3 Tips for Remote Team Building

Like most of you, I’ve been working remotely for close to the past year. It hadn’t hit me as to how long I’d been away from my colleagues until I recently saw one of them over coffee. We both realized it was the first time we’d seen each other in person for nine months.

We had kept in touch and our team was pretty close before the lockdown, but it was our connection prior to Covid which kept us together. This got me thinking about teams who might be drifting apart or maybe have never even met in person before? 

I put together a short list of 3 team building activities we’ve used over the pandemic to stay connected.

One - Show and Tell

Remember when you in grade school and the teacher had a show and tell day? Remember how excited you were.

Walt Disney said, “Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.”

That kid is still inside each and every once of us. Bringing that child out can feel awesome. Hosting a remote show and tell session before deep diving into work can let the air out of the room. Be sure to let employees know ahead of time so they aren’t scrambling to find something interesting.

This activity can also be made specific. For instance, everyone can “show and tell” their home office or workspace.

Two - Who are you?

This next activity dives a bit deeper into what makes each team member tick.

We all have secrets. We have little parts of ourselves that define who we are. We don’t always wear these things on our sleeves or talk about them.

Being aware of personal issues of your teammates can go a long way in engaging and bonding with them.

Email your team members the following questions. Let me know each team member will have 5-7 minutes to give the answers in a group setting at the next Zoom meeting.

What is my biggest fear?

What is the most true thing there is about me?

Where do I want to be in ten years?

When I was a kid, what did I want to be when I grew up and why.

Three - Home Tour

HGTV is massively popular for a reason. People love to look at homes.

Before this team building activity is executed, make sure each team member is given notice ahead of time. You want to give them time to tidy up and not be embarrassed by dirty laundry everywhere or piled up dishes.

For this activity, each team member will give a virtual home tour of the current residence. It can be a fun and engaging activity that isn’t work related. It is important to force interaction amongst a team outside of work, even if it is as mundane and simple and showing off their rugs.

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