In the last few years, the world witnessed a lockdown, something no one imagined could be possible. The pandemic forced people to become unemployed, while others were lucky to continue their jobs. Several MNCs adopted this flexible policy to allow employees to continue working from the comfort of their homes.
This policy gave rise to virtual meetings that continue to become a norm today. Since more and more companies are switching to virtual meetings from physical ones, it has become a task for team leaders to make them more meaningful and fun.
Organizing engaging team meetings eradicate boredom, enhances productivity, and allows the team leaders to make the most of the time. When the company meetings are interesting, everyone looks forward to getting together to communicate ideas and knowledge and become innovative. It also positively affects their opinions and perspectives.
Since organizing fun team gatherings pays off in the long run, here’s how to make the most of them:
Practice Icebreakers
Icebreakers are a wonderful way to open a virtual discussion. A leader may ask the employees some icebreaker questions about their favorite snacks, hometown, hobbies, movies, food, and the part of their job they find the most boring and the one they find the best. Doing this will introduce the company members to one another and make them comfortable.
Show-and-tell
It is an excellent way to develop powerful interpersonal relations among employees beyond the office. Since the pandemic has made it difficult for individuals to socialize, show-and-tell can considerably push people to find like-minded ones.
The employees may tell about themselves, their job, or anything important. It will help foster stronger workplace connections and is an innovative approach for the people to work on their presentation crafts.
Take Team Trivia Challenge
Playing trivia games with a personal twist may spice up the workweek as the individuals will understand each other better, have enjoyment, and create a somewhat competing atmosphere. Here the team answers a few questions about themselves which allows everyone to learn more about their team members to engage on a deeper level.
The team leader may even ask the employees to take turns choosing a game weekly. Such engaging sessions may also include the ones that enhance imagination, critical reasoning, concentration, and strategizing power.
Motivate Shout-outs
Introducing shout-outs in a discussion is a fabulous way to raise the team’s morale and promote cooperation. In a virtual setting, some employees may feel unheard or unnoticed. That’s why giving them a virtual shout-out for their assistance will help them realize the weight of their efforts in the results.
Giving shout-outs to the employees, no matter how trivial their service is, will inspire them to go overboard for their teammates and even the company, enhancing contact and enabling better relationships. Hosting engaging team meetings and giving shout-outs will promote collaboration among different teams within the company.
Take Everyone Outside
Although remote meetings have become the new norm, sometimes it is refreshing to move the meeting to a new place, whether a cafe or a park. Team leaders should make the most of the fine weather by inviting their team members to go on a walk around the neighborhood or try out a new dining place.
Doing this helps enhance the engagement level among the members since everyone will have a few questions about each other’s setting.
Parting Thoughts
A leader can make team gatherings fun by using the abovementioned tricks. But they must also concentrate on striking a balance between talking and listening to make the sessions more engaging. Playing virtual games and performing virtual team-building activities is a terrific way to eradicate boredom.
Paul is an content marketing strategist and serial entrepreneur.