8 Games to Make Your Virtual Meetings More Interactive
The world of virtual meetings is here to stay, where the screen becomes our shared space and the challenge lies in keeping everyone engaged and connected. In today's digital landscape, where remote collaboration is the norm, the need for innovative ways to infuse energy and interaction into our virtual gatherings has never been more pressing. Thankfully, the solution might be as simple as a well-curated list of games tailored to elevate your next online meeting from mundane to memorable. After leading thousands of Drunk Yoga® (now The Uplift Experience) events, both in-person and virtually, I have become a bit of an expert (hashtag humble brag hashtag hair toss) in curating lighthearted games and icebreakers to create a sense of belonging and engagement, even when participants are Zoom-ing in from far away.
Because belonging is better when it’s shared, I’ve lovingly compiled a list of my 8 favorite, easy-to-facilitate remote games, designed to inject fun, foster camaraderie, and spark creativity in your virtual meetings, transforming them into engaging and dynamic experiences everyone will look forward to.
Word-Counter: Count how many times the host says the word “budget” (<—or any word you’d like) in their presentation, and the winner gets a free coffee.
Playful Intro: At the top of the meeting, ask everyone to put their names, LinkedIn profile URLs and the name of their favorite childhood game to play on the playground as a kid in the chat(<—or another more “on theme” question that elicits a sense of nostalgia).
Pen Challenge: The last person to balance their pen on their nose must give someone a compliment.
[Un]serious Debate: Assign two meeting participants to conduct a live, 5-minute debate about a silly topic. Ex: “What’s the better side dish at a BBQ: coleslaw or potato salad?”
Cup-On-The-Head: The last person to put their beverage cup/bottle on their head (<—as soon as they see the meeting host do so) must make up a dance move for the group. *A Drunk Yoga®/Uplift Experience favorite!
Sales Pitch: Ask participants to grab on object within arm’s reach and “pitch” it to the group as if they are pitching their brand new million-dollar invention to a group of investors. Each “pitch” lasts 60 seconds, and participants can vote on the winner in the chat.
Weird Icebreakers: Ask a series of non-traditional icebreaker questions that follow a theme throughout the meeting. Ex: “Recreational Activities”--What was your favorite childhood toy? What was your least favorite show you watched in the last year? What was the weirdest/most unnecessary thing you did as a ‘house project’ during quarantine?
Song Trivia: Start the meeting playing a series of 5 songs in a row for 30 seconds each and ask participants to guess the band or the name of the song. The person who guesses the most correctly wins a prize.
Have a favorite virtual meeting game you don’t see listed? Let me know and I’ll add it to my list! After all, belonging is better when it’s shared.
Cheers,
-Eli
