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Time Business News
04-07-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
7 Proven Corporate Team Building Activities That Actually Work
Every workplace is built on its people. Teams aren't just groups of employees working side by side, they're made up of individuals with different ways of thinking, communicating, and tackling challenges. When those differences are brought together in the right way, they create high-performing teams ready to take on anything. Research shows that 79% of employees believe team building strengthens relationships. That's a powerful statistic. Companies with engaged teams can even double their revenue compared to those with poor engagement. Think about it. When colleagues know each other, trust each other, and enjoy working together, the results flow naturally. Team building is not just a fun day out of the office. It's a strategic investment in people. In this article, I'll share seven proven corporate team building activities that truly work. These aren't time fillers or awkward icebreakers. They are practical ways to boost morale, build trust, and create a workplace where people want to stay and perform at their best. Let's explore activities that will uplift your team culture and leave everyone feeling valued and inspired. Communication forms the backbone of any successful team. Without clear understanding, even the best plans fail. One of the simplest and most effective activities is Blind Drawing. In this exercise, team members pair up and sit back-to-back. One person describes a picture without naming it directly, while the other draws based on these instructions. This builds interpretation, leadership, and clarity under pressure. Another favourite is Birthday Line Up. Teams must line up according to their birthdays without speaking. They can only use gestures and signs to communicate. It's a fast way to build non-verbal communication skills and cooperation. Don't forget the classic Charades. Acting out words or phrases without speaking pushes team members to rely on non-verbal cues. It encourages laughter, bonds people through humour, and builds confidence in expressing ideas creatively. These corporate team building activities deliver quick results. They foster psychological safety by encouraging openness and understanding. Employees walk away feeling more comfortable sharing ideas in meetings and projects. Problem-solving under pressure builds resilience and critical thinking. It teaches teams to work through challenges together. The Egg Drop is a timeless example. Teams receive limited materials like straws, tape, and newspaper to design a structure that keeps an egg safe when dropped from a height. This builds planning, creativity, and resourcefulness. Then there's the Human Knot. Standing in a circle, team members reach across to hold hands with others, creating a 'knot'. Their task is to untangle themselves without letting go. This requires flexibility, patience, and collaboration. Lost at Sea is another brilliant activity. Teams imagine they are stranded at sea with limited items. They must rank these items based on importance for survival. This promotes consensus building and resource prioritisation, with everyone's ideas being heard and valued. Companies using these activities often report improved decision-making cultures. Teams learn to listen, respect diverse opinions, and solve problems efficiently – skills that carry over directly into daily work life. Psychological safety is essential for any team. Without trust, employees hold back ideas and creativity suffers. Try the Blindfold Challenge. Team members direct a blindfolded colleague to collect specific items around a room. This builds reliance, communication clarity, and confidence in each other. Frostbite takes it further. Teams imagine they're stuck in the Arctic needing to build a shelter. The catch? The leader can't use their hands and the team is blindfolded. It teaches leadership under pressure and deep trust in guidance. Another is Tied Together, where team members are physically tied at the wrists or ankles and tasked with completing goals like building a structure or wrapping a present. It encourages goal setting, listening, and shared problem-solving. These corporate team building activities build genuine camaraderie. Companies often see reduced turnover because staff feel valued, connected, and supported in achieving goals together. Creativity fuels innovation and energises teams. Activities that encourage innovative thinking inspire people to approach work challenges with a fresh mindset. One simple activity is Coin Logo. Team members create a personal logo using only the coins in their pockets. It builds self-awareness and creative expression, opening discussions about personal values and strengths. Another is Shark Tank Pitch. Inspired by the famous show, teams come up with a product idea, brand it, and pitch it to 'investors'. This builds entrepreneurial thinking, confidence, and presentation skills. Finally, Make Your Own Movie allows teams to plan, script, film, and present a short video on a chosen theme. It combines collaborative creativity with detailed planning and execution. Research shows that creativity boosts productivity and morale. These activities break routines, bringing fun into the workplace while sharpening innovative thinking skills. Collaboration sits at the heart of effective teamwork. Activities such as Scavenger Hunts build strategic thinking and communication as teams follow clues