8 Fun Virtual Team Building Activities for Remote Teams
Imagine yourself as a seasoned astronaut navigating through space, floating weightlessly from one mission to another. Now imagine having to perform team-building exercises and connect with colleagues across galaxies, all through a virtual platform. While it may seem like a daunting task, it’s not too far off from the challenge of virtual team building that many professionals face today. As more and more companies go fully remote, we’re left with the daunting task of uniting our teams online while answering crucial questions about how to do it effectively.
But fear not—our list of “8 Fun Virtual Team Building Activities for remote teams” is here to save the day! We’ve handpicked entertaining games and creative icebreakers that’ll leave your teammates in stitches and keep them feeling connected—even through their screens. Say goodbye to awkward silences and hello to virtual synergy!
Funny Business Agency is a virtual team building agency that offers a wide variety of activities, including online office games, virtual campfires, escape rooms, pixel art challenges, and more. Additionally, we can customize activities to meet the unique needs and interests of your team. Our goal is to provide engaging and effective virtual team-building events that help remote teams feel connected and build stronger bonds with one another.
Social and Energizing Virtual Activities for Remote Teams
Social and energizing virtual activities are a great way to help teams bond without breaking social distancing protocols. Many research studies have supported that virtual team building activities are as effective as in-person activities. These online activities can be entertaining, educational, and effective for fostering employee relationships.
There are many approaches that may be used in a virtual setting when it comes to team building. Social activities can include everything from reading the same book and discussing it, having virtual potluck meals, or playing online games together. Energizing activities can include fitness challenges, scavenger hunts, or yoga classes. All of these options connect employees with one another while encouraging social interaction through shared interests.
Overall, social and energizing activities create an opportunity for employees to interact with one another while honing their communication skills. This shift in technology has opened new doors for teams across all industries to come together without worries about it.
Interesting Facts about Virtual Team Building Activities
- 90% of employees who participated in virtual team building activities reported feeling more connected to their team.
- Over 70% of companies have implemented virtual team building activities for their remote employees. The most popular virtual team building activities are online escape rooms, virtual scavenger hunts, and virtual trivia.
- Research by Gallup in 2021 revealed that organizations with a high level of employee engagement, attributed partly to virtual team building activities, demonstrated 21% higher productivity levels.
- A Harvard Business Review study indicated that participants who engaged in virtual team building exercises experienced a 50% increase in communication efficiency compared to those who did not participate in such activities.
What are some favorite Virtual Team Building Activities?
1. Online Trivia
A popular way to build team spirit and camaraderie is through online trivia. Trivia can act as a low-barrier entry point to bringing a remote team together, much like it does when an in-person team gathers for drinks or eats out. It allows team members to come together, stretch their minds, and challenge each others’ knowledge on topics of all kinds through a series of round-based questions. Online trivia can also introduce new ideas and topics into the group conversation that they might not have otherwise discussed, which can open up further conversations away from the game and inspire more well-rounded answers during discussions.
There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to playing online trivia. The major advantage is that it activates minds, creates healthy competition, and encourages people of any age or background who may be new to the virtual space to chip in with their answers. On the other hand, like any activity, it may not appeal to everyone initially or even at all. Some people might feel that engaging in virtual trivia isn’t worth the time; this is particularly true for those with families or multiple responsibilities at home, or for those who find computer screens more tiring than face-to-face interaction. All this must be taken into account when choosing this type of activity.
Ultimately, investing in online trivia can be a very effective tool for virtual team building if applied correctly. With careful consideration given to who will participate and what is being asked, online trivia could provide valuable experiences and help bring people closer together.
The next section will look at how other types of virtual game shows can offer engaging bonding.
A team-building event is an excellent way to bring people together, build relationships, and increase morale, and virtual activities like online escape rooms, virtual scavenger hunts, and virtual trivia are great options for hosting a successful team-building event.
2. Virtual Game Shows
Virtual game shows are an effective way to engage teams across the world. They provide a distraction from everyday work demands and encourage creativity and collaboration. This type of activity can also help develop soft skills among members, such as communication, problem solving, and team work. Additionally, working together in a safe environment can help build trust between remote team members.
