team building activities virtual
You may use Slack, Facebook Messenger, or other group apps for remote teams. It is a good idea to make the music playing when all team members log in to a call. Arrange a remote coffee meeting every morning. Vote who the best planker is for a little competition. Friendly competition is always a great team building and bonding experience. This list includes: Zoom … Any upbeat song will help to start the meeting with high energy and increased engagement. Positive feedback is always a great way to improve employee engagement. Such a virtual team building session may last about 60 minutes, and you can schedule it at mealtime, encouraging your team players to eat during it. Have everyone participating explain why that particular song is their favorite and you can even discuss who their favorite artist is. Includes instructions and bonus resources. Every week a new round of trivia questions is sent out to your team. Shark Tank is an awesome activity to get your creative juices going and have a bit of competition with your company. You can also use various icebreaker activities and virtual games for team-building, bonding, and getting to know each other better. Everyone likes a good craft project, and you can do them virtually as well, especially during the holidays. Often team meetings can be stressful, which is an excellent task to slow down and let everyone catch a breath. It is an awesome way to involve your whole company and can make this activity a quarterly event. It's fun and gets everyone involved, even if they can’t actually eat what each other has made! Check out the Virtual Team Builders Co website for pricing and to make a booking. It is a simple game, go through the alphabet and list the countries beginning with that letter. Create various scenarios from a zombie apocalypse to a sinking ship and get every team member to rate the items’ usefulness in a particular scenario. To play this properly, pick some online games that allow multiple players. Select a mutual meeting point and get everyone to come down. It brings organization and helps visually manage any project. We hope you've liked our list of the best virtual team building activities for remote & distributed teams. Do they like indie rock, pop classics, or some funky tunes. The instructions are very simple; once a month get everyone together via video chat. Show and Tell allows your team to laugh and get a glimpse into each other lives outside of the work environment. A good icebreaker at the start of your meeting will help you set the mood, and loosen people up. This is a really fun activity that you organise quite quickly. It can be a good idea to invite your remote team to participate in a recipe roundup. Existing customer? The Best Virtual Team Building. Objective: To get everyone bonding and sharing facts about themselves. So why not get creative with your team and have them create their own superhero or even a superhero that symbolizes your company. Stay focusedon the tasks thathelp your businessgrow, Choosing the best models and approaches for team effectiveness is the issue that product managers and team leaders have been trying to figure out for a long time. But, with thousands of teams all over the world playing QuizBreaker every day, we think it's a good suggestion! This simple team building activity is a great way to break the ice and to help employees learn a lot about each other. Objective: To get new employees integrated and feeling involved, Best when used on new employees as an excellent ice breaker at the start. It is a great way to learn something new while embracing other team member’s cultures. Chat Channel for Posting Pets’ Pictures. Someone in your team needs to shout out “Slippers” randomly, and everyone needs to move the camera to their feet to show if they are barefoot or wearing slippers. Rules or concept: The classic word game is known and beloved all over the world. We can either suggest playing this once a week, or you can use it now and then. One that we've tried and love ourselves is The Escape Game. Scavenger hunts allow team members to collaborate with one another, while also letting them delegate tasks and utilize each other’s strengths and skills. Virtual Team Building Bingo. You can have this exercise continue weekly, having mini-language lessons each week. The downside is that the bigger the group using Webex, the more it costs. They can be something as simple as they are proud of themselves or someone else for keeping on top of their email correspondence or being nice about a matter outside of work. Toggl features simple, easy, and color-coded formats to project plan and set timelines. During your video call each of your team members has a 1 to 1.5 minute time limit to present. The experience comes with the equipment and ingredients to brew a full case of beer, shipped right to your participants door. Remote teams are made up of many different cultures and nationalities, and that is why this team building activity works so well. During your meeting, everyone starts to guess whose picture belongs to whom. In this activity, you don’t even need to create your own memes and can find the content from your favorite meme site. Pick five random objects (make sure these are rare and unusual items, not things such as a pen and pencil). Trivia’s collection of intereactive games brings your team’s fun and social