Learning is a lifelong process, and one that’s important no matter your profession. Training is essential for learning how to do your job effectively and for facilitating a knowledgeable and impactful team. Savvy trainers balance information sharing with more experiential activities to bring key concepts to life. 

One of the best ways to do this is with training games for teams. In this guide, we’re sharing our favorite training ideas and exercises to help your team work smarter. 

25 Training games for work teams

Games enabling effective learning

1. Catch-All

For this group, have everyone stand in a circle and begin with a ball. Share which topic the exercise will be based on, and then let everyone know that they will be stating something they have previously learned about the topic. Then, throw the ball to the next person. If, for instance, your topic is accounting, then when one person has the ball, they might say something like “I learned that most tax issues come down to manual accounting errors.” Then they’ll toss the ball to the next person, who will share another bit of information they know or have learned previously. This makes training a lot more interactive, as everyone gets the chance to contribute and learn from a variety of perspectives. 

2. Walking questions

This is another exercise that encourages interaction and cooperation. Start by giving everyone a sheet of paper and having them sit in a circle. Each trainee writes down one open question pertaining to the training topic. Then they hand the paper to the person on their right. That person will read the question and write down any answers or insights they might have. Then they add another question and hand the paper to the right. The exercise is over when everyone gets their original sheet back. It should give everyone something to review with plenty of Q & A to look over. 

3. Angry customers

This is a simple and popular activity that involves real-life scenarios and role-playing. Have your team divide into pairs, with one of them playing the role of “angry customer” and the other being the employee trying to appease them. Have them go through a conversation where the customer is upset about something, and discuss the potential resolution. Then they switch places and come up with a new scenario. If time allows in your training session, have each pair present to the group and share which conflict resolution measures they took and what they learned. 

4. Snowballs

This game is fun and physical, so it’s a good way to make things fun while helping people to retain new information. You can use this exercise at the beginning of a session to kick things off, or you can use it at the end to help recap and share lessons learned. Start by giving everyone a sheet of paper and having them write down one idea, insights, or new concept they learned (or want to share). Have everyone crumple up their paper and have a snowball fight with them (note: you’ll need an open space where this can take place). Set a timer for a minute or two, and once it goes off, have everyone stop and grab the “snowball” closest to them. Then have everyone sit back down and read their paper out loud. This way you’re not only exposing everyone to new ideas, but using a creative method for helping people to  learn something new. 

5. Sentence mish-mash

It’s often necessary to present straightforward information without much activity. However, you can liven things up a bit using this method. Start by reviewing your training materials and pulling several sentences out. Write these sentences on pieces of paper that you tape up to the wall next to where you’re giving your presentation. Proceed with your slides, and then at the end, have people say where these sentences should have gone in the presentation. It’s a great way of helping people to put facts into context and also to encourage active listening. 

6. Failing success

Sometimes the best way to learn how to be successful is to fully understand what not to do. For this game, have everyone right down their goals, and then write several ways they could not reach them. For instance, you might have people list their goals for this particular training. Then have them write down a few things that would ensure they don’t meet those objectives, like not paying attention or skipping note-taking. 

7. 1-2-4 share

Everyone learns differently, and some people learn best by quietly absorbing information, while others need to talk through ideas. For this activity, start by asking a question and having everyone quietly contemplate the answer. Then, have them get into pairs and discuss their answers. Next, have two pairs sit together (forming a group of 4) and talk about their takeaways. Finally, have each group present their ideas to the larger team as a whole.  This ensures that no matter what type of learning style each attendee has, they get a chance to absorb information in that way. You can also improve presentation skills with some interactive presentation games. 

Icebreakers

8. Facts only

An effective icebreaker for training sessions helps to energize everyone present while relating to the material. Start by narrowing down a topic that everyone should understand by the end of training. Then go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves, and give one fact that relates to the topic. For example, if the topic is employee annual reviews, people could give a fact like “our review cycle begins in August”, or “the average for annual reviews ‘meets expectations’”. If you want to add another layer of complexity, you can have the group vote on if the statement is truly a fact (rather than more of an opinion). So if someone says “Employees don’t like annual reviews”, then the group would call out that it’s actually more of a personal statement and not a fact. 

