Fun isn’t the first thing that usually comes to mind when a person hears the word teamwork. Instead, you’re likely to think about mandatory office retreats, trust falls and seminars that preach the importance of working together. Well, at Extreme Escape we don’t just talk about the importance of teamwork, we help groups put team-working skills into action in a fun way.
We’ve had dozens of local businesses, including Fortune 500 companies, visit our San Antonio escape rooms with the express purpose of improving their team-working skills. They all leave saying that it was one of the most entertaining things they’ve done as a team, and it’s clear that they’ve improved their skills.
“Extreme Escape was an amazing way to develop communication skills between our team and find efficient ways to solve a problem while having a terrific time in the process.” April Ancira, VP Ancira Auto Group
Take a look at the top 7 team-working skills you can practice while having fun at an escape room in San Antonio.
COMMUNICATING CLEARLY
One of the biggest benefits of an escape room is how it gets your team talking. Without clear communication there’s no way to get out of the room in time. With only 60 minutes on the clock players must discuss a plan of action and keep each other informed on what clues are found, when a puzzle is solved and the next step should be taken. Being under such a tight deadline will put a spotlight on stress management and communication style.
Managers can even sit in the control room to observe players and get a better idea of how co-workers communicate with each other when supervisors aren’t around. This kind of access tells managers where communication improvements can be made.
LISTENING TO OTHERS
In order to communicate well people have to listen. It’s a skill that comes in handy when you’re trying to escape the room since you need to understand the scenario and goals right from the beginning. That means listening very carefully to the instructions. Missing even a small detail could make success harder to achieve.
An escape room is a real test of listening skills because there are up to 10 people working together at once. If a single player is ignored or left out of the discussion it could mean failure for everyone.
COOPERATION
Cooperation is key when you’re working in a group. Everyone has to be on the same page and working towards the same goal for things to go smoothly. As mentioned above, in a San Antonio escape room up to 10 people can be playing together. If everyone is doing their own thing it will lead to a lot of confusion and wasted time. Working as a single unit and supporting one another keeps things on track and moving forward so that you don’t run out of time.
PROBLEM SOLVING
The challenge of an escape room is solving the puzzles and clues that are anything but standard issue. Putting your heads together to solve problems improves the odds that you’ll get everything figured out before the hour is up. Playing an escape room in San Antonio will also quickly reveal which team members don’t let the adversity of problem solving hold them back. It also shows how people approach problem solving and handle the stress of working through a problem.
DECISION MAKING
An escape room is a little like a choose your own adventure book. The decisions you make have a huge impact on the outcome of the game. The same is true in the office or among students at school.
In an escape room game it’s easy to see how each decision builds on one another and where different decisions could have made a difference. Work teams can use this experience to highlight the importance of making sound decisions and discover the logic different people use to come to a decision.
ORGANIZATION
Groups that are organized in an escape room have the best chance of getting out. Just like with a project at the office, you’ll want to have a plan of action and get people assigned to various tasks so that the work is divided. You’ll also want to make sure that things are organized so that you can capitalize on the strength of each player.
ADAPTABILITY
Being flexible is a valuable skill to have when you work on a team. Adaptability is needed when you work with a group of people that have different communication styles, ideas, ways of completing tasks, etc. And just like an escape room, you never know what curveball you may get in the middle of a project that you have to adapt to.
An escape room game makes players think on their feet and react quickly to changing situations. You have to be able to adapt to the unknowns or you’ll never make it out in time.
Reserve a San Antonio escape room to start improving your team-working skills!