18. Personality test  

How to play : Send a personality test to your team and ask everyone to share their results in a chat or during your next team meeting. This can be a formal test like the Enneagram or StrengthsFinder . For something more lighthearted, you can send a fun quiz like the Sorting Hat to find out which Hogwarts house you belong in or a Buzzfeed quiz (e.g., “ What Kitchen Appliance Are You? ”).

Why this exercise is great : Depending on the type of quiz your team takes, this can become a funny icebreaker before you start a meeting or turn into a discussion on your team’s combined strengths and challenges. 

Problem solving games

Playing problem solving games with your team helps them level up their teamwork skills, resolve issues, achieve goals, and excel together. Whether you’re using new brainstorming techniques or going out for a team adventure, these fun team building activities are the perfect way to improve your team's problem solving skills.

Problem solving games

19. Your first idea

Team size : 5–12 people

Time : 10–20 minutes

How to play : Ask everyone in your team to write down the first idea that pops into their head when they’re presented with the problem. Compile the list and review it as a team.

A fun twist on this game is to ask everyone to write down their worst idea. After reviewing with the team, you may realize that some ideas aren’t that bad after all. You can play this game with a real-life problem, a fictional one, or when you’re brainstorming new ideas to pitch.

Why this exercise is great : We often get too much into our heads about problems and solutions. By writing down the first solution that comes to mind, we can uncover new perspectives and fixes.

20. Back of the napkin

Team size : 6–24 people

Time : 15–20 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of two to four and present them with a variety of open-ended problems. These can be work-related, imaginary, or even environmental problems. Every team gets a napkin and pen that they have to sketch or write their solution on after they’ve discussed the issue as a group. These will then be presented to the rest of the team.

Why this exercise is great : Some of the best ideas have allegedly been recorded on napkins (hey, when creativity strikes you’ll write on anything). This game imitates this scenario while challenging your team to collaborate on solving a creative problem.

21. Create your own

How to play : Each team member will create an original problem-solving activity on their own and present it to the group. Whether this entails a physical, mental, or creative challenge is up to your team. If you have the time, play some of the games afterward!

Why this exercise is great : Coming up with your own games is fun and a real creative challenge. It also allows your team members to showcase their strengths by creating challenges they’ll be prepared to tackle.

22. Spectrum mapping

Team size : 5–15 people

How to play : Present your team with a few topics that you’d like their opinions and insight on. Write them down on a whiteboard and give everyone sticky notes and pens. Ask them to write down their thoughts and pin them on the whiteboard underneath the respective topic.

Now arrange the sticky notes as a team. Try to group similar ideas together to the left of the topic and post outliers toward the right side. This will create a spectrum of popular thoughts and opinions on the left and more extreme ideas on the right.

Why this exercise is great : This game will help you map out the diversity of perspectives your team has on different topics. Remember that unpopular opinions don’t have to be wrong. Embracing this diversity can help you uncover new perspectives and innovative ideas to solve problems you’re facing as a team. 

23. What would “X” do? 

Team size : 5–10 people

Time : 45–60 minutes

How to play : Present your team with a problem and ask everyone to come up with a famous person or leader they admire. This can be a celebrity, a business person, or a relative. Challenge your teammates to approach the problem as if they were that person and present their solution (extra points for playing in character).

Why this exercise is great : Getting stuck in your own head can often keep you from solving a problem efficiently and effectively. By stepping into the shoes of someone else, you may uncover new solutions. Plus, it’s fun pretending to be someone else for a little while!

24. Team pursuit

Time : 1–3 hours

How to play : Form groups of two to six people that will compete against one another in a series of challenges. You can buy a team pursuit package online or create your own game, which will take a good amount of prep time. 

You’ll want to create a set of challenges for your team: cerebral challenges that test logic and intelligence, skill challenges like aptitude tests, and mystery challenges which usually ask for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking (e.g., come up with a unique handshake, take a fun picture, etc.).  

Why this exercise is great : A solid game of team pursuit will create a fun challenge that gives everyone a chance to shine and show off their talents. Whether you’re a good runner, a quick thinker, or a creative mind, everyone will be able to contribute to the success of the team. This game will bring your team closer together and show them new sides of their teammates that they may not have been aware of.

25. Code break

Team size : 8–24 people

How to play : This brain teaser is a fun activity that you can play indoors or outdoors to challenge your team. Outback Team Building offers self-hosted, remote-hosted, and on-site hosted events that include several codes your teammates have to find and break to make it through the course.

Why this exercise is great : This challenge requires creative thinking, creates a competitive environment, and works with large groups because you can break off into smaller groups.

26. Escape room

Time : 2–3 hours

How to play : Visiting an escape room is always a unique experience and a great way to spend an afternoon with your team. If you have multiple escape rooms nearby, ask your team if they have a general idea of what theme they’d like to explore (e.g., history, horror, sci-fi) and try to pick something you’ll think everyone will enjoy.

If you’re super creative and have the time and resources, you can put together an escape room on your own!

Why this exercise is great : Solving the mysteries of an escape room with your team will reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates, foster communication and collaboration, build trust, and become a shared memory that connects you together.

Indoor team building games

Most of these indoor games can be played in an office, conference room, or a hallway with a small team, but you may need a bit more space if you’re inviting a larger group to join in.

Indoor team building games

27. Perfect square

Team size : 4–12 people

How to play : Divide your team into groups of four to six and ask them to stand in a tight circle with their group. Ask everyone to blindfold themselves or close their eyes and give one person a rope. Without looking at what they're doing, the teams now have to pass the rope around so everyone holds a piece of it and then form a perfect square. Once the team is sure their square is perfect, they can lay the rope down on the floor, take off their blindfolds (or open their eyes) and see how well they did. 

Why this exercise is great : This game is about more than perfect geometric shapes, it’s an amazing listening and communication exercise. Because no one can see what they're doing, your team members have to communicate clearly while figuring out how to create a square out of a rope. Besides, it’s often really funny to see how imperfect the squares come out.