and complete tasks within or outside the workplace. Minefield builds trust and clarity in communication, requiring blindfolded partners to be guided verbally across obstacle-filled rooms. Office Olympics introduces friendly competition with games like paper toss or balloon keep-up, boosting morale and encouraging teamwork with a dose of humour. These activities improve strategic thinking and communication, nurturing unity that flows naturally into daily collaboration Busy schedules don't always allow time for long activities. Micro team-building games offer quick morale boosts without disrupting the workday. One Word Story is a quick collaboration exercise. Team members build a story one word at a time, encouraging listening and creativity. A Paper Plane Contest takes only minutes. Each person makes a paper plane and competes for the furthest flight. It adds fun, laughter, and light competition to short breaks. The Appreciation Game is powerful and simple. Team members share one thing they appreciate about a colleague. It builds positive reinforcement and lifts morale instantly. These quick activities remind teams of the power of small moments in building connection and energy throughout the day. Hybrid and remote work has made virtual team building essential. Virtual Escape Rooms engage teams with online puzzle challenges that build problem-solving and teamwork skills in an enjoyable, immersive way. Coffee Roulette pairs team members randomly for casual chats, building cross-department connections and humanising the virtual workplace. Trivia Showdown adds learning, energy, and friendly competition to online meetings. These activities strengthen remote culture and improve retention by keeping distributed employees connected and valued. Team building is not just about games. It's about building trust, boosting morale, encouraging creativity, and enhancing productivity. These corporate team building activities are proven to work because they bring people together meaningfully. They build bonds that translate into better collaboration, stronger performance, and happier workplaces. Consider integrating these activities into your team's routine. Contact your HR or leadership team today to plan your next session. Investing in your people is the smartest move you'll make this month. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blake Griffin: Mavericks should not trade No. 1 pick, take Cooper Flagg
Blake Griffin: Mavericks should not trade No. 1 pick, take Cooper Flagg Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill spoke to former No. 1 overall pick and six-time All-Star Blake Griffin about Dallas winning the NBA draft lottery and whether the team should select the Duke forward. Blake joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Wayfair. View more Video Transcript Today, we are joined by Blake Griffin on behalf of Advertisement Blake, Cooper Flack, he's walking in to replace theoretically, if they keep the pick and they pick him and everything else, he's going in to replace the first guy that they thought or the second guy behind Dirk, that they thought was going to be staying there forever. Like that's a different level of pressure that I would say that could be the case for Cooper Flag, right? Yeah, I mean, I, I, I, I saw somebody talking about like should the Mavs move the pair I I I think that's a terrible idea, but to be fair, I also thought moving Luca for that was also a bad idea, so why would you, I don't think you trade that pick at all. Yeah, I think Cooper is gonna be like impactful right away. Advertisement Adding Cooper flag to Anthony Davis to Clay, to Kyrie when he come when he's when he's healthy, uh, like that team is that team is good. Yeah. That's a very, very good team. I know, I know Nico was watching that lottery, like, come on, I need I need this so bad. I wonder what I wonder what the Dallas fans are like thinking right now. Like, are they, do you think they ease up off of him a little bit? Absolutely not. They're afraid he's going to trade that pick to the Lakers for Austin Reeves. Yes, that's what they think. And a bag of beans or something like that. They are afraid that Nico is getting is getting worked right now by Rob Polinka on the phone and they're meeting up at some coffee house. Advertisement That's so good. You need another washing machine. That's, no, I hope not. Let's just say that for Nico's sake, he better do the right thing. Yeah. Now, Blake, of course, you're here with us on behalf of Wayfair. You're wearing purple. I know the color, I know the app. Tell us about your partnership with Wayfair. I've seen you in a couple of those commercials. Yeah, um, I did a, did a campaign called Charades, uh, where people get the opportunity to act out their favorite chair. And there's, by the way, there's 200,000 of them on Wayfair. It's really cool. I mean, I, I enjoyed this collaboration a lot just because, like I said, there are so many choices. Advertisement There's a style for everybody. Charades will be a a a contest, so people can like act out their favorite chairs for a chance to win $1000 to Wayfair. And like I said, with all those options, you can you can get pretty much anything you need. Blake, man, really this is really, really fun, man. I really appreciate you. Thanks again, Blake. Thanks for having me, appreciate it.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chile Launches New Perks, Asian Outreach as It Debuts Oscar-Winning Sebastián Lelio's ‘The Wave' at Cannes
