How to host a team building event for remote teams
How to host a team building event for remote teams
BoomPop Team · 3/7/2022
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Looking for a way to channel your creative side and help your team connect and have fun? Consider self-hosting your next virtual team building event.
Self-hosting is pretty self-explanatory. You, or someone else on your team, virtually guides your participants through an activity (think cocktail-making) or the ground rules for a team game (think trivia). As the host and organizer, you can let your imagination run wild--or at least as far as your time and budget will allow.
Below, we’ve included three ideas for self-hosted activities. Some require advance preparation, such as buying and shipping materials, while others don’t take much more than a little virtual organizing ahead of time to guarantee a great bonding experience for your team.
Not quite sure you’re ready to play master of ceremonies or put an event together? We’ve got you covered with four alternative experiences that come with a host, so that you can delegate details, sit back, and ensure that your team has an excellent time.
A scavenger hunt for all seasons
Scavenger hunts are a fun, tried-and-true way to help teams bond via some friendly competition. They also require few materials and no advance preparation on the part of players. Best of all, scavenger hunts can be done asynchronously, letting your team members play across time zones.
The spin: Give your scavenger hunt a fresh spin by linking it to a season or holiday. A spring hunt for regionally-based teams, for instance, might feature a checklist of native trees or flowers. Looking to include teams across time zones? Have teams enter their location and observation time on Wildflower Search to generate a locally-based list of blooms.
Reward the winning team with a seasonal gift, such as potted plants or herbs for a home garden. And if you’re looking to up the learning factor? Consider bringing in a horticulturalist during the hunt so that your team can ask questions about the beautiful blooms they find. Not sure where to find a plant expert? Call your local nursery--they’re sure to have a lead or two.
The hosted alternative: If you’re short on time to plan and host but still want guaranteed fun for your team, consider Fast Scavenger Hunt from Gr8ter Good Games. Teammates compete in a real-time virtual hunt (that takes thirty minutes or less) to earn the title of “Fastest in the Land.” Hosted by an expert game-show host and designed by an MIT and Stanford Neuroscientist, Fast Scavenger Hunt is a research-based way to help your team bond and connect while they play.
An art competition that brings joy to others
Art contests help your people tap into their creative and competitive sides. Using a kit (or list) of supplies, each team member gets a certain amount of time to create their work, which might need to meet certain guidelines (like using company colors or a certain theme). Once time is up, team members share their work on screen and a designated judge selects the winner.
The spin: Want to channel your teammates’ creativity for a cause? Consider how the final works might benefit a local service organization, such as a senior home or hospice. Instead of themes or color schemes, make the competition about products that bring joy to others, such as greeting cards. No matter who wins, everybody wins when the art goes to a good cause.
The hosted alternative: A surefire way for your team to get creative and do good comes courtesy of the WaterWorks Artwork for Charity activity from Feet First Entertainment. Teams work together in groups of 5 to 10 to personalize a water filtration system and create unique art projects for remote villages and refugee camps in Uganda. At the same time, they’ll learn from a host about the water scarcity these communities face. By problem-solving together, your team will bring clean water and colorful art to communities in need.
A cooking challenge – but with a twist
Nothing bonds teammates quite like food or the chance to showcase their culinary creations. Virtual cooking challenges give teams the chance to prepare their favorite dishes and share recipes and cooking tips with each other – all from the comfort of their own home.
The spin: Spice things up by challenging your teammates to come up with new and original recipes. The twist? They can only use five ingredients. Send your teammates a box with ingredients you’ve selected or let them choose their own for more creative freedom. Host an all-team virtual meeting where members share out their dish or even do a taste test if the cooking happens in real time. The results are sure to be tasty – or memorable, at least!
The hosted alternative(s): If you’d rather get your team on the same (delicious) page, consider a 1 hour virtual pizza-making class via San Francisco’s famed Norcina restaurant. Hosted by Norcina owner and chef Kaitlynn Bauman, who has worked out of several Michelin Starred kitchens, the class gives your team the skills they need to make a delicious pizza dough and a final cheesy masterpiece with the toppings of their choice. Norcina also supplies all basic ingredients to each team member, removing the burden of planning and preparation from their (and your) shoulders.
If your teammates have more of a sweet tooth, consider a virtual class hosted by renowned San Francisco chocolatier Z. Cioccolato. In this one hour chocolate-making course, Z. Cioccolato’s Chef Mike will teach your team how to make crowd-pleasers like jumbo peanut butter cups, pecan turtles, bear paws and dipped Oreos (oh my!). All ingredients are provided, and each member of the team is guaranteed to leave with an appreciation of the art of chocolate-making – and a tasty dessert platter to boot.
Whether you self-host or not, consider these activities to help give your team the ultimate bonding experience. Or use them to come up with your own creative ideas for team building fun! With a little imagination and planning, you can wow your teammates – and help them build connection and community.
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