28. Memory wall

How to play : You’ll need a whiteboard and sticky notes for this game. Write different work-related themes on the whiteboard such as “first day at work,” “team celebration,” and “work travel.” Hand each teammate a few sticky notes and ask them to write down their favorite memories or accomplishments associated with one or more of these themes. Invite everyone to share these with the team to take a walk down memory lane and post the notes on the whiteboard as you go.

Why this exercise is great : This is a nice way to end a week, long day, or workshop because you’ll share positive experiences with one another that will leave your teammates smiling. If you’re finishing up a work trip or multi-day workshop, you can also do a slimmed-down version of this by asking everyone to share their favorite memory or biggest accomplishment of the last few days.

29. Turn back time  

How to play : This team building exercise works best in a quiet atmosphere with everyone sitting in a circle. Ask your team to silently think of a unique memory in their lives. You can give them a few minutes to collect their thoughts. Then, ask everyone to share the one memory they’d like to relive if they could turn back time.

Not everyone may be comfortable opening up at first, so be sure to lead with vulnerability and make everyone in the room feel safe about sharing their moment.

Why this exercise is great : This exercise is a great way to help your team members remember their priorities and bond on a deeper level. In a team that’s facing disconnection or stress, sharing personal highlights that aren’t work-related can help create a sense of togetherness. Although the exercise doesn’t take too long, it’s best to do it toward the end of the day so your team has a chance to reflect on what’s been said.

30. Paper plane  

Team size : 6–12 people

How to play : Split your team into groups of two to four and hand out card stock. Give each team 10–15 minutes to come up with the best long-distance paper plane design (they’re allowed to do research on their phones or computers) and a name for their airline.

When the paper planes are done, have a competition in a long hallway or outside to see which plane flies the farthest. 

Why this exercise is great : This exercise requires team members to collaborate on a project with a tight timeline. It is a great activity to practice communication skills, delegation, and time management.

31. Build a tower

Team size : 8–16 people

How to play : Divide your team into groups of four or five and provide them with 20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. Challenge each team to build the tallest tower possible using only the supplies you gave them. When finished, the tower has to support the marshmallow sitting on top. Set the timer for 20 minutes and ask everyone to step away from their masterpiece when it runs out so you can crown a winner.

Why this exercise is great : This challenge is a great way to improve problem solving skills and communication within your team. Your team members will have to prototype, build, and present the tower in a short amount of time, which can be stressful. The better they work together, the more likely they are to succeed.

32. Flip it over

Team size : 6–8 people

How to play : Lay a towel, blanket, or sheet on the floor and ask your teammates to stand on it. The goal is to flip the piece over without ever stepping off of it or touching the ground outside of the fabric. You can make the challenge more difficult by adding more people to the team or using a smaller sheet.

Why this exercise is great : This exercise requires clear communication, cooperation, and a good sense of humor. It’s a great way to find out how well your teammates cooperate when presented with an oddly difficult task.

33. Sneak a peek 

Team size : 4–20 people

How to play : Create a structure out of Lego pieces and hide it in a separate room. Divide your team into groups of two to four people and give them enough Legos to replicate the structure in 30 minutes or less.

One player per team is allowed to sneak a peek at the original structure for 15 seconds, then run back and describe it to their team. The person who gets to sneak a peek rotates so everyone gets to see the original at some point during the game. The team that first completes the structure as close to the original wins! 

Why this exercise is great : During this game your team gets to focus on teamwork and communication. Since only one person at a time is allowed to look at the original, team members may see and describe different things. The more complex the structure is, the harder this game will be.

34. Pyramids

How to play : Pick a large open area for this game like a hallway, a meeting room, or the cafeteria. Divide your team into groups of four to six and give each team 10 paper cups. Ask the teams to stand in a line with about 8–10 feet between the team members. Now it’s a race against time!

The first person in each line has to build a pyramid with four cups at the base. Once they’re done, the second player has to help them carry the pyramid to their station (this can be on the floor or at a table). They can slide it on the floor or carry it together but if the pyramid falls apart, the players have to reassemble it on the spot before continuing their journey. At the next station, the second player has to topple the pyramid and rebuild it before the third player gets to help them carry it to the next station. This continues until the pyramid reaches the last station. The team that finishes first wins the game

Why this exercise is great : This game is fun to play during a mid-day break, fosters communication skills, and promotes teamwork.

35. Shipwrecked

Team size : 8–25 people

How to play : The premise of the game is that you’re stranded on a deserted island and only have 25 minutes to secure survival items off the sinking ship. Place items like water bottles, matches, food, etc., in the “shipwreck area.” You can also print pictures on index cards to make things a bit easier. The quantity of each item should be limited, with some items having more than others (e.g., more water than food, fewer tarps than teams, more knives than ropes, etc.).

Divide your team into groups of two (or more if it’s a large team). Once the clock starts, they have to gather as many items as they deem worthy from the shipwreck and rank them in order of importance. Since the items are limited (some more than others), the teams will not only have to prioritize the items within their own group of people but also negotiate, trade, and exchange items with other teams. 

Why this exercise is great : This game will challenge problem-solving abilities, encourage collaboration, and enable your team to flex their leadership skills. Typically, teams with strong leadership qualities will have the most success in making these quick decisions.

36. Team flag

Time : 30–45 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of two to four people and provide them with paper and pens. Each group now has to come up with an emblem or flag that represents their team. Once everyone has completed their masterpiece, they have to present it to the rest of the teams, explaining how they came up with the design. This exercise is also a great opportunity to discuss how each group identified their common values and created alignment during the design process.

Why this exercise is great : This is a great way to get the creative juices flowing. Your team will not only have to come up with a unique design that represents their collective identity but they’ll also have to collaborate on putting pen to paper and presenting their flag or emblem at the end of the game.

37. Salt and pepper  

How to play : You’ll need a list of things that go well together like salt and pepper, left sock and right sock, day and night, peanut butter and jelly, or yin and yang. Write these words on individual pieces of paper and tape one sheet of paper on every team member's back. 

