Virtual Games For Team Meetings: How To Engage Remote Teams?

Keeping the remote teams engaged during virtual meetings is a tough nut to crack. Unlike an in-office setup, remote employees work from diverse locations.

So, bringing them together for a collaborative meeting is quite challenging. That’s why managers are introducing virtual games for team meetings.

The interactive activities, funny games, and unique events help remote team members boost their team morale, strengthen relationships, and improve team communications.

So, they can come in handy to break the constant monotony of the work. Encouraging members to fuel their creativity and innovative ideas.

But the real deal is which games to choose and how to implement them in remote workplaces. Well, no need to worry, your remote buddy’s got your back!

In this blog, I am going to explore the diverse virtual games curated for remote team meetings by focusing on—

• Their relevance in a remote setup,
• Types of virtual games,
• Steps to choose the right games, and more.

So, come dive right in!

Why Do Remote Team Meetings Need Virtual Games?

First things first, virtual games for remote teams offer countless benefits that improve the company culture. So, here are some of these benefits—

• Enhances Engagement: Interactive games bring together all the team members. So, it improves the overall employee engagement in the team.
• Builds Relationships: Helps strengthen the relationships among the teammates. This way, the team can share a better bond.
• Encourages Collaboration: Allows the team members to collaborate with other teams and departments. So, they can share their ideas and innovative solutions.
• Boosts Team Morale: Playing the virtual games together can help build a positive work environment that satisfies employees and boosts their morale.

Types Of Virtual Games For Team Meetings

Now, there are a variety of games for remote teams, so I have segregated them into specific categories. This way, you can choose the right one based on the type.

1. Ice-Breaker Games

Starting a new game in the team can be awkward. And, what can be better than icebreaker games to discard this awkwardness? So, here are some games to try—

• Two Truths and A Lie: Employees will take turns to tell one lie and two truths about themselves. Then, the others will guess which one is the lie from the three.
• Virtual Show and Tell: Team members can use a whiteboard to draw something they own, while the others can guess what they are trying to show and tell.
• Quick Polls / Trivia: Creating small trivia and polls for all the members to participate. Moreover, they can team up and make it a group activity.

2. Collaborative Games

Given that remote teams face challenges in cross-departmental collaboration, introducing team-building games can help boost the bonds.

So, they can work together to solve diverse challenges and use their creative thinking to come up with innovative solutions.

• Virtual Escape Room: For instance, indulging in the virtual escape room games can help members to build better bonds as they solve the puzzles together.
• Online Puzzles: Similarly, solving the online puzzles together with teammates can help in collaboration and fuel creative thinking. So, they can collaborate with their problem-solving skills.
• Collaborative Brainstorming Ideas: Also, the teammates can take part in the collaborative brainstorming ideas. That is, they can work together to brainstorm creative ideas and build team camaraderie.

3. Competitive And Fun Games

Now, remote team meetings can feel boring after a while. So, keeping some competitive and fun games can uplift the spirits. Putting some excitement into the team meetings.

So, here are some virtual competitive games that work best with remote teams—

• Online Quizzes: Firstly, employees can break up into groups and compete in a quiz. So, they can compete against each other and enjoy an exciting game with the rush.
• Pictionary: Moreover, playing the pictionary can help bring the employees together in a fun and interactive way. So, they can enjoy the challenges in an engaging environment.
• Virtual Bingo: Also, remote teams can play virtual bingo to compete healthily. And, managers can tweak the game by including team details in the bingo to make it more fun.

4. Creative And Innovative Games

But if competition is not what you are looking for, then choosing creative and innovative games can be a fun way to enjoy virtual meetings.

So, here are some of the creative remote games that managers can choose from—

• Meme Creation Contests: A creative and fun way to bring together the entire team is by hosting meme creation contests. So, they can indulge in making the funniest jokes on certain topics.
• Finish The Drawing: Also, arranging a finish the drawing challenge can instigate the creativity in the team members. So, they can put their innovative ideas to draw something out of this world.
• Scavenger Hunt: Moreover, a virtual scavenger hunt can get the remote members off their seats and find the items from around their homes. Creating a fun and interactive game.

5. Relaxing Games

Apart from competing, you can also arrange for some relaxing games that help the team feel refreshed and rejuvenated. So, here are some wellness and relaxation games to try—

• Light Stretches: For instance, the employees can engage in a light Zumba class that allows them to stretch and feel refreshed. This can also dynamically change the mood for the meetings.
• Virtual Meditation: Also, arranging some virtual meditation classes can help bring together the team to sit together and ease their mental exhaustion. So, it helps the team to have better mental health.
• Mindfulness Sessions: Finally, with some effective mindfulness sessions, the team can relax right before the virtual meetings. So, they can join the meetings with a fresh mind.

How To Choose The Right Virtual Games For Team Meetings?

Now, choosing the right games for the remote teams is the key to arranging a fruitful virtual game. So, here are the steps to choose the right one for your team—

• Consider the team size to choose simple games that can be played by all the members.
• Based on the time frame available, choose the games so that they do not affect productivity.
• Avoid implementing games that are too competitive and impact team collaboration.
• Ensure the team members have the tools and technology to play the virtual games.
• Align the games with some fun and purpose, so it helps the team in the long-run.

Things To Keep In Mind While Choosing Virtual Games For Remote Teams

Simply knowing about the games is not enough. That is, you need to be considerate about certain things to ensure the games engage the team.

So, here are some of the things that you need to keep in mind before choosing the right virtual game—

• Clearly mention the instructions for the team members.
• Allow different teammates to host the games to keep it dynamic.
• Encourage members to participate without forcing them.
• Discuss things that worked and how to further improve the games.
• Combining games with recognition and rewards.

So, by keeping these few things in mind, you can ensure that the right game is chosen for the remote team. Engaging the members to come together and build team camaraderie.

So, go ahead and plan the next virtual meeting with a little tweak — engaging games. Allowing your employees to have fun and stay motivated to work.

FAQs

Here, I have curated some common questions about virtual games for remote team meetings that most users ask.