With a celebratory holiday beverage in hand, people feel more relaxed and receptive to new ideas, much more than they would during a Monday morning meeting at the company headquarters.
Incorporating team-building activities into your company Christmas party offers a unique opportunity to enhance employee morale, strengthen relationships, and foster a sense of camaraderie among your colleagues.
Your annual holiday party is likely one of the few times during the year when you have the entire staff altogether at the same time. There’s no better time to initiate something that will benefit your company long term.
Team-building exercises offer benefits that will endure long after all the holiday desserts have disappeared.
Planning a Memorable Company Christmas Party in the Lower Mainland
A lot of time and expense goes into your Christmas party planning, from locking down a suitable event venue and food catering to choosing the most appropriate decor and giveaways. It can feel deflating when guests arrive to eat and leave with no other involvement.
While the Christmas season is a time for celebration, there’s nothing to say you can’t sneak some company initiatives into the festivities. After all, a few speeches are customary at these types of events. That said, a light-hearted activity (or two) can help support your company’s obligatory year-end summations.
Why Team-Building Activities Are Essential for a Successful Company Christmas Party
There’s nothing wrong with a prize raffle to motivate attendance, but a successful party hinges on the interaction of its guests and the positive vibe that is created.
If you don’t want the company Christmas party to be remembered as just another corporate gathering, it’s essential to try new things that will keep people on their toes.
Having guests participate in a group bonding experience offers many benefits:
- Increased socialization improves people’s communication patterns at work
- Staff collaborate more effectively when they are familiar with each other
- Team challenges promote solidarity and encourage self-confidence
- Unexpected activities break the monotony and can improve people’s perceptions of the company
- Bonding activities strengthen people’s interpersonal skills
- Games break down perceived walls and allow people to relate with their superiors on a more social level
- Team-building activities allow people’s true personalities to shine through
- Organized games and diversions encourage individuals’ leadership skills to emerge
Team-building activities come in a variety of different forms. Some activities are communication-based, while others focus on problem-solving or building trust.
What’s nice about a company Christmas party is that you can tie any of these enriching, collaborative activities to your holiday party theme.
Choosing the Right Team-Building Activities for Your Company Christmas Party
No matter what idea you come up with, you don’t want that activity to feel disruptive or forced. When integrated naturally, your concept will propel the party’s momentum, enhancing an already lively atmosphere.
Here are some spirited options to keep people talking and engaged.
Icebreaker Games
Two Truths and One Lie: Each person at a table shares two factual statements and one false statement about their work experiences or holiday traditions. Others guess which statement is the lie. This casual activity encourages fun conversation between all parties sitting at a table.
Holiday Bingo: Place bingo cards with holiday-themed words or phrases related to the company at each table setting. At a designated point in the evening, a moderator will begin calling out the randomly selected words and phrases. Rather than rewarding individual players, you can award a prize to the first table to complete a row.
Secret Santa with a Twist: Organize a Secret Santa gift exchange between the employees at each table, but each gift must include a note explaining why the giver chose it. This message is then read aloud to the entire table. It’s a spin on the popular holiday convention that promotes storytelling and personal connections. Don’t forget to set a reasonable, agreed-upon budget for everyone to follow.
Holiday Jeopardy: Create a ‘Jeopardy-style’ game between the tables with categories related to the holidays and your company. Each group will elect a spokesperson to announce their final answer to the rest of the room (which will always be in the form of a question). With group prizes on the line, everyone at the table will be motivated to chime in with their best guess for the benefit of their team.
Creative Challenges
Gingerbread House Building: It’s a Christmas tradition that never gets old. Each table will have the supplies to create a lavishly decorated Gingerbread house. Establish a time limit and have a designated area where each table can display its completed entry. Allow guests to vote on their favourite design (that’s not their own) throughout the evening. The winning team will split a prize at the end of the night.
Holiday Pictionary: Similar to charades, but with drawing! Guests take turns drawing holiday-themed items or work-related concepts while their team guesses. This sit-down activity encourages creativity and collaboration with minimal effort or supplies.
