A virtual team is a group of people who work together on a common project or goal, but are geographically dispersed and communicate primarily through electronic means, such as video conferencing, email, or instant messaging. Virtual teams commonly known as remote teams can be composed of team members from different locations, time zones, and even different countries. They typically communicate and engage in virtual team activities through video chat or calls, by using virtual meeting software such as a Teams call or a Zoom call. In this article, United Co. will explore 6 effective tips for virtual team activities that will improve the collaboration of your remote team.
What Is a Virtual Team?
Virtual teams have become increasingly common in today’s global business environment, as technological advancements have made it easier to work remotely and collaborate virtually. Virtual teams offer several advantages, including reduced costs, greater flexibility, and access to a wider pool of talent.
Some examples of virtual teams may include software development teams, copywriters, designers, customer support teams, marketing teams, research and development teams, and even freelancers and independent consultants.
Effective communication and collaboration are critical to the success of virtual teams, and it’s essential for team members to establish clear goals, roles, and expectations, and to communicate regularly and openly with one another. This is how real remote teams have fun and stay connected. With remote teams especially, it’s a good idea to provide your team with regular updates about the impact their work has on the organization as a whole.
What are some virtual team-building activities?
A virtual team-building activity is any kind of activity or exercise that is designed to bring remote teams together and build stronger bonds among team members who work in different locations. Remote team-building activities aim to improve communication, trust, and collaboration between team members who may not have the opportunity to interact face-to-face regularly.
Additionally, building up your team building can increase communication and morale on any team since it’s a crucial part of an ongoing employee engagement strategy. Virtual team-building exercise events are a great way to welcome a new colleague, celebrate surpassing your team goals, or just get the team together.
Managers of remote teams need to be constantly leading new ways to engage and connect remote employees. Virtual team building activities can take many forms, such as virtual games, quizzes, challenges, and exercises that are conducted online or through video conferencing software. These activities can be fun, engaging, and interactive, allowing team members to participate in group activities that foster team cohesion and a sense of belonging.
Most of your remote team members might have never met before and this can cause feelings of loneliness, impacting your team’s productivity. Scheduling virtual team-building activities is a fun way to strengthen interpersonal relationships, reinforce company culture, and make remote work less isolating
Examples of virtual team-building activities include virtual scavenger hunts, online team-building games, virtual escape rooms, virtual happy hours, and virtual team lunches. The goal of these activities is to create a positive and supportive team culture that promotes collaboration and communication, which can help remote teams work more effectively and achieve their goals.
Effective virtual team-building activities
Virtual team building is crucial for remote teams to establish strong relationships, enhance communication, and foster teamwork. Here are some effective virtual team building ideas to help your team connect and bond:
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Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Organize a virtual scavenger hunt for your remote teams, where team members have to find and collect items from around their homes or workplaces. It’s a fun way to get people moving and interacting with each other. You may suggest breaking into small virtual groups for these activities which can create new bonds and contribute to team building. It gives team members a chance to interact with colleagues who may not be in their department.
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Virtual Trivia Night
Host a virtual trivia night for your remote teams where team members can compete against each other in different categories, such as pop culture, history, or sports. It’s a great way to stimulate team interaction and build rapport effectively, during an online team building activity.
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Virtual Lunch
Organize a virtual lunch where team members can order food from their favorite local restaurant and join a video call to chat and eat together, as they would do if they were in person. It’s a good way to support local businesses while enjoying a meal with colleagues and maintaining that rapport. Socializing with colleagues even in a virtual sense is important for connectivity among your team members.
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Virtual Book Club
You can choose a book related to your virtual team’s interests or industry and organize a virtual book club meeting where team members can discuss their thoughts and ideas. It’s a great way to stimulate intellectual discussion on relevant topics to your industry and promote teamwork across the board.
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Virtual Team-Building Games
Play virtual team-building games like online versions of Pictionary, Charades, or “Two Truths and a Lie.” These games can be a fun way to break the ice and get to know your colleagues better. This also allows everyone to take part in the activity, encouraging participants to be involved.
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Virtual Fitness Challenge
Encourage team members to participate in a virtual fitness challenge, such as a step challenge or yoga challenge. It’s a great way to promote team wellness and encourage healthy habits throughout your company. Some fitness devices quickly adopted virtual connectivity tools throughout the pandemic in 2020. A popular example was Fitbit’s renowned steps challenge feature they implemented. This meant you could compete with your friends on Fitbit to see who had the most steps for a day. Consider incorporating these already available features into your activities as they can add a fun element to your incentive.
