9 virtual icebreaker games for remote teams & meetings

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How does it work?

• Ask each participant to write down three statements about themselves on three sticky notes. Two should be true, and one of them is a lie.
• Ask everyone to add a dot vote next to which statement they think is the lie.
• Once everyone has voted, reveal the correct answer and give team members the chance to ask any follow-up questions!

When to use it? 

This is a fun icebreaker for people who don’t know each other and have just been introduced. It’s a great way for individuals to showcase their fun, non-work related side!

How long does it take?

Allow five minutes for one round, with a bit of time for story telling!

2. Quick questions

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How does it work?

• Open the template with the pre-prepared questions and ask everyone to add their answers on sticky notes. Eg: What would you do with a million dollars?
• Compare answers and find common themes.
• Feel free to change the questions for each meeting.

When to use it?

This game is great for warming up a team before a weekly virtual standup meeting. It presents an opportunity for colleagues to interact in a casual way by asking fun, ice breaker questions. 

How long does it take?

Keep the momentum going by setting just one or two minutes per question. 

3. Take a picture of….

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How does it work?

• Choose one of the categories on the board: Your room, your pet; Something on your desk; your socks or shoes; or the view outside your window.
• Ask everyone to snap a photo, or upload one from their computer and add it to the board and then let everyone share a story.

When to use it?

Use this game to prime your team for creativity before an online brainstorming session. Or make this a regular virtual icebreaker before your weekly meetings by picking a new topic each week.

How long does it take?

Give everyone five minutes to take a photo, send it through and upload it, and then another five minutes to share stories.

4. Choose your favorite

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How does it work?

• Pose questions to your team about their favorites such as:
  -Which skill or talent would you love to have?
  -What is the best way to eat pizza?
  -What sound or noise do you love?
• Ask participants to put their colored dot next to the answer they choose, or add their own answers.

When to use it?

This is also a fun game for teams that have recently started working together online. It’s a great way to get team members (especially the introverts) to open up by asking them fun questions that break the ice. 

How long does it take?

You should allow 5-10 minutes to get through six questions.

5. Trivia icebreaker game

Use template

A bit of friendly rivalry is always fun! 

How does it work?

• Create a new blank board and write the trivia question in a text box.
• If you’re using multiple choice questions, provide four possible answers and ask participants to place their colored dot next to the correct answer. Or just add True or False as text boxes to the board.
• For extra difficulty, leave it open to and ask everyone to come up with the answers in a text box on the board.

Or, take it up a notch and create small teams to battle against each other. They can chat on your team channel, then submit answers on the board. Keep a weekly tally and award prizes at the end of the month or year.

When to use it?

This game is perfect for a friday afternoon lunch trivia session! Divide the team into sub-teams for some fun, laughter and friendly competition!

How long does it take?

We recommend 10 trivia questions, which should take around 10-15 minutes.

6. Virtual scavenger hunt

How does it work?

• The first person chooses their favorite icon from the icon cloud and copies it into the pink square. 
• Everyone else has to race to be first to find the icon and circle it. Repeat until everyone has had a turn.  

When to use it?

Take a synchronized virtual coffee break with your colleague and try the virtual scavenger hunt. Two or three individuals can also play against each other simultaneously.  

How long does it take?

It should be super quick, so allow about 30 seconds per person.

7. What, where, when?

How does it work?

• Pop culture is always a good conversation starter. Simply ask everyone to share their answers to questions such as “What was the last TV show you binge watched?” or “Where is your dream holiday destination?
• You’ll quickly find teammates with similar guilty pleasures to debrief with.

When to use it?

This is an extension of the trivia game only shorter. This can be used when sitting around a virtual water cooler!

How long does it take?

This one should only take five minutes for three questions.

8. Virtual water cooler 

How does it work?

• Mingle around the virtual water cooler to discuss the latest news. 
• Simply choose your favorite beverage, add your name to it to identify yourself, and let the conversation flow.

When to use it?

Some of the best ideas at work are generated when casually chatting with colleagues in the break-room. The virtual water cooler is a great substitute for the physical version. 

How long does it take?

Give around five minutes for pre-meeting conversation, or set up a separate weekly virtual watercooler meeting.

9. Scribble corner

 

How does it work?

• Simply encourage everyone to scribble anything that’s on their mind. 
• You can set a topic, or let the creativity flow.

When to use it?

A quick sketching session is a great way to relax and channel one’s creativity. Try this after a work sprint to de-stress.

How long does it take?

Make it a race to see who can complete the best drawing in two minutes, or simply allow five minutes of free scribble time while everyone gets settled.

Ready to get started?

All nine of our fun virtual meeting icebreakers are ready to use immediately. Simply click on the links and they’ll open in a Conceptboard whiteboard so everyone can collaborate together in real-time. No lame trust exercises here!

When it comes to virtual meetings, discover how an online whiteboard like Conceptboard can give you collaboration superpowers. Explore our blog for more resources on how to stay productive when working in virtual teams, tips on online brainstorming and remote meetings and workshops. 

Pro tips:

• To get started, invite all team members to join the Conceptboard icebreaker board by sending them a link to the board. You can use the people icons at the top of the board to assign colors to each member.
•  You can simultaneously run a phone call to talk or run the meeting as a video call using Conceptboard’s built-in Conferencing tool (the phone icon in the top right) or on another similar video conferencing tool such as Zoom, and ask everyone to open the Conceptboard page at the start of the meeting to play the virtual icebreakers.
• Write participants names on the colored icons, so they know which color they are. Whenever a participant wants to answer an icebreaker activity, they should use online sticky-notes or place dots according to their color.
• You can also duplicate the icons and allocate more colors if you have more than seven participants.
• We suggest that you pick one or two ice breakers per meeting, and put a time limit on each activity so as not to take up too much of the meeting time!

We’d love to hear which one is your favorite, let us know in the comments below. Or if you’ve got any more great icebreakers you use with your virtual team, we’d love to hear them too!

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