In an era when remote work brings flexibility, it surely has its downside as well with Zoom fatigue being a real thing! So how do you deal with the challenge of keeping your teams engaged and connected? Well, maintaining camaraderie in a virtual setting requires focused and creative team-building. Because let’s face it, remote work can sometimes feel like you’re alone on an island with Wi-Fi.
Team-building isn’t just about throwing in a few cool activities for your employees to let their hair down and have fun. It requires strategic thinking and incorporating exercises that focus on and enhance the collaboration and productivity of your remote team.
Before we dive into the nitty gritty of virtual team building let us address the elephant in the Zoom room: why do organizations need team-building in the first place?
A Harvard Business Review study mentions that when remote teams are engaged they are 50% more likely to report higher job satisfaction, retention, and productivity. Also, it would be an endearing break from the drudgery of staring at spreadsheets, flummoxing emails, and endless meetings on video calls. So how do you go on to create this ‘virtual water cooler’ simulation for your remote team?
Let us share some delightfully creative team-building activities for your remote teams that will up the team collaboration making your team feel more connected and also infuse a fresh lease of life into your virtual workspace.
We understand your team has seen days of office escape room outings. Well, now picture your team trapped in a digital maze of puzzles, working together to outsmart the clock and escape before time runs out. Virtual escape rooms are the new normal like so many other things virtual and they have exploded in popularity. They are here to rescue your teams with virtual bonding as they try to solve puzzles virtually escaping within the given time frame.
Offering a good measure of problem-solving, teamwork, and adrenaline-pumping fun, escape rooms not only bring innovative team exercises to life but are also a good test of communication and creativity under pressure.
To add a dash of excitement take your pick from one of the many ‘themed’ professionally designed virtual escape rooms that would challenge your nerdiest team members and puzzle solvers. It will bring the much-needed creative edge to your innovative team exercise. You could choose any room of your liking with options right from defusing virtual bombs to solving murder mysteries. Or you could even customize the theme as per your organization or team’s current project they are working on to give them a more in-depth experience. Watch them dive into these virtual escape rooms where they scramble to find clues and crack codes.
Such immersive team engagement will get your team to collaborate, communicate, and think critically. Since the escape rooms simulate real-life scenarios, they help your team develop their cognitive skills and creativity in challenging situations. The fun of a game, and theme adds more fun to the remote work team bonding exercise. You could also divide your teams into smaller groups and host a friendly competition to amp up the excitement.
The classic scavenger hunt! But let’s reimagine it for the remote era. When you could work and get education remotely then why not customize our traditional games accordingly as well? Create a virtual scavenger hunt where the team members have to finish a task or a list of tasks within a time frame. Give them clues through virtual chat or Zoom to crack the code. You could also have a competition by dividing them into smaller groups and sending them into break-out rooms to solve their set of clues. The team finishing the earliest is the winner.
Here are some quirky ideas to get you started:
Alternately you could tie the entire scavenger hunt to a theme that resonates with your organization, as you run the hunt in a stepwise manner by giving clues or tasks that take the learning forward. Take advantage of the different virtual platforms available to spice up your scavenger hunt for virtual team building. Some apps offer you the option to submit photos or videos, you may utilize these and ask the team members to share pics of their finds with the group, this would build on the excitement and thrill of the hunt. This activity not only helps people to move and think creatively but also gives a fun glimpse into each other’s surroundings and the lives of how your teammates lives look like beyond the boundaries of the Zoom screen.
If you thought that show and tell just stopped at school then you are in for a surprise here. How about going back in time and giving it a corporate twist to add some thrill to your virtual team building?
Sometimes the simplest of things spark the most joy and if this classic activity reminds you of your childhood then why not enjoy it with a child-like enthusiasm? Each one of us is passionate about something: a favorite book, a pet, or a childhood memory, so let’s bring it to life through this online team game that is sure to enhance team bonding.
This activity encourages your team members to connect on a personal level as they share their most memorable, unique, or favorite quirks to the forefront and share their thoughts about it. A study by Nature on remote teams suggests that remote work reduced workers’ cross-group interactions, and caused the collaboration network to become more siloed. The fun of remote work lies in the authenticity of such moments where they offer an opportunity for real connection and creativity. ‘Show and tell’ has the power to bring innovativeness and remote collaboration to your team. You can even turn it into a weekly event and watch how this simple, quirky activity deepens relationships.
