Is this how your typical virtual meeting goes? Everyone logs on and immediately mutes themselves. There is no catching up or small talk and some people keep themselves muted for the duration of the meeting. You likely have unengaged employees because you have unengaging meetings. Ditch meetings where everyone logs in and zones out. Change things up to create a more interactive meeting with virtual meeting ice breakers.
Ice breakers are a great way to, well, break the ice at any meeting. While it’s important to do these during in-person meetings, too, it’s even more important to include icebreakers on virtual meeting platforms where people might be distracted or just waiting for an invitation to speak. In these meetings, people might also be meeting for the first time, so ice breakers provide opportunities for people to bond quickly. These can range from simple—everyone goes around and says their name and job title to introduce themselves—to more creative—a fun prompt to get everyone a little more comfortable.
The tone of a meeting is set right at the start. Kick off your meeting in a fun energizing way. But how do you energize virtual meetings? Instead of having awkward silence while everyone logs on, play some upbeat music. It will shift the mood of the room and the attendees. Some extroverted teams might even want to start their meetings with a dance party to move their bodies before settling into the meeting.
Remote teams and virtual meetings face the challenge of breaking the ice entirely virtually. Since remote teams have limited time to connect, it’s important to use that time intentionally. Start the meeting with a game. Break the ice by jumping right into something fun and throw in a few trivia questions or a quick round of pictionary to get everyone on board from the beginning. This will get people to be on the same team (literally) as they work toward a fun goal. Use virtual meeting ice breakers games to warm up your team before getting down to business.
Ice breakers keep meetings fun and fresh, but they also help teams bond which leads to productive working relationships, better team engagement, and higher employee retention. It’s easier to align the goals and values of a team who is well connected and cares about each other. Build a strong company culture with virtual meeting ice breakers.
It’s important to break the ice so you can build lasting bonds, but what are the best virtual icebreakers?