5 Engaging Icebreaker Activities For Virtual Meetups

Afterwards, mingle to find matching squares and complete a winning row. The Human Knot Challenge is a physical problem-solving activity where large groups must work together to untangle themselves from a human knot without breaking hand contact. This exercise requires clear communication within the big group, as well as leadership skills and patience, as participants play through tight spaces. Office Olympics transforms the workplace into an arena of competition  with a series of office-themed challenges.

Icebreaker Games For Meetings

Stories about our lives and who we are as people have long been effective ways to bring people together and deepen the bonds between them. When a team knows each other deeply, they tend to be more connected, resilient and able to support each other in their day to day work. When we’re able to reveal something unique about ourselves to the people around us, it can pave the way for deeper connections and bonds.

Break questions into categories, such as questions about your company’s leadership team, questions about your company’s products or services, etc. The One-Word Icebreaker can be adapted to suit different settings and purposes. Lifeboat Debate is a high-energy icebreaker that challenges participants to think critically, communicate persuasively, and make collective decisions under pressure.

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. Everyone loves a good, mind-boggling riddle.You can both break the ice and learn about some of your employee’s critical thinking skills. Here are some riddles that’ll show you the competitive side of your employees. You can do the same for your virtual teams if you want them to bond without the restrictions of official meetings.

Set a time limit of about 2-5 minutes, and let everyone in the meeting have an opportunity to teach everyone something. Once everyone has grabbed hands, the group must work together to untangle the “knot” without releasing hands to end up back in a circle. Do this by stepping over, ducking under, or weaving through the hands of other participants. During the activity, participants must communicate and collaborate to find the best way to untangle the knot. They must listen to each other’s suggestions and work together to find a solution. The activity promotes teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Beware Of Time Constraints

It is super fun and easy to use with 15+ fun games to choose from. The main benefit of Ricotta on Slack is that you can play asynchronously and will not face any work disruption. Schedule your games in advance to keep your employees engaged throughout the week.

Nothing breaks the ice quite like a friendly and good-spirited competition with Hooray Teams Virtual Trivia. You’ll enjoy 4-5 rounds of trivia in a quick 60-minute session led by a cool host who turns boring online meetings into exciting experiences. You can even pick topics you like, as Hooray Teams can customize personalized icebreaker questions about your team, company, or industry.

Thanks to this virtual icebreaker, you can see what other people have been up to and have experienced, and you can celebrate some of your top moments. Similar to the previous virtual icebreaker, you can engage people in ranking their favorite things, whether from their childhood or not – the possibilities are endless. They are great conversation starters – they help energize Latinfeels people, drive lively discussions, and encourage the participants to be more active throughout the meeting.

You’ll get to know everyone while people playfully defend their favorite artists. Branch out from the traditional idea of an icebreaker by using these fun ideas with your coworkers during an upcoming conference call. Ask everyone to turn on their mics or answer in chat when you call out a space that applies to them. Prompt your coworkers to get to know each other better by describing their hometowns or nearest city. Instead, everyone should pick a name, city product, or another notable fact.

💡 TipDon’t forget to ask the person who the poll is about to share at least one story behind the statements. And we all need that now and then, especially when working in isolation. As you kick off your meeting, ask your teammates to post their highlights in an open text poll.

• For more remote-friendly icebreakers, check out our complete collection of icebreakers for virtual meetings.
• Once everyone has grabbed hands, the group must work together to untangle the “knot” without releasing hands to end up back in a circle.
• Rather than having people look to you as facilitator and create unnecessary downtime, trying having each person end their “turn” by selecting who goes next.

This ensures everyone has speaking opportunity (often limited in large meetings), then pairs share key points with the full group. Six-Word Weekend SummaryAsk participants to describe their weekend in exactly six words. Next, allow all groups a couple of minutes to discuss the topic before coming back to the main room to share what each pair talked about.

Everyone on your team can mention one thing they did before turning 18. Maybe they faced their fears and tried out for the school musical or did math speed tests the fastest in third grade. People can bond over shared experiences or celebrate what every person has accomplished. Come up with a list of pop quiz questions about the latest celebrity gossip, popular show, or whatever else you can think of in the pop culture realm. Asking one new question at the start of each meeting results in everyone submitting their answers before discussing the subject. Ask your coworkers to talk about a skill a team member next to them excels at.

It’s a great way to enhance engagement & help people set goals and hold themselves accountable during the session. Your Amazing Future is a powerful icebreaker for helping people think about setting goals, connect to the future and get energized. Start Magic Box by assembling a box of interesting and varied objects. Having objects of different sizes and texts is best, though even a collection of photos will do. Once their avatar is ready, each person will “upload” themselves by sticking their card to the wall.

Start the Whose Story is it icebreaker game by writing your funniest or weirdest story on a small piece of paper. Then fold the paper up and drop it into a bowl or other container. The key ice breaker is a team building favorite and a great exercise to get to know each other in a group or team.

Companies have to increasingly take measures to ensure their employees mental well-being, especially during the pandemic. With offices shifting their work setting to remote or hybrid, team lunches have become more rare and difficult to conduct. Nothing can beat in-person lunches on a work day but we have an exciting solution. This one’s a fun and classic game that is also a great conversation starter. Would you rather (or This or That) involves basically giving two options to your team, and they can select the option they like more.

It’s a simple, silent, and surprisingly effective way to create a moment of team unity. Go around the virtual room and have each person quickly share one positive thing from their week (a “rose”) and one small challenge they’re facing (a “thorn”). The next person in line adds another word, and so on around the virtual room. The team collaboratively builds a story that is almost always nonsensical and hilarious.

At the end of this method, each team member will be a little more familiar with each other. Begin by asking your group to stand-up and let them know you’ll be giving them instructions for where to look. Lead them through a round of randomly saying directions while they follow your instructions. Next, make a change and let them know that down now means up and up means down while left and right remain the same. Lead another around and bask in the laughter and mistakes the group makes while warming up!

Begin this icebreaker by simply asking participants to stand in a circle and pass a ball to their left. Debrief and ask how the task went before asking participants to try again while moving the ball faster. While the result of Stress Balls is chaotic fun, it also offers a very teachable lesson about how teams can communicate in order to achieve great results. A positive and uplifting icebreaker that encourages team members to reflect on achievements, recognize each other’s contributions, and build a culture of appreciation. I’ve found the Weather Check-in game especially useful when working with remote teams, for whom a metaphor can feel like a safe way to share in a group setting.