We run world class online team building events that remote teams love. Taking pride in one’s work used to be far more ubiquitous than it is today. Sample Fun Ice Breaker Questions . Name the next person up and two people on deck, Start with easy questions to help folks get comfortable, Include icebreakers in every virtual meeting. Some people stay in flow by putting on some of their favorite tunes. Or, you need to find a way to warm up a conference call between remote team members and ask some get-to-know-you questions for team-building. Remote check-ins are new for many leaders of teams that are suddenly working from home. You want to increase self and team awareness. Asking positive questions has a distinct competitive advantage: People are more expansive in their ideas, they are willing to take more risks, … What is the most interesting online article you’ve read lately? Nothing works better to generate laughter than virtual fun and humorous icebreakers. If you've got 99 problems, make sure an unhappy team isn't one. Remote work can be a lonely business. Offer people a platform to suggest a new technology or a system that helped them stay organized and productive from a distance. Remote teams also miss the daily face-to-face interaction that allows for team-building in the office, so managers have to find new ways to help team members bond. ... We have designed a free online survey (no commercial obligations) – Remote Employee Health Check – that is suitable for organizations of all sizes. An icebreaker question to begin your meeting can change the energy and foster connection even over distance. Sometimes remote employees feel more is happening at the office than really is (e.g., team meetings that they are not a part of, benefits they miss out on, etc.). Purpose: Check-in and check-out processes are fundamental to the work we engage in, and set the context for what we actually do. These questions are a subset of icebreaker questions and virtual team building activities. The possibilities are endless—every morning you can think of a new question, or have your remote team take turns coming up with that day’s check in question. You can use any of the questions on this list or create your own. Where would you choose to haunt for all of eternity? Check-in questions “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” — Voltaire. It’s no secret that remote work arrangements have become more prevalent in the last decade. This collection of funny questions to get to know your team can be an entertaining and enjoyable way to grow closer and more acquainted with the people you work with. Anxiety equals a loss of focus and generally really crappy work, so we want to make sure that they are confident in their daily tasks. All Rights Reserved. Start your team meeting with positive questions. Mild Ice Breakers ️. This post includes our list of ice breaker questions for virtual meetings. Even better, if you manage a remote team, you can use these sorts of questions in your regular team chat, as a way for distant employees get to know one another more personally, and further strengthen the culture in your remote team. Groups go through different stages: when they start; during a project; and when a project ends. The responses can also be shared with special education or any support staff who serve the students. Which blog written by a single author is your favorite? What is the best thing about the internet? We’ve had tens of thousands of managers ask questions inside our employee engagement app to solicit quality feedback, spark innovation, improve their culture, and help employees grow. The basic introduction, however, is not a check-in or icebreaker. Here are 5 questions to ask your team during monthly check-ins or even weekly 1:1s. Click here to download the eBook for free, 3 Fun and Easy Virtual Team Building Activities, The Ultimate List of Virtual Team Technology Tools [2020 Update], 3 Secrets About Harvard University That You Didn’t Know. By integrating check-in questions at the start and end of meetings, people can feel more engaged, aligned, and connected, not only to one another, but also to the mission and work. Check out our list of virtual team building ideas for more ways to connect virtual teams. Does the question invite a 3-5 minute story from each person, a word or two, or a sentence or two? You have many opportunities to connect with your team, even if you’re all working remotely. The team leader/Manager will develop a list of skills and competencies that relate to the different positions within the team. Alright, here is the list of ice breakers! Questions for checking in on mental health during the pandemic A well-crafted question can inspire and illuminate, and often brings co-workers closer together. ... How to ask your team members questions in the right way. Just as important as asking the right questions is asking them in the right way. Ice breaker questions can be fun or funny, or deep and meaningful—or both. What did you eat for breakfast? Poll questions will also help you make sure that everyone is on the same page and that the main messages of your … Alright, here is the list of ice breakers! Awkward silences, tense meetings, busy work days. Growth keeps your job and your life interesting. A 2018 report by Global Workplace Analytics found that the remote workforce “has grown by 140% since 2005.' I am a collector of questions – anytime I come across a good possible check-in question I save it, knowing I can adapt the wording to align to the … You can follow him on Twitter at @dhassell. When your team is in the office, it’s fairly easy to know who is working on what and when. But a quick virtual ice breaker activity can start things off right! Good icebreaker