Why Escape Rooms are the Best Team Building Activity
Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.
Andrew Carnegie
What Makes Team Building so Important?
As an owner of a small business myself, I am always looking for ways to improve morale among my employees. One thing I have learned through the years is that when workers have fun with each other and feel comfortable with their team, they often become more invested in the business as a whole. This obviously leads to better performance and a positive company culture.
Hosting a Team Building Event Has 5 Different Benefits:
- Networking
- Showing Appreciation
- Fostering Creativity
- Building Trust
- Generating Open Communication
Why Choose to do an Escape Room Over Other Team Building Activities?
Here I will go over each of the 5 benefits and why escape rooms are the best option for accomplishing these benefits:
Benefit #1:
Bringing everyone in your team/workspace to any type of event is bound to create networking opportunities for all involved. You can even say that putting workers in any situation that differs from the norm will create chances to network.
So why go to an escape room? Isn’t networking possible anywhere?
While it is true that just getting people in one place at the same time will build networking opportunities, having a unique experience will usually create more interaction among everyone involved. For instance, in an escape room scenario, players are required to depend on one another to progress through their environment. This means that everyone placed in that situation is going to have to be actively engaged with one another.
This is why escape rooms differ from other activities such as bowling or going to a restaurant. Because interaction with the group is basically mandatory, this will ensure that no one (not even the soft spoken introvert who rarely talks) is going to be disinterested or bored while sitting in the corner on their phone.
I have seen it time and time again, by the time any corporate group is finished with their experience (whether they won or not), everyone seems to be in a state of excitement and eagerness to talk about what they had just encountered.
Benefit #2:
While there are many ways to show appreciation for your employees, having them undergo a team building event at an escape room is a much more hands-on approach to acknowledging that you, and the company, value them as people. By actively participating with your workers, you are expressing to them that they are seen as more than just another cog in the machine.
Although it may seem easier to give out gift cards or treat everyone in the office to have some free pizza as a reward for good behavior, going out to an escape room will create special memories between the manager and his/her work team.
When in an escape room, there are no boundaries, no subordinates and superiors, everyone is on the same level. By crafting a situation where there is no hierarchy, employees will take notice that you see them as individuals with different strengths and weaknesses. Instead of just being their boss, you will suddenly become a comrade and partner that has chosen to partake in a unique journey together.
At the end of the day, showing that you are present and in the moment while problem solving alongside your employees is the ultimate way to show that you care for them and appreciate all their hard work.
Benefit #3:
The partaking of an escape room experience is the epitome of creative problem solving. No other activity will challenge your brain the way an escape room will.
By having a team working side by side to think of creative solutions to unconventional problems, you will be giving everyone an opportunity to be innovative and unlock the part of their brain that makes them look at things in a different light.
While partaking in an escape room, it is very common for people to discover unique thought processes that they didn’t even know they had. Having your staff challenged by peculiar riddles and puzzles will strengthen their sense of creativity and innovativeness. Everyone will leave the event in a state of reflection in which they will rationalize the results they came up with and ponder how they could have done things differently.
Ultimately, the experience of an escape room is sure to leave your employees with a different perspective on how they and their fellow team members think.
Benefit #4:
The experience of an escape room is a certain way to build trust within a group of individuals. Since no outside knowledge is needed in order to solve the problems you will face, it is an absolute requirement that you and everyone in the room work together. Brainstorming with colleagues is essential to solving and (hopefully) conquering the room in time.
While some groups may start out with each individual trying to find solutions on their own, they will soon realize that in order to win, everyone must put their heads together. By paying attention to others’ ideas and interpretations of different concepts, the team will eventually grasp the notion of trusting one another and will soon discover that everyone has something to bring to the table.
The new found sense of trust in each other will eventually be passed on into the workplace. All participants will leave the escape room with a better perspective on how each person can contribute to the group as a whole. The team dynamic is sure to change into one where all members have a higher sense of confidence in each other’s abilities and feel that they can rely on their team when faced with challenges.
Benefit #5:
Effective teamwork begins and ends with communication.
Mike Krzyzewski, Hall of Fame collegiate and Olympic basketball coach
One of the most important aspects of group efficiency is having open communication. In order for everyone to work at their peak performance level, they must perceive their workspace as a sanctuary where they can be comfortable speaking their thoughts and opinions.
Fortunately, escape rooms are a great way to help foster a company culture that values tolerance of everyone’s perspectives. By working together on unconventional challenges where communication is essential, the team will ultimately come to the conclusion that their effectiveness as colleagues all boils down to how well they can connect with each other and convey important information.
Having your team practice articulating their thoughts in an environment free of any real negative ramifications is the perfect way to establish an open, judgment free work space for everyone. An escape room is an excellent place for co-workers to practice effective open communication. It’s a safe place where they can get to know each other better and figure out how to get their points across.
Why Escapeability is a Great Option for your Next Team Building Event?
Here at escapeability we have had tons of corporate groups come and go, some succeeding by making it out in time and some that were not so lucky, but the one thing they all had in common is leaving our facilities with a sense of comradery. Even the teams that start off with a bit of awkwardness end up departing with smiles and laughter. In our 7 years of business we have never had a corporate group that did not absolutely admire their experience.
We have the utmost respect and care for all of our customers and do everything possible to accommodate every company’s needs. We have 5 rooms in which 4 can fit up to 8 people and a team vs team room that fits up to 20. We also have a party room where your team can bring food and discuss your experience afterwards. We try to work with each group individually to make their experience one to always remember.
We also try to assist with special requests as much as possible. If you have something you’re not certain about please feel free to ask. We will do everything in our power to make sure you and your team not only learn from your experience, but have a blast while making enjoyable memories together that will last a lifetime.
