It’s always a good time to think about how to help your virtual team conquer the year. That’s why we’ve come up with this list of 10 great virtual team building ideas.
Let face it: your team has probably been through the ringer these past two years. Whether they were a remote team before the COVID-19 pandemic or not, there have been tons of changes, across every industry and workflow. Especially for newly remote or hybrid teams.
If you’ve been at the helm during this transition, we absolutely salute you. Leading your people to this new normal of working from anywhere has been no small undertaking.
But even if you’ve sorted out your processes and procedures, there’s probably still work to be done when it comes to culture and connection within a virtual or hybrid team.
We already know for a fact that the shift to a mostly remote workforce has led to challenges with communication, passive knowledge sharing, and staying connected as a team. So it’s up to leaders to step up to the plate and help their team members. And we’ve got you covered, with our list of the 10 best team building ideas that you can use to get your people ready to kick off 2022 the right way.
Borders might open and close, but virtual vacations don’t require a passport, plane tickets or visas. But we definitely encourage Hawaiian shirts, breezy backdrops, tropical music, and some sunglasses, of course. And while you can plan a virtual vacation for your team with the right music and backdrop, we here at Kabloom take ours to the next level.
When you do our Virtual Vacation, an experienced host will break it all down for you: you’re all on an island together, and while you can chill on the beach, you’ll ultimately need to figure out how to sail off the island, with some games that develop trust (psychological safety).
Everyone can channel their inner artist during a virtual graffiti workshop, which can be much more than just a drawing class. In our workshop, you’ll learn the history of graffiti’s hip hop roots in New York in the late 1960’s, and how the art form has gone international since then.
Then join a virtual tour that heads down back alleys to visit the ‘outdoor galleries’ of mural- and graffiti-filled streets, finding hidden art from local legends and international artists. You’ll learn about how politics and legality comes into play with piecing, bombing, tagging and creating stunning murals.
Finally, you’ll get drawing, with a renowned graffiti artist who will lead a workshop showing everyone how to create their own tags. Your team will leave inspired, having learned about art and showcasing their own creativity.
Who couldn’t use a good laugh? Virtual stand-up comedy is a great way to bring joy to everyone’s day. With our virtual stand-up comedy, you’ll have a world-class comedian put on a show, which is guaranteed to get your team laughing.
Your team definitely won’t take a backseat during this hilarious event, which includes Q&A about the life of a working comic. At the end there’s more involvement with something called “joke karaoke,” where your team can share their own favorite jokes.
If a balmy virtual vacation isn’t your thing, maybe you’d rather cozy up with some hot cocoa in a Swiss chalet? This virtual event will have everyone joining in their best holiday wear (including ugly sweaters, of course). Everyone will be transported to a winter wonderland, complete with holiday music, and a wintery backdrop.
During our Virtual Holiday event, the host will explain it all: your team is in a snowy cabin together, where you’ll play some get-to-know you games, compete in small teams, and share stories around the fireplace.
Offices tend to have a love-hate thing with karaoke, because it can be epic, cringy, and hilarious, all rolled into one. Well, bring all of that and more to your team with virtual karaoke.
This pandemic-friendly alternative to your normal office karaoke will have everyone belting out their favorite songs from home. While you can organize your own virtual karaoke, we think that having an enthusiastic host who keeps the energy high is what makes this event super awesome.
6. Icebreaker questions
Icebreaker questions are a great go-to, and if you haven’t done them in a while (or at all) they can be a fun way for your team to get acquainted. Asking a fun and easy icebreaker question is a tried-and-true way of getting people talking and bonding in no time. Here are some examples of our favorite icebreaker questions:
- What’s one random thing we probably don’t know about you?
- If you could have dinner with anyone (living or dead), who would it be?
- If you had a free airplane ticket anywhere in the world, where would you go?
- What’s one food you could eat every week for the rest of your life?
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
- If you had unlimited time in life, what’s a hobby or passion that you would pursue?
- What do you want your legacy to be?
- What was the greatest day of your life?
7. Guess who
This is a fun one that’ll have your team really getting to know one another. Have your team submit one (unknown!) fact about themselves to the leader. The more outlandish the better – everyone has a few of these experiences that wouldn’t have come up in conversation naturally. Then, during your next meeting, read each fact aloud to the group, and have the team guess which fact belongs to which team member.
8. Pub quiz
For this event, you can basically run a quiz show with your team. First, brainstorm a list of questions for the show. Next, decide on teams. Finally, compete! Each player can “buzz” in through the chat (comment with an X, for example). The first to buzz gets to answer, and if they get it correct, one point.
Want an awesome alternative to this? We run a next-level Pub Quiz trivia, that will have your team laughing and going head-to-head.
9. Fun Slack #channels
While working from home, fun Slack channels can be a fun way to bond and learn of similar interests, hobbies, and to brag about cute pets, kids and home cooking. To get this going, simply up some fun Slack channels for your team and invite them.
10. Virtual coffee, lunch, or happy hour
Some of the biggest casualties of the WFH era are the casual lunch, coffee break, and happy hour. But just because you’re not doing these in person doesn’t mean you can do them remotely!
- Virtual coffee break: Set up a 15-30 minute ‘coffee break’ call that has no agenda (and is truly just a way for remote employees to bond while having a coffee together). Let the conversation flow organically (sometimes it’s best if the manager isn’t on the call). Allow your team to have this space to chat about whatever they want to.
- Virtual lunch: You can make this a simple lunch, or a home-cooked lunch competition. To do the competition, decide on a ‘theme’ in advance, so everyone has time to grocery shop. On the day of the competition, have everyone post a picture of what they made for lunch on Slack. Then vote on whose meal is the best.
- Virtual happy hour: Like the virtual coffee break, but with cocktails. Want to step it up a notch? We have a DIY Cocktail Class that is going to knock your socks off. With a knowledgeable craft bartender, you’ll learn how to make delicious seasonal beverages — using easy to find ingredients!
