Productivity slows down by 21% when an employee feels isolated. This is actually backed by a study by Gallup that revealed that loneliness, especially those in structured situations can affect the productivity of employees. 

To combat this, one of the small ways you can do to start eliminating workplace loneliness is by having team-building activities. There are loads of engaging recreational tasks that you can do with your team and you have the option to do weekly, monthly, or even quarterly. 

And here, we will show you some of the best and most efficient team building activities you can try. 

The best part? 

They center on storytelling in business; thus, making it easy on the company budget and heavy on the emotional connection. You can even do them virtually, which is a good option for companies working from home as they make for great online energizers. 

Story of your name

Overview: The team can huddle up and take turns in sharing the story behind their names.

Purpose: This is great for icebreakers as it helps the members get even more familiar with the names of their peers. 

Time: Approximately 1-2 minutes per participant. 

Instructions: 

1. Start the session by asking the team the story behind their name. You can ask its meaning in their culture or how their parents came to choose that name. Members are free to elaborate on their first name, last name, and nickname, or whatever else.
2. The team leader may go first to help the team grasp the flow better. From there, you can task the current speaker to pick the next one. 
3. It is important to note that not every person in the circle may feel comfortable indulging everyone in the story of their name and identity. Instead, you can give a choice to add lies or lie completely. It can be just as fun to guess if they are bluffing, plus it takes the pressure off their shoulders.

PowerPoint Karaoke

Overview: Think of the game as a PowerPoint version of Russian roulette as you will never know what you are going to get.

Purpose: It tests the ability of the team to improvise and brush up on their communication skills by working with the randomized slide they have received. 

Time: Approximately 2 minutes per participant.

Instructions: 

1. Prior to the meeting, the leader must ask the members to prepare one presentation slide of their choosing. It could be a part of their monthly report, pitch, or other slides. You can even put a comedic spin to it and encourage them to pass funny slides with no context. These slides don’t even have to relate to each other. 

Tip: For best results, advise them to pick a page with many visuals and little text.

1. Gather the submissions and randomize them.
2. The leader can go first or find a brave volunteer in the group. The chosen presenter has to present the slide and think on their feet. 

Story Spine

Overview: The team will build a story, but this time they must follow a structure that will help them focus on the details. This was created by theater artist Kenn Adams and popularized by Emma Coats, a Pixar story artist.

Purpose: The activity will help the team exercise their improvisation and collaboration muscles. 

Time: Approximately 10 to 60 minutes. 

Instructions: 

1. The leader must prepare a flip chart or slide for the team with leading phrases that must feature the flow of the game. You may choose to shorten or add more phrases to prolong the game. The leading phrases can be as follows:
   1. Once upon a time…
   2. Every day…
   3. But one day…
   4. Because of that…
   5. Until finally…
2. The leader may choose to go first or get a volunteer. Each member must provide a sentence based on the statement assigned to them.
3. The game is finished once the team has completed the story outline.

Ready, set, play! 

We hope that you’re as excited as we are in trying out one of the storytelling exercises. Pick one for your next team event, and observe the effect it has on your team dynamics and team’s business storytelling skills. It will definitely foster meaningful connections between you and every single one of your employees, especially during this pandemic. 

For information on how to use storytelling in business situations and on how to become a better storyteller, visit Power-of-Storytelling.com.

Also Read – How to help small businesses during the outbreak of Coronavirus