What are the best virtual team-building exercises for business management?

1 Why virtual team-building matters

Virtual team-building is not just a fun and optional activity, but rather a strategic and intentional way of enhancing the performance and well-being of your team. Through virtual team-building, you can reduce isolation and loneliness among remote workers, build rapport and trust among team members, improve communication and collaboration skills, increase motivation and engagement, develop creativity and innovation by exposing team members to diverse perspectives and experiences, as well as resolve conflicts and enhance feedback by fostering empathy and understanding.

2 How to choose virtual team-building exercises

When it comes to virtual team-building, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. You need to consider the size and composition of your team, the purpose and objectives of the session, the time and resources available, as well as the preferences and personalities of your team members. Additionally, you should assess the level of difficulty and challenge of the exercises, as well as the feedback and evaluation. Surveys, polls, or interviews can be used to gather input from your team on what kind of exercises they would enjoy and benefit from. To create a varied and engaging session, you can also mix different types of exercises, such as icebreakers, games, quizzes, simulations, brainstorming or discussions.

3 How to facilitate virtual team-building exercises

Facilitating virtual team-building exercises can be challenging, especially if you are not familiar with the online tools and platforms that you need to use. To make sure that your session runs smoothly and successfully, plan ahead and test the technology. You should also set the tone and rules at the beginning of the session, and monitor and support the activities during the exercises. Finally, debrief and reflect at the end of the session by summarizing the main points and outcomes, asking for team members' thoughts and learnings, highlighting strengths and areas of improvement, thanking them for their participation, and asking for feedback.

4 Examples of virtual team-building exercises

There are many virtual team-building exercises that you can choose from, depending on your goals and preferences. For instance, you can try the classic icebreaker of Two truths and a lie to help your team members get to know each other better. This involves each team member sharing three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is a lie, while the rest of the team has to guess which one is the lie and why. Alternatively, you could challenge your team members' creativity and problem-solving skills with a Virtual scavenger hunt. This involves creating a list of items, tasks, or clues that your team members have to find or complete within a certain time limit. You could also test your team members' collaboration and communication skills with an Online escape room simulation. This requires your team to escape from various themes and scenarios by solving puzzles, riddles, or codes. Additionally, you could enhance your team members' knowledge and competitiveness with Virtual trivia. This is a quiz where you can create your own questions or use a web-based platform or an app to generate them from different categories such as general knowledge or pop culture. Finally, you could foster your team members' creativity and innovation with an Online brainstorming discussion. This involves choosing a topic, question, or challenge that your team has to brainstorm ideas or solutions for using a virtual whiteboard, sticky notes, or mind maps.

5 Tips for virtual team-building success

Virtual team-building exercises can be fun and effective, but they require some planning and preparation to make the most of them. When choosing exercises, make sure they align with your team goals and values, are relevant, meaningful, and support the vision, mission, and culture of your team. As virtual team-building can be unpredictable and dynamic, be flexible and adaptable to adjust to the feedback, needs, and preferences of your team. After each session, review the outcomes and feedback of the exercises, celebrate successes and address challenges. Implement action plans and improvements that have been agreed on, keep in touch with your team regularly, and schedule the next session accordingly.