14 Icebreaker Games to Start Your Virtual Meetings Right
Work happens at home now. Since the start of the pandemic, 25% of work-related jobs across North America have gone remote. Most likely, you spend the majority of your time in Zoom, Google Meets, Skype as well as Microsoft Teams.
If you're a leader of online meetings, an effective icebreaker is a godsend. It can help to lighten up the mood, help colleagues and clients become familiar with each other, and help the ideas flowing just like the water. However the wrong icebreaker can make you feel like the Michael Scott of your company.
This is why we've made a complete guide to fun icebreaker games which you'll need to get your meetings online right. We've included icebreakers you can play with small group of remote employees as well as ones that are suitable for strangers, and everything else in between.
Read on--and we'll help you break the ice with ease. Here's what we'll talk about for those who want to jump ahead:
- How are games to break the ice crucial?
- 14 icebreaker games for virtual meetings
- Three suggestions for making sure that your audience actually appreciates your icebreakers
What are the importance of icebreakers?
Clients, colleagues and attendees of workshops and remote employees will have messy workspaces and kids roaming around and are probably rocking pyjamas just outside the boundaries of the frame. They're not all business, there's no fun, they're real people. If you're not able to start a conversation and you'll only get formal faces all meeting long.
In many fields formality can become an issue. If your attendees at your virtual gathering aren't comfortable with your style and engaged, they'll be reluctant to share ideas, ask questions, or get engaged with what is being discussed. If you're a course creator and they're bored, they could turn off or more importantly, they may drop interest in your classes completely. You don't want blank stares coming at you from the computer.
That's where icebreakers come in. The fun activities for team building will not make boring meetings exciting, but they will provide you and your guests with that crucial starting point for interaction and communication. Here's how:
They're fantastic to introduce your audience
Talking about where you went to your school, some of the fun aspects of your career, or even other interests that you have outside of work can make you feel more like a person. This gives your guests the opportunity to engage in conversation with you, and vice-versa. Being comfortable and feeling at ease with your guests may assist in relaxing those nerves.
One of the most important lessons is that finding a balance is key. In choosing the icebreakers you choose, think about how well you understand your audience determine if it's not enough, as well as how formal too formal. There's no universally-fit-all answer. Trust your social skills.
They brighten up the mood
There's not a warm-up routine on Google Meets to get the mood right. It's just you, your personality and your display.
If this is the first gathering in the morning, attendees will still be shaking the sleep from their eyes, frantically slamming coffee, and trying to establish their feet on the ground. When it's the afternoon or in the evening, they might be bleary-eyed and tired from their workday.
Icebreakers that you choose will ease the pressure on you. First, you'll talk first, and then you get to pass the spotlight to the guests. The guests will feel more at ease after which there will be a room of professional professionals who are calm and engaged willing to hear from you. That's major.
They get people engaged and motivated.
Paying attention to Zoom calls is harder than in real life. If your camera's off and your guests are surfing the internet in a separate tab, sipping their morning coffee and staring at the sky. In face-to-face meetings the ability to pay attention can be difficult to achieve, but in a virtual meeting there's no way to know who's present and who's not.
Icebreakers get guests away from their desks and help them tune in. In smaller meetings participants are encouraged to switch on their cameras and to speak out. For larger meetings the attendees are encouraged to join the chatroom and talk about their experiences. This is how you would like your meetings to begin.
Now let's dive into some ideas for ice-breakers that you could make use of for gatherings of all dimensions:
14 games to break the ice for virtual meeting
Great games to break up ice in small groups
The initial set of games are perfect for groups with 3-12 people. Each game is individual engaging, enjoyable and will aid in warming the virtual attendees to talk.
1. Two Truths and a Lies
Two truths and a lie is a well-known icebreaker and is great for virtual small gatherings. For the game, every person in the meeting takes turns stating two truthful statements and one false one. The remaining members will work together to determine which one they believe to be the truth.
The majority of people are aware of this enjoyable sport, but if there's no one who does, lead by example. Choose funny and off-kilter facts for example, such as "I don't know how to roll my r's" or "I have never been taught to swim." Try not to make your story the last one, and make it plausible at the very least. You won't be believed by anyone who believes that you've been to space, or that your Dad was the best of Obama's friends at college.
