Every group can use a bit of purposeful fun to make their work worthwhile. Ignite magazine's Sherryll Sobie recently gathered these eight fun teambuilding activities to consider for your next corporate team event.
1. High octane. Get your group revved up to promote camaraderie. At Circuit Mont Tremblant, participants begin with a classroom session, then suit up to put theory into practice burning rubber around a racetrack. JimRussell.com
2. Drum roll please. Drum Cafe Canada helps participants create rhythmic beats to break down barriers, unify teams and celebrate diversity. "Drumming is a centuries old method of getting people to focus on a common goal," says general manager Chris O'Neil. DrumCafe.ca
3. Urban safari. Offer attendees a new brand of customized city tour that encourages interacting with locals. "In one case, teams of eight had to convince a police officer to allow them to squeeze into the back of a cruiser, and ask him to snap a photo for evidence," says Flip Events partner Joan Bendon. FlipEvents.com
4. Goodbye air guitar. Inside every corporate exec is the heart of a rock star. At Rock the Stars, facilitators teach groups to rip a riff with real instruments, and unleash their stage presence. "We've been blown away by some of the group 'performances,' says founder Stewart Hall. RockTheStars.com
5. Play with purpose. The Some Assembly Required program is more than just child's play. Frontier Team Building leads groups through tasks, rewarding them with parts to make hydrogen fuel-cell toy race cars. After assembly, groups can donate the toys to a children's charity, says program director Claudia Valle. FrontierGroup.biz
6. Now we're cooking. Guests can watch and learn cooking techniques from celebrity chefs such as Christine Cushing or Mark McEwan, in an intimate setting. Select by chef or by type of cuisine, such as sushi. TheChefUpstairs.com
7. Train like an Olympian. Help your team learn what it takes to succeed, from the best of the best in sports. The Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence in Victoria has launched a program applying the wisdom of sports psychologists, dietitians and physiologists to day-to-day life and work. PiseWorld.com
8. Possibilities, right-brained style. Art educators help willing participants push the boundaries of innovation. Your group's toolkit includes glue sticks, paper, a rainbow of markets, copper wire and Styrofoam balls. The goal: create an object and make your pitch to sell it to the others. BeyondTheBox.ca