break right to your company’s Slack channel. It is important to note that this team building activity can only really do with teams that work in the same city or country or have the funds to pay for this sort of activity (hence why it is so low down on our list). As mentioned early, diversity can inhibit team performance. Their mobile version is excellent and is great for larger groups. Have you always wanted to ask questions to your team but never had the opportunity to do so? The marvels of technology can help you view the wonders of the world right from your laptop. Objective: Creative thinking and public speaking exercise. All ideas mutually agreed on as being "pleasant," and "meaningful" make up the group’s Code of Conduct. Once everyone is done, they do not have to share it to keep it personal and private. Another major player in the video conferencing apps is Webex. It’s also good because it involves video conferencing, which is the next best to face-to-face communication. Time: 10-15 minutes. Another great team-building activity encourages team members to get to know each other, communicate better, and become better listeners. Online virtual escape rooms blew up in 2020 as it became impossible to visit the ones in the real world because of the pandemic. We look forward to making this a monthly affair for our team His dilemma is that he is only able to carry one item at a time on the boat. P.S. Just get the team online and you can immediately start playing. Like the Shazam application, your team will be put to the test, and you get to see who is the most knowledgeable in music. Get them to take a picture of their bakes or display them on a live video call. Everyone submits their favorite song to the designated team lead. A company care package is great to boost your team’s morale, especially when you have offices in different cities. Upload the image on an online whiteboard or google doc in advance. When your team is working remotely and is located in different areas this activity is a great way to. Get everyone to submit a traditional song from their country . “I spy” is an interactive game that is easy to play with your team. They are funny, clever, and sometimes just is the best way to get the message across. Objective: To get co-workers better acquainted and to understand each other’s culture. Each person needs to write between 200 to 300 words to help create a character arch and move the plot along. You may propose professional literature, for example, the best project management books, or read and discuss fiction. For this activity, you'll want to bring in an external facilitator like the folks at Virtual Team Builders Co who specialize in running virtual activities like this for big teams online. It will be interesting to compare who chose who and if anyone picked the same person. You send out a direct Donut message that will prompt your colleagues to fun Slack conversations and virtual watercooler topics. Clear communication is an easy way to boost productivity, reduce workplace stress, and create better relationships with coworkers. Choose a colleague to present a skill or something they would like to teach their team. As the “host” of the meeting, write a small speech or instructions to tell your team. Additionally, this simple contest is a good way to get individuals inspired. If some people have overlapping activities, you can ask them to play together. Another excellent platform that emphasizes peer recognition while bringing a positive impact to our planet. Let your team know there is no judgment, and it is an open space to discuss anything positive or negative. The first person to make it back to the webcam and prove that they've collected all the items wins! Virtual team building is the process of engaging remote teams in an online format in order to deepen bonds within the team. I did this last week and my photo of the beautiful harbour in my hometown of Sydney won :). Schedule a time for everyone to meet virtually and ask your team to write 3 things the company achieves or working on in a year. The instructions are very simple; take some time to arrange one on one meetings with each of your team members. A fun Slack channel allows your team to take a quick break and release some stress through laughter. Everyone takes turns guessing whose favorite song is whose. Who’s walked up the most stairs or ran the most miles? This is a great activity for your team to learn from one another. They shout out’s do not need to be huge. wherever they are. We suggest putting it on a group Google doc or a whiteboard to allow everyone to also visually see the list. it meets a mutual perception from everyone. In all honesty, the instructions are fairly simple - either provide apple watches or Fitbit’s for your team or use the ‘health apps’ provided on phones and set challenges. Once they have said them, everyone goes around and says which ones they think are the truths and what is the lie. Rules or concept: Icebreaker questions allow you to get to know your team members better. To make these meetings even more useful, set goals of things to talk about or a conclusion to reach after each meeting. Materials: Virtual charades cards or a similar resource. Because working from home is a new concept to many people, it’s important to encourage team bonding and make it a priority. Before they join, get them to send you the list of the questions