Questions can cover topics like current challenges, stressors, defining moments, moments of pride, fears, desired outcome for the current gathering etc. Afterwards they can show each other their drawings and discuss their creations. The exercise is fun, colorful and visual and can be modified to work with any group and/or topic just by changing the questions. Meetings can sometimes become difficult because attendees come in stressing about the topic or are distracted by things outside of the meeting.

Physical movement helps energise your group and alleviate stress. Keep Up The Balloons is a hilarious icebreaker that’s perfect for small to medium-sized groups. The atmosphere at the start of most meetings, put simply, isn’t great.

Icebreakers for Zoom breakouts

There are a total of 16 different Myers Briggs personality types, and sharing yours can be a fun way to find someone who has the same personality type as you. It can also help you better understand how your teammates operate and think — which is super helpful and helps enhance team productivity. Virtual ice breakers are one of our favorite ways to encourage that personal connection. You might think these are totally old school, but they work. Especially when you’re meeting a new teammate, an external party, or a new partner that you’ve never come into contact with before.

By using groups of just a few people, you can ensure each person gets space to share and the relationships that are built on this foundation can be meaningful indeed. In this short and very physical energizer, the group shakes out their bodies one limb at a time. Starting with eight shakes of the right arm, then eight shakes of the left, eight shakes of the right leg, then eight shakes of the left. It continues with a round of four shakes of each limb, then two, then one, ending in a big cheer.

The Movie Pitch Icebreaker

It gives guests a place to jump into the conversation with you, and vice-versa. Knowing and feeling comfortable with your guests can also help calm those nerves. Over the past 10 years, I have led remote teams for small and large companies across three continents. Getting team members better acquainted and building a strong company culture has been key to our success. Have attendees doodle their notes and share them at the end.

A good energizer when time is limited and the main aim is to get people moving. 9 Dimensions is a powerful activity designed to build relationships and trust among team members. A great, remote-friendly exercise for a team to work together and share opinions. For example, someone might hold up a icebreakers for virtual meetings framed photo of their kids and share a little about them. Or someone else might hold up an empty bowl and say, “I haven’t had time to do dishes yet.” It doesn’t have to be something profound. What we have on our desks can tell others a little bit about ourselves—or at least give people a laugh.

How to Build a Strong Virtual Team in 7 Steps

That’s the task that you would set everyone before the virtual meeting. A couple of days before a virtual check in, ask your team members to brainstorm their ideas for a particular topic that will improve the team, the business or a process. Most people have a bucket list of goals that they would like to achieve or experience in life.

• When they find the same passion listed in both grids, ask them to sign for each other in the appropriate square.
• It works best in teams that know each other fairly well because it may involve some vulnerability, especially if someone’s “low” for the week is intense.
• This game is commonly known as “One Word at a Time.” It’s a simple and fun icebreaker or warm-up activity for groups, and it’s also super popular if you’ve ever done improv as well.
• After throwing some ideas and questions out there, eventually, you might find a shared hobby, like you all know how to play piano.
• You can always dig deeper if there are outliers, like someone who uses their other hand to rate pickles an “8” while another shows a “0” rating with their fist.
• In this icebreaker, you’ll first want to ask everyone involved if they’re comfortable having their photos taken before the meeting begins.

With a visual platform, you could also gamify the experience by having everyone vote anonymously for the most convincing doppelgänger. Have everyone introduce themselves, and then share their nicknames and the backstories that go with them. Learn how to transform your difficult relationship.I’ll show you my science-based approach to building a strong, productive relationship with even the most difficult people. The world became obsessed with Wordle and moved on after a few months of viral social media posts about the daily challenge.

Best virtual icebreaker games for remote team meetings

Icebreakers get guests out of their heads and make it easier to tune in. In smaller meetings, they get would-be lurkers to turn their cameras on and speak up. In bigger meetings, they prompt attendees to jump into the chatbox and share their thoughts. Paying attention to Zoom calls is harder than paying attention in person.

If you’re kicking off a virtual meeting with a new team, chances are you’re not all located in the same city or region (or even country). Have participants describe the city or town where they live, and name something they find iconic about that place. Start an icebreaker conversation about everyone’s favorite childhood costume if Halloween is coming up.

But if you’re looking for some cheekier ones for a group you know really well, try this Oprah-approved set. Our personal favorite trivia variants test your knowledge of different pop culture eras, from the 60s through https://remotemode.net/ the 10s. Older guests might have tuned out after Kurt Cobain died, and never even heard of Drake. Your younger guests probably know which Paul brother is which—but they might not know why Fleetwood Mac imploded.

Each of them is personal, fun, and will help you warp your virtual meeting attendees up for conversation. Social situations can be hard, especially in a remote workspace. One of the major benefits of small group icebreaker games is space for participants to talk and get to know each other a little more than they would in a group of 20+ people.