2. A trip around the world
The icebreaker below is simple and is a fantastic way to get your meeting participants discussing traveling (which everyone loves.) To get started, either the moderator of your meeting will ask attendees to name the destination they'd love to visit most--or their favorite place that they've visited.
It's easy, quick and allows your guests to chat without getting personal. Small groups of 10-12 players can blast through a round within a short time of ten minutes and you can even use a collaborative whiteboard tool like Miro to let guests pin the bucket-list locations to travel to. The sky is the limit (not the border)!
3. The home office tour
These days, most of us are used to remote working. Encourage your guests working from home to share a fifteen second home office tour, and then share their workplaces look like, chaos and everything else. Invite them to share a quick fact about the state, city or nation they are in as well.
Everyone will feel that much more relaxed with each other, and you'll break through that professional sheen everyone brings to work. Plus, it's enjoyable to talk about your life experiences.
4. The bucket list
Outside of work, we've all got goals, hopes and hopes. Therefore, open up the room and ask your participants to discuss one or two bucket list items of their own.
It will be easier to learn about the person they are as people--and they'll be able to understand you more. You never know, you might even share your bucket list with them!
5. The albums from your deserted island
For this icebreaker, ask everyone to imagine they're going to end up on an island in the desert. The Walkman is old and beat up. Walkman that you could pick only three songs throughout your life. Which ones would you pick?
Your most amiable, sun-drenched colleague might be rocking to heavy metal every time they're in town. A straight-laced coworker you don't know well might be a techno lover. And your music taste might make people smile!
That's the joy of music--it opens us all up.
6. The story of the celebrity encounter
The icebreaker is instantaneous and has an intrigue aspect. The majority of us won't be famous. Many of us have met someone famous, and many of us who have are dying to share our experiences.
Encourage meeting guests to share who the most famous person they've met and how the encounter went. Most celebrities are friendly, however, you could get an entertaining, messy tale that'll change the way you view your favourite actor. (And whatever the outcome you'll have a wonderful opportunity to connect with your guests. )
7. Hypotheticals
Most likely, you've not imagined how you'd respond when you were granted a superpower or who historical figures you'd invite to dinner. That's the power of hypotheticals that take people out of their heads and in to our imaginations.
Make a list of at least three or four possible questions that you can ask your attendees at your next meeting. If you're feeling adventurous, Chuck Klosterman's Hyperthetical Questions can be considered to be the best hypothetical questions of all time.
8. Drop-in virtual happy hour
The concept of Happy Hour is timeless. If you're familiar with the people you're meeting with and you want conversations to flow naturally, grab some afternoon drinks or a glass of vino. It's likely that conversations will go smoother than normal.
This isn't something to do with total strangers, but with trusted colleagues, it can be an ideal method to make connections online. (And should you wish to make it extra-special you can hire a mixologist guide you and your team members through the latest cocktails! )
Best icebreaker games for large groups
The next game can be easily adapted for parties with over 12 participants ( however, they're great even for smaller groups). If you've got a massive large crowd (say 50 or more) Encourage attendees to take part in chats as well as via video.
9. Group trivia
The group trivia game is simply amazing. It's a must to keep any wacky icebreakers of this guide, but this might be our favorite. The game lets you play Alex Trebek, and design an online game. The participants take part in a contest and showcase their skills. If you're not, it's still fun, as you'll see how everyone else decided to vote.
Our personal favorite trivia variants will test your knowledge on diverse pop culture times, from the 60s through the decade of 10. Some older people might have tuned out following the death of Kurt Cobain but never had a clue about Drake. Younger guests might have a clue as to which Paul brother is which--but they might not know why Fleetwood Mac collapsed. One way or another it will be revealed.
In addition, the quiz-making tools such as Kahoot will make creating your own trivia games easy. This will be an ice-breaker element of your meeting and conference calls within a matter of minutes.
