Tag Archives: Team Meeting

Sep13

Virtual Icebreakers For Your Next Team Meeting

Posted on by
Virtual Icebreakers For Your Next Team Meeting

Icebreakers don’t have to be confined to just kids on their first day of school. An icebreaker is called that for a reason – it helps break the ice and helps facilitate the smoother flow of a conversation. More importantly, it also helps people connect on a more personal level. This could be a challenge in today’s environment when a lot of our meetings are held online.

Icebreakers are simply social opportunities for people to get to know each other. It gives all meeting participants the opportunity to be heard, especially since it’s so hard to interject during a team meeting. A good icebreaker can help you get over awkward silences and loosen everyone up before you get down to business.

Here are five virtual icebreakers you could use for your next team video huddle:

1. Where are you joining from?

This is especially fun for distributed teams who work in different locations. Have everyone share a visual of “the view from their office” and share a titbit about the place where they work. For example, even if it’s just trees outside, they can explain that beyond that is a beautiful park where they can take their pets for a walk.

2. What song on your playlist is on repeat?

Have people share their music recommendations by sharing which song is on loop. This allows people to talk about common interests because everyone loves music.

3. What is your favorite item on your desk?

Have attendees pick their favorite work item and hold it up for everyone to see. Then they can explain its “superpowers”, why they picked it out and how it helps them with work. For example, my favorite is a portable mini desk vacuum that looks like a computer mouse. It helps pick up crumbs and dust and keeps my desk clean. I use it on my desk before and after I start work to signal that I’m starting work and that I’m done with work.

4. Highs and Lows

This works best for teams that know each other relatively well because it involves some vulnerability. Have each person simply share their wins (high) and their challenges (low). This allows the team to celebrate their small wins and congratulate each other when something good happens in their lives. It also allows them to be there for each other during the low times and be able to give each other encouragement.

5. Virtual water cooler

This is great for break time. Icebreakers don’t have to be done during meetings. They can be done on breaks, too. This could be a chance to catch up with the teams during a coffee break and then have each person share what they’re drinking. Aim to chat about something other than work during virtual water cooler breaks.

How does your team break the ice? We’d love to hear your team’s go-to virtual ice breakers. Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Mar18

Why you should hold company meetings around meals

Posted on by
Why you should hold company meetings around meals

Mandatory work meetings are annoying for everyone involved – the organizer, the presenter, and the attendees. Nobody wants to sit through an hour long meeting that should’ve been just a very well written email. In fact, meetings are the biggest time wasters in an office setting. A few years back, emails were the biggest time wasters at work. Sending and replying to emails takes the top spot of biggest time waster at 57%. But if you factor in the amount of time spent on preparing for, attending, and extending the meetings, that takes up a much larger chunk of time compared to reading, writing, and replying to emails.

Don’t get me wrong, meetings are an important part of work life if done correctly. However, some meetings are unnecessary, too long, or too inclusive. Seeing that the average employee attends 62 meetings in a month, with half of those being considered as time wasted by surveyed employees – that would translate to a lot of wasted time…and apparently, money. Unproductive meetings cost US big businesses $37 Billion.

So how do you get your employees interested in attending meetings without having them feel that it is just a whole lot of wasted time? You introduce food! This is a great way to turn boring meetings into an activity that employees actually look forward to, again.

Healthy food for a huge productivity boost
It is a know fact that eating healthy foods boost productivity. Scheduling your meetings around a nutritious and well balanced meal would boost overall productivity around the office. It doesn’t have to be around lunch. A quick snack with a healthy salad or sandwiches, or even an excellent cup of coffee, instead of doughnuts or cake, would be ideal.

The team that eats together, works well together
Think of all the dinners spent around the family table, or the meals spent with friends, or the dinner spent connecting with a date – whatever the circumstance is – one thing holds true. Food connects people. Enjoying a meal with teammates and coworkers offers the opportunity to get to know each other better. I fosters a great atmosphere and encourages food feelings. Meetings with food helps foster a more positive workplace.

Food shows appreciation
Food is a great motivator. If meeting attendance is low, the promise of GOOD food will always drive attendance up. Not only does food serve to entice attendance, it also serves as a token of appreciation for a job well done. People want to know that they are valued for what they bring to the company They will appreciate the idea that their employer is willing to invest in them, too.

As mentioned earlier, team meetings don’t have to be centered around a full on buffet lunch. It could be small coffee breaks with artisanal bread and spreads. It could be sales reports with a healthy salad bar. It could be a daily huddle with berry smoothies. If it could boost productivity and camaraderie, isn’t it worth a try? Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help