Liven up your next video call with these fifteen 5 minute team building ideas!
If you’re looking for a quick way to build feelings of connection and teamwork during a video call, look no further! These virtual team building ideas will make a big impact while taking up a small portion of your meeting. Boost team connection, trust, and morale by taking the time to bond together. Read on to learn how!
A few of our favorite 5-minute conference call team building activities:
Read on for more information on these virtual team retreat ideas, and more ideas!
- Do a quick show & tell
- Start meetings with a dance party!
- Try a guided breathing exercise or quick yoga session
- Flex your creative muscles together
- Get to know each other with icebreaker questions
In this guide, you’ll find:
- Fun and engaging team building ideas
- Quick icebreaker games and activities
- Activities to build connection and trust with your virtual team
- Team building ideas for onboarding new team members
- Ways to make your video conferencing meetings more exciting
- Inexpensive team building ideas for companies on a budget
- Ideas to build team morale
1. Set a Timer & Ask Icebreaker Questions
Come ready to your meeting with a list of icebreaker questions. Then, ask a question and have each person in the meeting answer!
Remember, the goal for this activity is for everyone to answer quickly (30 seconds or less!) with the first thing that comes to mind. That way, everyone is more likely to get a turn!
2. Take Turns Doing a 5-Minute Show & Tell – One of Our Favorite 5 Minute Team Building Ideas!
A brief “show and tell” is one of our favorite quick team building activities! This idea works especially well for weekly or recurring team meetings. Each week, take turns doing a 5-minute “show and tell.” You could encourage employees to present on a work project they’re particularly proud of.
Or, encourage more personal connections by making it a “no work allowed” show and tell! Instead, encourage team members to show off a hobby item, like a musical instrument they play, or a collection of figurines. Set a time limit to ensure your meeting stays on track. After all, many of us could talk for hours about our passions or projects we’re proud of!
3. Share Highs & Lows
This idea is a classic team building activity for a reason! Sharing “highs and lows” can help team members feel connected in both their successes and their challenges. The idea is that at the start of each meeting, your employees can share a recent “high” – an accomplishment, or some type of “win.” Additionally, everyone shares a “low” – a challenging moment, or something they wish they handled differently.
During this session, colleagues are likely to empathize with and encourage each other, as well as brainstorm solutions together. As a result, this activity builds trust and feelings of connection among team members.
4. Connect with Yourself & Others During a 5-Minute Yoga Session
Team building exercises can also be an opportunity to connect with yourself! A quick yoga session is a great way to feel grounded and calm before a meeting. Try 5 minutes of yoga with your team and see how you feel afterward.
We love the free yoga videos on YouTube from Yoga by Adriene – and we’re not the only ones! Adriene’s channel has more than 11 million subscribers who appreciate her calm demeanor, beginner-friendly yoga moves, and sweet dog Benji, who often appears on-camera. Her 5-minute morning yoga video is a great place to start with your team.
But, encourage those who feel comfortable keeping their cameras on to do so! You might be surprised how much more relaxed you feel after shaking off any pent-up worries.
5. Challenge Your Team to a Virtual Scavenger Hunt – One of Our Favorite 5 Minute Team Building Ideas!
Make a list of scavenger hunt items and challenge your team to a friendly competition! During this activity, each person has to go off-camera and find the requested item. Then, show it on the screen for everyone to see!
For instance, you could challenge everyone to find work items like a stapler, a calculator, or a Post-It pad. Or, branch out and think of seasonal items, depending on the time of year. You can also assign random items related to personal interests or hobbies. For example, ask everyone to find a pet toy, or a favorite game they enjoy playing.
In the process, everyone will learn something new about each other!
6. Play “Two Truths and a Lie”
This activity is great for onboarding new team members or interns. It’s also one of our favorite team building retreat ideas. “Two truths and a lie” is just what it sounds like: encourage team members to share two truths about themselves and one lie. Then, everyone has to guess which statement is the lie.
Many people use this game as a way to share lesser-known or unexpected facts about themselves! Even teams that have worked together for years might be surprised by what they learn during this session.
7. Practice Creative Time Together
5 minutes may not sound like a long time. But, over the course of a year, spending 5 minutes a day on an activity adds up to more than 30 hours! That’s nearly 4 full workdays devoted to your craft.
If your team has a daily or weekly check-in session, consider devoting the first few minutes to “creative time” together. Encourage team members to show up ready to begin promptly. Then, set a timer and allow employees to free-write, draw, knit, or even listen to a song that inspires them.
Of course, this idea works best for crafts that are easy to set up and put down quickly. Every so often, take turns sharing what you’re working on!
