Have you ever faced an awkward situation where you entered a room full of people and felt self-conscious? Now add to it the fact that you are in a virtual situation – a meeting or a presentation. Coming to your rescue in such a situation is a classic tool called an icebreaker. As the very name suggests it breaks the ‘ice’ of ‘unknowingness’ or ‘uncomfortableness’ between you and others around you. An icebreaker in a virtual setup helps to shed the wall that has been set up due to remote working among employees. It immediately sparks connection, a sense of community, and engagement among the employees.
An icebreaker for a virtual meetings could be any short activity, games, questions, riddles, or puzzles that help them to connect better and relax to participate further in the ensuing meeting or session.
If you are looking forward to taking your virtual meetings from drab to dynamic then here are 50 creative icebreakers for you.
Virtual Background Challenge
Ask the participants to set their virtual background to something fun or meaningful. The participants then have to explain their choices. This activity brings out the creativity of the participants and also works as a conversation starter thus serving as an employee engagement activity.
Two Truths and a Lie
One of the age-old icebreakers perfect for virtual meetings that help to create a fun camaraderie like no other. Each participant shares two true statements and one false statement about themselves. The rest of the team guesses the lie. It encourages personal sharing, developing an instant connection and deeper understanding among team members.
Emoji Check-in
Each participant shares how they feel in the moment while using emojis only. Even in case of low connectivity, this serves as a great icebreaker as it does not require cameras to be switched on or any other app. The chat function of the virtual meeting platform is used for this icebreaker thus enabling participation and keeping employee engagement at a high. This is a quick emotional check-in tool that encourages empathy while also supporting the team building aspects through a lively and creative way.
Show and Tell
So you thought show and tell was till your primary grade only? Welcome to the world of virtual meetings where every childhood game, activity, and riddle has been reimagined and put to good use to drive team building activities for employees. In this virtual team building activitiesl version of ‘Show and Tell’, the team members take turns showing something from their workspace or anything at arms’ length (you decide the rules beforehand) and explain its importance. This icebreaker personalizes the virtual meeting experience and lets colleagues know more about each other through their personal workspaces.
Virtual Treasure Hunt
You can create virtual icons or tokens and place them throughout your intranet pages. Then ask your team to find them. Another version of this icebreaker could be creating a treasure hunt of items that participants have to find in their homes within a set time period. It brings about a zest and energy that sets the tone for your virtual meetings in a dynamic way. This icebreaker not only promotes quick thinking but adds an element of fun competition to the meeting.
Virtual Bingo
Employees can be given bingo cards beforehand either virtually or in print. They can then proceed to mark their cards as per the situation. For example, someone who is not on mute, someone who has a blue background, someone who is wearing pink. Whosoever marks all the cards can type Bingo in the chat box or unmute and say it out aloud. It keeps participants attentive, relaxed, and involved thus enhancing employee engagement.
Guess WHO
Before the virtual meeting begins participants are asked to share their baby photos. Then during the virtual meeting, the picture is shown and participants have to guess who is who. Creating a light-hearted atmosphere, this icebreaker allows the team members to see a different side of their personality. It also works well to create a personalized connection and enhance team building through this simple activity.
Fun Questions
This is one of the most creative ice-breakers you can pull off impromptu or even with no planning. Situations when you are short on preparation time and wish to infuse some creativity, then these fun questions could be your go-to saviors. Here’s a quick rundown of a few questions that you could use with your teams.
- Which superhero would you like to be and why?
- What would you change about your Monday mornings?
- If you could turn into one animal what would it be and why?
- Imagine you are lost on an island, what 3 things would you take with you?
This icebreaker keeps your team on tenterhooks and with each round you would notice employee engagement and team building going up.
Virtual Coffee Break
A virtual coffee break is one of the most chilled-out ice-breakers with no resources required at your end. A virtual meeting can turn into a casual conversation starter where everyone brings a beverage of their choice and gets together to chat. It encourages informal interaction simulating the ones at the office enhancing team bonding and team building.
Pictionary
One of the most creative games that you might have played earlier, but this version is fun when you try it with your team. Use a virtual whiteboard for a game of Pictionary. Participants can draw on the virtual board while the remaining team members guess the object or the phrase. You require a platform with a virtual whiteboard tool for this icebreaker.
It helps to encourage creativity and collaborative thinking in your team while also working as one of the great team building activities for employees.
Office Trivia
Who thought knowing about your workplace could be this fun? Office trivia is an ice breaker that would set the tone to a creative and dynamic virtual meeting while keeping your team on its toes, as they jostle to put their best foot forward in this fun office trivia questionnaire. You have to create trivia questions related to your workplace or industry. It combines a good dose of learning, fun, company knowledge, and teamwork.