9. “I expect”

You can kick off a training session and spur engagement with this simple exercise. You’ll need a blank wall and a few colored post-it notes. Break the white board or chalkboard into 4 quadrants and label them “the training”, “the trainer”, “from myself”, and “from attendees”. Each participant should take a turn filling out 4 post-its that begin “I expect”. For example, “I expect from the training to learn how to better resolve customer conflicts.” Everyone should place their sticky notes in the appropriate quadrant. Then the moderator should go through and read them, highlighting which ones are repeated often. 

10. Magic box

Get everyone’s brains tuned into the various training elements with this activity. As people introduce themselves, have them grab an object out of an imaginary box. Next, they should describe to the group what they picked and why. It should be something that relates to the training, not just a random object. Have everyone explain their object and how it helps with today’s topics. This game is a great preface to other improv games for collaboration. 

11. Best and worst

For this exercise, everyone will need to come up with two questions pertaining to “best and worst”. They should write these questions down on a piece of paper, which gets added to a bowl to be drawn from. For instance, “What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever received?” and “What’s the worst customer conflict you’ve seen?” Send the bowl of slips around the room, and have people draw out one at random. They should then do their normal introductions, and answer the question they drew. This is a fun and engaging way to get a lot of great advice and perspective. 

12. One word method

This icebreaker is easy to execute and doesn’t require any materials or preparation. Let participants know that their goal is to create a sentence that makes sense, one word at a time. Introduce the theme that the sentence should pertain to, and pick one person to start. Then go around a circle, having each person add their one word until a complete statement has been created. 

13. Pirate ship exercise

This icebreaker is a unique way to learn everyone’s different perceptions and what they bring to the table. Start by drawing a large pirate ship on a chalk or white board. Then go around the room and have each person describe who they would be on the ship, and why. For example, someone might say they would be the cook, because they love to provide for others. Someone else might say they would be the first mate, because they like to be in charge without being an authority figure. This is a fun way to learn about how people see themselves, which can help you to work with them better in the future. 

14. Workplace trivia

You can’t go wrong with workplace trivia, because it’s a great way to reiterate facts while having some fun. You can even bring out peoples’ competitive side which can be extra entertaining. Workplace trivia is especially helpful for new team members or as part of an onboarding process. Prior to your training session, come up with a list of questions to use in a trivia game. They should relate to the training material, your company, or your industry. You can also use trivia games in virtual training sessions. 

Collaborative training games

15. Marshmallow challenge

If you follow our blog, you’ve heard about this training game before. It’s a classic in the corporate world, and for good reason. To execute, you need several supplies including bags of mini marshmallows, toothpicks, tape, and string. Break people into pairs or small groups and have them build the tallest tower that they can. You can treat this as a contest and award the tallest tower, or you can just facilitate a fun, cooperative activity. Either way, teams will work together to communicate, collaborate, and problem-solve. You can explore other problem solving games or communication games in our blog. 

16. Human machine

Effective collaboration is an important part of a well-functioning team. This training game is a great way to encourage strong cooperation. Have everyone stand in a circle with one person in the middle. They should mimic part of a “machine” by making appropriate sounds or motions. After 5 seconds, another person should enter and connect to the first person, also making the right “machine” sounds and motions. Every 5 seconds a new person joins, until everyone is connected as a well-running machine. This game is also good if you’re looking for some physical activity to break up a long day, or a quick office game. 

17. Blind square-build

This is a fun, problem-solving game that’s often used in business environments to support teamwork and critical thinking. To begin, tie a long piece of rope into a circle. Let attendees know that their job is to turn the circle into a square - while blindfolded. Break the session up into two, 15-minute sessions. In the first session, they can plot and plan but must not touch the rope. In the second session, they can work together moving the rope. This game is simple and effective and has materials that are easy to come across and cheap to buy. 

18. Balance challenge

Sometimes called the “helium stick” exercise, this game creates engagement in a group and paves the way for more group learning. Have your group break into two groups and form rows. The two rows should be facing each other. Then, ask everyone to hold out their index fingers and place a long, thin rod across everyone’s fingers. They need to ensure it’s level before going further. Then, instruct them to move the rod up or down, but as a group where the rod stays level. 