8. Begin Brainstorming Sessions with Breathing Exercises – One of Our Favorite 5 Minute Team Building Ideas!
This is one of our favorite quick team building ideas, because it helps everyone start the meeting grounded and focused. Before tackling challenges and brainstorming solutions together, encourage everyone to clear their minds. A guided breathing exercise can help everyone let go of the worries of the day and focus on the task ahead.
Unless you’re experienced at leading guided mediation or breathing exercises, you may want to utilize a YouTube video for this activity. Just search “5 minute breathing exercises” to see a variety of options. Not convinced? Watch this 10-minute Ted Talk: Breath – 5 minutes can change your life.
9. Play A Quick Round of Team Building Bingo
Playing Bingo is a fun and quick way to get to know your team! Check out our guide, Virtual Team Building Bingo, for instructions and free downloadable cards!
Alternatively, use a service like Canva to create your own digital Bingo cards. You can add your company’s logo and colors and customize your cards however you like. Make it more fun by offering a small prize to the winner, like a $5 Starbucks e-gift card!
10. Boost Morale with an Anonymous Compliment Session
Maybe you’ve heard of a 360 review process. That’s when peers, subordinates, and managers share anonymous feedback about an employee. The goal is to understand how others perceive you in the workplace. For instance – where do you shine? Where might you want to improve?
For this version of the activity, try a 5-minute session focused on pointing out coworkers’ positive attributes. First, choose the anonymous feedback tool that’s best for your team. Then, encourage everyone to share at least one kind piece of feedback with each member of their team.
11. Take Turns Presenting on a Topic You’re Passionate About – One of Our Favorite 5 Minute Team Building Ideas!
To kick off your conference call or video chat, ask team members to take turns preparing a mini-presentation about something they’re passionate about. This might be a slide deck, a short video, a show-and-tell, or some combination of the above.
When it comes to topics, the sky is the limit and any safe-for-work interest can be welcome! Your team members might teach you about rock climbing, beer brewing, gardening, running, their favorite authors, a historical event or figure, or anything in between! You’re sure to learn something new about the world we live in as well as your employees.
12. Start Meetings with a Dance Party
If the idea of having a brief virtual dance party with your team sends anxious shivers down your spine…it might be a sign you should try it! After all, getting out of your comfort zone and being vulnerable are key components of growth. Moreover, there’s a lot to be said for teams that can practice being vulnerable and goofy around each other while still maintaining professionalism.
To spark your team’s creative juices, try something out of the box. Take turns picking a “safe-for-work” pump-up song, and start meetings with a dance party! Allow employees to keep their cameras off if they wish (after all, privacy and comfort are paramount).
13. Sample Your Products Together – One of Our Favorite 5 Minute Team Building Ideas!
This idea works especially well if your company offers consumer products or consumables. Send virtual employees a sample kit that includes your company’s latest offerings. Then, hop on a video call to briefly try them out together!
You can share notes on flavors, textures, packaging, and more. Be sure to capture your team’s feedback for internal review and consideration. While this activity is fun for employees, it’s also a valuable source of feedback for your company!
14. Play a Game of “Would You Rather”
This activity is a fun way to make team lunches engaging and exciting! “Would you rather…?” is a classic icebreaker activity. To play, someone poses a simple question – “Would you rather [do / see / eat visit X or Y?” Then, each person answers with which option they’d prefer.
Sometimes, the options presented are fun. For instance – would you rather visit Italy or Japan? Other times, the choices can be gruesome or funny – i.e. would you rather have to field a call from an angry customer, or hand-address 200 envelopes? This game is sure to spark some friendly debate and conversation among team members!
15. Recognize Employees for their Hard Work
While gratitude doesn’t pay your employees’ bills, most of us love to hear when we’ve excelled at something. As a result, starting one-on-one virtual meetings by recognizing employees for their hard work can be a powerful way to boost morale and retention. The key? One Harvard Business Review article notes:
“The secret to success is making [star employees] feel like valued individuals—not like members of a group, no matter how elite.”
– Harvard Business Review
Think about each of your employees as unique individuals with their own mix of strengths, knowledge, and value. Where do they shine? What would you miss about them if they were to leave? What knowledge do they have that no one else does?
While some managers worry that praising employees can lead to oversized egos or even encourage them to bring their talents elsewhere, the reality is that many employees leave because they don’t feel appreciated – not the other way around!
Book a Turnkey Virtual Team Building Session
Unexpected Virtual Tours offers live, interactive virtual team building sessions with expert guides who will engage and entertain your group!
We’ve worked with small teams and Fortune 100 companies alike. Additionally, we offer custom team building sessions built around your unique goals and ethos. Leave the details to us, and consider it done! Learn more and book your session.
For more easy team building ideas, browse our post: 40+ Free Virtual Team Building Activities. Additionally, check out our Virtual Tours page to see live, interactive corporate virtual team building experiences from Unexpected Virtual Tours!
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