you want them you answer. Choose a team member to start the game; player 1 will begin the game by looking at the picture chosen or the video chat background. ‘Catchphrase’, also known as charades, is a family favorite. We suggest awarding a prize for the best invention! Rules or concept: This quick contest for remote teams is aimed at organizing teams. This team-building activity is a simple way to get every team member to see the best in themselves and others… and that’s exactly why we love it. At the end or beginning, “hug” your team, and it may be a bit silly, but it shows that you all are in this together and a community. These types of team building activities are great because they’re simple and you can learn so much about another person through the photos they take. Now that you know the importance of successful team building activities in virtual teams, here are some of the best remote team building activities out there that will help your team bond. Get every team member to send you a baby photo of themselves. 9 Team Building Games for Remote Workers . WorkStyle has created a unique team builing activity that helps teams understand how to best work with one another. Here are some fun games you can play over Zoom with your team. Most people who work from home have the dilemma to either be barefoot or wearing their house slippers. Online team building icebreakers and games can also facilitate connections among team members who otherwise may not speak that often. Working from home can be an isolating experience and team members that feel supported by their co-workers are likely to be happier and perform better at work. It also helps people feel connected and generally can help brighten anyone’s mood. What are your ways to build team morale remotely? It builds on ideas and goals that your team can reach together personally or professionally. Friendly Competitions. Heather Harper has a Masters in Occupational Psychological from the University of Manchester. Bring your team closer together, Virtual team building can also reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness in remote teams. Thus, we've created this guide to the best 21 virtual team building activities you can try with your team during a real time virtual happy hour. Choose any holiday to create a fun celebration to gather virtually. Rules or concept: All we know that a daily Scrum meeting is an essential part of Scrum project management. It may be as simple as playing a game at the end of the workday. Objective: To get everyone to understand each other’s culture and where they are from, We love this game because everyone will be from different places and have a different heritage, this game unites everyone and gets them connected and working better together, Get everyone to send a fun fact or a weird legend about the place they were born, Send them around to everyone and get them to vote on who sent the most interesting story about their birthplace, Offer the winner a prize, such as an Amazon voucher. Start it off by asking everybody to demonstrate where they’re born and then ask them where they’re currently located by pinning a picture of themselves onto the map. If only one person is barefoot or wearing socks, that person gets 3 points, and no-one else gets any points. Wouldn’t use it with new teams where people aren't yet comfortable with each other. Objective: Team bonding and getting to know each other. You can assemble all recipes in a Slack channel or run a challenge where participants prepare the other recipes and post photos. For this game, share a riddle, puzzle, or lateral-thinking question with your team, and encourage them to respond within a set amount of time. Pose the question “What you would do?”... For example: “What would you do if zombies roamed around the world?” The topic can be funny or work-related. Objective: To get everyone playing online games. It also is a great icebreaker question. And they know that informal team-building activities and team-building games are an appropriate way to improve team spirit and make employees more solid. is a fun and easy employee recognition platform. Ltd. 24 Raffles Place, #10-05 Clifford Centre, Singapore 048621. Donating to a charity that represents your team’s values will make your team feel proud and like they are making a difference to the world. Every time you an appreciation message through Evergreen on your organization’s Slack channel, a real tree is planted. Thousands of remote teams use QuizBreaker to boost engagement and morale including teams at companies like Google, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola. Another great video calling app that allows full customization if needed. To keep it relaxed and fun, set up a Slack channel just for this and start every week with a new photo challenge with anyone being able to post a photo anytime they want. Getting your everyday water intake is difficult sometimes so why not help your team start a healthier habit of drinking more water. Jitsi Meet emphasizes on secure connections, and they do not run into security issues as often. -Have everyone post their score, the ones with the fattest typing score compete against each other until there is a winner. Donut’s goal is to help create introductions to team members who don’t know each other well or connect daily. At the beginning of a virtual staff meeting, get every team member to