Ask your team to mingle and find out what’s written on their back by asking questions that can only be answered with yes or no (e.g., “Am I sweet? Do you wear me? Am I cold?”). Once the participants find out who they are, they have to find their match!

Why this exercise is great : Your team can use this game to bond with one another and improve their communication skills. If you have a large team, this exercise also gives them a chance to interact with people they may not usually get to talk to.

38. Sell it

Time : 45–90 minutes

How to play : Ask your teammates to each bring a random object to the meeting. Everyone then has to come up with a logo, slogan, and marketing plan to sell this object. After 30 minutes, each team member has to present their new product to the rest of the team. If you have a larger team, divide them into groups of 2–4 people and ask them to collaborate on their product pitch.

Why this exercise is great : This game is great to switch things up if you don’t already work in marketing or sales. It’s also fun to play with others as it allows your team to get creative and have fun with everyday objects.

39. The barter puzzle

Time : 1–2 hours

How to play : Divide your team into groups of three or four people and give each a different jigsaw puzzle of the same difficulty level. Ask them to complete the puzzle as a team. The twist: each puzzle is missing a few pieces that are mixed in with an opposing team’s puzzle. The teams have to figure out ways to get the pieces they need from the other teams by negotiating, trading pieces, or even exchanging teammates. Every decision has to be made as a team. The first team to complete their puzzle wins.

Why this exercise is great : Every decision made will have to be a group decision which challenges your team to improve their problem solving skills.  

Outdoor team building exercises

If you want to get a larger group together for a team building exercise, why not take things outside? Outdoor team building is also a great way to get your teammates to interact without the distractions of screens or smartphones. Whether you want to catch a breath of fresh air or get some sunshine together, these exercises will help you bond with your teammates outside of the office.

Outdoor team building games

40. The minefield

Team size : 4–10 people

How to play : Create a minefield in a parking lot or another large, open space by sporadically placing objects like papers, balls, cones, and bottles. Split your team into groups of two and ask one person to put on a blindfold. The other person now has to guide the blindfolded teammate through the minefield only using their words. The blindfolded person is not allowed to talk and will be eliminated if they stop walking or step on anything in the minefield. 

The objective of the game is to make it to the other side of the minefield. The teams can then switch so another person will be blindfolded and guided through the field on their way back. You can also distribute pieces the blindfolded person has to pick up on their way through the field to add another difficulty level.

Why this exercise is great : This game is not just a trust exercise for your teammates but also a fun way to practice active listening skills and clear communication.

41. Earth-ball  

Team size : 5–20 people

Time : 15–45 minutes

How to play : You’ll need a balloon, beach ball, or volleyball for this activity. Ask your team to stand in a circle and keep the balloon or ball in the air for as long as possible. To make it a real challenge, no one can touch the ball twice in a row. The bigger your team, the more fun this game will be!

Why this exercise is great : This fun challenge is a great way to get your team moving. If you’re struggling to keep the ball up for longer, try to come up with a strategy to improve your time.

42. Scavenger hunt

How to play : Put together a scavenger hunt for your team. This can be in the form of a list of photographs they have to take (e.g., something red, all teammates in front of the company logo, the CEO’s car, etc.), items they have to collect (e.g., company brochure, yellow sticky note with manager’s signature on it, ketchup packet from the cafeteria, etc.), or other activities they have to complete on a designated route. 

Why this exercise is great : The more people that tag along, the more fun this game will be. You can group people together who don’t know each other very well to allow them time to bond during this exercise. Try to come up with company-specific quests for your team so they learn a few fun facts along the way. You can offer prizes for the most creative team or the first to finish the challenge to boost motivation.

43. Egg drop 

Time : 60–90 minutes

How to play : Divide your team into groups of two or three people and give each team a raw egg (keep some extras in case they break before the grand finale). Then put out supplies like tape, straws, rubber bands, newspapers, and balloons so the teams can build a structure for the raw egg that will protect it from a fall out of a second or third story window. 

Each team has 60 minutes to complete their structure. When the time is up, ask your teams to gather their eggs and egg cages to drop them out of the window. This grand finale will reveal which team engineered and built the best cage.

Why this exercise is great : Collaborating on a design and building a cage will challenge your team’s problem solving and collaboration skills.

44. Team outing

Team size : Any

How to play : Plan an outing for your team. You could attend a cooking class or go to a museum together. If you want to have something your teammates can work toward, plan to run a 5K together or host a ping pong tournament. You can also do something more casual like inviting your team to hangout at a bowling alley after work where you can play a few games in a casual and fun setting.

Why this exercise is great : Taking your team somewhere new will help break down some of the walls we often build in a professional setting. While you’re still at a company function, you’re more inclined to connect through casual conversation at a restaurant or park than you would at the office.

45. Volunteer as a team

How to play : Organize a team event during your regularly scheduled workday. This can be a charity event, yard sale, or fundraiser for a cause your team cares about. Even though these are enjoyable, scheduling them during work hours makes this feel like more of a perk than an obligation.

If your team members have a few causes they’re truly passionate about, consider making this a monthly or quarterly event. You can also rotate the charities that you’re helping out to accommodate your team’s different interests.

Why this exercise is great : Experiencing helper’s high can improve your personal health and mental state. Sharing this rush that doing good can give you will help your team bond on a deeper level. 

Benefits of team building

Team building is more than a fun break from your everyday routine at work. It also:

Improves communication, trust, and collaboration skills

Promotes a collaborative culture by bringing teammates together

Fosters agile decision making and problem solving skills

Boosts team productivity and morale

Uses creativity and outside-of-the-box thinking

Ashley Frabasilio believes that:

quotation mark

A common goal is to create a memorable and meaningful experience for folks to connect. Some questions to consider when planning an impactful team-building activity include: What do I hope folks walk away with? I.e., a new skill, a deeper connection to one another, personal development, a moment of delight, etc.”

Ask yourself these questions before proposing a team building activity so you can reap the full benefits of the exercise.

Bring your team together, creatively

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to build your team’s confidence, connection, and teamwork skills. While team building is fun, it’s also important to connect with your team on an everyday basis. To build one of those connections in your day-to-day work, the right collaboration software is key. 

