Working remotely with a team can sometimes be difficult, but it can also be fun! Check out some creative experiential activities that engage your group or team in virtual spaces during meetings and programs. We have icebreakers, teambuilders, and activities that can get your group energized and keep members motivated during meetings.

Our Favorites:

Critical Thinking Virtual Icebreaker

  • Start your online meeting by posing this lateral thinking question from Udemy to the group: “If you were alone in a dark cabin, with only one match and a lamp, a fireplace, and a candle to choose from, which would you light first?”. Give everyone 30 seconds to choose. Have everyone share their answer. Spend about one minute discussing the differences in your answers and what you each learned from one another.

Exciting Sponge

  • Exciting sponge is a quick and easy storytelling game. To play on virtual team calls, each team member grabs a random object in arm’s length and creates a story about it, or can default to describing a generic sponge. The goal is to exaggerate the truth about what makes that object amazing. For example, if someone picked up an alarm clock, they could say “this is a relic from the past and someday Indian Jones 2.0, AI edition, will travel back in time and snatch it up for a museum collection.”

“At Home” Scavenger Hunt

  • Each team member is given a list of tasks to complete. Give everyone a certain amount of time to find the items in their home, then return to the meeting. The person who can find the most items before time is up will be the winner!

Elon Themed Virtual Zoom Backgrounds

Miss campus? We do, too! CFL created a series of background images for you to download and show off your Phoenix Pride. Check out some campus-inspired backgrounds created to help your team feel united while working remotely. The virtual background feature in Zoom allows users to display an image as the background during Zoom meetings.

How to Download:

  • Right-click on the image of your choice from this shared Folder: Zoom Backgrounds
    Click “Download Linked File As” and save it to your desired location (desktop, downloads, a folder, etc.)

How to Set Downloaded Image as Backdrop in Zoom:

  • Launch Zoom meeting
  • Click on ^ next to “Stop Video” on the bottom left of your Zoom window and select “Choose Virtual Background”
  • Click on the + on the right-hand side below the current image in your settings
  • Click “Add Image”
  • Find your saved image and select it

Additional Resources

Virtual Team Building Games: 30 Experiential Activities for a Virtual Audience 

By Michelle Cummings