Virtual Ice-Breaker Ideas

There are many types of virtual ice breakers, with different objectives. Here are four simple ideas to get your meeting off
to a great start:
Take a Picture of Your Shoes
The idea for this ice breaker comes from the online meeting service Lucid Meetings.
Ask team members to take a picture of their shoes and upload it ahead of the meeting. This activity is best for
videoconferences, but it can work on teleconference calls if everyone has access to a screen.
Then, at the start of the meeting, ask each participant to discuss his choice of shoe, and any "story" behind it. For
example, one person might be wearing running shoes – and this might lead to a discussion about his hobbies – or
sandals, flip-flops or sneakers.
Vary the exercise by asking team members to take a picture of an object on their desks, and getting them to talk about
it.
The Social Question
The idea for this ice breaker comes from the online training service Guided Insights.
Ask each participant a "social" question. So, you could find out what someone enjoys doing outside of work, or ask if she
has a funny story she can share about something that happened to her recently, and so on. Ask everyone the same
question, or different ones if you want more variety in the responses.
Here are some more examples of what you might ask:
Give an example of something you've done this week that you feel proud of.
If you weren't on this call, what would you like to be doing?
If you could eat any dish right now, what would it be?
If money and time were no object, where would you most like to go on vacation?
The Time Machine
The idea for this ice breaker comes from the About Continuing Education website, which provides resources for
students, teachers and parents.
Ask the following question, to one participant at a time: "If you were able to travel through time, either forward or
backward... :
Where would you go?
If backward, to which time period? Why?
If there was a person you could go back in time and meet, who would it be, and why?
Would you just want to visit and come back, or would you stay?"
Two Lies and a Truth
The idea for this ice breaker was developed by new media consultant Joitske Hulsebosch.
Ask each team member to prepare a list of three interesting "facts" about themselves, two of which must be made up.
These could comprise anything, from a pet they own or a hobby they love to a famous person they say they've met, and
so on.
Then, get other team members to decide on the facts they think are true. The team member who receives the most
incorrect votes "wins."
Key Points
Virtual ice breakers can help remote team members improve their relationships with one another, and they can
promote creativity and problem solving within the group.
Consider whether a virtual ice breaker is appropriate for your meeting, organization or participants. Think hard about
your goals and objectives before you design or choose it. You'll also need to take into account the functionality of your
participants' technology, as well as any differences in time zones and culture.

5 Fun Icebreakers Perfect for Virtual Teams

65% of virtual teams have never participated in icebreakers or trust building activities during meetings. That’s a lot of
missed opportunities to connect and get to know your colleagues. So next time you’re running a remote meeting or
training, why not try an icebreaker activity as a warmup exercise.
Whether your team has just met or have known each other for a long period of time, using these short ice breakers
before the start of each virtual meeting is a useful way to keep the team spirit up and build bonds with one another.
Simply click on any of the images for the below games and it’ll open up a board you can easily edit and share with your
team in one click!

1. Two Truths and a Lie How does it work?

Ask each participant to write down three statements about themselves. Use one sticky note per statement. Make sure
one of them is a lie and the other two are true.

Each member can vote for which statement they think is the lie by placing their coloured dots next to the lie.

Once everyone has voted, reveal the correct answer and give team members the option to ask follow-up questions
about any crazy statements!

2. Quick Questions How does it work?

We’ve prepared some questions within the template such as “Fill in the blank, When I dance I look like……” or “What
would you do with a million dollars?” Feel free to choose some of our suggestions, or create your own questions.

Display the questions on the board in the style you prefer.

Ask each each member to write down their answer by placing their colored sticky note next to the questions.

Go through the answers and get to know each other

3. Take a picture of…. How does it work?

Choose one of the listed categories on the board: Your room/workplace; something on your desk; your socks or shoes;
or a view outside your window; and then delete the others.

Ask participants to snap a photo and add it to the board to share.

Make sure to give everyone enough time to take a picture before they have to share it with the group.

Either play by asking others to guess where you are, or simply discuss why you chose that picture.

You can make this a regular icebreaker before your weekly meetings by picking a new topic each week.

4. Choose your favorite

Another great icebreaker that can be used at the start of your meeting is to have your team members answer a couple
of personal questions. Keep in mind that these questions should be fun and light, think about your company culture to
determine the best questions that can be asked.

You can either create your own questions, or use the questions and answers we’ve already included:

1. Who is your favourite villain? 2. What is the best way to eat pizza?

3. What sound or noise do you love? 4. Which skill or talent would you love to have?

Ask participants to put their colored dot next to the answer they choose, or let them come up with their own answers.

By sharing common interests and ideas, team members will feel closer together.

5. Trivia Game

Everyone loves trivia! Test the general knowledge or company knowledge of your team members by asking multiple
choice or True/False questions at the start of the meeting. You can start with a question regarding the company, for
example who has worked within the company the shortest period of time? Or some current affairs questions, to see
who’s been paying attention to the news.

How does it work?

Create a new blank board and write the 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. For True/False questions, just add True or False as text boxes to the board.

If you’re leaving it open, ask participants to write their answers in a text box around the board.

Or, if you want to create trivia teams, you can separate your team in smaller color coded groups and create a point
system. You can create individual boards for each group so they can communicate via the chat or video conference to
come up with the best answers. All groups can then meet back together in one board to share their answers. Having a
point system will create a friendly competition to keep everyone engaged and continue the flow of conversation!

When I dance I look like_________

What would you do with a million dollars

Take a picture of: your room, the outside and describe it

Which talent would you like to have: swimming, cooking, scuba

diving etc

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