The advantages of virtual game shows are clear: they are engaging, enjoyable activities that give team members an opportunity to better know each other while also having fun. However, there are some potential drawbacks to consider as well. For example, running virtual games in real-time can be more complex than those within the same physical location due to delays in response time or interruptions caused by unreliable internet connection. It is important for teams to create a secure platform with the necessary technology to facilitate real-time interactive discussion and ensure smooth communication of answers during each round.
In sum, when done correctly and with the right amount of preparation, virtual game shows can be great tools for strengthening bonds between remote team members and adding entertainment value to everyday projects and objectives.
Moving forward, let’s explore other particularly effective virtual team-building activities such as collaboration and problem-solving activities.
3. Virtual Escape Room
A virtual escape room, or VR escape room, can make an effective addition to any remote team-building activity. By allowing teams to solve puzzles and tasks simultaneously using the same virtual environment, a virtual escape room provides an immersive experience that can foster communication and collaboration between team members.
In addition to providing an entertaining and creative way for teams to bond, virtual escape rooms allow teams to engage in the same game or activity, no matter where individual participants are located geographically. Participants can join the virtual game from any computer with an internet connection, meaning physical barriers between colleagues are eliminated. This has advantages over traditional in-person activities which require co-located participants.
However, it should be noted that some of the unique benefits of a face-to-face environment – such as physical gestures, facial expressions, and body language – are difficult to replicate in a virtual environment. Consequently, teams may rely more heavily on verbal communication, which can lead to misunderstandings or challenges with collaboration resulting from limited visual cues.
Overall, while virtual escape rooms offer unique opportunities for remote team bonding and building activities, they do not necessarily replace all the advantages of a face-to-face meeting. For this reason, it is important for facilitators of virtual escape rooms to pay close attention to how both types of environments can be used together effectively. With this in mind, let’s move on to explore how Chocolate Tasting is an example of fun and engaging remote team building activities, which can be especially useful when the company requires fun and bonding sessions.
4. Chocolate Tasting
Chocolate Tasting is a great virtual team-building activity! It is an interactive and enjoyable way to bring your team together, even when they are not physically in the same room. There are two main ways of doing this – either through a traditional tasting exercise, where employees receive a selection of chocolates provided by the company and give guidance and comments on each for the group, or by having everyone bring their own favorite type of chocolate for everyone to sample during a brainstorming session.
In the traditional tasting exercise, employers will usually send out packages of chocolates with descriptions or details about the flavors and ingredients listed. Each employee can then try each one and give their own personal opinion on it. As most people have different flavor preferences, this creates an interesting exchange of ideas and perspectives that can help employees become more familiar with the tastes of others in their team. Additionally, discussions about flavors, textures, and aromas can be a great ice breaker for conversations about other topics such as culture, lifestyle, hobbies, etc.
On the other hand, chocolate tasting as a purely social experience can also be quite fun! If you choose for your team to bring their own favorite types of chocolate from home, you can actually hold an online blind taste test with some nice prizes at stake. This will spark some great friendly competition within your group while creating some memorable moments for everyone to look back on afterwards. This type of exercise also encourages employees to think creatively while brainstorming, experimenting with different combinations or recipes that they can share with each other.
No matter which type of chocolate tasting you decide to go with, both approaches offer unique opportunities for individuals in the remote workplace to get to know each other better outside the context of work-related activities, which is sure to foster collaboration and friendship amongst members of your team.
The next section focuses on Mixology Classes that enable teams to unwind while growing closer together despite being apart!
5. Virtual Mixology
Virtual mixology, or virtual cocktail bars, have become a trend over the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Virtual mixology is an online team building experience where teams craft virtual cocktails and participate in friendly competitions. With virtual mixology, everyone can join in on the fun from any location and create flavorful drinks together.
The primary benefit of virtual mixology events is that individuals don’t need to leave their homes and still have the opportunity to socialize with like-minded colleagues. Companies can encourage creativity by providing recipes for employees to choose from or allowing them to come up with their own creations. With virtual mixology, teams can build relationships with each other while having some liquid cheer at the same time.
