As the COVID curve continues to be flattened, more and more states have begun to open up and people are headed back to work. But, just as shutting down the country was done slowly, getting it back up and operational will also be a slow process.
This means many of us will still be working remotely from home for the unforeseeable future. And THAT means leaders find themselves scratching their heads to come up with new ways to engage with their remote staff. I mean, you can only ask what everyone had for breakfast so many times before it gets old.
This blog post is going to share some fun new virtual team building activities you can begin to use to keep team productivity and morale up. But first…
Why is Virtual Team Building Important?
You may have already noticed that some of your team members, who are most likely not used to being isolated for so long, are feeling a bit… squirrely and perhaps even a tad unhinged. This is why it is crucial for business leaders to create a team environment that your remote staff can latch onto and pull themselves up.
While the following virtual team building activities may seem like all fun and games, they are actually meant to enhance human interaction and help your team connect with each other. You’ll not only help your team members combat their loneliness, you’ll also build stronger relationships. And that will literally pay off when this is all behind us and we are working right next to one another again. The bonds created now during this crisis will last for weeks, months and even years.
With these benefits in mind, here are some great virtual team building activities you can begin to use to engage with your remote staff:
Favorite Things
This is a fun and simple way for people to get to know each other and it keeps things on a positive note. And, unlike some other games, there is no wrong answer, so no anxiety attached.
Simply assign the “favorite thing” topic. For instance, you might want the topic to be “favorite thing about spending so much time with your family” or “favorite thing about working from home.” Then give everyone a chance to answer.
Weekly Gaming Sessions
At the start of each week, email your team and ask them to vote on their favorite virtual group game to be played that week. If people can’t think of any, send them to Jackbox for some ideas. Then, once a game has been selected for that week, block off an hour during the week for everyone (who is interested) to play as a group.
Share a Photo
Sharing personal photos is an easy way to help your staff get to know each other better and bond over shared interests. Invite team members to share a photo of their workspace and write a little blurb describing the image. Another fun twist to this team building exercise is to turn it into a guessing game. So once photos are shared, everyone on the team tries to guess which workspace belongs to which team member.
Fun Facts
Another fun guessing game is to have each team member share some personal facts about themselves. Once collected, the facts would then be compiled into a Google document that is shared with the entire team. Next to each fact, team members should write down who they think is the rightful owner of that fact. You can either provide an answer key once everyone has completed the exercise or do the exercise on a live group video chat.
Build a Storyline
You probably played this game when you were a kid. But, as we never outgrow our LOVE of stories, it can be JUST as fun now as it was then.
Here’s how it works, in case you forgot or never played it…
Have your team members form a “virtual circle” on a video call and begin the exercise like this:
The first team members will begin the story with one opening sentence followed by an incomplete one. For example: “Maria headed to the office kitchen for her third cup of coffee that morning. As she passed John’s cubicle, she noticed…”
The next person completes the first person’s incomplete sentence and adds another incomplete sentence. “As she passed John’s cubicle she noticed he had left his backpack slightly open in his now-empty chair. She glanced inside and was shocked to see…”
Go around the circle so everyone has a turn. Your goal is to have fun coming up with a comprehensive story structure.
This game is not only fun and builds relationships, it also gets those creative juices flowing and helps your team members really listen to one another.
Birth Map
This is a fun interactive way to learn more about one another. Share an image of a world map, say Google Maps, in your group chat. Invite everyone to place a marker on or near the place of their birth. You can then have each person take a few moments to share a story or fact about their birthplace.
The Perfect Vacation
This exercise is incredibly fun and another way to get your team members to enhance their listening skills.
Everyone partners off with another team member. This duo then hops on a personal call with one another and each tells their partner about their perfect vacation. When everyone is done, team members hop on a group video chat or group call and go around and have everyone take turns describing their partner’s perfect vacation as accurately as possible.
These are just some of the fun virtual team building activities that will help you engage with your remote staff to keep up morale and productivity. Want even more ideas to help you communicate and connect better with your team?
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