share two shout-outs: one for something they did amazing this week, and one for something another team member did. Can read each other's body language and facial cues, which builds trust and connections between teams. Give the winner a prize (e.g., some amazon vouchers or a food voucher). Online Office Games is a form of “Office Olympics” that includes spirited challenges, virtual team games and activities. This activity will allow your team to practice their listening comprehension skills while listening to some great music. In this version, it brings a fun twist. You may say that these interactions and small talks mean nothing but they actually impact team performance and motivation a great deal. It also is an excellent activity to start the New Year off right! Authors have noted before that creativity in remote teams is a key component of success. You can have this theme go throughout the week and whoever comes up with the most images wins. Create a list of statements. Tell them to pick one meme that best describes the company. This pic should reflect one of their interests and passions. Why Is Virtual Team Building Important? These activities will help you to implement icebreakers, to build group rapport quickly, to reorganize the team, to start a new project, and many more. When you set aside some dedicated time for focused virtual team building, and integrate activities like these into your weekly routine, you will find your team growing stronger and better day by day. We love two truths and a lie because it is a classic ice breaker game that can be used to get the conversation flowing and have some fun while you’re at it. For example, jokes about animals or jokes about doctors. They can create multiple characters, have the story in different decades, or even write song lyrics. A classic question many people use as an icebreaker. Award the “best dressed” and have the winner choose the next theme! Rules or concept: A virtual book club is a good chance to connect with like-minded people from your distributed team. We love this remote team ice breaker because it's an old tradition - remember in your yearbooks when you’d have baby photos posted? The first participants begin by describing as many of their words as possible to everyone else, without saying the actual world. Everyone receives a random deck and does a 5-minutes presentation on them, without having seen the slides before. Enjoy! For example, one week the challenge could be ‘the best photo of a pet’ or the ‘nicest looking plant in their garden’. Here are some quick links to the different sections of our ultimate guide to virtual team building: 1. Unfortunately, very often virtual teams make companies lose successful communication that is so crucial to employee satisfaction and retention. They can Google it, send a picture or even draw one. As a manager, you should put in the effort to create nontrivial activities and online term building games that will help to increase those team bonding factors. He cannot leave the dog alone with the chicken because the dog will most likely eat the chicken, and he cannot leave the chicken alone with the rice because the chicken will eat the rice. Virtual Code Break from Outback Team Building: Solve online puzzles, riddles, and trivia with your remote colleagues in this brain-boggling virtual team building competition. Virtual team building can help replace valuable in-person forms of communication that are missing from the remote office; increasing the chances of talking to and interacting with one another helps remote co-workers get to know each other better, which in … Play 1 will say, for example, “I spy something blue” and will continue with this until the team guesses what the object player 1 is seeing. Cannot say “sounds like” or “starts with.”. Rules or concept: The rules of this remote virtual team building game are quite simple: ask your distributed coworkers to take a picture of something important from their private life. However, today we have what we have. Everyone should stay in touch but it won’t be a complicated thing. Go through each suggested item and ask everyone how they would ensure that the idea is carried out throughout. Add a little bit more motivation to the mix (if cute animal photos aren’t enough) by picking out the best photo at the end of the month and sending the winner a framed print of their picture. Rules or concept: One of the most simple and effective ways to start with online team building for remote teams is to get your remote employees together on a video call and invite an expert to lead the session. For example: “I make a killer lasagna” and they would set up a virtual workshop on how to cook the best lasagna. Virtual team building exercises aren’t the only ways you can improve team cohesion! For example, two participants want to attend 10 professional courses in 2020. It’s a great way to celebrate your colleagues and their accomplishments! For example, you as the organizer can participate and bond with your colleagues too. The instructions are actually really quite simple. Miro has a plethora of different layouts that will fit any team’s needs and preferences. A year ago, it was difficult to imagine how many spheres and areas could be affected by a pandemic. No matter you work in a software development company, e-commerce store, or involved in mass media, – team building will surely enhance your team