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This icebreaker game was first introduced by Tom Wujec in a TED talk. Elizabeth Green – Elizabeth Green a tech enthusiast with a strong interest in team building and remote work. She is dedicated to leveraging her passion for technology to foster effective collaboration in virtual environments. Elizabeth thrives on exploring innovative solutions and discovering ways to maximize productivity and engagement in remote teams. Just because we have to work from home on a video call, doesn’t mean that we can’t increase team engagement virtually.
Share your experience and tips at and we may include your answers in this or future posts. And, if you liked this blog post and found it useful, share it with someone you think would also benefit from it. Zoom has taken top place as the most popular communication platform for large, virtual teams. As a result, it is incredibly likely that you and your team will be using Zoom and looking for an excellent way to break the ice.
Coffee breaks
Even when you’re wrong, it’s still fun, because you can see how everyone else voted. Stress is a normal part of one’s personal and professional life. Being able to successfully deal with your stress will make you happier and a better worker. That’s why asking the team what they do to destress is a great meeting icebreaker. It not only addresses that work can be stressful, but it exposes everyone to many different ways to deal with stress–some of which they may never have thought of on their own.

Draw Something Icebreaker is an entertaining game that encourages interaction between players. It is ideally played with four to six people, although variations can be enjoyed with more depending on the size of the group. Large groups may break up into small groups and have the chance to communicate immediately with each other by playing this question game. They can get to know one another’s tastes and share a few of their favorites. The participants who like icebreakers will make the most of every second, and the shyer ones won’t sneak quietly out of the meeting to avoid participating.
Advantages of our virtual icebreakers
You can also do it on the spot, giving people a minute or two to search for an image at the beginning of the meeting. With so many people working remotely, this is a fun and easy way to start conversation about where people are located and what their current work environment is like. Ask everyone to take a photo of the view from their closest window. aws icebreaker Each person can take their turn showing off their photo and explaining their circumstances. This is also a great way for team mates to learn about each other and get more context about everyone’s situations. If we’re certain about anything in 2023, we can predict a lot of remote team meetings popping up on our calendars in upcoming months.
A good virtual icebreaker can set up your virtual meeting for success. Set the right tone during kick-off and your team can be more prepared to participate. Break the virtual ice effectively and you’ll help people start talking and engaging without further prompts. Some are great for helping established teams kick-off a video conference, others are best employed when helping remote team members get to know each other. Virtual icebreakers are quick, online team-building activities that help you connect with your remote team on a personal level during online meetings.
Guess who
Even post-pandemic, remote teams and virtual communication will become more common than ever. This icebreaker game will make your team members laugh and it works for in-person or virtual meetings. Tell everyone in a very serious tone that you won’t tolerate any smiling. You might not be a comedian, but it’s harder than you think not to laugh.
- But if their day is one endless series of tasks, they’ll likely check out, and productivity and engagement will plummet.
- Before the meeting, let your employees know what supplies they’ll need or, even better, send your participants a kit for the session.
- Team-building icebreakers do just that, break that ice that freezes teams in a rigid way.
- Breaking the ice in this manner is incredibly effective for team building, as research has repeatedly found that a good speech will increase employee empowerment and motivation.
- Everyone can submit their answers with a web form or in the chat while you’re discussing the potential within each team member.
The easiest way to ensure that a meeting ends well is to start it right. Nothing helps foster this collaborative team spirit like a good meeting icebreaker. Taking a few minutes for everyone to learn about each other—or even just be silly—can work wonders on the mood of the meeting participants. It allows them to loosen up and bring more of themselves to their work and increases the likelihood that they’ll be engaged and excited about the rest of the meeting agenda. If you need a unique and exciting way to introduce a new team member, look no further than these casual ice breakers for virtual meetings. There are plenty of virtual ice breakers for large groups that people will actually enjoy.
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
If you’re looking to elevate your virtual team’s engagement, explore our articles on engaging virtual trivia games, and transformative team-building activities. Don’t miss our articles on the best employee engagement strategies that empower you to create an engaged and thriving team. Buffer’s 2021 State of Remote Work survey stated that nearly 52% of the respondents reported being in more meetings as a result of the shift to remote work. Virtual icebreakers are key to reducing meeting fatigue stemming from back-to-back discussions. It brings back the pre-covid team collaboration and also improves employee engagement.

Lack of in-person interaction between employees means fewer deep relationships and a lack of team cohesiveness. Depending on the nature of your job, remote work might be your future. No more heavy traffic on the way to the office, and you have more space to be creative.
If your virtual meeting attendees aren’t warmed up, they won’t volunteer ideas, ask questions, or get engaged with what you’re talking about. If you’re a course creator, they might tune out—or worse yet, lose interest in your teaching altogether. You don’t want blank stares coming at you through the monitor. This is an icebreaker game that was created by the Surrealists in which you divide a piece of paper into three. Three people must draw the head, torso and legs, respectively, without seeing what the person before them drew. So, break the group up into threes and have them get drawings as you set up the meeting.
Chances are that within five minutes, everyone will be laughing their faces off. It’s a great way to start a team meeting, and you’ll find it a more effective one because of it. Virtual ice breakers are activities or games designed to create a sense of connection and camaraderie among participants in virtual meetings. They help break the ice, foster team bonding, and create a positive and engaging atmosphere.
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