Trust is one of the main attributes of a successful team. A trusted team member is someone who:
- Follows through on commitments
- Speaks honestly & acts with integrity
- Respects others
- Acts with the best interests of the team in mind
- Has your back
Group activities that build trust are ones where participants learn things about each other and see one another in a different light. Look for activities that are inclusive and designed so that participants feel vulnerable in a safe and accepting way. For example a team lip sync contest where participants perform in front of colleagues (vulnerable) and receive a huge round of applause when they finish (safe & accepting).
Activities that require a skill that not everyone has are not good at building trust. For example rock climbing or golf where the ones who are skilled excel while the rest of the group feels inferior or left out. Puzzle challenges can also be like this where the smartest ones in the group come up with the answers and the rest become observers rather than participants.