and business. All the activities mentioned above will help you and your company to: The goal of team builders is to help teams prompt creativity and imagination, relax, and allow colleagues to start building trust. Have everyone post their ideas on the collaborative whiteboard. Decide on a theme (e.g., animals, films, etc). Ask everyone involved to post the picture during an online conference. It gives everyone a moment to focus on themselves and be mindful and aware of their thoughts. One way to remind your employees of your remote company’s real-world presence is to donate to a cause that matches your team’s values. It’s often hard to get to know each other in remote teams, so this allows people to find out a bit more about what each person is like. This activity breaks the ice and is a great opportunity to get to know one another. Discuss everyone’s answer and see if there is anything in common or something that the team is struggling with. Each person needs to write 2 statements about themselves. Objective: Collaboration and team engagement. Bucket lists are a great way to learn about people, especially your team. You can post pictures of our pets with funny faces and doing crazy things. Virtual team building activities have the power to make your remote team members feel more connected, engaged, appreciated, and happier at work. Before your next team meeting, have everyone break up into teams and present a list of materials, tools, items that they can choose to bring with them to a deserted island together. These games are a subcategory of video call games and are useful for virtual game nights and team building online. Collect their answers and mark them. To organize your own book club, make sure that participation is voluntary and that everyone agrees on what book to read. The theme doesn’t have to be extravagant and can be as simple as wearing your favorite sports team jersey. Teams that work remotely still need to have some face to face quality time in order to build their bond and become a stronger team. Host your virtual dance as a standalone event or propose it as a quick session during a scheduled team call. Have your team go to one of their favorite meme sites or use the ones we suggested. All rights reserved. It creates excitement and a sense of cohesion within your team. Sometimes team building activities are silly and just are meant for a good laugh. With your teams scattered across the globe due to remote working, virtual team building activities and games are a great way to break the ice and engage them informally to foster their bond. You need to do some more ice-breaking stuff first, but it does really help everyone jell together and creates a good laugh! Objective: Creative discussion, fostering relationships and communication skills, Materials: Debate topics and video conferencing platform. This feedback can be used on how to improve morale and work culture. The last virtual team building event we ran had 92% engagement with 98% of the 134 person company attending the final happy hour re-cap! For example: Once upon a time, a young girl named Julia started to adopt every puppy she saw before Christmas…. Choose from trivia, word puzzles, custom quizzes, and so much more! The main idea of this virtual team building activity is to organize members around reading the same material at a similar pace and to discuss feelings and thoughts altogether. Can also work on some projects together and share ideas. We like it because it makes people feel special. You can either make the topic personal (e.g., kids or hobbies) or business-related (e.g., degrees, departments, or years in the field). Have the host create a list of trivia questions, or have it be a collaborative effort. Create a fun list of games to play; try using one of the activities on this list. Objective: To keep everyone fit and healthy whilst introducing some competitiveness, Materials: A step or fitness tracking device. It is a fun way to see what you have in common and to see what types of personalities tend to work best together. Why not create an exercise around it that will give a bit of critical thinking and test your team and see if they actually listen to you. Employees like to feel that they are part of the company's plan and transparency is important for company goals and roadmaps. When you and your team get caught up with a busy work week and need a quick laugh, this is the perfect activity. Agree to watch the same movie during the week. They also allow only audio calls for those who have slower internet connection or are still getting ready for the workday. These team building activities are short, simple, and require no preparation from you. Everyone will discuss their daily tasks over a nice cup of coffee. More than anything, we hope this post has made you realize that just because your team are distributed over eight states, 12 countries, two continents, and seven-time zones, it doesn’t mean you can’t be a team and promote the same communication, trust and collaboration as normal teams. The connections within distributed teams are not so easy to establish and maintain. Here are 10 great team building games for remote workers that you can implement easily and immediately. Once everyone is paired up have them play separately via their own zoom meeting. Every week, pick different ‘X or Y’ questions. Top 21 Most FUN Virtual Team Building Activities.