If you’re on the hunt for a clever team building activity that’s fun, quick to implement, and full of hidden depth—you’re in for a treat. In this post, I’m going to unpack one of the smartest team building exercises for adults I’ve ever experienced. You can use it right after reading this. Even better? You can tweak it to match your own team’s culture and goals.
Zoom (The Book): A Hidden Gem of a Team Building Game
The idea comes from an old book called Zoom by Istvan Banyai. It’s such a classic that it’s practically vintage—I haven’t heard anyone mention it in decades. Which is wild because it’s packed with group activity potential.
Here’s how it works. The book starts with a simple dot. You turn the page, and zoom out. Then again. Again. And your mind starts to get blown as you realize you’ve gone from a single dot to seeing a plane, then an island, then the world. Every page reveals a new layer of context.
The genius of this book lies in its perspective shift. And that’s exactly what makes it an incredible metaphor for breaking down silos in teams.
The Activity: One Page, One Perspective
I first experienced this activity as a participant in a group of 30 people. The facilitator handed each of us one page of Zoom—without letting us show it to anyone else. Then they gave us just one instruction:
“You have one page of a book. Arrange yourselves in the correct order—without showing anyone your page. Go.”
It was wild. People started talking, describing what they saw. Small clusters formed—the “island people” were over here, the “airplane people” over there, and “world people” on another side. Everyone had a different worldview, and no one had the whole picture. Sound familiar?
That’s how so many organizations operate. Siloed communication, misunderstood goals, fragmented priorities. This team building activity mirrors real-world workplace dynamics—and when your team figures it out together, the “aha!” moment is incredibly satisfying.
This is one of my favorite icebreakers for work because it feels like a game, but leads to deep conversation and insight.
Zoom-Inspired Ideas Using We! Connect Cards
You don’t need the book to use this activity. You can adapt the structure using other tools—like our We! Connect Cards.
Right now, I’m designing a new version of the deck with single words—values or ingredients for creating a compelling future—on one side, and conversation-starting questions on the other. Here’s how I’d adapt the Zoom idea:
Give each person one card. Then, in small groups of 5–6, ask them to arrange themselves in order from the value most important to them (or to the team) to least important for the next 3 months.
This creates instant movement, engagement, and shared reflection. People have to sort, negotiate, discuss—just like they would when aligning around priorities or values at work.
Simple Variations to Get People Moving
Looking for fun icebreakers for meetings or team building games for small groups that are low-prep? Try any of these variations on the “get in order” idea:
- By birthday (not year) – You get to know people’s birthdays while getting them moving.
- Alphabetically by middle name – Surprisingly fun and people learn unexpected things.
- By tenure at the company – Sparks conversation about experience and history.
The key is to choose a category that’s meaningful—or just plain fun—for your group. Assign people an item (or have them draw from a hat) and challenge them to physically get in order without talking or without revealing all the information.
It’s playful. It gets blood moving. And it sneaks in big-picture thinking.
Connection Before Content: The Secret Sauce
If this team building idea resonated with you, and you’re aiming to become one of the top facilitators, educators, or connectors in the world, you absolutely have to watch this video:
➡️ Connection Before Content
In it, I unpack the single best icebreaker and team building activity I’ve ever seen (and I’ve led over 100,000 people in person doing this stuff).
P.S. Want free printable cards, conversation starters, book excerpts, and even discount codes to boost your next workshop or team event?
👉 Download our FREE resources here
