3 Super Easy Best Practices to Teambuild Virtually

There’s something sacred about the in-person experience. And yet, it IS possible to recreate many of those in-person experiences and translate them to a virtual setting. Here’s how:

1. Recreate “water cooler” conversation. While at Gap, my direct peers lived in Chicago and SF, so we never had informal hallway chats. That all changed when we instituted a weekly “lunch date” on Fridays. 30 minutes. No talking about work (at least that was the intention!). If you’re not up for yet another zoom meeting, think outside the box. Give your colleague a ring while you each talk a walk around the block and catch up on how their family is doing and their latest Netflix binge.
2. Celebrate, even if “just” virtually! If your team is into celebrations--- work anniversaries, birthdays, etc, just because we’re WFH does NOT mean you need to postpone the celebration. In fact, it’s all the MORE reason to take time to pause and celebrate. I have planned not one but two participatory virtual baby showers. I googled a whole bunch of games we could play virtually (including collecting baby photos and creating a PPT of said photos and then had attendees “guess that baby!” as well as collecting advice, stories, + recipes for the momma to be and making a book for her). Get creative-- consider making a celebratory zoom background or having attendees print out emoji signs to use during the celebration.
3. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. We used a messenger system (a la the days of AIM) at Gap which is great for many things but not ALL the time. My supervisor and I were only in the office together a few days a week, so I especially appreciated when she would suggest we quickly hop on the phone to discuss a pressing topic. In our current culture where text (or instant messenger) reigns as the primary form of in-the-moment communication, often it is FAR easier to resolve an issue and/or get clarity on next steps by simply taking 5 minutes to talk it through on the phone. Do not underestimate the power of a 5 minute phone call. 

Have you tried any of these best practices? What else have you seen or experienced first-hand to teambuild while working virtually? Share in the comments!