5 Fast-Paced Icebreakers for Virtual Meetings in 2022

Icebreakers for virtual meetings are becoming more popular. Icebreakers generally are fun and essentially effective for team building. While video conferencing isn’t entirely new, today's technology is much more innovative than in the past. Having no face-to-face meetings during the lockdown or quarantine was a new experience for most of us. We would always grumble about the number of meetings we had in the past. But now they are all done online. I have to say that the number of meetings I was attending decreased dramatically as people began to question whether a meeting was appropriate. Icebreakers are unique ways for students, coworkers, families, and friends to bond. Before we get into the icebreaker ideas, let us first understand the concept of virtual icebreakers and why remote teams need them.

What is the concept of a virtual icebreaker?

If you haven't done so before, a virtual icebreaker session is a team-building activity held at the start of a conference among participants who are not physically present. They can also be a task for which you set aside time to boost your simulated staff's morale. Virtual icebreakers are designed to bring a personal touch to distant interactions, and they’re accommodating at the start of meetings where the participants haven't previously worked together. Virtual icebreakers help to relax conference participants, resulting in more relaxed and fruitful remote sessions.

Why do remote teams need icebreakers?

It’s good to start remote meetings with virtual icebreakers. It helps keep the friendliness among remote team members strong and seamlessly introduce new remote coworkers to one another. Your remote teams can never feel entirely at ease with one another if you don't use simulated icebreakers. So, to better acquaint your remote workers with one another, use simulated icebreakers and team bonding exercises to help keep the business culture alive or create a new company culture from the ground up. Here are 5 amazing icebreakers for virtual meetings:

Share Three Feelings

‘Share Three Feelings’ necessarily requires a psychologically secure setting. This is a good icebreaker for team sessions where everyone knows each other. It's not a good idea to use this icebreaker in a meeting of several strangers. The practice is self-explanatory, each participant expresses how they are feeling at the time - "Are you..."

• Exhausted?
• Feeling tense?
• Content?
• Inspired?

It's a great way to crack the ice in a virtual meeting where body language isn't always prominent. Managers should listen and pay attention to what people say: if everyone is positive and upbeat, that may indicate that the staff lacks radical sincerity and people don't feel safe being honest. Similarly, if someone is exhausted and depressed, it's time for bosses to step in and determine what's going on in the office and how they can either raise productivity or provide assistance.

Two Truths and One Lie

‘Two Truths and One Lie’ is a common icebreaker that allows people to share topics they wouldn’t otherwise share with coworkers. You might learn that a coworker speaks another language, has lived in a different nation, is a certified football coach, or is just a great cook! To make it more social, use a screen sharing feature and allow the staff to post photographs as they announce their truths.

Six-word Memoirs

Sophia Bernazzani of Owl Labs, an organization devoted to making immersive meetings smooth, once talked about Six-Word Memoirs. This icebreaker requires participants to describe themselves in just six sentences. You'll discover what's most important to your teammates. For example, "Friendship gives you courage and hope," according to Harry Potter's Six-Word Memoir. Lisa Edwards of HubSpot recommends making the Six-Word Memoir engaging by letting each team member send their memoir anonymously and then helping the party guess who wrote each summary. You should give the meeting guests warning, much as in ‘Two Truths and One Lie’, so they can prepare their Six-word Memoirs.

Show Us your "X"

‘Show Us your X’ is a virtual way to start a conversation that encourages people to share their remote setup, which fits well with meetings where everyone is on camera. You might invite people to show you their tables, current views, or even photos of their dogs, families, or most recent holiday. This is particularly helpful in more significant gatherings where there isn't enough time for in-depth discussion.

Spin the Wheel

Often, as the facilitator of a virtual conference, you only want a simple ice breaker that relieves you of the burden of guiding. ‘Spin the Wheel’, with a bit of planning may be the ideal solution. Make a spinning wheel with various tasks or questions for your team. Simply turn the wheel and have each team member complete the activity or answer the wheel hand’s query. If you're sure in your knowledge of your teammates, you should try any reasonable hardcore dares. We suggest that you share those chill facts about your personal life and job with your whole group. When done correctly, it builds suspense and an enjoyable experience by the things you make. Given the theme of this list of simulated meeting ice breakers, you may have guessed that there is a technology for this, it's called ‘Wheel Decide’. While it's easy, it's free and powerful for what it sets out to do. Consider the massive wheel from ‘Wheel of Fortune’, but one that doesn't take a decade to spin. Start by writing your tasks or questions in the segments of the wheel. When it's time for the briefing, share your screen on Remo, request one of your teammates, and have them turn the virtual wheel for you.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when you begin a new job in a conventional office environment, there’s usually some onboarding process. So why should remote workers be different? It is essential to get to know and communicate with your teammates to work together effectively. The idea that remote workers don’t interact physically strengthens the case for virtual icebreakers. Icebreakers are also ideal for phone meetings. These communications assist divided teams in becoming more familiar with one another and bridging the geographical divide. As you plan your virtual icebreakers, take some time out to think about where you fit in as the leader. Within a short period of time, you'll begin to build trust and see bonds forming. Now, which one is your favorite? Please drop a comment. Alternatively, if you have any other interesting icebreakers that you use for your interactive team, feel free to share them!