Depending on the setup you’re in, divide your colleagues into smaller groups (if you’re in an online setup, use breakout rooms) and ask them to discuss their struggles. These are great get-to-know-you games and longer team-building activities that will both entertain and bring the team closer together. We’ve all been there – the start of a virtual or hybrid meeting where there’s an awkward silence. But this can be a thing of the past when you introduce the humble icebreaker to get people talking and loosen them up. It’s an excellent way to foster deeper connections and discussions in a larger virtual meeting. Breakout Room Chats involve small group discussions in virtual breakout rooms.
Ball Toss involves tossing a ball around, with each catching student answering a question. Number Crunch involves counting off numbers, but replacing certain numbers with a word or action. It’s an excellent way for students to break the ice and form initial connections in a new class. Classmate Scavenger Hunt involves finding classmates who match specific criteria on a list.
Music has a way of universally bringing people together, so it’s a great way of boosting energy icebreakers for virtual meetings in an icebreaking session. The template ensures your meetings remain on-topic and aligned with goals while motivating everyone to participate. Fun Zoom icebreaker games can energize your team meetings and boost engagement. Ice breakers for virtual meetings are essential for keeping your sessions lively and engaging. They help break down barriers, foster connections, and ensure everyone is actively participating. Being a good listener can really transform your meetings.
Icebreaker #20: The Marshmallow Game
You’re encouraging them to open up and potentially be seen in a new light. For groups coming together for the first time, sometimes it’s better to keep icebreaking short and sweet. Your busy workplace might be a little strapped for time, so these activities require next to no preparation, carried out in a matter of minutes. This classic teambuilding activity is as messy as it is fun. The Egg Drop Challenge pits teams against each other to create a container for an egg. The egg gets dropped from a certain height, and hopefully remains intact, all thanks to the design of the container.
Encourage everyone to turn their webcams on to humanize the experience. Seeing each other’s faces makes the virtual meeting feel more like an in-person gathering, which boosts engagement and participation. Long online meetings can take a toll on our bodies, especially our backs.
Desert island game
This is also a fun game for teams that have recently started working together online. It’s a great way to get team members (especially the introverts) to open up by asking them fun questions that break the ice. Looking to unlock the hidden architects within your team and promote a bit of friendly competition?
- The gameplay shall continue in a sequence (Zip, Zap, Zop).
- A Trivia Quiz uses online quiz tools to host a trivia competition.
- After the scavenger hunt, team members could also swap decor ideas to elevate their remote workstations.
- Focusing on chain reactions in a company can be useful in an icebreaking session.
- This game not only adds an element of fun to meetings but also promotes learning, team bonding, and ongoing engagement among participants.
How to Set and Achieve Professional Goals for…
It consists of 25 questions measuring people’s strengths, from bravery to humor. Then, have each attendee share their top strengths and brainstorm one way they can apply them to a particular project. Two-Word Check-In involves emotions and moments of vulnerability. So, avoid using it for one-time meetings with people you’ve never met.
The GIF game
Add a bit of humor and curiosity, giving teammates a sneak peek into each other’s remote workday and browsing habits. Ask everyone to share one open tab from their browser that isn’t work-related. A recipe, a news article, a shopping page, or a random Wikipedia rabbit hole, each tab gives a fun glimpse into what everyone’s browsing in their downtime. Choose the best response and let them pick the next prompt. Simple, lively, and fun, try this one out in your next virtual get-together. Create a light-hearted test to shatter ice in a virtual meeting with some emoji-decoding shenanigans.
- Then, see how close everyone was by having them check their screen time stats in their device’s settings.
- These experiences can take many forms, but one effective approach is to use icebreakers to kick off a meeting.
- You’ll find options to suit any setup for both on-site and remote teams.
- A bucket list is a compilation of experiences or life goals you want to achieve, often including activities like traveling to specific destinations or trying new foods.
This cute check-in is perfect for creating energy in large groups at the start of a session or when you come back from a break. It’s also a great way to gauge participants’ energy levels. For example, if you’re going to be running a Miro collaboration session in Butter, run the icebreaker in Miro too.
They are great for building relationships, warming up groups and establishing connections among remote teams. The online format of the meeting should help determine your choice of icebreaker. Certain activities lend themselves less to virtual remote online meetings, such as model building games. It’s no secret that a successful icebreaker is one that is ideally suited to the format of the meeting, the size of the team, and the personalities of the employees. This classic icebreaker game is a perfect conversation starter for virtual teams. Simply ask a series of “would you rather” questions and have team members vote on their preferred option.