How well do you know your teammates? Or who is the real person behind the screen? Well, let’s dig deeper through this fun and simple team collaboration activity. We have seen those Instagrammable perfectly curated homes and work spaces but how about a dose of raw, unfiltered workspaces for your team?
Well, the activity is simple: ask your team members to take a snapshot of their workspace and share it in a team chat or during a video call. The catch is they don’t have to share the whole desk is it and let the guessing games begin!
It’s a super interesting way to peek into your colleagues’ daily lives and now them up, close and personal through their persona space. This simple activity also sparks conversations about so many things like productivity hacks, ergonomic setups, light placements, backgrounds, a picture frame on the table, and of course who has the most impressive collection of half-empty coffee mugs. You might even discover an unknown quirk of your colleague from your team which you were completely unaware of till now.
Make space for Charades – we have got some really interesting stuff up our sleeve! Charades is your classic team-building activity that no one ever hasn’t played. Think of any gathering, festival, family, or friend trip together and there isn’t a moment when you haven’t played charades. So, let’s get to the goodness of this creative team-building game that is sure to enhance remote work fun as well as is a great team engagement exercise.
You can play the good old version of dividing your team into smaller groups and then each group presents to the other one while they guess together. Keeping in sync with the remote team’s collaboration you can even give it a digital twist – make it an emoji-based charade. In this version, one person uses emojis to describe a famous movie, event, or phrase, and the rest of the team has to guess.
This remote team activity balances fun with team engagement and creates an opportunity for your team members to let themselves loose after a long workday and relax. Not only is it easy, and quick, but it surely is a recipe for some laughs. to a stronger bond and reduced stress. And who knows you might discover the best actor in your team through this this quirky and fast-paced game that promises to bring out your team’s hidden acting skills (or lack thereof!).
If there is one activity that can never go out of style it is trivia. Also, you can customize it according to your virtual team-building activity. Right from creating themed trivia sessions based on pop culture, industry knowledge, or sports, you could also host one on company history or the current project that your team is a part of. You could also make good use of tools Mentimeter, Kahoot, or QuizBreaker to make it interesting, engaging, and fun.
A competitive trivia session is bound to spark some friendly rivalry too, making it all the more thrilling. Trivia quizzes provide, innovative ways to sneak in some corporate learning along with simple plain fun. Mental exercises like trivia are known to enhance problem-solving and memory skills. These are the skills that are highly beneficial for remote teams who have to tackle complex projects.
On a quirky note, you may give brownie points to team members who can take the volley of some fun questions like, “What’s the CEO’s favorite karaoke song?” You never know what surprises you are in for with such remote collaboration that just got a lot more fun!
This oft-used icebreaker could be easily turned into a virtual game. Each person states two truths and one lie about themselves while the team members guess the lie. You are in for a sneaky surprise with the amount of revelations and fun you are going to witness among your team. This remote team activity is one of the best ways to know your team members more closely and foster a sense of camaraderie amongst them. This would take your team engagement up by several notches. If you are looking forward to an innovative team exercise that encourages honesty, creativity, and engagement while unveiling fun facts about each other then this is the perfect virtual team-building activity. Activities fostering trust are essential in remote settings, as they are the cornerstone of team-building. You are in for a surprise at what you learn from this activity and who amongst your team has a secret talent for bluffing.
One of the most popular remote team activities is Pictionary.
It is one virtual team building activity that is not only creative and requires no artistic skills (thank goodness!). Your teams may use apps or tools like Skribbl.io, Miro, or Drawasaurus to play the online team game. You can divide the participants into teams who would then go on to compete to draw and guess words or phrases.
If you thought your team would shy away from displaying their creative or artistic skill then the best way is to make it competitive and indulge them in some prizes for the winning team. You may sit back and enjoy as the team members find the budding Picasso from amongst them or even try to roughen out the edges as a novice artist.
It not only tests creativity under pressure, but it also encourages fast thinking and collaborative problem-solving. Visual learning is an imperative part of creative team building. It is one of the best tools that aid in remote collaboration and knowledge retention. If nothing else, this remote work fun activity will leave you with a few belly laughs. Also, remember we are not judging the art here or doing any competition, so just relax and doodle away your ideas.
