Discover the most engaging and effective improv games for team building on our website. When you combine pleasure and business, what do you get? Play games of improvisation! Yes, try introducing some improv games to break the ice and help everyone get to know one another better the next time you and your team come together for a meeting. You might be surprised at how much fun you’ll have and how much more smoothly your meetings go. For some pointers on where to begin, continue reading.
Theater performers can hone their skills by playing improv games before going on stage. These engaging games, which you can play almost anywhere, use improvised scenarios to create cohesiveness between groups, boost self-esteem, and enhance teamwork. Your distant team members can participate in these interactive improv workshops virtually!
Best Improv Games For Team Building
The first step in introducing improv to your group, whether for pleasure or as part of a team-building activity, is to choose the appropriate games and exercises.
To make it easier for you to choose what works best for you, we have broken down some of our greatest and most efficient improv activities into parts.
1. Only Questions, Please
Conversational improvisation games are a terrific way to introduce individuals to improv for the first time. They manage to steer clear of some of the crazier, more dramatic elements of improv while being adept at gently nudging individuals out of their shells.
One variation on a traditional improv game is Questions Only. It is fairly easy to use in both real-world and virtual environments. Players are required to have a question-only dialogue. For instance, what would you say if I asked, “How is the weather on Mars?”Where did I put my space umbrella, you might ask in response. Do you stop or say something else in response? You’re done.
A round-robin variation can be utilized, where the final player chooses a topic. This frequently results in lively and humorous conversations.
2. Sound Ball
A group’s collective imagination can be tapped into through excellent improv. Introducing a group to the potential of improv may be done very effectively by inviting them to pretend, play, and be ridiculous by harnessing the energy of mime.
Ask players to create a circle and get ready to catch an imaginary ball to start the Sound Ball activity. Players can’t throw or catch the ball until they make a certain sound. Start by tossing imaginary balls about, then introduce different balls with various noises to keep players on their toes.
This is a terrific way to get individuals in the room to pay attention while also having some fun. For optimal effects, employ low-energy moments before an involved portion of a workshop or at the beginning of a meeting.
3. Silent Improvisation
It’s expected of improvisers to spontaneously act out previously unseen prompts. One excellent method to get players excited in the room and help them acquire some fundamental communication skills is to ask them to answer originally and effectively with little to no preparation. But what happens if you are unable to speak with someone?
In this improv practice, participants are given a random sentence and are required to act it out nonverbally to their partner. Players should be encouraged to listen intently to their partners and to use creativity when expressing their opinions. To communicate your point, use gestures, overacting, and even props! For a competitive variation, divide the players into teams or play a large-group improv game using round robin.
4. Terrible Gifts
Everybody has given and received gifts at some point in their life, though most weren’t very good! With Terrible Gifts, an improv game where players must convince one another to accept a lousy present, you may capitalize on this shared experience.
Encourage players to share their awful presents with others in between rounds. Humorous and thought-provoking conversations can arise from reflecting on the experiences of acceptance, improvisation, and persuasion.
5. Indeed, along with Picnic
Indeed, and that’s a key idea in spontaneous comedy. It implies that during improvising, participants should acknowledge and expand upon what others have stated. This idea is a fantastic way to approach working with others in any situation, not just improvising.
Yes, and Picnic presents the idea in a straightforward game where couples collaborate to organize an event by answering with phrases like “No” or “Yes, and what I like about that is.” This improv game helps players grasp how varied reactions affect a discussion, which makes it both amusing and educational. Think of this as a starting point for more complex improv.
6. Hi there, Kitty
Improvised exercises and energizers come in a variety of forms and sizes, but they are all about having fun! When improv is introduced to a group for the first time, straightforward games focused on enjoyment and laughter can effectively highlight the benefits of the process and boost participation.
In the straightforward game Hello Kitty, players are asked to strive to make each other happy. Start by separating the group into kittens and puppies. When puppies greet kittens in a way that makes them smile or giggle, the kittens must maintain a neutral expression. A kitten becomes a puppy when it laughs or smiles! Keep going until every kitten is joining the puppy squad and giggling. This is a basic game, but it’s a terrific way to get your team excited and foster the creativity needed for improv.
7. One Lies and Two Truths
In the traditional game of “two truths and a lie,” participants fabricate a self-serving fact and pair it with two genuine statements. It’s an easy game to learn and teach, and it’s a terrific way to introduce individuals to one another.
