How to Run Your Own Fun Office Olympics Activity!

So it works every time!

Over the past 15 years we have designed and delivered fun Office Olympics events for THOUSANDS of participants - WITH GREAT SUCCESS!

Here's what some of our clients have said:

"I have never seen so much color and laughter in our workplace"

"Our staff were a little surprised with how much fun they had!"

"It really helped in breaking down the barriers between our Sales and Administration departments!"

So how can you easily run your own Office Olympics and make sure it's a smashing success?

Here's our top 7 tips!

1. USE TEAMS - Duh! I know it sounds obvious however there's a few rules around this.

• Have a minimum of 3 teams - We like to work with 4 to 8 however it depends on overall group size and available space
• Team size - for building and nuturing relationships 4-8 is a good size. Groups with 10+ then becomes about creating an energized shared experience.
• Make sure you split up any clique groups
• Spread your extroverts evenly across each team - the last thing you want is to all the LOUD staff in one team and all the quiet ones in another!
• Give each team a color (or country) - to keep it simple we use red, yellow, green and blue

2. GET PEOPLE EXCITED - About 2 weeks out before the 'event' we let people know what Office Olympics Team they're in and who else is in their team.

We then entice staff to start the 'interaction' with bonus points for the most creatively dressed team. This helps encourage staff to start getting exciting about the event - this way you receive 'team building benefits' for at least a couple of weeks instead of just one day.

3. KEEP IT MOVING - Over the past 15 years we've found the best format is to have a series of short 5-10 minute activities. Give points for the winner and runner up in each 'event'. The team with the most points at the end is the winner!! 

By using lots of shorter activities it gives you more variety!

4. MAKE SURE THE GAMES WORK - This is the most important element of making sure your Office Olympics is a great success.

If you get this wrong it can leave a sour taste in your staff's mouth!

Whenever we deliver Office Olympics we use a set of short, sharp team based games which have been tested with thousands of participants - and they work every single time.

AVOID - Some of those crazy ideas you find on the internet about staples and chair races - besides the unkown risk of getting hurt, if you want to create the ultimate experience it's best to use team focused games.

Here's our guidelines for 'games' which works.

• Interactive - make sure the activity gets people interacting, laughing and engaging with one another. Too many 'thinking' games force people to go introverted and stops people connecting.
• Easy - You want to ensure that everyone can participate in the game and people aren't excluded based on any physical or fitness restrictions. It's important the games also don't depend on having a speacial skill.
• Team Focused - Use games which encourage the team to work together
• Inclusive - Avoid which games which eliminate participants. Make sure the 'Game' keeps as many people actively engaged at all times
• Fun - Participating in the 'Game' needs to generate fun and laughter - otherwise what's the point!!!

5. HANDLE OVER COMPETITIVENESS - No one likes it when people get a little too competitive and try to win at all costs. This is about fun, so make sure people understand that.

The best way to handle this is to:

• Frame at the front with 'The Rules'
• We use the following rules - explain the points system, tell them you've picked up some prizes from the local discount store, you're the judge - you can give or take points off for whatever you want, participate by choice - if you have a bad back or dodgy knee simply take a half step back, watch everyone make fools of themselves and then jump back in when you're ready!
• Keep the score tally hidden away from sight
• Have fun with people
• Let people know if they're getting too 'serious'

6. USE MUSIC - Music is a great tool to help bring energy, life and fun to your session. It's a great way to start and finish an activity. "On your marks, get set...go!" And turn the music up!

7. TAKE PHOTOS - It's scientifically proven when you reminisce about an experience your body releases the same endorphin's it did during the actual experience. So take some photos of your Office Olympics and share them later on!

GOOD LUCK - If you have any questions or need some help feel free to contact us