Whether you’re planning your work’s Christmas night out, a celebration for hitting sales goals, or simply looking for ways to bring your team closer together, bowling is a great option. The sport of bowling is currently going through a resurgence of popularity, and it’s an activity that almost every enjoys! Take your team bowling to inexpensively build friendships, get a deep look into your employees’ personalities, and of course, have a good time! In this article, we will discuss the main reasons that bowling is a great way for businesses to increase the synergy between employees in a relaxed, fun environment that everyone will enjoy.

It brings out the competitive side of employees personalities

Everyone enjoys a little competition, and it’s an invaluable insight into a side of your employees’ personalities that you rarely get to see. Have the bowlers team up for the night. Either choose the teams yourself, or let them decide amongst themselves. Increase the competitiveness by having some sort of reward for the winners or consequence for the losers. Simple low-value gift cards are an inexpensive, incredible way to incentivize winning. Have the losers purchase a round of drinks. Something to make people care about the results of the game. These incentives/consequences add pressure to their performances, and seeing how your employees perform under pressure and among their peers can teach you a lot about them.

It forces your staffers to communicate

Nowadays, it seems like our staff spend all of their time staring at a screen and very little time communicating. And that problem has been made all the worse now that we rely on messaging apps and email to communicate whilst we’re in the office – oftentimes with people sat right next to us. Bowling takes people away from their screens and their usual working environments and allows them to have real-life, in-person conversation. A bowling alley a bar with a game attached. Grab some beers and get the social lubricants flowing. Having a few drinks allows your employees to bond in a way that isn’t really possible in the office.

It’s inexpensive

Other business outings can get quickly get expensive. Even just your standard dinner outing with a drink or two each can be insanely expensive depending on the number of employees. Most bowling centers have package deals for large groups that can drastically reduce the overall cost. As a rough estimate, each bowler should cost anywhere from $10-$25 depending on food/drink accommodation. It’s much cheaper than many other alternatives such as dinner, trampoline parks, go-karting, BBQs etc.

At the end of the day, bowling is just a good time!

Even with the competitiveness that comes with having either a reward for winners, or a consequence for the losers, bowling is one of the few social games that you are completely allowed to do terribly. Most people suck at bowling and that’s ok! People of all ages and backgrounds can come together and enjoy a game – and although experience can help you score a strike or a spare, it’s those who can’t bowl in a straight line that make the game more enjoyable. Be silly, let your hair down and enjoy a team-building activity like no other.

Learn to bowl and impress your coworkers

Learning to bowl decently well actually isn’t too difficult. Get yourself a bowling ball that will actually curve and get it drilled to fit your hand. Read how to properly throw a hook. Practice a few games now and then and I promise you will be better than 99% of people. Be careful though! Showing up with your own equipment is the only time where there is actually a bit of pressure to do well. Doing worse than the guy using a ball off the shelf can be embarrassing if it looks like you’ve practiced the sport a lot. Chances are, though, that you will do much better if you have your own equipment and put in a little time. Learn a bit about oil patterns, learn to have a proper release, get some hook, learn to hit the pocket. If you can get just a few strikes per game, people will definitely be impressed.

Wrapping Up

Bowling is one of the better ideas for team-building business outings. Take your team to the alley, grab a few drinks, and have a great time. Spice it up with some rewards for the winners or consequences for the losers. Get to know your coworkers in a competitive environment. See who cracks under pressure and who holds strong. At the end of the day, whether you are an employee or an employer, just get out there and have fun!

As always thanks for reading! Ask me some questions, leave some comments, subscribe to the blog by email below, anything! Just get in contact! Let’s have a conversation!