Participants are requested to ask lie detector questions to ascertain which of the three statements made by one of the players is a falsehood. Having to respond to these inquiries and attempt to persuade others that a fake assertion is true is a great way to gently but enjoyablely embrace the spirit of improv.
Have each person provide a name introduction and a quick explanation of what happened after each round. A crucial component of getting to know one another is this time of introspection and communication.
8. Recall the Event
With people we know the best, we usually share memories and stories. Having pleasant memories of these occasions makes us smile and improves our relationships with one another. Making use of this idea, this improv game asks the group to recall a made-up event they all attended and then improvise a tale about it.
Introduce a made-up recollection that everyone in the group would have known about first. Ask each member of the group to contribute a detail or nuance to the memory so that you may create a narrative of the things you all accomplished together. Encourage everyone to participate and co-create the memory as a way for you to creatively get to know one another. Encourage participants to contribute interesting details and take unexpected turns. Your individuality will make the shared memory come to life and make it distinctive for your group.
9. The Enchanted Box
For those who find it difficult to improvise or share personal details with the group, using objects and metaphors might be helpful. Keep in mind that each group is distinct. When helping a team get to know one another, it’s critical to let everyone contribute in a way that works for them.
Get a box filled with odd and interesting items ready for this project. (If working online, a set of virtual images or objects also functions admirably!) Tell participants to pick an object without giving it too much thought, and then share a personal story that relates to the object. Invite them to make connections between the object and a major topic or the workshop theme to foster improvisation. It can also inspire some intriguing and surprising answers! It’s a terrific technique to get people thinking quickly and imaginatively.
10. Man of Hype
It is necessary to get to know friends and coworkers better before introducing them to others. Exaggeratedly introducing friends and coworkers requires getting to know them and then taking advantage of your knowledge. For funny results, try including roleplaying with this enjoyable improv practice.
Start by dividing the population into groups of three and asking them to exchange some basic personal details. The first participant in each group will be the one being introduced. Player 2 will be the straight man, and Player 3 will be the hypeman.
Create two groups of three people after that. The other two players in each group will present their respective group’s first member. Player 2 has to give them a low-key, casual introduction. Player 3 will utilize exaggerated, vulgar language.
11. People as Things
Whenever a group gathers in a creative environment, the range of answers is usually inspiring and entertaining to observe. Recognizing the parallels and divergences between our methods might strengthen our relationships.
Give your group ten seconds or less to mimic an object using their body in Human Objects. Start by naming a commonplace item, like a drum kit, desk, phone, or microwave oven. Before proposing a new play to choose the next object, let everyone improvise and portray that object solely with their bodies.
Human Objects works well in both live and virtual environments and adds some fun and imagination to your meeting. There is often amusement when a human guitar is attempted to fit inside the frame of a Zoom window.
12. Mirrors
Like other creative and collaborative activities, it is essential to your success to understand and listen to your partner. Mirrors is a traditional physical improv game that fosters close attention and connection by having us use our bodies.
Ask couples to picture themselves standing on opposing sides of a mirror, divided by a boundary line, to start. Next, have Player 1 take the lead by imitating Player 2’s bodily gestures, movements, and actions. Urge players to move silently and at a leisurely pace. Regularly switch up who is following whom and encourage everyone to use their imaginations while paving the route for their companion.
When it comes to improv games that get people moving, mirrors are fantastic. It’s a straightforward idea that pushes gamers to step outside of their comfort zones as they advance. For bonus points, create hilarious team moments and unforgettable memories.
13. The Red Ball
Comedy and the Red Ball meme go together. In this improv game, the group is encouraged to imagine passing numerous items around the table and answering each one in turn. It’s a lighthearted and energizing approach to participate in while allowing everyone to showcase their unique personalities.
Make sure that everyone is in a circle to start. The director should show the group an imagined red ball to start. After making eye contact, they pass the ball to the person on the other side of the circle and say, “Red ball.” Before giving the item to another person, the player who is receiving it says the item’s name.
A few scenes later, the director starts to include more and more objects, such as the keys to a sports vehicle, a furious cat, a sleeping baby, and so forth. Tell players to use their imaginations and creativity to pass these objects among themselves while following the game’s rules. Seeing everyone try to shield the sleeping infant from the other objects being flung around and to soothe it is interesting, as is witnessing all the other interactions.
Recall that the goal of improv is to help the group have fun and succeed as a whole, not to help you win as an individual. When you help others and endorse their ideas, you will be reciprocated with kindness and support. This is a crucial lesson for any process involving collaboration: Be ready to fulfill your obligations and to share and give as much as you receive.
