Team-building exercises are important for teams of all sizes, as they help to strengthen the bond between individual team members and strengthen the core of the team itself. As a meeting host, you can encourage teamwork with productive activities that help to improve communication, collaboration, and understanding between team members.
Conferences led by call operators can help improve the overall efficiency of an online meeting by directing the right people into the right call spaces. If you’re not already using a conferencing platform, there’s never been a better time to get started!
Here are five productive activities for teams to do on a video conference call.
1. Brainstorming
When it comes to ideas, it’s always better to have a think-tank at work instead of just one person. When you’re hosting an online meeting to solve a problem, encouraging the team to brainstorm not only helps improve collaboration but can also generate some great ideas for the company.
Brainstorming doesn’t have to be structured, but it’s always a good idea to make sure that everyone in the call has a chance to speak. Go around the room and allow everyone to speak their mind. Then, when everyone has submitted their ideas, you can discuss them as a group.
2. Ice-Breakers
If you’re working with new remote workers or other people in the company who haven’t met one another, an effective ice-breaker can bridge the gap between the team. Bringing together new people is always fun, because you get to learn something new about someone and the team becomes a bit more comfortable with one another.
You can go with a classic approach, where everyone introduces themselves and tells the team a bit about who they are and where they come from. Or, you can try other ice-breakers, such as:
- Birth map: Everyone says where they live, and the host puts a pin in a world map for every location. This lets the team see just how diverse their remote co-workers are.
- Would you rather? This game can get pretty silly, and laughter is always a good way to break down walls between people. Of course, you’ll want to keep things work-appropriate.
- Two truths and a lie: Have each team member tell two truths about themselves and one lie, and the team has to guess which of them is a lie.
- Who is it? Have everyone send an email containing a unique fact about themselves before the meeting. You’ll read each one out loud, and the team will need to guess who it is. Then, that person can elaborate and explain the strange fact.
- Team Trivia: Incorporating healthy competition into work get-togethers can help engage and excite employees. Online trivia games for Zoom meetings are a fun way for co-workers to get to know each other and compete for a reward.
3. Live Work Sessions
Sometimes as remote workers, we miss the hustle and bustle of the office. A great way to bring people together is to host a live-work session. You’ll live cast an event, and have each team member join with video. Then, everyone just does their regular work. This functions as both a catalyst for productivity and an accountability tool. When everyone else is on the call, it’s easier to get things done, because you’re being held accountable by an audience!
Any of these roles can be checked with the right virtual team management tools. These tools enable team members to have productive discussions while also allowing team leaders to offer praise and input. If you are looking for a good video conference software, you should visit conferencecalling.com for a good experience.
This could potentially make some people uncomfortable, so be sure to gage team interest first.
4. Employee Recognition
Recognizing employees for their contributions is a great way to encourage productivity and performance while praising the team member for what they’ve done. When an employee hits a milestone or accomplishes something great, you can host a quick video chat to recognize their achievement. Bringing the team together to celebrate one another’s wins helps reinforce the team structure and reminds everyone that there are rewards for good performance.
Bonus tip for award program administrators: With all of the transitions and confusion, it’s easy for leaders to fail to schedule a reward for outstanding achievement. Create the presumption that excellent work will be widely recognized in a personal and substantive way by politicians.
5. Weekly Video Presentations to Engage
Make personal presentations about something the team members are excited about on a monthly or even weekly basis. Sometimes team members discuss a charity they fund or a weekend rescue group where they volunteer. Alternatively, a plant-loving employee will show the staff how to choose moderate houseplants and offer practical advice about how to better care for them.
It’s possible that not everybody on the staff works in the same office. But that doesn’t rule out the possibility of close bonds between them. If the remote staff feel like they know each other and are relaxed engaging with others on more than just the basic issues, they will feel comfortable while doing the future projects
6. Picture of Your Life
Knowing about the people you work with can help you form a closer bond, which is known to help improve overall team performance. This exercise works great as an ice-breaker or monthly meeting introduction.
You’ll have each team member take a picture of something in their life that’s important to them or holds personal value. Then, each team member (depending on the size of your team) will get a few minutes to explain the significance of the item. This helps the team grow closer and provides a short glimpse into the lives of each team member. Plus, you get to talk about something you love!
Conclusion
Video conferences have become the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’re not always productive. Each of these activities helps with either brainstorming or team-building exercises to maximize each call’s productivity. Remember that the conference calling platform you’re using can have a huge impact on the productivity and accessibility of your calls, so choose wisely! Just because a service is free, doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for your business.