Looking for the right collaboration tool? See how Asana keeps your team connected, no matter where you’re working. 

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Article • 16 min read

Team Building Exercises – Communication

Six ways to improve communication skills.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

communication activities for adults

How well do your team members communicate with one another?

Poor communication lies at the root of many problems. It can lead to mistakes, quality problems, conflict, missed deadlines, and lost opportunities. That's why it can often pay to help your people to develop their communication skills.

One way of doing this is to use appropriate team building activities. Not only can these boost people's communication skills, but they can also help them to build trust and develop good relationships with one another.

In this article, we'll look at six team building exercises that can help your people to communicate better. You can use them to get a new group off to a great start, or with an existing team to resolve issues that might be holding it back.

Exercises to Develop Communication Skills

Your team communicates in many different ways: face-to-face, by video conference, by instant message, and by email. But does it do so effectively?

Use the exercises below to improve essential communication skills like listening, empathy and verbalization. Some of these will also strengthen team members' problem solving, creative thinking and leadership skills.

Exercise 1: Card Pieces*

In this activity, team members trade pieces of playing cards to put together complete cards.

This exercise is useful for showing team members others' perspectives. It builds communication and negotiation skills , and helps people to develop empathy .

People and Materials

  • Enough people for at least three teams of two.
  • Playing cards – use between four and six for each person.
  • A private room.
  • 15 minutes.

Instructions

  • Cut each playing card into half diagonally, then in half diagonally again, so you have four triangular pieces for each card.
  • Mix all the pieces together and put equal numbers of cards into as many envelopes as you have teams.
  • Divide people up into teams of three or four. You need at least three teams. If you're short of people, teams of two will work just as well.
  • Give each team an envelope of playing card pieces.
  • Each team has three minutes to sort its pieces, determine which ones it needs to make complete cards, and develop a bargaining strategy.
  • After three minutes, allow the teams to start bartering for pieces. People can barter on their own or collectively with their team. Give the teams eight minutes to barter.
  • When the time is up, count each team's completed cards. Whichever team has the most cards wins the round.

Advice for the Facilitator

After the activity, ask your team members to think about the strategies they used. Discuss these questions:

  • Which negotiation strategies worked? Which didn't?
  • What could they have done better?
  • What other skills, such as active listening or empathy , did they need to use?

Exercise 2: Make a Team With…*

In this activity, team members must act quickly to form small teams based on instructions that you shout out.

This activity strengthens communication skills. It also teaches team members how to think on their feet .

  • Any number of team members.
  • Explain to participants that they will have to form a team based on the instructions that you shout out. For example, some instructions could include "Get into a team with people who have the same number of children as you" or "Get into a team with people who like similar types of music to you."
  • Shout out instructions. People can shout out or sit down to signal that their team is "complete." Encourage people to work as quickly as possible. Repeat the exercise as many times as you want.

Talk with your team about how this activity encouraged them to communicate. How could they learn to open up and communicate more effectively in work situations in the future?

Exercise 3: The Elephant List

This exercise is for teams that are committed to open and honest conversations, even when the subject is a difficult one.

Not all exercises are light-hearted or playful. Sometimes, it may be necessary to shine a light on subjects that your team has been avoiding, or that it doesn't know how to broach. This activity can help teams to have a candid conversation about the proverbial "elephant in the room," such as a key manager's impending retirement, or a serious flaw in a process or decision.

This exercise requires a very experienced facilitator. Your team members may be reluctant to discuss contentious issues in a group, or they may be fearful of raising subjects that could be seen as "off limits" to them. The facilitator will need to reassure participants that they can do so in a safe, trusting environment.

People and Materials:

  • Any number of team members but, if there are more than six or seven people taking part, you may have to have a quick vote to decide which "elephants" to address, and in which order.
  • Sticky notes or small sheets of paper with an elephant image, which you can call "elephant sheets" (you can get creative here!).
  • Three flip charts in a wide circle, or in a U-shape.
  • You can set your own time limit for discussions.

Instructions:

  • Assemble your team and explain the objectives of the exercise, which are: to create an environment of open communication, to identify any obstacles or problems that the team faces, and to help the team move forward on projects or initiatives while openly discussing potential "elephants in the room."
  • Explain that you will address each elephant using the principles of Control-Influence-Accept (CIA). This means deciding whether they are issues that the participants have C ontrol over, that they can I nfluence, or that they need to A ccept.
  • Hand out the sticky notes or elephant sheets, and give your team members five minutes to write down one elephant. They should also write whether their elephant is C, I or A. Putting their names on the sheet or sticky note is optional.
  • Collect the elephants, read them aloud one by one, then record them on the relevant flip charts (marked C, I or A).
  • As mentioned above, if you have a large number of elephants or are limited by time, you may need to vote on which ones to address.
  • Decide as a group whether the A elephants really are issues that just have to be accepted, and agree on whether any of the C or I elephants are actually A elephants. Then, let the A-list elephants go. Basically, just accept them.
  • Tackle C and I elephants in open conversations, and try to come up with solutions or action items. Look at each elephant through the "4 Ws." Why are we doing this, or why is this happening? What are we doing about it? Who can resolve this issue? When can we resolve this?

Define specific actions that your whole team agrees with and create an action plan to carry them out. Then, continue to coach and support your team when addressing other elephants in the future.

The Elephant List is reproduced with permission from Gabriele Bankers, an organization development specialist from Denver, U.S.

Exercise 4: Just Listen*

This is an activity that encourages participants to communicate how they feel about a subject. People get into pairs and one member talks about his or her opinions. His partner listens without speaking, and then, without rebuttal, recaps on what has been said.

This activity strengthens your team members' listening skills. Listening is an incredibly important part of good communication, and it's a skill that people often ignore in team activities. This activity also shows them how to listen with an open mind.

