Mastering virtual communication is imperative for boosting morale, employee satisfaction and keeping that sense of community within the workplace. Since Covid-19, the rise of work from home-ers has skyrocketed- and doesn’t look like it will be stopping anytime soon. If your workplace has moved into a more hybrid working scheme, this list of 15 team ice breakers for virtual meetings is the perfect way to inject some fun and excitement into your every day, online catch-ups.
1. Virtual bingo
Virtual bingo is a great icebreaker to get your team having fun together, and will help ease any awkwardness from a stale or quiet virtual meeting. It can also be a brilliant way to inject some laughter and healthy competition into your team. Simply create your bingo cards ahead of time or find some templates online, then send them out to your employees. From there you can find an online virtual bingo roller and start playing.
2. Virtual book club
Why not promote some healthy discussion by introducing a virtual book club for you and your team? To encourage collaboration and conversation about something outside of work, decide on a new book every month to discuss in a zoom call. When deciding on which book to read you can take recommendations from around the business, or try out a new genre each month.
3. Guess the baby picture
If you’re looking for a more intimate team building activity, the ‘guess the baby picture’ icebreaker can be a great way to get to know your team. Get each member of staff to send the organiser a baby photo of themselves. On your next virtual call, simply share your screen and have fun sitting back and watching each staff member try to guess who is who.
4. Would you rather?
This is a quick and easy virtual ice-breaker that requires little to no pre-planning – just a quick google search & some imagination. Simply think of two outlandish and hilarious scenarios and ask your team which they’d prefer. (E.G would you rather have hands for feet or feet for hands?) Enjoy the laughter as you go round one by one and think of what to say next over your video call.
5. Charades
Charades is a great way to loosen up a burnt out or unmotivated team. Get everyone moving with a 20 minute game over your virtual teams’ meeting. Make sure to put a time limit on each employee so the pressure is on. This is a brilliant way to break the ice and get people laughing – especially in a meeting where the participants aren’t too familiar with each other. It can also be a great way to remove any awkwardness within the team as they open up and become more familiar with each other.
6. 2 truths and a lie
Two truths and a lie is another great way to get your team more engaged and to get them to open up with each other. Tell each employee to decide on two true facts about themselves and one big lie. The challenge is making the lie seem believable – without being too obvious. Go round your team one by one and let them decide which fact is the imposter. Not only is this a great way to learn more about each other, but this fun game can also have some truly hilarious outcomes.
7. Show and tell
This icebreaker presents a great opportunity for employees to discuss their hobbies or lives outside of work. By introducing a show and tell icebreaker, you allow your team to express something funny, exciting or cool that they have been thinking about in their free time. It could be their new pet, a trophy from a recent sports win, their new favourite drink or even a new notepad.
8. Virtual awards ceremony
Ensuring employees feel appreciated and heard whilst working from home can be a challenge. A great ice-breaker to target this is to have a virtual awards ceremony every few months. You can create virtual certificates and encourage your team members to do a speech after receiving their award. This funny celebration encourages employee engagement as well as satisfaction at having their achievements recognised.
9. Simon says
‘Simon says’ is another great activity to help engage your team and bring some laughs. The group leader can instruct team members to perform actions such as hopping on one foot, jumping jacks or even a dance move. Make sure to confuse your team by giving fast ‘Simon Says’ commands and see if they can catch up. Keep going until you have one employee remaining and allow them the prize of being Simon Says the following week. Soon your team will all be fighting for that first place spot.
10. Virtual coffee mornings
With virtual working, gone are the days of grabbing a quick 9am coffee with a colleague and catching up about anything from home-life to the weather. These simple moments can be one of the major things missed by employees. So, why not bring it back? Schedule in a few 15 minute, virtual coffee mornings across the week for non-work related conversations. Not only does this loosen you up for the day ahead, but it is also a nice touch of human interaction that allows your teams to know each other better.
11. Rate my week
This ice-breaker is a great way to encourage discussion about mental health and emotional wellbeing in a non-formal way. Encourage a rate my week system on your end of week team calls to discover how everyone has really been feeling. You could choose a 1-10, sad to smiley face or hot to cold rating scale – whatever works best for your team.
12. Office / Work from home tour
Getting into the spirit of working from home can be difficult for all employees – so make the day more exciting with an office or home tour. Let your employees know that cats, dogs, photo frames and mini desk plants are all welcome. Sharing your office or home space can make things seem less unfamiliar and more personal.
13. Riddles
A riddle icebreaker is an easy way to get your team engaged and ready for the day. This icebreaker is perfect for a morning meeting – allowing a quick and challenging brain exercise to get your whole team ready for the day. To encourage more collaboration, suggest each team member brings their own riddle each week.
14. Truth or dare
A work-friendly game of truth or dare is another great way to break the ice in a team meeting. Go round one by one and ask your employees ‘truth or dare’. If they pick truth, ask them a question that they must answer truthfully. If they pick dare, ask them to perform a funny dance move or sing a few lines of a popular song. This is a low preparation but fun and engaging ice-breaker for any time of day.
15. Weekly movie reviews
For a fun and collaborative extracurricular activity, start a film club. Agree on a movie to watch across the weekend and give your best film critique impressions during your virtual calls. An easy way to decide on which film to watch is by using an online film generator or similarly with a book club you can take recommendations from within the team. Make sure to include a variety of genres to appeal to everyone and get a variety of opinions.
