All right, suppose you have run a couple team building activities for your employees and the results have been more-or-less satisfying. Everyone had fun but at the same time, you built up good camaraderie and everyone had a better idea on how to work together.

Despite that, you also think that there is always room for improvement and you want your next team building to have an even bigger impact. The main challenge now is getting other people in the organisation to buy-in on an event that is new, unfamiliar and maybe even a little unorthodox. What do you do?

The good news is that even an unconventional team building idea can still be as effectively pitched like your regular ones. Just remember the following steps:

Step 1: Spell out the problem.

Always remember that a team building activity is essentially meant to solve a particular problem that is currently affecting the team’s performance. If you have been doing a needs assessment in past team building activities, then this step should already be a habit.

On the other hand, there is no point spelling out the problem if the solution seems like something you have tried before. That means you should consider going a bit further. For example, you might actually consider a team building activity using fast-paced escape rooms to help bring the issue to light and how to help them better handle themselves.

Step 2: Lay out the options and their costs.

Now, even if you are trying an unconventional form of team building, it helps to lay out different ways to pull it off. Otherwise, you might waste too much time presenting only single options that all keep getting shot down.

Remember that decision makers will more likely prefer that you present all possibilities rather than present them one at a time. It makes the choice easier to make when they can compare each option side by side and weight their costs. Furthermore, it can be helpful when you don’t exactly know your organisation’s budget for employee team building because each option represents your best educated guess.

Step 3: Point out the value of the activity.

This step is when you finally explain out why your revolutionary new team building idea will have a better value compared to the previous ones. Naturally, this is where extensive research will be even more important.

Make sure you have all the facts to justify your proposal, from the established needs of the team to the varying ways a different cost can create better value for the organisation’s investment.

For instance, in the escape room example, you might want to present these rooms as a more affordable venue for activities compared to your current team building programs. Alternatively, they can be a site to exercise skills that the usual corporate activities don’t fully engage.

Step 4: Formally spell out the goals and metrics for success.

Never forget that all top decision makers require the most accurate metrics to really buy-in to any idea. That means your proposal should have the right ones to prove that an unconventional activity can, in fact, address the problem you have spelled out. That makes it easier to define and justify the goal of the activity.

If you are proposing that a team building activity use party puzzle games, then those games must be designed to exercise the skills you think are still lacking. If you are proposing a more physically intense activity, then you should have a bit of info on your employee’s current health and why that exercise might be more beneficial.

Truth be told, it is actually not all that unusual for any business to use an unlikely activity for team building. In fact, the more successful ones are always willing to give it a try provided there is enough research, preparation and buy-in. As long as you keep that in mind, there is no need to worry about how out-of-the-box your next team building proposal may sound!

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