Chile marks a standout year at Cannes with 'The Wave' from Oscar and Berlinale winner Sebastián Lelio ('A Fantastic Woman,' 'Gloria') playing in the Cannes Premiere sidebar and 'The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo' from Cannes Cinéfondation winner Diego Cespedes, world premiering at Un Certain Regard. 'The Wave' is a musical inspired by the 2018 feminist protests in Chile while 'Flamingo' is an LGBTQ-themed drama set in a mining town. They highlight the diversity of Chilean cinema—ranging from an Oscar-winning veteran to a debut feature director—as Chile moves forward with collaboration agreements in Asia and aims to attract international shoots through new tax incentives, leveraging its rich talent pool and diverse locations. More from Variety Cannes Launches With Muted Opening Night Short on Star Power - And Cleavage Prestige Acquires Worldwide Rights to Action Sci-Fi Film 'Heavens: The Boy and His Robot' (EXCLUSIVE) Tom Cruise Teases 'Never Been Done Before' Stunts in 'Mission: Impossible 8,' Including Wing-Walking: 'It Was So Violent on That Airplane' Both films quickly secured sales agents ahead of their Cannes showings, with FilmNation Entertainment boarding 'The Wave' and Charades snagging Diego Céspedes' pic, which is lead produced by Chile's Quijote Films and Les Valseurs, France. 'La Ola's selection at Cannes is an immense joy. It's a film born in a country and region with no real tradition in musical cinema, which pushed us to invent our own way of working within the genre—blending spectacle with politics, trying to reflect the political cacophony we're living through, and using song, movement and dance to speak about urgent issues that affect us all,' said Lelio. 'Making this film was a major challenge for the Chilean film industry—a demanding co-creation effort from every angle, and one from which we learned immensely. I'm especially proud to introduce a whole new generation of over 100 young Chilean artists, making their debut here with incredible talent and passion,' he added. Meanwhile, 'Flamingo' was shot in Chile's Atacama Desert, the driest nonpolar desert in the world, of which Quijote's Giancarlo Nasi remarked: 'We love shooting in the extreme locations of Chile, our last pic, 'The Settlers,' was filmed in the frigid Tiera de Fuego.' 'I feel that, both narratively and cinematically, stories set in remote, inhospitable places heighten every emotion and challenge. It's not the same to tell a story in a city as it is in an extreme location—everything is amplified. That's something deeply Chilean, something we at Quijote are drawn to: exploring realities that feel emotionally familiar, even if they're geographically distant,' he said. 'Atacama's heat can still be intense but my cast and crew were incredible, and we overcame every challenge together,' said Cespedes, adding: 'Cannes has been my school—I've shown both my short films there, joined the residence, and now I'm in Un Certain Regard. I'm deeply grateful for the chance to share my work.' Quijote has been the first to tap Chile's revived tax incentives, with Rodrigo Susarte's 'Invunche' in post and Bruno Fatumbi's 'Colmeia,' a co-production with Brazil's Dezenove, in preproduction. 'Chile's High-Impact Audiovisual Investment Support Program (IFI Audiovisual) was suspended from 2019 until its reactivation in 2024,' noted producer Gabriela Sandoval, president of producers org, APCT. The program was relaunched with new conditions, including a reimbursement of up to 30% of qualified expenses in Chile, and up to 40% for productions carried out entirely in regions outside the Metropolitan Region, she explained. 'Chile holds every landscape imaginable—one of the richest countries in the world in natural diversity,' said Nasi, who was among the delegations that visited China and India as part of Chile's drive to attract more Asian collaborations and location shoots in Chile. APCT vice president and CinemaChile co-director Alexandra Galvis views the path that Chile is opening, particularly in India, as a major opportunity for its audiovisual industry, which has always relied on international co-productions. 'Recent awards from Asia show our cinema can build meaningful collaborations in the region. Our work with India has already been valuable, exposing us to new models and production scales. We're hopeful about what this could lead to in the medium term. It's also promising that our Ministry of Culture is supporting co-production agreements with India, China and Japan, laying the groundwork for long-term partnerships,' she said. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Mikey Madison joins lead cast of Alejandro Landes directorial thriller drama 'Reptilia'
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) Oscar-winning actress Mikey Madison will be co-starring with Kirsten Dunst in the upcoming thriller film 'Reptilia', reported Variety. According to the outlet, the thriller tells the story of a dental hygienist who is seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida's exotic animal trade. Filmmaker Alejandro Landes Echavarria, who is known for directing the series 'Monos' will helm the movie. Operation Sindoor 'Pakistan army moving its troops in forward areas': Key takeaways from govt briefing 'Pak used drones, long-range weapons, jets to attack India's military sites' 'Attempted malicious misinformation campaign': Govt calls out Pakistan's propaganda 'Reptilia' movie is based on a script by Landes Echavarria and Duke Merriman. The film will be introduced to international buyers at the Cannes market by Charades. Principal