Marketing Maverick
A creative take on sales in a virtual meeting is this icebreaker where each participant is asked to market and sell a product that has been assigned to them. They try to sell it to the other participants present in the group as they negotiate or cross-question them creating a sales simulation in the process. This helps in building better employee connections as the participants interact with each other and increases the marketing skills of the participants.
Tuning In
Music is the thread that binds humans universally. And when you think of creative ice-breakers then how can music not be a part of it. For this icebreaker for virtual meeting, you can play short clips of songs and the participants then have to guess the song and the artist or album name. You would need to pre-decide and sort the music clips in advance. Also, ensure that your virtual platform supports video and sounds for this activity to run through. This icebreaker brings in oodles of fun and nostalgia rendering a relaxed atmosphere. You would be delighted to watch the camaraderie and team building that happens during this activity.
Roses and Thorns
The good old ‘roses’ and ‘thorns’ is a great icebreaker for the virtual meeting space. It could be used as a check-in tool for your teams. Each participant shares one ‘rose’ – anything positive that makes them happy or feels good and one ‘thorn’ – a challenge or difficulty they faced recently. It could be anything related to work or beyond as per their choice. There are no resources required for this activity. It helps to foster team building and is a remarkable way to know each other.
Rapid Fire
You have always seen those rapid-fire questions on TV shows and quizzes, now it’s time to turn that fire into an icebreaker! Ask the participants fun and quick questions that are timed for immediate responses. You need to prepare a list of questions for this activity. It is a highly energizing activity that encourages team members to think on their feet and enhances engagement.
Team Bioscope
The resources for this icebreaker have to be put into action much before the virtual meeting. You may ask your employees to send you a short video where they answer questions that you pose to them like “How do you define effective teamwork? How do they balance individual tasks with team goals?“
Once you have all the videos, combine them to form a movie and show it during the virtual meeting.
It fosters a sense of belongingness and the employees get to know each other closely.
Personality Quiz
Let participants take a fun quiz virtually and then share their results with each other. It requires an online personality quiz to which everyone has access to. Look out for interesting conversations that flow and spark of team building as the team connects in a fun way.
Guess the Workspace
Show a blurred or cropped image of a team member’s workspace and let others take a guess at whose workspace it is. As a resource, you would have to collect images of workspaces from the participants. It lets the team members an insight into their co-worker’s work environment and promotes a sense of familiarity which in turn strengthens team building.
Virtual Talent Show
Host a virtual talent show where team members showcase their talent or skill. It highlights individual strengths and talents and also brings out the unique personalities of your team members.
Into the Future
Ask the participants to suggest a tagline for the company thinking about the future – 5 years from now and share it. A creative and innovative icebreaker that puts your grey cells into motion and creates competitiveness as well among your team thus fostering employee engagement.
Movie Night
Ask your participants to watch a movie and then discuss it in the meeting. You have to take care that everyone has access to the movie. People revel in the shared experiences as they discuss the movie, its characters, and plots thus enhancing team connection.
Bucket List
An icebreaker that requires no resource except participants’ attention. Participants share items from their bucket lists with the team members. It requires personal sharing. Helps to foster better team connections and inspires team members with each other’s aspirations and dreams.
Fun Fact
An icebreaker that is sure to guarantee gasps and guffaws in equal measure. Each person shares a fun fact about themselves. While others react to it, it could be a hilarious event as it starts conversations and members get to know each other better.
Virtual Dance Party
Play music and let your participants break a leg. You would need a music playlist ready for this one. It is a great team energizer and adds a super fun break to the routine.
Who Am I?
Give three clues about each participant and others have to guess who it is. You have to prepare the questions beforehand. This icebreaker promotes curiosity, and employee engagement as the team members learn about each other closely.
Team Mural
Ask the employees to share the best pictures on screen together. Compile them into a mural and give it to the employees later on. It is an effortless activity that requires employees to just share a picture. Promotes a team connection with each other.
‘This’ or ‘That’
Turn instagram pop quizzes into a virtual icebreaker. It is an interesting get-to-know activity for your team. You may pose a series of ‘this’ or ‘that’ choices on your screen and participants may respond accordingly. You have to be prepared with the list. It is a quick and fun way to know teams more closely and foster conversations.
Virtual Desk Tour
Participants give a brief tour of their desk or their workspace. It builds an association and context for the virtual team that has been working remotely till now. A quick, easy icebreaker to humanize the virtual meeting experience by sharing personal environments.
Virtual Book Club
You have to pre-select a book for the team to read and discuss. Ensure that everyone has access to the book. It brings a culture of learning to the fore promoting intellectual pursuits and building perspectives as well as sharing them. A great way for employees to be engaged.