  • An even number of team members, ideally.
  • Eight index cards for each team of two. Each card should list one topic. The topics should be interesting, but not too controversial. You don't want the listeners disliking the speakers just because they disagree with their viewpoint.
  • 25-30 minutes.
  • Have your team members sit down in pairs.
  • Give each pair eight index cards.
  • One partner will blindly choose a card and then speak for three minutes on how she feels about the topic. As she talks, the other person cannot speak – his goal is to listen.
  • After three minutes, the listener has one minute to recap on what his partner has said. He cannot debate, agree or disagree – only summarize.
  • Next, the roles switch, and the process starts again.

Talk with your team members about how they felt about this exercise. Discuss these questions:

  • How did speakers feel about their partners' ability to listen with an open mind? Did their partners' body language communicate how they felt about what was being said?
  • How did listeners feel about not being able to speak about their own views on the topic? How well were they able to keep an open mind? How well did they listen?
  • How well did the listening partners summarize the speakers' opinions? Did they get better as the exercise progressed?
  • How can they use the lessons from this exercise at work?

Exercise 5: The Blindfold Game*

In this activity, blindfolded participants must rely on their partners to navigate an "assault course" successfully.

This helps to improve communication and listening skills, and to build trust between partners.

  • Any size group works well in this exercise.
  • Enough blindfolds for half of the participants.
  • A large, private room.
  • Furniture and other items that you can use as obstacles.
  • Around 15-20 minutes.
  • Scatter furniture and objects around the room before the activity begins. Your course should be challenging, but still safe to navigate around.
  • Put team members into pairs and ask them to stand at one end of the room.
  • One person from each pair should put on the blindfold.
  • The sighted people must guide their partners across the room, and give instructions to help them to avoid the obstacles.
  • When each team reaches the other side of the room, partners should switch roles and then repeat the exercise.

Talk with your group after the exercise. Discuss these questions:

  • How did participants have to communicate differently to guide their partners?
  • How did their listening skills change and adapt when they were blindfolded?

You might find it helpful for team members to take our self tests, " How Good Are Your Listening Skills? " and " How Good Are Your Communication Skills? " These will help them to understand how well they listen and communicate, and identify how they can improve.

Exercise 6: Build a Bridge*

In this activity, two teams must work together to build a bridge using materials that you supply. They each build half of the bridge and then "connect" the two pieces to make a complete one, made up of two similar designs.

The activity is challenging because the room is divided: no team is able to see how the other constructs its bridge. Teams have to communicate verbally through a sheet or tarpaulin that divides the room, as they work.

The Build a Bridge activity strengthens communication skills because each team has to discuss ideas and brainstorm ways to use their materials to build half a bridge. In addition, this activity improves group problem solving and creative thinking. You can also use it to develop people's leadership skills if you decide to elect a team leader for each group, or if people naturally take the lead.

  • Enough people for at least two teams of three. If you have a larger group, you can create several teams – just make sure that you have an even number and enough space and tarpaulin to give each team a secluded area to work in.
  • Materials for bridge building. This could include toy bricks, pieces of wood, tape, glue, pipes, canvas, paper, or straws.
  • Notepads and pencils for drawing.
  • Tape measures.
  • Tarpaulins or sheets to section off the room, giving each team a private area to build its bridge in.
  • 45 minutes to one hour.
  • Before participants arrive, arrange the tarpaulins or sheets throughout the room so that teams won't be able to see one another's work.
  • Divide participants into two (or four or six) teams. Team size doesn't matter; however, teams of four or fewer might be most effective.
  • Give each group a bag of materials. Each bag should contain the same number and type of materials. Each team should also get a notepad and pencils, and a tape measure.
  • Give everyone 10 minutes to draw their ideas. Remind teams to communicate with their "partner group" on the other side of the tarpaulin to make sure that they come up with similar designs. Remember, each half of the bridge must be able to "join" at the end of the building phase.
  • Each team then gets up to 40 minutes to construct its half of the bridge. While the teams build, walk around to ensure that each team communicates with the other through the tarpaulin.
  • When time is up, remove the tarpaulin to see how close each group came to matching their partner team's bridge.

When you finish the activity, use the questions below to start a discussion:

  • What was most challenging about this activity?
  • Who was responsible for communicating instructions between teams? If a number of people issued instructions through the tarpaulin, would it have been easier to appoint just one person on each team to do this job?
  • Were there any miscommunications? If so, what happened?
  • If a team appointed a leader, how well did this person lead the group? What were the leader's strengths and weaknesses?

*Original sources for asterisked exercises are unknown. Please contact [email protected] if you know what the sources are.

No matter how well your team communicates, using group activities to strengthen existing skills can be an enjoyable way of developing good working relationships. They're especially useful for building relationships and improving communication in new teams, and for solving communication issues within existing teams.

Some team activities that focus on communication can also help people to develop problem solving, creativity and leadership skills.

Apply This to Your Life

Would your team members benefit from improving their communication skills?

If so, think about whether you could work through any of these exercises at your next team meeting or team building event.

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communication activities for adults

Ten simple games to improve your communication skills

communication activities for adults

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This guest blog was written by Kelly Miller and was originally published by  PositivePsychology.com .

Our world is in a communication crisis. Kids spend astounding amounts of time on their electronic devices and with this shift, they are losing their skills in how to communicate their needs—with their own voices.

Picture the kids you know having no access to Wi-Fi. There might be a revolt when you start to ask them to communicate with you without a phone or device.

With the availability of alternative sources of social support (Leung, 2007), reaching kids in a one-to-one setting is difficult. The skill of self-expression in real life and face-to-face interaction has far-reaching implications.

Improving communication skills in children of all ages today could benefit generations to come, salvaging the power of verbal communication in a world buzzing with technological alternatives.

What are communication activities, exercises, and games?

Certain activities, exercises, and games can teach children to communicate better. In most settings, adults decide the communication style and social norms. The rules of etiquette are also decided by adults.

These days, it is revolutionary to teach communication skills in “kid terms” with room to advance the skills as children develop. Imagine a world where every adult practised their face-to-face communication.