photography will commence this fall, reported Variety. Before her award-winning role in 'Anora' the actress Madison appeared in 'Scream 5' and had a supporting turn in Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.' On Television, Madison was part of the ensemble of FX's 'Better Things.' Madison will be joined by Kirsten Durnst who won the best actress prize at Cannes for 'Melancholia' and was nominated for an Oscar for 'The Power of the Dog.' Her other roles include 'The Virgin Suicides,' "Marie Antoinette,' and 'Spider-Man.' Dunst will next appear in Derek Cianfrance's "Roofman" opposite Channing Tatum and in Ruben Ostlund's "The Entertainment System Is Down." Landes Echavarria's previous film, 'Monos,' was premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award, reported Variety. It went on to win the award for Best Film at the 2019 BFI London Film Festival and was selected as the official Colombian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. The director Echavarria's narrative debut "Porfirio" premiered at Cannes Directors' Fortnight in 2011, while his first feature, the documentary "Cocalero" - debuted at Sundance in 2007.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Asghar Farhadi to Direct ‘Parallel Tales' in Paris With Powerful French Cast, Including Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney, Adam Bessa (EXCLUSIVE)
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Twelve years after making his French-language directorial debut with 'The Past,' two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi is set to return to Paris for his next film, 'Parallel Tales.' The film, whose plot remains under wraps, brings together a powerful French cast, including Isabelle Huppert ('Elle'), Virginie Efira ('Benedetta'), Vincent Cassel ('Black Swan'), Pierre Niney ('The Count of Monte Cristo') and Adam Bessa ('Ghost Trail'). Iconic French actor Catherine Deneuve will also make an appearance in the film. More from Variety Produced by long-time collaborator Alexandre Mallet-Guy alongside with Asghar Farhadi and David Levine, the prestige project will be launched by Charades and UTA Independent Film Group at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. Charades will handle international sales, while UTA Independent Film Group will rep U.S. rights. Farhadi is set to begin production on 'Parallel Tales' in Paris this fall. The Iranian director's most recent film, 'A Hero,' earned the Grand Prize at Cannes in 2021 and was nominated for a Golden Globe. 'Parallel Tales' marks Farhadi's eagerly awaited follow up to 'A Hero' which earned the Grand Prize at Cannes in 2021. The helmer, who is attached to France through his friendship and collaboration with Mallet-Guy, previously struck a chord with 'The Past' which starred Tahar Rahim and Berenice Bejo. The movie competed at Cannes in 2013 and won best actress for Bejo, and received five César nominations and a Golden Globe nomination in 2014. Besides 'The Past,' Mallet-Guy's Paris-based company Memento Production three more films by Farhadi, 'The Salesman,' which won two awards at Cannes for its screenplay and lead actor in 2016, and the Oscar for best foreign language film the following year; 'Everybody Knows,' Farhadi's Spanish-language debut starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, which opened and competed at Cannes in 2018; and lastly 'A Hero.' On top of producing, Memento, which is one of France's leading distribution companies, will handle the release 'Parallel Tales' in France. The cast of 'Parallel Tales' is particularly exciting as it mixes some of the biggest names in French cinema from different generations and cinematic horizons, notably Huppert and Efira, and Cassel and Niney, whose recent epic film 'The Count of Monte-Cristo' was France's second biggest box office hit in 2024 with 10 million admissions sold. Bessa, meanwhile, is a rising French talent who was nominated for a Cesar Award for his performance in 'Ghost Trail' earlier this year. 'Parallel Tales' is expected to be theatrically released in France in the Spring of 2026. The film will be an official French-Italian-Belgian coproduction between Alexandre Mallet-Guy's Memento Production in France, Andrea Occhipinti's Lucky Red in Italy, and André Logie's Panache Productions and Gaëtan David's La Compagnie Cinématographique in Belgium. Anonymous Content in the US will also co-produce the film. Memento Production, whose auteur-driven production credits include Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Palme d'Or 'Winter Sleep' and 'On Barren Weeds,' is headed for a strong Cannes Film Festival with Tarik Saleh's 'Eagles of The Republic' set to world premiere in competition. 'Eagles of The Republic' will reteam Mallet-Guy's Memento Production with Saleh following 'Cairo Conspiracy' which had won best script at Cannes in 2022. Anonymous Content's credits include Oscar-winning films such as 'The Revenant,' 'Spotlight,' 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and 'Mr. Robot,' along with recent and upcoming projects such as 'The Nickel Boys,' 'True Detective: Season 4,' Alfonso Cuarón's 'Disclaimer,' 'East of Eden' starring Florence Pugh, and 'Neuromancer' starring Callum Turner. Executive producer credits include Carole Baraton, Yohann Comte, Pierre Mazars, Yousra Filali, Stefano Massenzi, Chadwick Prichard, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, Maciej Musial and Lila Yacoub. Asghar Farhadi Best of Variety Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