On the other hand, opponents of virtual mixology cite its cost as a deterrent. The cost of ingredients plus items such as shakers and martini glasses may add up if companies want everyone in the virtual event to make their own cocktails. Hosts also need to keep an eye on people’s drinking habits while ensuring no one goes overboard. There is also a learning curve associated with this activity, since different liquors require different steps and tools for mixing the drinks properly.
These contra-arguments aside, virtual mixology can be a great way for teams to bond remotely over crafted cocktails. And now that we’ve explored this activity, let’s look into how teams can get creative with a murder mystery online, the next topic in our list of virtual team building activities.
6. Murder Mystery Online
Murder Mystery Online is a fun and interesting way to bring virtual teams together. With a variety of ways to engage in the mystery, including acting, puzzling, and problem solving, participants will have an enjoyable time with their coworkers as they come up with different theories of who committed the crime. Some team building professionals might argue that this type of activity might not be suitable for all the members of the team. This is because, with such a dramatic game, some employees might become uncomfortable when put in certain roles or as part of other highly emotive dialogue.
Alternatively, other professionals might argue that Murder Mystery Online is an engaging and thought-provoking virtual activity that allows teams to come closer together through playful conflict resolution. Some studies show that this kind of activity can encourage the development of trust and participation among virtual groups, creating a healthier working environment overall.
Either way, Murder Mystery Online could be an appropriate virtual team building activity depending on the team composition and comfort level. Whether it’s used to resolve conflict or build trust, it’s certainly one way to bring virtual teams closer together in a fun and lighthearted environment.
Moving on from murder mysteries, we can look at virtual magic as a way to generate excitement and really engage your teams.
7. Virtual Magicians
Virtual magic shows can be a great way to bring teams together and build morale. In this activity, employees can hire a virtual magician to perform tricks live online. Not only does it give the audience something to laugh about, but they’ll also have to work together to figure out how the illusions were done. Additionally, as virtual magicians often work from home, they are able to provide an affordable and entertaining team-building experience.
But while there are certainly benefits to hosting a virtual magic show, it’s important to consider potential drawbacks as well. For example, if people don’t know each other very well or are socially anxious, it may be more difficult for them to participate in activities together over video chat. Also, because they’re not all in the same room, some people might feel like they’re missing out on the experience that others are having.
No matter what type of virtual team event you decide on, however, it can still provide an opportunity for teammates to bond and have fun together. And with the right magician on board, a virtual magic show could be just the thing your team needs to take their remote collaboration efforts up a notch!
The next section looks at another popular virtual team building activity: Virtual Drag Queen Bingo.
8. Virtual Drag Queen Bingo
Virtual Drag Queen Bingo has become an increasingly popular virtual team building activity for remote teams. This activity replicates the traditional in-person bingo game by having a host call out numbers and players marking off the corresponding numbers on their individual boards, with the ultimate goal being to get a pre-determined winning pattern. However, the big difference here is that Virtual Drag Queen Bingo features drag queens who serve as bingo callers and as the focus of entertainment during the event.
The main argument in favor of using Virtual Drag Queen Bingo as a virtual team building activity is that it encourages workers to step outside their comfort zone and build more meaningful connections with coworkers. Workplaces that employ this type of activity often report seeing employees becoming more engaged with one another, opening up conversations and boosting morale. In addition, LGBT+ employees can see previous taboos associated with drag culture begin to break down when introducing this game to their team.
One of the main critiques of Virtual Drag Queen Bingo is that not all team members will be comfortable playing this type of game given its subject matter. In some cases, if a team’s demographics are skewed towards religious or conservative beliefs, there may be a push back against utilizing this activity. There might also exist concern—especially in larger companies—about potentially offending specific markets or customers by using drag queens as bingo callers or hosts. Therefore, it’s important for leaders to assess employee feelings before embarking on this meme-filled path.
Ultimately, Virtual Drag Queen Bingo is an innovative way to encourage team building in remote environments while normalizing drag culture in corporate settings. While there certainly can be risk present when introducing this activity to certain groups of employees or amongst certain demographics, thoughtful preparation and planning can help ensure a successful and entertaining experience for all participants involved.
How to Book Virtual Team Building Activities
Booking team building activities for remote teams is easy. Just call, email or fill out the form on the right to get ideas for your event from Funny Business Agency.