The following are effective communication fundamentals (Stanfield, 2017):

  • Conversation skills;
  • Established listening and speaking procedures;
  • Respectful vocabulary;
  • The power of the pause;
  • Practice speaking and listening in natural settings;
  • Introspection;
  • Turn-taking.

Any activities, exercises, and games that include these fundamentals can improve skills in communication. Interactive games encourage kids to express their needs. Plus, when kids see these activities as fun and engaging, the more likely they are to participate.

Five activities for middle and high school students

1. famous pairs.

Create a list of well-known famous pairs. For instance, peanut butter and jelly, Romeo and Juliet, Superman and Lois Lane, etc. Each participant should receive a post-it-note with one half of a famous pair on their back.

Moving throughout the room, with only three questions per person, the participants try to figure out who the person is on their back.

Once the person has discovered who they are, they need to find their partner. If the other partner has not figured out his/her identity, they must not reveal themselves until they know

2. The Enigmatic Self

We are often mysterious to others. This game promotes self-awareness about what you find mysterious about yourself. In this activity, students write down three things about themselves that no one else knows. In groups of three or four students, each read the mysterious aspects to each other.

Each group collects the mysteries. At a later time, each group reads the fact list and the remainder of the class tries to guess who the facts are from on the list. Encourage deep respect for these mysteries. Encourage students to celebrate the uniqueness of each other.

Classrooms with solid trust are often built on awareness and appreciation of each other.

3. Stand Up for Fillers

How many people use “like” or “um,” or “uh” or “so,” or “right” to fill a silent space? It is a nervous habit that is often rooted in the perceived discomfort of silence. This activity helps eliminate these fillers in conversation or in public speaking.

Each student is given a topic that they will speak about for 1-3 minutes (topic is not important; it should be simple). During their speaking time, the remainder of the class will stand when they hear any of these fillers occur in the speech.

The class is listening and the speaker is hyper-aware of the words that they use. It is a deliberate shock to the speaker to see the entire class stand when they hear these fillers and helps to be mindful about using precise vocabulary.

4. Blindfold Game

Create an obstacle course with everyday items in the classroom. Sort students into two groups. One person is blindfolded while the rest of the group decides how to communicate (from their seats) instructions on how to navigate through the course wearing a blindfold. Time each group and discuss which communication style was the most effective.

This activity builds trust and requires accurate communication to successfully navigate through the course. *Be sure to have at least one person to stand near the blindfolded student to help them stay safe during the course.

5. Drawn Understanding

Have two students sit back-to-back. One student has an object and the other has coloured pencils and paper. The student with the object must describe it in as much detail as possible, without directly saying what it is.

The second student must draw the object as best they can, based on the communication of the student with the object.

Five assertive communication activities for teens

Assertive communication is a healthy way to express one’s needs. Being respectful and honest may still cause discomfort, and negotiating that discomfort is a critical skill. The following are activities that can help teens to develop these vital communication skills.

1. Emotion Awareness

Being attuned to our own emotional needs is the foundation of understanding why we are happy or frustrated with others. Many teens have trouble putting words to how they are feeling, and that is often a matter of knowing how to identify complex emotions.

In this activity, provide each participant with a sheet of various emojis. Take the group through various emotion-invoking scenarios. Have them keep track and label the emotions that popped up for them. Being able to name emotions as they are cued is a first step in improving emotional intelligence, and also relaxes the amygdala from over-firing.

Divide the group into pairs. The pair will get two different sets of instructions.

Person 1 instructions will read: Person 2 will make a fist. You MUST get that fist open. Person 2 instructions will read: Person 1 is going to attempt to get you to open your fist. You must NOT open your fist unless he/she asks you politely and assertively.

Most people will try to pry the fist open. It is an opportunity to efficiently explain assertive communication. Knowing the power of good communication skills is important in building them properly.

Discuss with the students how the directions influenced their actions. Did they consider a peaceful way of asking? Why or why not? What communication role-models do movies and media offer?

3. Situations Samples

Have a list of scenarios where assertive communication would be the most effective. Offer the teens an opportunity to practice responses to the situations. Have them demonstrate aggressive, passive, and then assertive styles.

When they know the difference, the better they may practice it in real life scenarios.

Some sample scenarios could be:

  • You are standing in line at the check-out and two salespeople are engrossed in a deep conversation ignoring you.
  • Your teacher graded a paper that you feel should have received a higher mark.
  • Someone calls you a name that is hurtful.

Go through various options for responses and get the teens brainstorming.

4. Eye Contact Circle

This nonverbal skill is essential in assertive communication. A creative way to build this skill is with this circle. Create a circle with group participants. Each participant will answer the same question (ie: what is your favourite ice cream flavour) and after answering must find mutual eye contact with someone across the circle.

Once this eye contact is made, the participant must call out their partner’s name and slowly switch places with them, while maintaining that eye contact. Eye contact is one of the basic principles of communication and trusting others.

5. Role-playing

Put the group into pairs and have them play different roles. Have the teens brainstorm scenarios from the past where they wish they had been more assertive. This also can be used in the workplace with employees, where people brainstorm in pairs.

This gives people the chance to learn from mistakes, and the empowerment to express their needs during the next uncomfortable situation. Have a list of possible scenarios ready, just in case the brainstorming doesn’t produce enough opportunities to explore.

 A take-home message

Good communication is a skill that serves people in every area of life. Even the best communicators make mistakes, let alone those of us still learning how to improve. Imagine a world where everyone knew the emotion behind their message and tried to communicate with assertive kindness.

Equipping children with effective communication skills results in higher levels of emotional intelligence, higher test scores, lowering incidents of bullying, and improvements in overall mental well-being. There is so much to gain from practicing these skills.

With the omnipresence of technological advances, kids need to practise these face-to-face skills more than ever. 

Building these skills in all age groups builds a society for empathy and emotional resilience. The more practise kids get in school and at home, the better these skills will become. Adults and kids alike have endless opportunities to change how they speak and address their shared needs.

The article has been shortened to only include games and activities for middle and high school students. To read the full version, see below.

