Team building is important to the overall success of any business. Having a well-functioning team can make all the difference in an organization’s ability to operate. In light of that, it is surprising that some businesses don’t invest more in the process. But here’s the thing: even with less than an hour to spare, you could still be conducting very effective virtual team-building activities for your organization.
Building a strong team takes time, but you can still have activities that help build team spirit and morale.
What are virtual team-building activities?
Virtual team-building is a collaboration between employees from different departments and locations. It helps in boosting employee productivity by bringing together employees from different locations who work on the same project but have never met each other before.
These activities are gaining popularity among companies and employees alike. Virtual team-building activities can be as fun and effective as traditional in-person team-building activities, with the bonus of not requiring travel time or expensive materials.
With the right virtual team-building activity, you can get your entire team engaged in a fun and interactive activity that will help them bond, learn more about each other, and increase their productivity at work.
There’s no need to have an office space or conference room filled with posters and handouts. Virtual team-building activities can be done on your computer or mobile device with just a few clicks of the mouse.
How do these activities help in boosting employee productivity?
Virtual team-building activities are a great way to build rapport and help your virtual team communicate better. Virtual teams are becoming more and more common, especially with the rise of remote workers, so it’s important to make sure that your team is working well together.
These activities can be done regularly (weekly or monthly) or as needed. They can be used as icebreakers at the beginning of a meeting or they can be used when you feel like the group needs some energy and collaboration.
It’s easy to get stuck in the same routine at work, and before you know it, your team is feeling bored and uninspired. You might have tried some of the more traditional team-building activities, but now it’s time for something new. Virtual team building can be a great way to engage your employees, boost productivity and increase workplace morale.
Virtual team-building activities can help employees learn more about one another and their job functions. They also encourage a sense of community and trust, which can be beneficial for the organization.
Read more about how we’re always on the lookout for fun team-building activities that are easy to do, won’t take you away from your desk, and are sure to bring everyone closer together.
10 super fun 5-minute virtual team-building activities
Virtual team-building activities are a great way to get people working together from different locations. They can be as simple as a video chat or as elaborate as a scavenger hunt. Virtual team-building activities are a great way for employees to get to know each other, work together, and build relationships. They can be done anytime and anywhere, and they don’t require any special equipment or supplies.
Here are 10 virtual team-building activities that you can do in five minutes or less:
1) Mystery Skype Call
This is a fun way for everyone on your team to get to know each other better. Just set up a Skype call with another team member and let the fun begin! Ask some general questions such as “What’s your favorite color?” or “What’s the best part of working at [your company]?” Then see how many answers you can match up with each other by asking multiple questions and paying attention to how long it takes for someone’s response before you can guess who they are.
2) Who Am I?
This game is perfect for groups of all sizes — it requires no prep work or materials and only takes about five minutes (plus time for people to guess). The goal is simple: Each person writes down three answers that describe who they are as individuals, then passes them on until all have been shared with everyone else in the group. You’ll learn more about each other than you might have thought possible in such situations.
3) Name That Tune
This is a fun game that can be played in teams or even individually. All you need is a phone or tablet with an internet connection, some music tracks (preferably ones that everyone knows), and a timer (you can use your phone). Pick two random songs from each team member, then set a timer for five minutes. While the music plays, try to guess what song is playing! When the timer runs out, reveal the answers for each song. The team who guesses more correctly wins! This activity can also be played using pictures instead of songs if you don’t want to mess around with music licensing issues or just want something simpler (but less fun).
4) Cartoon Caption Contest
Divide your team into two groups and give each group a cartoon image to caption with words or phrases (such as “What does this say about us? What does this say about you?”). Give each group five minutes to come up with captions for their images and then have them share their answers as a group. This is a great way to get people thinking outside of the box when it comes to problem-solving!
5) Charades
This classic game is a great way to get people talking and laughing. Choose a topic that everyone knows about, or make up your own (like “things you can’t live without”). Then, divide the group into two teams and give each team a topic card. The team must act out the word on their card as best they can without using words or sounds. The other team then guesses what word they’re acting out.
6) Mad Libs
This game is great fun for everyone! To play, each person gets a sheet of paper with blanks on it (e.g., “A noun _____ _____”). They fill in the blanks with adjectives and nouns that describe themselves or their teammates. For example: I am an ambitious, _______________ _________ who loves to travel! Then, each player reads their mad lib aloud for everyone else to guess what it means.
7) Pictionary Challenge
This activity is perfect if you want something that requires little effort but still gets everyone involved and has fun! It also works well if some shy members may not want to talk or share their thoughts quite yet — this will force them into doing so!
8) Create an Emoji Storyboard
You’re going to need a whole bunch of emojis for this one, so get online or at the store and buy all the fun ones you can find. Then, put your group in pairs and tell them that they will have five minutes to create a storyboard using only the emojis they have. The trick is to include as many details as possible in just five minutes. The storyboard should be funny, sad, or whatever emotion you want to convey. It’s fun to see how people interpret the same story through emojis!
9) Best Team Member Awards
This game is played in pairs and you need one marker for each pair playing this game. Ask the members to write down some good things about their partner on pieces of paper and fold them up so that no one can see what they have written on them. The person who receives the most “awards” wins the game! You can also choose an award winner by collecting all the votes from all participants or drawing lots or even asking people to vote! You can make it more interesting by giving something like a certificate or a trophy as a prize for winning this game!
10) Word Association
This game requires no supplies at all! Simply tell your team members one word and ask them to think of another word that comes immediately to mind when they hear that first word. The game continues until every member has had a turn. For example: If you say ‘tree’, what comes immediately to mind for someone might be ‘forest’ while someone else may think of fruits or the color green. The goal is to see what words come up over and over again as well as what words are unique for each player on your team.
Wrapping Up
We’re all about creating a culture of happiness and working from a place of positivity. In this post, we gathered 10 super fun 5-minute virtual team-building activities for work. The above virtual team-building activities require just 5 minutes and a little imagination. These activities are perfect for those times when you need to get your team members working together in a new way or just want to have some fun!
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