Building Bridges: 5 Trust-Building Activities for Stronger Teams
The foundation of any high-performing team is trust. Trust allows us to collectively rally behind a common goal or objective. It makes us feel safe enough to be ourselves, express concerns, provide feedback and offer new and exciting ideas without fear of judgement or punishment. And most importantly, trust makes us feel more valued and engaged, leading to higher job satisfaction and higher morale.
But when the words “trust” and “in the workplace” are squished together, most people think of cliched and awkward trust-building activities like trust falls, egg drops, and playing “2 Truths and a Lie.”
As a professional coach who has been a part of many trust-building workshops, I’m here to tell you that nobody likes a trust fall. Not a single person. What teams do like, however, is the opportunity to learn and listen from others, as well as the opportunity to overcome obstacles and get clarity on the best way to work together.
Here are five fun (yes, fun!) and productive trust-building activities that’ll help you develop a stronger team in 2025.
1. Play boardgames together
Boardgames take the “work” out of trust-building, replacing forced vulnerability with organic connection and collaboration. And when teams play together, they engage in three critical elements of trust building: strategic thinking, active listening and shared problem-solving.
Most people play board games over the holidays with their families or at the weekend with friends, so this is a great way to develop team dynamics and engage people without it feeling like a workplace checkbox exercise.
Boardgames also create a low-pressure environment where people can learn about each other’s communication styles, risk tolerance and decision-making approaches without the awkwardness of a formal exercise.
Here are five trust-building board games to try:
Codenames: This is a personal favourite of mine, and it requires teams to think like their teammates, strengthening communication and intuition. Remote friendly.
Apples to Apples: Perfect for getting to know your team’s personality preferences, humor and way of thinking. In-person only.
GeoGuessr: This is a fantastic trust-building game that challenges teams to collaborate and think critically, relying on each other’s unique knowledge to pinpoint locations around the world. Remote friendly.
We’re Not Really Strangers (WNRS): This is a thought-provoking card game designed to foster deep, meaningful conversations and genuine connections between players. The game consists of three levels of questions, each designed to gradually deepen the conversation. In-person and remote friendly.
Telestrations: This is best known as a party game that blends Pictionary with the classic game of Telephone, but it’s also a fantastic way for groups to get to know each other better. After all, what better way to build connections than through laughter? Designed for 4 to 8 players, this drawing-based game challenges participants to sketch, guess, and pass their interpretations along—often leading to hilariously unexpected miscommunications. It’s an engaging, lighthearted way to break the ice and bring teams closer together. In-person only.
2. Solve a murder mystery!
A virtual murder mystery is a fun and immersive way to strengthen trust by encouraging critical thinking and creative problem-solving.
I was a skeptic until one of my team members convinced me to give me a try.
You can run these virtually or in-person too, and unlike an Escape Room (where you lock people into a room), you won’t cross any HR-related boundaries!
Murder mysteries support trust-building in a natural way as team members listen to each other’s theories, share insights and rely on collective reasoning to uncover the truth. They’re also an excellent way to create shared experiences among your team, which helps to foster interpersonal connections and develop friendships that stand the test of time.
Murder mysteries support trust-building in many ways. For example:
They encourage active listening: Every clue matters, so participants must pay attention to details and to each other.
They foster teamwork: Teams must collaborate, delegate, and trust each other’s instincts to solve the mystery.
They create space for playful risk-taking: People step into different personas, experiment with storytelling, and break out of their usual workplace roles.
Three online murder mystery websites I like are Night of Mystery, Murder Mystery Investigations and Cold Case Inc.
3. Run a “Teach Me” session
A “Teach Me” session flips the traditional trust-building exercise on its head by letting team members take turns teaching something they’re passionate about, and that’s completely unrelated to work!
It’s really easy to run these sessions:
Each person gets 5-10 minutes to share a skill or hobby of theirs, which could be something as simple as making the perfect cup of coffee, or something more complex like a magic trick or a sentence in another language.
At one of my previous employers, the quarterly "Teach Me" sessions were the highlight of our offsites. They were something everyone eagerly anticipated and talked about for months afterward. If your session was particularly engaging (no pressure!), you’d gain a bit of mini-celebrity status within the company.
