Team building reflection questions are easy and simple ways to get to the core of what team building is really all about.
This might seem odd coming from a team building company, but team building can sometimes be overly complicated. Expensive resorts, full-day seminars, complicated programs–these are all good and fun, but sometimes the best team building can be found in the form of a simple question.
This is because one of the main goals of team building is to get your team to think differently. The activities in team building are designed to do this through fun and engagement, but a good discussion can be just as successful and influential.
Of course, just talking or discussing by itself is not always that fun, which is why you need a good balance between activities and reflection. But what we’re trying to get at is that when it comes to team building, reflection and discussion is just as important as what you’re actually doing. Reflection and discussion (whether at the event or days after) is where the lessons you learned from the activity really sink in.
Sometimes there just isn’t enough time to have a good discussion at the event itself though. Schedules are tight, and many teams don’t always have a whole afternoon free. Hopefully, this list of team building reflection questions can help.
This list can be used in a number of ways. It can be used specifically for team building sessions. Or you can use it before meetings or whenever your team has some free time. You can also give it to team members to use on their own–during lunch breaks or as icebreakers.
Our team building reflection questions list is also definitely not exhaustive. There are many more discussion questions and topics. So we hope that you use this as a jumping off point, and that this list inspires you to ask more questions that are more specific to your team or that interest you more.
Whatever you choose to do, remember that communicating and listening, discussing and reflecting, are the keys to growing as a team and becoming more empathetic and resilient.
So, without further ado, here is our list of team building reflection questions…
Activity-related team building reflection questions
Before an event, meeting or any activity
1. What is your goal for this activity?
2. What is our vision for how this activity will turn out?
3. What short-term accomplishments do we want to achieve?
4. What long-term accomplishments do we want to work towards?
5. What are some things we need to think about during this activity?
6. What kind of attitude should we try to have going into this activity?
7. What can each individual contribute to this activity?
8. What are some of your team’s strengths and weaknesses?
9. How will this activity make your team stronger, or mitigate some of its weaknesses?
10. What sorts of team building experiences has your team had in the past? What were some of the good and bad points of these experiences? What did you learn from them?
After an event, meeting or activity
11.How did you feel during the event?
12. What did the activity make you think about?
13. Were you inspired by anything during the activity?
14. What did you learn from the activity?
15. Was there anything that you did differently, or was there a way that you acted differently than you had before?
16. How was your team’s communication during the activity?
17. How did your team do at decision-making during the activity?
18. Was there anything you found frustrating during the activity?
19. Was there anything about your team or team members that you were surprised by during the activity?
20. How do you think your team will change having done this activity?
Theme-focused team building reflection questions
Communication
21. Do you feel that you can communicate openly with your team?
22. Do you think that you listen well to other team members?
23. Are all team members’ views and opinions heard on your team?
24. Do you feel that you are given adequate space and time to communicate your opinions to each other?
25. What are some ways that you could make communication more effective?
26. How are emotions communicated on your team?
27. What are ways that your team ensures that emotions can be communicated without leading to interpersonal conflict?
Trust and relationships
28. How much do you feel that you can trust your other team members?
29.Does your team actively work to increase trust within your team?
30. How do you think your team could engender more trust among members?
31. Does your team have deep relationships with each other?
32. How much do your team members know about each other?
33. How often does your team get to know each other outside of work?
34. How much do team members know about each other’s lives outside of work?
35. What are the underlying dynamics of your team?
36. Are there ways that you can think of that would make the relationships on your team stronger?
Goals, success and team development
37. What are the major goals of your team?
38. Does your team talk about its goals?
39. Are the goals of your team widely shared and communicated?
40. Do you feel that your team is all “on the same page” in terms of its goals?
41. How often do you review your goals or change them?
42. How does your team work to achieve your goals?
43. How do you define “success” on your team?
44. How do you determine which roles get filled on your team?
45. How does your team define “productivity”?
46. When mistakes are made, or you fail to achieve your goals, does your team talk about these mistakes in order to learn from them?
47. Is failure accepted on the team?
48. Are there opportunities for training and development of skills to make team members more productive?
49. Are there opportunities for mentorship on your team?
50. Does your team have opportunities to learn together?
Team building reflection questions for remote and hybrid teams
51. How do you feel about your team environment right now?
52. Do you feel unified as a team? Why or why not?
53. Do you feel that your team members are aware of what other team members are working on? Are team members only focused on their own projects or is there a way of communicating the larger vision of what’s going on?
54. How do you feel about your team’s formal communication channels (i.e. meetings, project management tools, communication apps)?
55. How do you feel about your team’s informal communication channels (i.e. methods for socializing and engaging in communication that isn’t necessarily work-specific)?
56. Do you feel that your team is good at getting things done?
57. Do you feel that some members seem to be let out or left behind at any time?
58. Are there regular activities for your team to gather and just have fun together?
59. Do you feel that yourself and your team members are more productive or less productive working from home?
60. If you had the chance to make one improvement to remote or hybrid work, what would it be?
