Here is our guide on how to make online meetings fun.
Ways to make online meetings fun are methods of making video calls engaging and interactive, such as games, activities, and icebreakers. Examples include team building games, Online Trivia and Show and Tell. The purpose of these activities is to add a fun element to remote meetings and encourage teammates to interact and engage with each other.
These ideas are similar to remote team meeting ideas and free virtual team building activities.
This list includes:
- mini-games for virtual meetings
- fun ideas for Zoom meetings with coworkers
- ways to make online meetings more interactive
- ways to make online meetings interesting
Let’s get to it!
List of ways to make online meetings fun
From Informal Introductions to Show and Tell to Zoom Backgrounds, here is our list of ideas to make online meetings fun.
1. Show and Tell
Show and Tell is an activity that allows teammates to get a broader view of their coworkers’ personal lives. For example, meeting attendees can show off their workspace, work gadgets, books, or random objects.
This activity helps teammates get to know each other better and share similar interests. This event can even be a great conversation starter as attendees share pictures or videos of items they may have in common.
For this event:
1. Teammates must share random images or videos of objects. Perhaps, even a pet!
2. Participants take turns explaining the importance of these items and share related stories.
3. Teammates who have similar items or objects will send a reaction or comment in the chat.
Show and Tell is a fun activity that helps teammates share heartwarming experiences and funny stories using items and objects around them.
2. Informal Introductions
Informal Introductions are ways to make online meetings more interactive. This activity ensures that teammates or attendees get to know each other better and understand each coworker’s role within the organization.
For this activity:
1. The meeting host will give each of the attendees a minute or two to introduce themselves to other teammates.
2. Attendees share their names and roles within the company. For example, I am Amanda Shaw, and I am head of the Creative Department.
3. The teammates can make this event even more fun by describing themselves using three to four random words that describe them the best. For example, I am Amanda Shaw, and I am resilient, compassionate, and hardworking.
4. The attendees can also share two or three interests. For example, I am John Doe, and I love technology, basketball, and art.
These informal introductions will break the tension associated with having a formal meeting and make it easier for attendees to engage and participate actively during online meetings.
3. Zoom Backgrounds
Zoom backgrounds are fun ways to make online meetings interesting because they make the event more colorful and provide a handy conversation starter. In addition, this activity allows teammates to show off their creativity and personality.
For this event:
1. Set up a theme for the meeting. For example, “summer vacation.”
2. Teammates will need to find any background related to that theme. Examples may include images of an island, the poolside, some cocktails, or vacation photos.
3. The teammates will get this theme before the start of the event so that they have enough time to choose and set their backgrounds.
4. At the start of the meeting, the teammates will get one or two minutes each to explain the images.
This activity is the perfect conversation starter and icebreaker activity for virtual meetings. You can make this activity fun by setting a funny theme, such as the worst memes. Then, the teammates will find funny memes to use as background images. Note that it may be a little difficult to stay serious during the meeting when all the attendees have funny photos as their background images.
4. Invite Celebrities
Online meetings do not have to be overly serious or too formal. For example, if you have a huge announcement to make or a promotion to announce during the meeting, it can be a great idea to recruit a celebrity.
To build excitement, you can tell employees that you have invited a surprise guest to the meeting. This activity is an excellent opportunity for teammates to meet a great figure of importance in the business world and also gives them a chance to ask questions or share opinions that they may have. To get a celebrity for this meeting, you can book a message from a star on Cameo or have a member of the leadership team address the teammates.
You can invite a celebrity who is passionate about the topic being discussed at the meeting or an important figure with a vast knowledge of a subject. Then, you can finalize the event by creating a Q and A session where the teammates can ask the celebrity anything.
5. Online Games
Online Games are mini-games for virtual meetings that teammates and coworkers can play. Examples of these games include Pictionary, hangman, Scattergories, or Typing Tests. These games test teammates’ wits and skills and encourage coworkers to have fun and interact with each other.
For this activity:
1. Choose the games that teammates will play during the meeting, such as Online Bingo, Virtual Charades, or Pictionary.
2. The teammates can play individually or in teams depending on the game’s rules. It is also a great idea to use the in-app features of video conferencing platforms to make the games as interactive as possible.
3. Set the games at the start of the meeting as an icebreaker activity or at the end to help the teammates relax and ease stress.
4. Make sure that the teammates understand the rules of the game.
5. Give the teammates enough time to complete the tasks.
6. Offer a reward or prize to the winners of the game.
These games help teammates learn to work together in teams and encourage remote teammates to develop good working relationships. You can also organize fun online game days for remote teams and set up a group of games that the coworkers can play within a given period.
6. Online Trivia
Online Trivia games are fun ideas for Zoom meetings with coworkers because these competitions are interactive and allow teammates to engage with each other. The questions in the trivia can be industry-related or general knowledge questions.
You can hold this activity at the beginning of the meeting as an icebreaker activity or set it at the end of the event to help teammates loosen up, engage and have fun.
Examples of trivia questions to ask during meetings include:
- What is the collective term for a group of cows? Answer: a herd.