Read more about this:

Positive Psychology: 39 communication games and activities for kids, teens and students

communication activities for adults

17 Comments

Beauty kaluba

I found this content very helpful and useful in a more fun kind of way.

Kalu Grace

This was very informative and helpful. The games are very promising.

Chandrika S.Bhandary

Very useful activity

Swapna Meena.R

Thank you Mam for your sharing information & skill to us It very use full in our life time

Chanel

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PEE

Excelente contenido muy útil y de una manera divertida, me han encantado. Buen

Chloe belle Burke

I found it very useful ty

Ngozi Osuagwu

I am a doctoral student, presently carrying out a study on assertiveness. I need your permission to use these skills for my participants for research purposes. Thank you in anticipation.

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Om

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Ranjith kumar.G

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Sachin Ram

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Aishwarya G

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Virtual Team Building

Home » Team Building Articles » Virtual Communication Games

17 Virtual Communication Games, Exercises & Activities for Work

Virtual communication games are enjoyable communication activities to engage in during online meetings. For example, virtual postcard, inbox zero challenge, and can you hear me now?. The intention of these activities is to make virtual meetings more fun and enhance communication skills.

This post includes:

  • virtual communication games for teams
  • online communication games
  • virtual activities to improve communication skills
  • virtual team communication exercises

Here we go!

List of 17 virtual communication games

Virtual communication games and exercises are quite easy to conduct. For smaller groups of people, members may ask for a chance to take part by raising a hand. Bigger groups may need the host to subdivide it into the virtual break-away rooms. Here are some of the best virtual activities to improve communication skills.

#1. Check-in Greetings

Greetings enhance connection and promote positive conversations.

This check-in greeting activity requires each member to greet the group upon joining the meeting. The participants in the virtual meeting will send greetings notes to the team in the chat section. The length of the note is flexible. A good note would be around 50 words maximum.

Examples of such notes may include “Good morning team. I am glad to be part of this group”, and “Hi all. Hope you have a great day!”

This simple exercise allows members to perfect digital communication skills and build camaraderie with teammates.

#2. Send Individuals a Virtual Postcard

Virtual postcards serve similar communication purposes as traditional postcards. The major difference in correspondence is that the authors send the cards virtually instead of by post.

In this virtual postcard activity, the team leader will prepare and share the full list of participants’ names. Each member needs to send one postcard to every other member. Depending on the team’s number, the leader will determine and tell participants the number of postcards to send per day. For instance, if you have 20 members, then the leader may suggest sending one postcard daily. By the end of the month, you will have completed the exercise.

This ‘send individuals a virtual postcard’ exercise allows members to interact more personally. Members also get a chance to practice creative skills when they design the postcards. There are free online tools like the MyPostcard app and Canva to create virtual postcards. Members can share these postcards on platforms like Hangouts, WhatsApp, or private emails.

#3. Can You Hear Me Now?

Can you hear me now? is one of the top online communication games to play with coworkers. The game involves speaking, listening and thinking skills.

During the game, the host will describe an image by naming geometrical shapes. The members draw the item as described and try to guess the object before the drawing is complete.

To ensure that participants have fun in ‘can you hear me now’, choose familiar images, and be sure to share finished results. Good examples of prompts include everyday objects like a car, box or table.

#4. Virtual Back-to-back Drawing

Virtual back-to-back drawing tests attentiveness and reason.

The original game requires pairs of players to remain back-to-back and describe a picture for the other to draw. In the virtual version, the host will select a member of the meeting to be the describer. The rest of the team members become artists. The selected member will choose a picture to describe to the other participants. The rest of the members will follow the directions to draw the image. Finally, participants will share and compare the drawings. The artist whose image comes closest to the original takes the next turn as the describer.

#5. Inbox Zero Challenge

The inbox zero challenge is an exercise that promotes prompt communication.

In the inbox zero challenge, the host prompts the members to check and clean their inboxes. The goal is for team members to get up to date with all online communication. Participants can complete the inbox zero challenge by reading, responding, or organizing their messages.

Many organizations now rely on online apps like Slack alongside traditional emails, and you can include these platforms in the challenge as well.

#6. Sign Language Challenge.

The sign language challenge embraces diversity and promotes inclusivity in the workplace. This challenge particularly focuses on the hearing-impaired, and is one of the best online communication exercises for supporting persons with disability.

To conduct this sign language challenge, the host will assign random members tasks before the meeting. The tasks will involve communicating specific messages using sign language. Members will research the signs. When prompted, each team member will teach the rest of the members how to say certain things in sign language. For example, the task may be saying “Let us now have a 15- minute break.”

Using sign language at work is one of the ways of creating a positive working environment for people with hearing impairments. Additionally, the challenge is a fun learning moment that teaches new ways to communicate.

#7. Spot the Difference

Spot the difference is a popular game that compares and contrasts a given image. Virtually, you may use the same concept of studying a picture to trigger interesting discussions among the team members.

To make the game of spot the difference fun and interactive for adults, the hosts may choose two short clips that may relate to work. For example, if the organization deals with marketing, then you can show two different advertisements. Your teams will watch the clips and talk about the similarities.

Spot the difference relies on observation. Analyzing the clips will help members learn and improve.

Other areas to consider include customer service, and problem resolving process.

#8. Good Turn Challenge

One good turn deserves another is a common saying. This good turn challenge requires team members to appreciate good deeds.

The leader will split the group into teams using breakout rooms and will give each team a list of all the members’ names. However, the leader should ensure that no member discusses his or her own good deeds. In groups, members will brainstorm the commendable things the colleagues on the list have done. The recipients of these kind deeds may be an individual or the organization. Members will share ideas and plan ways of showing the honorees appreciation as a group. Sample ideas may include services like washing a member’s car or giving simple gifts.

This activity can motivate employees and increase teams’ overall productivity.

#9. Virtual Birthday Lineup

The birthday lineup is a fun activity in which members use signs, gestures, and codes to communicate.

An in-person birthday lineup game requires members to align themselves in order of their birthdays. Virtually, players observe each other without speaking. The players then list the names in the order in the chat. Finally, the host will read the correct list and members can score themselves based on how closely their lists matched the host’s list.