In short, a virtual team can take part in these activities to help promote team cohesion, communication, and collaboration, even when members are working remotely. It is important to implement these activities into your calendar regularly, to ensure that consistency is prioritized. Team members appreciate these small gestures and can feel more included and cohesive as part of a team when companies make it their business to follow through with online team building.
Learn More About 8 Benefits of Virtual Office Space for Your Business
Tips To Create an Engaging Virtual Work Environment
Creating a fun virtual work environment is important for maintaining sustainable team morale and productivity. Here are some ways you can create a fun virtual work environment for your team:
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Use virtual backgrounds
Encourage your team to use virtual backgrounds during video calls to add some fun and variety to their workspaces. They can use anything from a beach scene to a funny meme. Aside from promoting an inviting background, it is also recommended to encourage virtual backgrounds for all video calls.
Privacy is important for employees and employers alike, so it is recommended that you choose a sufficient virtual background. You can choose scenes like libraries, or open rooms. Try to choose neutral-colored backgrounds to avoid distraction and ensure your space has adequate lighting to get the most out of your overall look.
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Set up virtual games
Again, it is useful to implement online team building activities during lunch breaks or after hours. You may want to include some virtual games relevant to your industry or team member’s interests alike. For example, if a sales & marketing team is playing a virtual game on a call, it might be good fun to split into teams and come up with a 5-minute pitch for a funny product. This can encourage brainstorming and some teamwork with some fun along the way.
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Celebrate milestones
Celebrate team milestones, such as hitting a target or completing a project, by hosting virtual parties or sending out care packages to team members. You could always take it one step further and create customized care packages for each team member, and then all open them together on the call. This encourages all members to participate, while also boosting team morale and overall job satisfaction. There are many ways in which teams can feel appreciated virtually, and this could be a great way to introduce that aspect.
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Encourage creativity
Encourage team members to express their creativity by hosting virtual art contests, music performances, or talent shows. This can be a good icebreaker or even a wind-down for the week. Encourage all team members to participate in these activities and gift a prize to the winner. This can allow new ways of connectivity amongst team members, as they can express their creative skill sets. Remote employees tend to enjoy fun games and will enjoy this team building event.
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Virtual Socializing
Plan virtual team-building activities that help build camaraderie and trust among team members. These can include a virtual happy hour, a virtual quiz, or other social-related activities. For example, you may host a virtual quiz for your team and encourage them to enjoy snacks and beverages. Consider including your preferred industry as a topic for a round in the quiz, but make sure to base the majority of topics on fun categories like music, movies, sports, and other topics. Online team building is very effective when trying to create virtual team bonding.
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Use GIFs and emojis
Use GIFs and emojis to add some fun and personality to your team communications. This can help to lighten the mood and reduce stress. For example, team connectivity software such as Teams or Slack has fun features for communication between teams such as emojis, gifs nudges, etc.
Encourage the use of emojis in day-to-day conversation to lighten the mood while discussing work-related topics. This can make employees feel more comfortable, which can in turn promote productivity and boost morale.
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Promote work-life balance
Encourage team members to take breaks and prioritize their well-being. This can help to prevent burnout and create a more positive work environment. Encourage employees to take up activities they can complete during their lunch breaks or after hours. For example, you may even consider running virtual yoga sessions online for your employees or sending around some quick 30-minute meals that are tasty and healthy and could be cooked on a lunch break.
Remember, creating a fun team building event is all about finding ways to connect and engage with your team members, even when you can’t be together in person. There are many virtual team building ideas, but it is important to enjoy these activities and while they should be organizational and structured, they should be fun for everyone involved.
By incorporating fun virtual games for remote teams you can create more productive remote teams. It is an effective way to engage remote teams. You could also suggest other virtual team challenges such as a virtual escape room experience, virtual team trivia, or building activities such as a DIY craft challenge to boost team engagement.
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Virtual Offices at United Co.
United Co. offers flexible virtual office solutions suited to your business needs. Whether you are a small business looking to expand or a large business working remotely, United Co. offers a virtual business address with mailing handling services to help companies establish a professional presence in Melbourne. Sign up online to get a virtual business address today!
