planning tips
typically feature a live host, themed rounds and live 
leaderboards to boost employee engagement and  
foster collaboration.
AXE THROWING
Axe throwing has evolved into a popular – if 
unconventional – team-building exercise that swaps 
traditional office workshops for a high-energy, physical 
experience. Since most people have never thrown an axe, 
everyone starts at the same skill level, encouraging a fun 
and shared learning experience where colleagues help 
each other improve – the essence of team building. Just 
mind those sharp blades.
9 DIMENSIONS
Building better team relationships and improving group 
dynamics often means sharing something about ourselves 
and finding the space to discuss and be honest about 
skills and learning opportunities. In this exercise, each 
team member receives a set of red, blue, green and 
yellow dots alongside the nine dimensions, or values, 
considered important to getting to know each other. For 
example, some of those dimensions could be things like 
“Adventure,” “Career,” “Creative Outlets” or “Community 
Service,” and each member places a dot where they think 
they’re crushing it (green dot), need to work on a little 
(yellow dot), need to work on a lot (red dot) or are not a 
priority (blue dot). Participants are then invited to share 
their thoughts on the reasons they may feel confident in 
some areas but not others. (Anyone throwing down all 
greens can be invited to leave!)
TWO TRUTHS & A LIE
Not all team-building games need to reinvent the wheel. 
Keeping it simple is tried and tested, particularly with new 
teams or groups that aren’t used to team building. 
Two Truths & A Lie is a well-known icebreaker in which 
participants tell – as the name suggests – one lie amongst 
two true personal facts about themselves. The rest of the 
group then attempts to guess the lie – followed by the 
participant explaining why they weren’t recently hang 
gliding in the Swiss Alps or solo climbing on El Capitan.  
It’s a good way to break the ice and have a little fun with 
each other.
CRITICAL THINKING
One of the last suggestions for team building, but perhaps 
the most important, are exercises designed to challenge 
and enhance individual thinking. Ironically, it’s often 
misunderstood that the best teams are, after all, composed 
of individuals. In a world constantly changing and being 
shaped by AI, automation and other external forces, the 
one resource that you can always rely on is the efficacy of 
your own mind. There are myriad resources for exercises 
and training in this category and ways to enhance  
group discussions.
THE RESISTANCE
Remember, many of the old ideas on team-building 
exercises are stubbornly resistant to change. Right now, 
company planners everywhere are investing time and 
money into activities that pay no dividends in the long 
run. So don’t be one of them – change things up and 
experiment. There’s nothing wrong with gathering a few 
colleagues together and testing ideas out beforehand, 
even off site or after working hours. At least then you can 
be more liberal with the Cabernet.
Resources 
Check out some of the links below for the 
best team-building exercises in your group:
•	Online trivia:  
museumhack.com/online-trivia-games-for-zoom
•	Team-building options:  
sessionlab.com/blog/team-building-activities
•	Critical thinking:  
asana.com/resources/critical-thinking-skills
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Spring/Summer 2026      CORPORATE MEETINGS & EVENTS

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