30 Ice Breakers for Virtual Meetings: Fun, Fast, and Cringe-Free

icebreakers for virtual meetings

Small teams are one thing, but facilitating get-to-know-you icebreakers for large groups requires you to be more strategic. During this time, they should try to find 10 things they have in common. Then, allow the pairs to tell the rest of the team about their uncovered similarities. Your remote team could be spread out across the country or worldwide, allowing coworkers to share about their current location. Have your team describe the weather in the chat box with an emoji.

Virtual icebreaker questions

Your team members might attend trivia night in their hometowns or play it with their families. Get everyone to mention a topic they could excel at in a trivia contest. The team will instantly get to know each other, and you can collect topic ideas for a team trivia challenge later in the year. Most video conferencing software allows users to change their background pictures to different photos. Send an email reminder before your next meeting to give everyone time to find a new image.

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The idea is that each team member uploads a memorable photo of themselves to a shared collage. Never Have I Ever is one of the best games to reveal unexpected facts about each other. After each share, discuss shared experiences and food interests together. Allow each team member to open their unique culinary door for others to enter.

Picking the right ice breaker helps ensure everyone feels comfortable and engaged from the start. Encourage everyone to turn their webcams on to humanize the experience. Seeing each other’s faces icebreakers for virtual meetings makes the virtual meeting feel more like an in-person gathering, which boosts engagement and participation. Referring to pop culture is a great way to connect with attendees and make your points more relatable. For instance, you could mention your favorite movie or TV show.

icebreakers for virtual meetings

Icebreaker questions are the simplest way to break the quiet, shake things up, and kick off engaging conversations before your meetings. Studies show 86% of employees and managers say a lack of collaboration results in failures at the office. These get-to-know-you icebreakers can help cultivate teamwork by encouraging conversation and connection. Have teams write down five items from their bucket list before the meeting.

Icebreaker questions for virtual meetings

“Meet Up in a Virtual Bar” allows team members to explore immersive video chat platforms or virtual environments designed to simulate the ambiance of a cozy bar setting. “Coffee Time” is a relaxed and informal activity promoting virtual water cooler moments and fostering casual conversations among team members. Participants use virtual whiteboards or other interactive platforms in this activity to collectively generate and share ideas, solutions, and strategies. ” is about embracing individuality and strengthening team bonds through shared experiences and connections. This game thrives on active involvement, offering a playful platform for team members to showcase their unique personalities.

  1. Start Monday morning off right by having everyone tell a six-word story about their time off.
  2. According to Plutchik, people experience eight core emotions, including sadness and joy, anger, and fear.
  3. This is one of the best virtual icebreakers for large meetings or virtual events – the more locations, the better the word cloud will look.
  4. It could be a picture from their last vacation, and everyone has to think of where they were.
  5. The game works by having one person start a sentence with by saying a single word.

Allow the rest of the team to help them develop solutions or offer to mentor them on a specific task or skill set. Have one employee sit in the hot seat for five to 10 minutes during each meeting. Their coworkers can then ask them questions within that timeframe to get to know them better. Start Monday morning off right by having everyone tell a six-word story about their time off. Six-word stories are short and to the point, giving others enough time to share something interesting and get down to business.

You could even quickly search for the commercial jingles on YouTube so everyone can hear them for a laugh. For example, you might say, “I love to cook.” Another coworker might say, “I’m a terrible cook, but I love to eat. My favorite food is Italian.” Someone else might say, “I studied abroad in Rome during my senior year of college.” From there, you might discover you’ve all been to Rome. Say something encouraging or meaningful after each person goes. After all, sharing something negative and receiving no reaction can feel disappointing.