- What is the capital of Ethiopia? Answer: Addis Ababa.
- How many states are there in the US? Answer: 50.
- Which river runs through Egypt? Answer: Nile river.
- What is the largest water body on earth? Answer: The Pacific Ocean.
You can compile at least twenty questions and allow teammates to answer them individually or send players into breakout rooms with a form. You can make this event even more fun by chipping in some elementary math questions. These questions may seem tricky since teammates may have forgotten how to solve them. This activity aims to test teammates’ knowledge on various topics and encourage remote teammates to interact with each other and have fun.
7. Online Contests
Online contests are fun ways to create healthy competition between teammates. These contests can challenge coworkers to face off in singing, drawing, or taking selfies, for example. These activities help teammates show off specific talents and share common interests and skills.
For this event:
1. Choose a contest like singing, dancing, or drawing.
2. Pick a way to display the entries, such as in a cloud-based photo album, Slack channel, or Zoom call.
3. Announce a deadline for entries or a time to present entries live.
4. The teammates may compete individually or in groups to encourage teamwork.
5. The best teammate or group will get a prize or a reward at the end of the event.
These activities help teammates have fun, show off their talents, and allow remote teams to interact with each other. Teammates may look forward to these events if organized weekly or several times a month. The contests make online meetings exciting and give teammates something to look forward to during scheduled online meetings.
8. Awards of Recognition
Awards of Recognition offer company’s a chance to appreciate employees’ efforts during online meetings. This activity also teaches teammates to value each other’s talents and contributions to projects and activities within the company.
For this event:
1. The company may choose to recognize their team members for their efforts on a recently concluded project or offer a reward to a teammate who has shown exceptional skill in recent months.
2. Teammates can also use this event to appreciate each other for their skills and dedication at work. For example, the teammates may offer awards for the “Math Genius of the Month,” “Creative Wizard of the Week,” and “Tech Wiz of the Week.”
3. You can create a slideshow with the names of the nominees to present these awards and share with the attendees.
4. It is best to let the teammates know that they will get awards of recognition during the week. Doing so will give the teammates something to look forward to and make the meeting exciting even before it begins.
This activity helps teammates appreciate even the most minor contributions and efforts to the team. Rewards of Recognition also help coworkers understand that they each play an active role in the entire team’s success. Teammates will learn to appreciate each other’s skills and efforts and encourage coworkers to work harder to help achieve a common goal.
9. Online Minute to Win it Games
Online Minute to Win it games are super short mini-games that employees can play on their computers. These games are competitions that teammates must complete within sixty seconds. For example, teammates may need to type an error-free paragraph in under a minute.
This activity creates a fun and friendly environment for remote teams and breaks the ice for online meetings. These games are short and will not interrupt the time arranged for the online meeting.
These games are a fun way to ease teammates into the formality of an online meeting and set a friendly environment for remote teammates to get to know each other.
10. Online Social Time
Online Social Time is just a simple way for teammates to relax and engage with each other at the beginning or end of an online meeting. This event does not have to be a grand affair. For instance, teammates can talk about the week’s events, catch up on work discussions, and share opinions about their favorite TV shows or movies.
This activity promotes communication between teammates and encourages camaraderie between coworkers. It is best if you hold the online social time before the meeting so that every member in attendance can participate.
Online Social Times create a sense of community among teammates. The teammates can even share struggles and lend each other support. Online Social Times are one of the best ways to make online meetings fun because they are simple and do not require anything special to organize.
11. Online Lunches
Online Lunches are one of the best ways to make meetings fun. Most folks love free food, and sharing a meal can make meetings less formal and more communal. For best results, offer attendees a stipend or reimbursement to cover meal costs.
The teammates can chit-chat while they eat. This activity creates an air of friendliness and ensures that teammates are comfortable and satisfied during long online meetings. You can even encourage teammates to tell their coworkers what they eat and hold a virtual toast during celebratory online meetings. For example, you can encourage teammates to bring along any beverage they prefer for the online meeting and propose a toast to celebrate a successful work week or a completed project.
12. Live Polls
Live polls make online meetings interactive and fun by seeking teammates’ opinions on various topics. Online video conferencing apps like Zoom or Google Meet allow you to create polls and get real-life feedback from meeting attendees.
You can center the polls around the meeting topic by seeking teammates’ opinions on important matters. For example, if you need to choose between two marketing strategies, you can have teammates vote using the polls and select the option with the highest vote. The polls also help you make a unanimous decision that all teammates will agree with.
The live polls also help teammates engage and stay active during online meetings and shows teammates that their opinions matter. Teammates can also use the live polls to get to know each other better by asking about preferences on personal matters such as best football team, best movie, or favorite meal.
Conclusion
Making online meetings fun is important because it ensures that teammates stay active and enjoy virtual meetings. Examples of activities that you can use to make your online meetings fun include Live Polls, Online Social Time, and Online Contests.
These activities aim to encourage teammates to participate in online meetings, share opinions, play games and have fun with each other.
Now, read about why team building is important.