19. You teach me

Everyone learns differently and has unique perspectives on things. There can be a lot of value in hearing and understanding these perspectives from other people. For this exercise, you’ll need to divide people into small groups of no more than 5. Give them all of the training materials and notes you have for the training, and instruct them to work together to come up with their own presentation. Their goal is to cover the material for everyone else present, as if they were the teacher. Teaching others is actually a powerful form of processing knowledge, and having a different perspective will help attendees to learn the material more thoroughly. 

20. Collaborative case study

How does the training material apply to real-world situations? You can help your team to understand this by using a case study exercise. Have everyone break into smaller groups (or pair off if your group is already small) and review the learning material. Their job is to work together to create a case study with real world scenarios based on what they’ve learned. For example, if the topic is customer service, then teams might come up with some potential situations where a customer is unhappy, and the team needs to take measures to resolve them. How did everything turn out? What made the effort successful? This exercise is especially great as a sales training activity. 

Closing or concluding training games

21. Letter to myself

Most team-building moderators hope that their session results in some permanent, positive changes. A great way to help people remember what they learned and think about new ways to implement those lessons is with this exercise. Provide everyone in the group with a pen and paper or postcard at the end of your training. Their job is to write a brief message to their future selves. In the letter, they should explain what they hope to achieve by the time they read that letter. They can also add key points they want to remember or key takeaways that could be helpful in the future. This activity is both fun and meaningful, and can wrap things up in a positive and constructive manner. It’s a great way to ensure that whatever training took place will actually be remembered and applied. 

22. Thinking “then and now”

This is another activity designed to facilitate positive change. In this closing exercise, ask people to share the ways that their knowledge or perspectives have changed based on the event’s activities. Have them think about something they thought they knew before the session, and describe how their opinions have changed (and why). A good template to use is “I used to think…but now I think…” If you want to streamline the session, you can have these words printed on papers that you hand out at the end of the event. Bonus points for having everyone share at the end of the day to gain even more new perspectives and bring out some great conversation. 

23. Abstract image artistry

Some people are visual learners, and seeing a visual representation of concepts can be very helpful for some people. You’ll need several canvases and art supplies for this activity (at least one canvas per person). Begin by having everyone close their eyes and think about the day’s activities and ideas. Then, have them create an abstract art piece based on what they learned. If you want to facilitate more sharing, break people up into small groups and have them show their finished product and describe their thoughts. This also leaves everyone with a great souvenir of the day, so it’s perfect for celebratory events or team-building retreats. For more creative and innovative activity ideas, make sure to follow our blog. 

24. Invisible gifts

This is a paired training activity that can help people recall ideas and improve understanding. Break people into groups of two and begin by having one person share their favorite take away from the day. Their partner will listen and then provide a “magical gift” based on their input. For example, if someone’s biggest takeaway was a conflict resolution strategy that they hope to apply to a conversation with their boss, then their partner might provide them a “magical pillow” so that they can get a good night’s rest before the conversation. Then they switch roles. If you have extra time, you can have each pair present to the larger group for further discussion. 

25. Classic quiz

Remember the phrase “There will be a quiz” from your school days? Teachers warn that there will be a test of knowledge so that people can pay adequate attention, take notes, and focus on important concepts. You can do the same with work training by instructing everyone that there will be a quiz at the end of the session. You’ll need to prepare a quiz in advance. A simple sheet with 10 or so questions on key areas will be enough to help attendees remember important  information and recall it for the quiz. 

Enhance your team retreat with training games

Any group team-building activity at work is an option to learn new things and facilitate collaboration. No matter which topics you want your employees to learn more about, you can use a training game to make things more fun and interactive. 

Training games are some of the best activities for a team-building retreat. In a full day or multi-day event, you can schedule various activities that take just a few minutes or a few hours. We suggest picking a game from each category - from icebreakers through closing activities - and interspersing them throughout your day. If you’re not sure how to put together an impactful agenda for your next work retreat, let Surf Office help.