The Marshmallow Challenge: Part problem-solving and part creative approach, each table is given 20 pieces of uncooked spaghetti, a roll of wrapping tape, a yard of string, and a single marshmallow. The team that can erect the tallest free-standing tower in the allotted amount of time will win a prize (along with company bragging rights)! The catch? The provided marshmallow must be able to sit perched at the very top for at least 5 seconds without collapsing.
Outdoor Activities
A Scavenger Hunt: With Vancouver winters so wet and unpredictable, you can’t count on people wanting to spend much time outdoors at night. However, a challenging scavenger hunt (with a good prize) can bring out people’s competitive nature.
Instead of gathering objects, create objectives where teams must take photos of listed objects using smartphones. And who says everything will necessarily be found inside?
Charity Events
The holidays are a time for giving back. In addition to the potential prize incentives that are up for grabs, each table (or team) can represent a worthy local charity. When a table wins a challenge, the company will make a donation to that table’s designated cause.
One of the team-building challenges can be which table will bring in the most non-perishable items for donation.
Knowing your efforts are helping others in need makes each related activity even more meaningful.
Tips for Incorporating Team-Building Activities into Your Company Christmas Party
Whether bringing in a photo booth or organizing any of the games listed above, you want activities that encourage participation. Not everyone will be equally enthused about partaking in a suggested challenge. However, there are ways to make your team-building initiatives more palatable to all guests.
Set Clear Objectives
The easiest way to get people invested in the outcome is to provide an enticing incentive. Christmas parties are synonymous with gifts and door prizes. Have a moderator establish the rules for everyone in the room and designate a set time limit.
Choose Activities that Fit Your Team’s Interests
Even if you make the personal decision not to talk about work during the company Christmas party, it’s bound to happen. Don’t avoid referencing your company’s services, products, and staff members within the context of the activities. After all, a company holiday party is also a celebration of your company’s achievements.
It’s also good to remember that not everyone in attendance is an employee. Don’t dismiss the entertainment value of your event as it pertains to the significant others in attendance. Keep things fun for everybody.
Although your party’s Christmas theme is universally understood, party planners should also know that not all guests celebrate the season in the same way. Be open to the inclusion of other global holiday traditions. Anything you can do to make your audience more receptive is time well spent.
Keep it Simple and Flexible
Complex rules, extravagant prizes, or activities that favour the success of one group over another can lead to sore feelings. Remember, the goal is to unite people, not cause division. A little friendly competition during the company Christmas party can be invigorating; too much competition can lead to problems.
Choose games that don’t depend on every team member’s equal contributions to succeed. Any level of participation should be encouraged and embraced.
Whatever team-building activities you opt for, always try and keep the mood light-hearted and upbeat.
Encourage Participation
Although the above-mentioned team-building activities are meant to be engaging, some employees may find it difficult to hide their eye-rolling when an organized activity is announced.
That’s why the inclusion of a possible incentive such as gift cards or first dibs at the buffet table is so important. Reward people’s participation! And keep your planned activities short and sweet.
It’s good to keep in mind that many people may feel uncomfortable with public speaking or being singled out. So you’ll want to avoid activities that could potentially embarrass participants.
Make it Fun and Engaging
Your company’s holiday function should be a feel-good event for everyone. The best way to do that is to keep your guests in the loop to avoid unwanted surprises. This is achieved by providing an itinerary for those planning to attend.
Designating a strategic seating arrangement where each table has a natural leader (be it a manager or a known extrovert) who can help spearhead the planned activity can be beneficial in setting the right mood.
People go to holiday parties to have a good time. As long as you don’t impose any stress or judgments, people will likely be receptive to your party plans.
Conclusion
Your company Christmas party is the perfect opportunity for your staff to bond. The introduction of a fun and light-hearted team-building activity can be the catalyst for even greater engagement. If you’re looking for a venue to hold your gathering, SKY Hangar in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, is available to welcome your crew. With a guest capacity of up to 300 people, SKY Hangar offers plenty of space for your next celebration.