10. 21 questions
Think of an object, person, or location, but don't reveal it to anyone. Your meeting guests have got twenty-one questions for you to narrow it down to and figure out what's going through your head.
21 questions is a great icebreaker for small groups however, it is possible to adapt it for large groups as well. Just get people to ask questions about icebreakers in the comment sections, and keep an eye out for correct answers.
11. Office charades
Begin your session with a couple of rounds of games of charades. You can give the stage to an actor who is the central figure Send them a hidden message with the word that they need to perform, and watch everyone try to guess.
Your guests will be more relaxed after they see your avatar as a snake, or your boss miming their household chores. It's an excellent method to kick off your virtual meeting or workshop.
12. Would you rather?
Everyone has played this game from our childhood. Instead of asking who they have a crush on, ask them to choose to vote on workplace-friendly questions such as those:
- Would you rather watch NSync as opposed to Backstreet Boys or Backstreet Boys live?
- Would you rather have the potato or pineapple pizza?
- Would you rather have a sunny beach house or a remote log cabin?
Ask people to hold up the fingers of one or two fingers to vote or encourage them to vote during the discussion. Certain questions could have more controversy than you think--and the debate helps get your guests prepared for further discussion.
There's tons of fun questions to ask. Make sure you remain PG. This game can get fiery if you let it go off the rails.
13. My recent photo
Split your group into break-out rooms that are approximately. 10-12 persons. Allow them to stay for the minimum of 10 minutes. Request each guest to pull up the most recent photo that they posted on social media or the most recent image from their mobile. (Whatever's the most than comfortable. )
As they share their photos, ask them to explain why they took the photo. Although it may be the picture of a pet or meal You'll gain a glimpse into their life and also the chance to share what's happening in yours.
14. Never had I
Make sure the break rooms are set up again, and turn participants loose to play a game of "never had I played this before." The game can be quite personal, so we'd recommend it for groups you've previously met.
The first step is to put five fingers raised. Every person in the area is asked to say something you've never experienced in their life, then you place a finger down every moment you've been through the situation that's in dispute. This game is always funny There's an explanation for why it's a fan favorite.
If you're looking for PG friendly, workplace-friendly "never has I ever" questions, we suggest beginning right here. If you're in search of some cheekier ones for a group you know really well, try this Oprah-approved set.
3 tips to ensure that people actually enjoy the icebreakers
Create time-based expectations
The majority of people prefer a fast ice breaker, but they would prefer not to see it go on for hours. If you're going to introduce the game, establish an time frame and let the participants know you're keeping an eye on the timer.
People who love engaging in ice-breakers will get the most of every minute. And those who are shy won't be able to sneak quietly out of the gathering to stay out of it.
Offer options to participate
Some people aren't interested in an icebreaker. And even if they do it's unlikely that they'd like to get on that personal level with you--especially when you're meeting for the first time.
When you're starting the icebreaker, make sure you mention the participation is voluntary. Nobody should feel coerced to play--they should choose to, because they're curious to get to know them and other participants. Tell your wallflowers that they're not doing anything incorrect, and they'll stay throughout the entire meeting.
Steer clear of touchy subject matter
In arranging your icebreakers, remember to avoid the subject matter that could be sensitive, for example, race, sex, religion as well as politics. Different people may have different opinions, misspeak, or have divergent communication styles, which could cause them to start off on the wrong start. We don't want that for you.
Keep it close to surface level. Family, friends, interests, passions, and the history of one's job are all safe conversations for all kinds of people. There's still plenty of space to get to know people However, it's more likely to avoid getting into conflict.
So, what's next?
After you've learned 14 exciting virtual team-building exercises to incorporate into your next video conference webcast or meeting Perhaps you're looking for tools to turn your virtual workshops into online course content. (Especially when you're an entrepreneur or teacher. )
Here's where the power comes in. It is easy for us to expand your business through self-guided online courses as well as subscription sites. Our easy-to-use course design platform helps coaches, educators, and creators of digital content create unique, engaging online learning experiences. live-streaming live courses are also simple by integrating the Zoom integration.
Take a free trial and receive the course creation and live lesson tools that you require to bring your business to the next level. (No tech skills required! )