The goal here is to engage your teams, listen to each other and support the idea of teams bringing their whole selves to work.
For new employees, “teach me” sessions work exceptionally well because:
They foster curiosity and respect: People gain insight into each other’s interests, making room for deeper connections and supporting rapport building between managers and team members.
They help to instill confidence in leadership: Teaching and learning in a low-pressure environment helps new managers practice clear communication and relationship-building.
They strengthen collaboration: A culture of sharing and learning makes it easier for teams to ask questions and support one another at work.
4. Host a Mini “Learn About Me” Session to Build Trust in Your Team
Short on time but still want to strengthen team connections? A quick and engaging “Learn About Me” icebreaker session at the start of team meetings can work wonders. Instead of waiting for your quarterly or bi-annual offsite to focus on trust-building, you can weave it into your regular meetings—creating a culture of openness and connection year-round.
In my weekly department meetings, I incorporate a quick 3- to 5-question icebreaker exercise using a Miro board or shared Google document. This allows people to participate at their own pace, making it especially great for introverts who may prefer writing over speaking aloud.
Set 1: The basics
To start, I ask these four foundational questions:
My neighborhood (Where I live)
What I listen to
What I do for fun
How to build trust with me
Then, I ask everyone to find something they have in common with another team member—which encourages them to read each other’s responses and discover shared interests.
Set 2: Getting to know each other more
In the next session, we go a bit deeper with these questions:
Strengths I resonate with the most (from assessments like CliftonStrengths or personal reflection)
Favorite food
Favorite place to visit
How to give me feedback
Set 3 & beyond: Deepening the connections
Once the team is comfortable, I start to introduce more reflective and thought-provoking questions:
What’s a book, movie, album, or show that has had a significant impact on you? Bonus—why?
If you could only keep one app on your phone, what would it be? (Excluding essentials like email, camera, Uber, or texting.)
How I like to resolve disagreements
Bonus: Here’s a Template for Your Own Sessions!
To make this process seamless, I recommend using a shared document or template where team members can contribute their answers over time. This allows for ongoing discovery and relationship-building.
Get more trust-building questions.
Pro tip
This activity is especially beneficial for introverts, who often feel more comfortable expressing themselves in writing before speaking in a group setting. Over time, these sessions help create a team culture where vulnerability, trust, and connection thrive.
5. This or That
Another short trust-building activity? Playing a “This or That” game is a fun and low-pressure way to build trust within a team by sparking lighthearted conversations and uncovering shared interests.
By choosing between simple options like "Coffee or Tea?" or "Morning Bird vs. Night Owl?", team members reveal small personal preferences that create moments of connection, laughter, and camaraderie. It’s an easy way to encourage participation, especially for introverts, while fostering a sense of belonging.
To play in person, have one person read out a question and ask teammates to move to different sides of the room based on their choice. This adds a dynamic, engaging element to the game.
For remote teams, use a polling feature (Zoom, Slack, or Miro) or simply ask participants to drop their answers in the chat. This quick and interactive game helps break the ice and strengthens team relationships in just a few minutes."
Bonus! CliftonStrengths Icebreakers
Before I wrap things up, I also wanted to shout out CliftonStrengths icebreakers as a trust-building activity to explore.
Unlike traditional icebreakers, these exercises help teams understand each other’s unique strengths and potential blindspots, as well as preferred communication styles and problem-solving approaches.
Here’s a quick CliftonStrengths Icebreaker to try:
Strengths Speed Rounds
Each team member shares their top CliftonStrengths and one way it shows up in their work. This helps build appreciation for different working styles and fosters trust through self-awareness.
I’d also encourage you to read this article:
Breaking the Ice with Strengths: Fun CliftonStrengths Icebreakers for Teams
Trust is built through connection, not checkboxes
Trust is built through shared experiences, open communication and, most importantly, genuine connection. And whether it's boardgames, murder mysteries or learning from one another, the goal is always the same:
Create a workplace environment where people feel safe to contribute, take risks and be themselves.
Let me know what activity works for you! 🚀
To learn more about how to cultivate trust among your teams and develop yourself as a new manager, explore our Startup Manager Training or connect with me here.