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Ask your coworkers what they’ve been binging on a favorite streaming service or seeing at the movie theater. Other coworkers will likely enjoy the same things and chime in excitedly. If you really want to make it fun, ask people to share a show or movie they like but feel a little embarrassed about. This could be a favorite kid’s movie or a trashy reality show. Some of these could be thrown in part way through the day too especially the One-Word ice breaker.
- If you need a guaranteed conversation starter, try a question that brings back childhood or teenage years memories – they provide an inexhaustible source of amusement.
- Have everyone introduce themselves and give a 30-second pitch for their favorite film, show, or book.
- Have everyone come up with a movie pitch and have one person declare a winner for the best pitch.
- For this virtual team building exercise, have everyone introduce themselves in one minute, with no limit on what they can say.
We set up a virtual whiteboard, and each of us was supposed to write our ideas on little stickers that we then posted on the board. It nicely simulated a real-life brainstorming session. But be sure to schedule an informal team catch-up from time to time just to chat with your teammates about something other than work. You can call it whatever you like – virtual watercooler talks, virtual happy hour – it’s your choice. You can use a Slido word cloud for that, but instead of words, your participants will submit an emoji. This works best with larger meetings and events when a large number of emojis gets submitted.
What’s your nickname?
Cocktails & mocktails will be crafted, your team will settle into the meeting, and you will get to enjoy your tasty drink as you hop into your agenda. It’s like all the fun of pub trivia but without the logistics of coming up with questions or getting everyone together in the same room at the same time. The best part about Budget Friendly Icebreakers is that they are inclusive, cost-effective, and can be adapted to different settings. On top of that, a smartly-designed icebreaker facilitates relationships and picks up the pace to develop deep work connections. Take a few minutes of every zoom meeting to catch up with team members and ask them how they’re doing. One of the most essential human needs is growth, according to Alderfer’s ERG theory.
It’s fun to find out that a colleague is watching the same show as you, just be careful with spoilers! You might be surprised by what you learn about some people’s interests, and also discover tons of shows that were not on your radar yet. This is a fun one because it’s easy and everyone uses emojis. For this icebreaker, everyone will go around in alphabetical order and tell the meeting participants what their most-used emoji is. If you don’t want to highlight your most used emoji for any reason, simply state your favorite emoji. Plus, in order for a meeting to be productive, there has to be an open and clear line of communication between participants.
Virtual team lunches
Activities offer opportunities for team members to work together in a format that is lighthearted, but still impactful. This can be a fun way to introduce favorite kinds of music, with potentially hilarious outcomes. Also, singing has been shown to mediate fast social bonding. Bonus points if people have good stories about why they selected their songs — or particularly memorable performances. Ask your teammates to share the celebrity that people say resembles them most, and include an image reference if possible. With a visual platform, you could also gamify the experience by having everyone vote anonymously for the most convincing doppelgänger.
The perfect game for far-flung national and internationally based remote teams. You should ensure you are all mostly from different cities. Depending on the size of your team, you may need to split up into smaller groups. To add an extra dimension of fun, you might each contribute a set of questions based on personal interests (obviously, you won’t answer your own sections!). If you want to make it more playful, turn this activity into a competition by giving people a set amount of time to find more obscure/unique items.
Hobby-themed icebreaker questions
The day an inspirational leader started with the company. Here are 37 virtual team-building activities to try with your team. Using the website rpsgame.org, your employees can play together online. First, assign each employee a partner and designate one to be the lead.
- If you cannot speak out the right answer within required time, you are a loser.
- Grill the Gaffer gives them the control, gives them creative freedom and helps them to see you as a human with whom they can talk.
- Emoji Quiz is a quick mental warm-up that will test your team’s knowledge of movie, book and song titles.
- Asking food-related questions is a great way to break the ice and find mutual interests.
Throughout your challenge, ask employees to share photos of their plant’s growth and provide resources to help them. At the end, the employee who’s plant has grown the most gets the green thumb award. You could also give your employees a head start by purchasing a plant icebreakers for virtual meetings and having it shipped to their house. This team-building challenge will give your employees the opportunity to show off their gardening skills and bond over shared gardening failures. Instead, come up with a handful of fun and kind of silly awards for your team.