One of my favorite team-building activities of late has been the “Line Up.” It’s an exercise that involves all of the participants lining up single-file according to a specified criteria. As an example, you might have everyone line-up alphabetically by first name. As you specify different criteria, you can add conditions like not being able to talk or having everyone close their eyes.
The normal exercise is great for large groups–you get people moving around and visually learning about their peers through where they stand in each line. However the real fun I’ve had with the exercise is with smaller teams. Having 7-10 people go through the exercise gives you time to discuss the different challenges and really get to know each other.
If you’d like to incorporate the Line Up team-building activity into your next gathering, you can follow the instructions in the following presentation, or download it and take it with you. The presentation provides instructions, an example, and a set of 8 criteria that build trust each step of the way. Some additional team-building tips are included after the presentation.
Some additional tips to make the most of this team-building activity:
- There are countless other criteria you could use; if you decide to switch them up, think about what topics the participants would gain from learning about each other.
- The order of the slides is important as the challenges should slowly build in amount of discussion and intimacy of questions.
- The last challenge allows you to gauge the effectiveness of the exercise. Regardless of how people respond, you can share with them one of my favorite notes about team-building:
- “Studies show that people become closer when they share emotion and experiences. So if you guys love this exercise, then I’ve done my job because you’ve become closer over the activity. If you guys hated this exercise, I’ve still done my job because you’ve become closer together over all hating me for making you do it.”
Done this activity before? What’s your favorite criteria to use? Share it in the comments!
Q: What can I study to become a better presenter?
A: Improv
Q: Is there a way to learn how to think on my feet?
A: Improv
Q: What can I do to improve my creativity?
A: Improv
Q: How can I demonstrate the keys to successful communication?
A: Improv
Q: What’s a fun event I could host at my company off-site?
A: Improv
Q: How can I build trust with my co-workers?
A: Improv
Q: Is there a team-building activity that’s actually fun?
A: Improv
Q: How do I teach someone about humor?
A: Improv
Q: What’s a fun and easy way to get started in comedy?
A: Improv
Q: What is the shorter word for improvisation?
A: Improv
To learn more about improv, check out these other great improv posts.
Patricia Ryan Madson, author of one of my favorite books on improv, Improv Wisdom, has been teaching for more than four decades, with a quarter century of experience as a instructor in improvisation. I talked with Patricia about her book and the value of improv in life and the workplace.
Patricia Ryan Madson
To hear our discussion, check out the audio below:
Highlights of our talk include:
- What is Improv Wisdom all about? (0:43)
- Want 40% higher self-esteem? Take improv classes. (7:10)
- Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up. (10:35)
- Raise your hands and say, “Tada!” (16:28)
- The value of stating the obvious. (21:15)
- Improv makes really nice people. (23:56)
- “Mommy! There’s a monster in my closet!” (32:09)
For more, check out:
And last but not least, I’ve transcribed the interview for those who prefer reading to listening (note: it has been edited for clarity). You can find the transcription at:
Note: This is the second Humor Talks interview, a series with some of today’s thought leaders on the topic of humor and fun in the workplace. You can sign-up for the Humor Newsletter to stay up-to-date with new interviews or get all future interviews via Podcast.
“Humor is an intrinsic part of living and working” is the conclusion of an older article I was recently given. The article, titled Humor in the Workplace: A Communication Challenge by Robert A. Vartabedian and Laurel Klinger Vartabedian, professors of speech communication, explores the value of humor at work.
Some interesting notes from the paper:
- “Humor plays an important role in corporate culture…the more astute one is regarding the uses and misuses of humor, the more effectively one is perceived.” (page 4)
- The four areas humor is most positively applicable include: social benefits, and leadership, psychological, and physical enhancement. (page 7)
- “…research has shown that managers displaying a good sense of humor are given more opportunities in organizations than those without a sense of humor.” (page
- Some of the social benefits of humor include: group cohesiveness, reduction of status differentials, diffusion of conflict, and team-building among diverse groups. (page 9)
- “Humor helps individuals view themselves and others more objectively and helps build rapport, trust, and acceptance of diversity among team members.” (page 9)
- Humor allows people to see novel connections and otherwise elusive relationships by stimulating the right part of the brain which controls creative thinking. (page 9)
- Using humor doesn’t mean being a full-time comedian: “One opening joke can set a positive tone for an entire meeting.” (page 11)
Source: Humor in the Workplace: A Communication Challenge by Robert A. Vartabedian and Laurel Klinger Vartabedian, presented at the annual meeting of the Speech Communication Association, Miami, November, 1993.