Superlatives
Choose fun categories and ask participants to vote for them. Your categories could be ‘most likely to become president’, ‘last person to join the team meeting’ and so on and so forth. You would need a list of categories and a platform where voting could be done. It recognizes the individual traits and values of each team member thus fostering team building in a great and simple way.
Outside the Box
Ask your team to reuse an old delivery box and make something interesting and fun out of it. Make it a timed activity with minimal use of other props. You have to instruct the participants to sit for the virtual meeting with an old box, some material of crafts and glue. It is a fun way to bring out the creativity of each team member and keep them engaged.
Zen Den
Guide your team through a short 5-minute meditation with some meditation music, chants, or guided meditation as they relax into the session. It is a great way to de-stress, realign, and feel relaxed. You would need a meditation guide for the same.
Caption This
Share funny images and ask the participants to come up with captions. You would need a repository of funny images for this activity. Watch your team double down with laughter as they bond over this creative and fun icebreaker.
Mystery Mania
Add a round of mystery to the regular virtual meeting with this creative icebreaker. Play an unusual sound and ask your participants to guess what it is. You would need sound clips and a platform to support the audio play. Expect some really quirky and whacky answers your way as your team opens up with this spunky icebreaker.
Gratitude Circle
Each person shares something they are grateful for. A simple activity that promotes positivity and supportive energy for team building.
Speed Networking
You may pair teams with each other in breakout rooms for a short period of time and let them interact with each other. Keep it a timed activity and see how in a brief time people make meaningful connections.
Virtual Karaoke
Let your team sing away to glory as they participate in a virtual karaoke session singing their favorite songs. You would need music tracks and lyrics displayed on the screen for them. It is a fun and entertaining icebreaker that enhances team bonding.
Quote of the Day
Why not? Sharing an inspiring or funny quote at the beginning of the session sets the tone for the day. You can ask participants to share their favorite ones in the chat box. It helps to spark discussions and team bonding.
Your Unsung Hero
This is sure to bring in awws and also the champion among your team. You can ask each member to name a person from their team who has helped them and been their unsung hero this month. The names popping up would surely bring in cheer and an appreciation for the team members. This one fosters a sense of team building like no other.
Virtual Charades
A game of charades is hands down one of the most fun activities to do be it offline or virtually. You have to prepare a list of prompts for the charade. Sit back and watch your team having fun. It promotes team building and quick thinking.
Virtual Gala Event
Host a virtual awards night as you indulge your team with some fun and creative awards. Some categories could be ‘best dressed’, ‘forgets to mute’, ‘The Tech fixer’ and so on and so forth. Let employees vote and choose among their team members. It is a fun employee engagement activityteam building activities for employees.
Under 18 is Not Underrated
Ask your participants to share an accomplishment that they achieved before they turned 18 years of age. It could be anything that they deem an accomplishment. Watch out as the team unfurls its skills and hidden talents making room for enhanced connection and bonding.
One word
Each participant describes their current mood or state of mind in one word. It not only provides a quick emotional check-in but also promotes empathy and understanding.
Introduce your Partner– Virtual Meetings
Send participants in pairs into breakout rooms where they chat and then they introduce each other to the entire group. It promotes listening skills and a deeper connection with the team members.
Storytelling
Introduce a topic and begin a story, then ask each participant to add a creative and entertaining sentence to it to move it forward. You can play several rounds like this. An icebreaker that really brings out the creative flair and employee engagement throughout the activity.
Common and Uncommon
Put your participants into pairs and ask each pair to find 3 common and 3 uncommon things among themselves. The group would marvel at their own discoveries by the end of this activity. A great way to foster team building and connection.
Dream On
Ask participants to write what their dreams were while they were growing up and how they have changed now. A great way to start a conversation and look at the perspective of changing priorities with time. It promotes employee engagement for your team.
Picture Cards
Show pictures to the participants and ask them how they associate these with their roles. Unlock a range of perspectives and deep dive into your team’s emotions through his simple tool that enhances team bonding and team building.
Cultural Fiesta
Ask employees to share a fun fact or story about a recipe, a game or a specific dress associated with the place they grew up in. This promotes a personalized connection with the team members.
Riddle Fun
Ask employees riddles which could even be shared by sharing images online. You may even divide participants into teams and conduct this activity. A sense of competitiveness and quick thinking charges up the team.
With the future of work turning remote in most organizations, virtual meetings are the norm. It has become indispensable to maintain a ‘connection’ with virtual teams. These icebreakers serve as the perfect start to virtual meetings that foster not just team building activities for employees, but employee engagement activities as well.