For a more fun and challenging spin on the birthday lineup game, the participants can rank members based on the year each coworker completed high school, began working for the organization, or got their first car.

#10. Shopping Spree

The shopping spree game is a twist on window-shopping. The game requires the group members to be creative and buy as many items as possible.

The leader will ask the participants to shop for a given need with a limited budget. The leader will provide a price list for different products at different stores. Players should aim to save. The participants will window-shop and list every relevant item to buy. For instance, the leader may ask groups to shop for a child’s first day in school. The group with the longest, most accurate list wins.

The game is a good communication activity as it engages teams in deep discussion and quick decision-making. To motivate your team better, you may decide to reward the winners with actual shopping vouchers.

#11. Comic Strips

The comic strip game encourages participants to use humor and storytelling to communicate.

The leader will provide participants with comic strips with empty dialogue boxes. In groups, the players will discuss and create the wording for the scene. It is up to the team’s creativity to script the funniest or the most relatable comic strip.

Some popular comic characters to consider may include Popeye, Dilbert, and Donald Duck.

Virtual communication games for teams, like the comic strip, are great ways to incorporate fun into remote workplaces and to boost online team morale.

#12. Funny Pet Contest

The funny pet contest is a virtual activity that involves collecting funny pictures or videos of you and your pet. Organizations may use the funny pet contest as one of their virtual activities to improve communication skills among employees.

The host will ask members to share funny pet photos. The leader will then randomly ask members to comment on the pictures. It might surprise you to learn what coworkers like about your pet. The host can make a collage of the pictures as a memento of the event, and later hang the picture in a shared office space. Or, the leader can send the collage to team members via email.

This virtual activity promotes communication and allows members to know each other better while getting to know cute animals. The activity may result in members forming a new relationship based on similar interests in the pets.

#13. Debates

Online debates are forms of communication exercises that involve cross-examining an issue. Debates allow members to have constructive arguments on an issue’s pros and cons.

To conduct the debate, the host will group members in fives. The host then issues a list of the debate topics and members go into breakout rooms to discuss. The topics need to be engaging, and not necessarily workplace-related. At the end of a set time limit, teams rejoin the main room and share their thoughts.

Here are some debate topic suggestions:

  • hiring a person based on skill versus knowledge
  • saving versus borrowing to buy a home
  • watching movies versus reading novels
  • going for a road trip versus hiking
  • spending a week without a phone versus a car
  • adopting a dog versus a cat

While honing debate skills members also develop other communication skills such as tolerance and critical thinking.

#14. Read a Book Challenge

The read a book challenge seeks to promote reading to improve communication skills.

For this challenge, the host will give members a timeline to read at least one book. Members do not have to finish a book. However, each member must share insights from the chosen book during a Zoom call or within a Slack thread. The book could be nonfiction, fiction, or professional skill- building reads like communication books.

If you are searching for virtual team communication exercises that are both educational and interactive, then challenging your team to read a book would be a fruitful option.

#15. The Secret Word

Online communication games that involve active listening play a crucial role in enhancing communication skills. The secret word is a good example of games that improve participants’ alertness during virtual meetings.

To play, the team leader will mention a number of secret words to pay attention for during the session. The leader should space out these words throughout the meeting. Members keep track of every time they hear one of the buzzwords. Finally, each member will share the final tally for each secret word at the end of the call.

To encourage participant engagement, members can decide on a theme. The leader will then come up with secret words accordingly. For example, if the theme of the day is flowers, then the members can look out for names such as daisy, carnation, and tulips.

#16. Bucket List

The bucket list is an interactive activity where members discuss and list goals and talk about ways to achieve those goals.

The team leader will group members into breakout rooms. Each group will have a member from different departments. The leader will give different tasks to the groups. For instance, reducing debtors by 80% or introducing ten exciting menu items. Group members will discuss those issues and the way forward. The groups will rejoin and share insights. Departmental members will then compile a team bucket list inspired by ideas the groups shared.

The bucket list activity is among the top virtual communication games that improve communication, problem-solving and collaboration in teams.

#17. Search and Find

Search and find requires keen powers of observation.

The leader will give members a series of pictures with not-so-obvious details. The players’ task will be to interpret the images and find as many oddities as possible. The participants will list their findings. The group that gets the most correct answers wins the game.

This picture game promotes conversations among members as they search the images to find answers. This cartoon by Ella Baron, below, is a good example of search and find images.

Source: Ella Baron &Times Literary Supplement

Online communication activities and games play an important role in developing communication skills. Some outcomes for well-executed virtual games include improved teamwork, increased response time, and fewer misunderstandings caused by messaging.

There are various virtual communication games to try with teams, such as the sign language challenge and virtual postcards. These activities and games cover important aspects of communication like active listening, concise speaking, responsiveness, and constructive debates. The skills your team will gain empower them to become better communicators.

Next, check out this list of virtual icebreaker questions .

FAQ: virtual communication games

Here are answers to common questions about virtual communication games.

What are some virtual communication games to play with coworkers?

Some of the best online communication exercises for colleagues include:

  • birthday line up
  • read a book challenge
  • funny pet contest

These activities are interactive and more interesting when involving more players.

What are the best virtual communication activities for work?

You can engage individuals in check-in greetings, the good turn challenge, and the shopping spree game. These virtual activities promote interaction, empathy, and open-mindedness.

What are good ideas to improve team communication in virtual offices?

Inbox zero challenge, the bucket list, and the sign language challenge are creative ideas for enhancing team spirit. These ideas are in line with most organizations’ objectives and core values. Also, the ideas foster respect and improve employee relationships, trust, and confidence.

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Aastha Bensla

Aastha, a passionate industrial psychologist, writer, and counselor, brings her unique expertise to Risely. With specialized knowledge in industrial psychology, Aastha offers a fresh perspective on personal and professional development. Her broad experience as an industrial psychologist enables her to accurately understand and solve problems for managers and leaders with an empathetic approach.

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