Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, there have been many uncertainties and upheavals in recent months. For individuals who were new to working from home, however, one of the most concerning aspects was the transition. Remote leaders faced the problem of successfully guiding the increasingly widespread Zoom sessions, in addition to the unexpected loss of traditional routines, workable processes, and team participation. That is why icebreakers for Zoom meetings are so vital. Few things are more terrifying than presiding over a meeting with a group of black squares. As a facilitator, establishing or retaking positive team dynamics can take time and skill. And, just when everyone was getting used to Zoom, a new obstacle arose: Zoom fatigue! Incorporating a range of Zoom meeting icebreakers is a tried and true approach to enhancing engagement, participation, and enjoyment of Zoom meetings.
Below are some examples of imaginative, motivating, and effective Zoom meeting icebreakers used by other executives just like you to help unhappy team leaders. For normal meetings, ice breakers are not always essential. This is because people usually talk among themselves and get to know each other without any external factors. So, what exactly is the purpose of a Zoom icebreaker? Can’t you just say “hello” and move on? It isn’t always that easy, though. What if you don’t know what to say? Seriously! To initiate a conversation and get yourself and everyone else acquainted, it can be helpful to have an equal rubric. Plus, conversing with coworkers from your bedroom or living room can be unpleasant.
This is where icebreakers can help; they can alleviate discomfort and act as a leveler because everyone is talking about the same thing. You’ll also be able to unwind a little while learning more about the folks with whom you’re working. But when it comes to a zoom meeting, participants usually have trouble getting to know each other because of the virtual factor. This is why we have put together the top 10 best zoom meeting icebreakers that you can employ to make your participants engage a lot more.
1. Open-Ended Questions
Asking open-ended questions to your team members is the most typical icebreaker strategy. But how can you know what questions to ask? To assist you, the team at Range, a team success software platform, has compiled a list of 300+ icebreaker questions. The questions supplied by this free tool are based on behavioral research and are divided into three levels of complexity based on how long a team has been working together. This is one of the best ice breaker sessions that you can use to warm up your audience. This will also make sure that the rest of the meeting goes smoothly.
2. Check-in’s
Because everyone is dealing with their own fears and pressures, it’s a good idea to start a digital happy hour with a check-in. Check-in with everyone to see how they’re doing. See how everyone is coping after more than a year of social isolation, and ask for or offer ideas on how to stay active and peaceful while this unfolds. Work from home is stressful, and staying at home not going out much is also extremely stressful. So, check-in will be highly beneficial for your students or employees. A lot of them will even feel a lot better because of interacting with other people. You can even crack a few jokes and all in all, have a wonderful and pleasant few minutes. This is one of the most wholesome ways to ease the air.
3. Would You Rather
If you want to get to the point faster than asking open-ended inquiries, give everyone a choice (Ice Cream or Cake? Which is better: the beach or the mountains? Is it better to watch Netflix or Hulu? Again, the choices are limitless). As a wonderful Zoom icebreaker game, have everyone shout it out, raise their hand to vote, or share round-robin. Make sure that the choices you give them are based on things that they are passionate about. This will make sure that they are excited to pick a choice. You can even give them a few seconds to talk about why they made their choice. This will give them a chance to talk about why they chose that option and will give them a moment of euphoria. This will basically increase the productivity of the participants and will also help you to get an idea of what the participants are like.
4. Pet Peeves You Have Discovered
Working remotely with a partner can be quite difficult. It might even make you realize you have some pet peeves you didn’t become aware you had. Can’t you get enough of folks chewing loudly? To break the ice, talk about it. This will be a fun activity. Everyone had a strange pet peeve that not many would know about. So, it will be fun to talk about your pet peeve and to also learn about the strange pet peeves of the audience. This will also ensure that the students/participants will have an initial bonding between themselves. This will also ensure that the audience will be a lot more comfortable with engaging with each other.
5. 2 Truths and a Lie
The same classic game you enjoyed as a kid is now available on Zoom! Each person reveals three items, and the group must figure out which of the three is a lie. Keep it interactive with small teams and simply shout out predictions; for larger groups, but the solutions on a slide or virtual blackboard and get everyone to mark a dot with their speculations. This is a game that almost everyone will enjoy playing. That is why it will be a great addition to meetings. Just make sure that it does not go on for too long! Because this game can be pretty fun, and you might miss out on the main agenda of the meeting! But if done right, this will be one of the best ice breakers that you can use in your meetings.
6. Share a Photo
This one, too, has a plethora of possibilities. You can have users share the most recent photo on their camera roll and explain what it is, have people share a photo that means anything to them and explain why people have shared a photo of their desk or workspace, take a picture of something they saw outside their house, share an embarrassing photo or their favorite food they cooked. You may also use images to play a variation of the guessing game: guess who’s a newborn picture is whose, or have people take very close-up photos of objects in their home and have people guess what they are.
7. Personality Inventories
If you have more time and money to spend, have your staff take personality assessments and share the results, including what shocked them the most and what they thought was the most and least realistic about their outcomes. This is an excellent method to get to know one another; popular tools include Myers Briggs, StrengthsFinder, and DiSC, and there are numerous free quizzes available. The goal of this game will also be to make the participants be more comfortable with each other.
8. Birthday Lineup
Participants must organize themselves in sequence by their birthday – month and day, not year – without speaking or typing to each other in this task. Each person must write down the amount in the order in which they believe they should appear (for example, if there are ten people and I believe my birthday is the first, I would put down 1). When the timer runs out, everyone exposes their numbers, and the facilitator assesses the team’s performance. This game will obviously help you identify if there are any upcoming birthdays among the participants.
9. Pass The Love
Ask everyone to stand up and switch on the Gallery view in Zoom. Make a list of something great that everyone can share with someone else on the team. When it’s your turn, act as though you’re holding a box or a ball, describe your brilliant idea, then pass the box to the person standing next to you in Zoom’s Gallery view. They accept the package and spread the love to others. This is also an amazing game that you can use to engage the students. A zoom meeting will be pretty much dead if the participants are not interacting with the host and with themselves. That is where this game will help you.
10. Netflix Recommendations
We’re all definitely binge-watching a Netflix show right now, huh? (This is the fifth time I’ve watched The Queen’s Gambit.) Asking everyone in the video call to say which series they’re watching maybe a tremendously engaging yet simple opener. You’ll be able to connect with other people based on your shared interest in television series, and you’ll almost certainly receive some terrific recommendations for your next show to watch. This is another great way to spruce up your zoom meetings.
