Over the past year we have hosted close to a thousand virtual team building activities for remote teams and we’d love to share with you how our clients have been staying connected (whilst having fun) with our top 5 virtual team building activities.
What is virtual team building?
Virtual team building activities have the same main outcome as regular team building – bringing people together! But the major difference is that teams will be connecting ‘virtually’ or online via an app, video conferencing tool or similar. Helping your team stay connected with virtual team building activities promotes a sense of community and creates opportunities for open communication and collaboration between peers.
Why virtual team building?
Remote work has now become a necessity rather than a luxury for many professionals. Nearly half of Australians are now doing some work from home and according to Australia Talks, the evidence is showing that WFH is here to stay.
Australia Talks asked people how many hours they worked from home before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, half of survey respondents did “zero hours” work from home, but now 43 per cent spend some of their working time at home. Big businesses are getting on board, and experts say the new pattern is here to stay.
There are many challenges associated with working remotely but by far the most common is loneliness! Losing face-to-face interactions in an office environment has meant losing opportunities to form social bonds, build trust with colleagues and receive support from leadership. This can lead to remote workers feeling isolated, unsupported and lonely. A virtual team building activity can help engage your team, build rapport and remind them that you’re all in this together.
How do you do team building virtually?
The pandemic changed the way people work overnight. As the majority of people weren’t prepared to be working from home, many had to scramble to create a home office space & brush up on their video conferencing skills. Over a year later, the majority of people are savvy when it comes to connecting with their team online via a video conferencing platform.
For most of our virtual team building activities all your team needs is their own computer with webcam, headphones (airpods and earphones are fine) & a good internet connection! A handy tip we’ve learned along the way is to close all other browser tabs and applications and that participants use Firefox, Chrome or Edge web browsers. Further details on what is required for each virtual team building activity are noted below.
Top 5 Virtual Team Building Activities
The Go Game
The ultimate online team challenge for your remote team combining all your favourite games including charades, trivia, Pictionary and more! The Go Game is a virtual team building solution for the future of work. We’ve combined our unique brand of fun within a slick video conferencing interface and a hilarious Pinnacle host to bring your remote teammates into the fold. Even if you only have a few workers offsite, this ensures that everyone feels part of the squad and engaged.
Time: 45 – 60 mins
Group Size: 2 – 25 per game
Equipment Required:
A computer with webcam (no phones or iPads)
Headphones
Around the World
Take your team on a virtual globe-trotting trip around the world, visiting 22 countries across 60,000 virtual kilometres while putting your teamwork, collaboration and creativity to the test!
Around the World takes your team on a virtual world trip via our award winning app! On your journey you and your team will stopover in several different countries from Argentina to Brazil to China. Each destination requires your team to unlock tasks using image recognition technology. Once the task is completed you buy your ticket to your next destination with the points you have scored. Which team will get the furthest with the highest score in the allotted time?
Time: 90 mins
Group Size: 6 – 200
Equipment Required:
App downloaded from the Google Play or Apple store
Video conferencing software (e.g. Zoom or Microsoft Teams)
A computer with webcam (no phones or iPads)
Headphones
Beat the Buzzer
Virtual Trivia held on a video conferencing platform in conjunction with Kahoot!
Participants compete as individuals seeing the questions appear on their computer screen (Zoom) and submit their answers on their phone (Kahoot). Kahoot! Questions are multiple choice and players enter their answer via their hand held device with bonus points awarded for the fastest correct responses. The Trivia will be divided into 3 rounds of 20 questions each round and the questions can be tailored to suit. Usually the rounds would have the following format:
- General Knowledge
- Entertainment (Movies, TV, Music, Theatre)
- Image / Video / Audio
Time: 45-60 mins
Group Size: 6 – 200
Equipment Required:
Option to download the Kahoot! App from the Google Play or Apple store OR simply go to the Kahoot! website
Video conferencing software (e.g. Zoom or Microsoft Teams)
A computer with webcam (no phones or iPads)
Headphones
Virtual Escape Room
Our 90 minute Virtual Escape Room activity combines tasks, riddles and puzzles that will put your problem-solving skills to the test! Using our award-winning interactive app, teams will have to unpick evidence, unravel cryptic messages and avoid the curve balls in order to ESCAPE! A highly engaging and experiential team event to develop creative problem solving, logic, teamwork and communication skills through a virtual escape room concept.
Time: 90 mins
Group Size: 6 – 200
Equipment Required:
App downloaded from the Google Play or Apple store
Video conferencing software (e.g. Zoom or Microsoft Teams)
A computer with webcam (no phones or iPads)
Headphones
Manor House Murder
A fun, team orientated, remote murder mystery style game which uses image recognition and augmented reality in our award-winning app! Working together your team will need to complete a series of interactive challenges to unlock key evidence including witness statements, suspect interviews and more! Are your team’s detective skills sharp enough to solve the murder mystery at Cadaver Manor?
Time: 90 mins
Group Size: 6 – 200
Equipment Required:
App downloaded from the Google Play or Apple store
Video conferencing software (e.g. Zoom or Microsoft Teams)
A computer with webcam (no phones or iPads)
Headphones
Holding virtual team building activities regularly gives your team members fun ways to interact and get to know one another. It encourages them to connect and to collaborate, promoting productivity and a sense of community!