As interesting or as unfathomable as it may sound, this remote team activity is bound to channel your inner ‘Master Chef’ in a competitive and fun way. After all, food has always been a universal bonding tool, so who are we to judge which creative team building should be and shouldn’t be there in this list? We thought of combining team-building with some culinary creativity to add a unique flavor to your organizational cauldron. You can divide your team into smaller groups and conduct a virtual cook-off challenge where teams have to prepare dishes based on a theme (e.g., regional cuisine, 30-minute meals).
Here’s how you can make it even more competitive and fun:
1. Choose a theme (e.g., “Breakfast or Dinner” or “Fusion Cuisine”)
2. Provide a list of 3-4 mandatory ingredients
3. Set a time limit
4. Let your team unleash their culinary creativity!
Ask the participants to share their progress through photos or short video clips, as they progress in their preparation journey which will finally culminate in a grand reveal of their dishes. To add more flair to the fun you can even bring in a guest judge (perhaps your CEO or someone’s family member) to critique the creations and crown a winner.
This activity not only encourages creativity and time management but also provides a delicious excuse to step away from the computer and whip up something tasty. It is also a fun way to know each other and have a sneak peek into your team members’ lives in a fun and unforced way.
This virtual team-building exercise boosts problem-solving skills and fosters innovation in a limited span of time. So, whether your team churns up a disaster or finds their Michelin-star chef, the joy lies in the process.
Last but not least, hold your breath as we unveil to you the master of all the activities – the great Remote Talent Show. This one is bound to unfurl many a sorcerer’s hat or even lead to the discovery of a great dancer. Every team has its hidden talents lurking beneath the surface of professional facades. You have got this wonderful opportunity to coax them out with a virtual talent show. This creative team-building activity celebrates the weird, wonderful, and downright ridiculous skills your colleagues possess.
Think pet tricks, speed-knitting, loud burping in under a minute, extreme juggling, or even synchronized Excel spreadsheet formatting. The more unusual the better it gets. Encourage your team members to think and showcase talents beyond the usual singing and dancing. The key is to keep it light-hearted and inclusive. After all, we are aiming to laugh with each other, not at each other.
You may even take virtual help by using platforms like Talent Show to organize and host your event, complete with voting features and a virtual stage. Or even the good old Zoom that offers you the stage background and mic drop options.
You might discover that your mild-mannered HR executive can actually swallow swords, or that manager from sales has a secret life as a yodeling champion. Either way, it’s guaranteed to be a memorable bonding experience.
After exploring these ten creative team-building activities, one thing becomes clear: the power of creativity and fun shouldn’t be underestimated, especially in remote work environments. A study by Forbes found that companies that prioritize team bonding and fun in the workplace see a 20% increase in overall productivity and an 87% increase in employee retention.
But beyond the numbers, these activities serve a crucial purpose: they remind us of our shared humanity in a digital world. They transform pixelated faces on screens into real people with quirks, talents, and stories. They create inside jokes, shared experiences, and moments of genuine connection that can sustain teams through challenging projects and long workdays. On days when your team members might feel left out or uncared for, it is the remote activities or virtual collaborations that would help them sail through a difficult day or resolve a challenging task.
So, dear remote team leaders, embrace the weird, the wacky, and the wonderfully human aspects of your team. You never know which of these were waiting for you, to bring out the best in your team. Try out these activities, adapt them to your team’s personality, and don’t be afraid to get a little silly. After all, in the world of remote work, a little creativity goes a long way – and you never know when you might need an expert in synchronized spreadsheet formatting or yodeling.
Remember, the goal isn’t perfection – it’s connection. So go forth, bond with your team, and may your virtual adventures be as glitch-free as possible (but let’s be real, tech troubles are just another opportunity for bonding, right?).
Building a strong team virtually is a blend of creativity, engagement, and innovation. Whether you’re solving puzzles in an escape room, cooking up a storm, or bonding over quirky trivia, these activities aren’t just about fun – they’re about fostering meaningful connections.
There are a number of studies emphasizing that strong remote teams don’t just collaborate better; they thrive in their work. So, why wait? Bring these top 10 creative team-building activities into your next remote meeting and watch your team grow closer – even if they’re miles apart. After all, teams that work together, and have fun together are the ones who grow together. It is crucial for the overall growth of your business and organization that you focus on the team-building aspects as well and bring in the much-needed break as well as team bonding for your remote teams for we all know how lonely it gets behind the screen all alone.
Remote work fun doesn’t have to be complicated – just a dash of creativity, a pinch of laughter, and a lot of collaboration. Keep it quirky, crisp, creative, and innovative.
