Remote team-building activities are group exercises and games that have the purpose of connecting team members. Virtual activities require team members to use virtual meeting platforms (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc.).
Virtual team activities are an excellent way to bring employees together – whether they already met each other in “real life” or are distributed across different states or continents, and they may never have the chance to communicate face-to-face.Â
Team-building activities and games for remote teams can help employees overcome isolation and loneliness.Â
They are also essential for:
- Making team members feel happier
- Increasing productivity, collaboration, and efficiency
- Revealing hidden talents
- Improving communication and creativity
- Building trust and bondsÂ
Important – The team-building activities listed in this article can be a lot more effective if companies create first a sense of belonging at work and a strong company culture.
Team members should first break down silos and know each other before getting involved in various virtual games and activities. Some remote employees may feel awkward and uncomfortable while playing team-building games with people they have never met before.
Thus, before involving team members in these activities, all companies should make sure that:
- All team members have already met each other at least once – A virtual coffee break is an excellent opportunity to introduce team members.Â
- They are familiar with the company’s culture and mission – Companies can organise a video conference to share their values and visions and allow employees to have a virtual tour of their offices. For example, high-quality Melbourne virtual offices have already created an immersive experience with a 3D walkthrough. Therefore, businesses using a virtual office can schedule a video call with team members and allow them to take a tour of the offices.    Â
6 remote Team Building Activities & Games
Trivia games
Virtual team trivia will engage all team members. A host must prepare and read a list of questions (they can be multiple-choice, open-ended, or close-ended questions). Here are some examples of questions for a virtual trivia game: “What country has the largest Muslim population? Answer – Indonesia”, “In what country was paper invented? Answer – China”, “What country does Dracula come from? Answer – Romania”, etc.Â
Building a storyline
Building a good story is a fun and relaxing team-building activity that improves communication in a remote team. On a video call, one of the team members has to begin the story with the opening sentence (e.g., “On Jane’s first day of summer holiday, a pickpocket stole her wallet. At first, she…”. Every team member will have to add a sentence until the story ends.Â
Problem-solving
The “problem-solving exercise” will help all team members develop creativity, increase collaboration, and improve problem-solving skills. Someone within the team (or a manager) has to create a challenging scenario related to a problem that the company may face and ask everyone to collaborate and find a solution. For example: “The company suffered big losses due to poor customer service. What is the best strategy to fix the problem?”Â
Three truths and a lieÂ
“Three truths and a lie” is a fun game that allows team members to get to know one another. Managers and business owners can host a virtual meeting and ask everyone to tell three truths and a lie about themselves. The other employees have to guess which was the lie. Â
Virtual catchphrase
Most people love this popular word guessing game. A manager or business worker has to split the team in two and form two separate teams. The goal of the game is to get teammates to guess a word by providing clues. Before starting, both teams should decide on a theme (e.g., animals, singers, movies, etc.)
A walk in my cityÂ
This activity is suitable for distributed teams. During a video call, every team member should upload a photo or a video of the city where they live and write a short story about it (or the reasons that make it special). Then, each team member should ask a question, such as “Is there anything you don’t like in your city?” or “How much does an average restaurant meal cost per person?”. This activity is excellent for building empathy and allowing team members to discover new cultures and mindsets.Â
Conclusion: Fun and light-hearted team-building activities and games will help employees build bonds and stay connected.Â
To make these activities even more engaging, companies can give away low-cost prizes in contests, such as an eBook or a workout or music app. Â
Any remote team can feel as tight-knit as any other “normal” on-site team with the right games and activities.Â
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