Building team dynamics is not always a walk in the park. Clashing personalities, stubbornness and well, good old fashioned ego can often be stumbling blocks for a team to thrive.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Throwing yourself headfirst into an Escape Room not only will challenge you to the core, but it will also bring out the best parts of you and your team. Up against the clock with a deadline fast approaching, the only way for your team to come out on top is if you work together.
Here’s why we think team dynamics are so important:
In it together
Straight off the bat, Escape Rooms are designed to be a collaborative effort. Just like a true detective, you will need to rely on your instincts as well as those around you to solve the case!
Adopting team strategies early on will secure your team’s success in the room.
Surrendering to trust, ways of critical thinking and effective communication will all be put to the test. The very nature of the game relies on teams working together. So leave the ego at the door. It won’t help you once the clock starts ticking!
A shared objective
An Escape Room offers a shared objective that relies on your ambition to walk out the other door with minutes (or seconds!) to spare.
There’s nothing like a common goal to motivate a team.
Your Games Master will effectively map out the blueprints to your shared goal before you enter the room. It might be something like uncovering a secret military operation or unmasking a serial killer before his next strike!
Now that you know what has to be achieved, it’s up to you and your team to unveil the mystery.
Post-game, your team can evaluate what went well and what went wrong. Even if you escape, your team will likely want to take on the room (or one like it) again to get better results.
Defined roles
Let’s be honest, some of us are not natural leaders, logically minded or creative. However, as part of a team, all of your strengths can be pulled together to bring out each of your most dominant skills.
Defining team roles is a powerful strategy tool. Some members may fluctuate between roles, whereas others may be at their best sticking to just one. With this in mind, there are three definitive team roles to keep in mind:
- Leaders – focuses on the common goal, figures out the best strategy and delegates tasks to the rest of the team
- Strategists – figure out how to overcome the obstacles of the task to clear a path to the common goal
- Workers – working in the moment with a focus on the task at hand and will encounter obstacles along the way. Upon clue discovery, workers will often hand this over to the strategists
Then there’s the forth, almost unspoken role. Often in a larger team, you will encounter “the floater” – the person that doesn’t realise their greatest strengths and so floats around the room. Leaders! Try and tame that one before they get out of control!
Time management
A stumbling block for even the strongest of teams, keeping track of the time is no small task in an Escape Room. Using time efficiently though is crucial to your team’s success.
Decisions need to be definitive and swift. Tasks need to be identified quickly, wasting no time if the task is no longer important. With that in mind, sometimes it is worth putting a pin in it and coming back later with a fresh perspective. Getting the order right is also essential to solving the puzzle.
Prioritising tasks, while keeping the discussion flowing is going to be the making or breaking of your team’s success in an Escape Room.
Never forget your Games Master
The ego should never get in the way of victory. When time is running away from you, and your team cannot crack a puzzle, help is only a buzzer or phone call away.
It is not a failure to ask for a clue or a hint from your Games Master. The overseer of your whole game is worth dialling up when things get tough.
So, take one for the team (however many times you need) and make the call. It may just be the hint you need to keep your team on track.
Ready to take on an Escape Room? Being part of a team has never been so important. So leave your ego at the door and get ready for adventure!