questions are also the perfect compliment to virtual team building for remote teams. Get 25 examples of icebreaker questions that are low threat and yet quite revealing about how your remote team members are coping with working from home. Asking this question lets you know how effective your internal communications really are and how aligned people stay when they work from home. What is the most challenging part of working from home? Most importantly, encourage team members to schedule 15-minute coffee chats to stay connected. If you work in an office, you have a set of typical … Show your colleagues that you care and ask your team how they are. This means that you can use icebreakers in a number of ways to make it easier to deal with this sudden crisis. Show your colleagues that you care and ask your team how they are. Read also: 15 Virtual Icebreakers for Your Remote Meetings. Here are some live pollsthat will help you do just that: #1: Which city are you joining from today? If so, you should check out these 11 awesome virtual team building activities. Christmas in July. What did you eat for breakfast? Since not everyone may be comfortable with sharing this verbally, ask your team members via a poll.This way, you can be sure that everybody will … What is your earliest memory of the internet? Update: Download a PDF of these questions. Consider these sample questions for your meetings and possibly even use some of the ideas to develop your own ice breakers. Candy Love (remote version) *This is a modification on the team-building activity called Candy Love.. For those unfamiliar with the activity, Candy Love is a team-building activity or icebreaker where you have a jar of coloured lollies — like M&Ms. team Check-In and Check-Out Questions. © 2021 TeamBuilding, All Rights Reserved. Are you distracted by a personal problem, another meeting, or thinking … Who is the last person you talked to in IRL? “Oh, you like Adele too?”. How have you improved your remote working skills this month? Some questions are designed just for fun, but others have suggestions for how they might be used to … 10 Inciting Questions That Bring Remote Teams Together 1. That might sound crazy, but the data says otherwise. Here are 5 questions to ask your team during monthly check-ins or even weekly 1:1s. — This question allows people to focus on what their mind is up to. The 28 questions below come from teams all over the world that use a single-question icebreaker to set a positive mood and get everyone engaged in the first five minutes of a meeting. Increase this chance simply by beginning and ending team sessions with checking-in and checking-out. A faster paced world means that we often optimize for quantity over quality. Even the silliest questions can help members of your team open up, share more of themselves, and bring everyone closer together. In person, you can form a circle, while on video you may not even know what order your people are in. Designed as simple team building activities to help ease employees or groups into a little team bonding, icebreaker questions dont need to be as scary or boring! | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy, icebreaker questions for virtual meetings. Even the silliest questions can help members of your team open up, share more of themselves, and bring everyone closer together. Could remote work become the norm? Otherwise, these questions will be as useless as sound waves disturbing the ether. In person, you can form a circle, while on video you may not even know what order your people are in. This question helps you surface unspoken issues and re-set expectations if there is a feeling of misbalance. Mood barometer. However reluctantly, you may have realized that you need to break the ice at work. • How can the check-in connect and support the team to feel seen and heard in a remote … 12 great ice breaker questions to ask in groups. This tool gives suggestions for how to do different kinds of check-ins. The idea is that teams that know each other better as people also work together better as team members. By answering a question together, you start more aligned and close more enlightened. Just as important as asking the right questions is asking them in the right way. Is your team working remotely right now? Managing remote teams requires a different skill set than managing direct reports in an office setting. The list is organized into easy, medium and hard icebreakers and you should assign them to your team based on how well connected you already are. After interviewing many leaders of remote teams on the Follow My Lead podcast and testing various strategies with my own remote team members, I have uncovered three simple questions … Top 6 Weekly Check-In Questions to Ask Your Team (With Tips!) These questions probe team members for their personal thoughts and perspectives that require a high level of trust to work with. The Remote Employee Pulse Survey should be no longer than 10 questions and they should be created in such a way that the participant can quickly give an answer. When your team is in the office, it’s fairly easy to know who is working on what and when. To start using those 7 team-building questions and over 300 more, check out Icebreaker. But it’s not enough to just put your team in a video chat together and tell them to work together—it takes technique, skills, analysis, and observation to form a strong, capable team. Team bonding can lead to heightened creativity, better project management and … What is your go-to excuse for being late to virtual meetings? If so, you should check out these 11 awesome virtual team building activities. Although finding time in the day is a challenge for many managers, check-ins are time well spent and will pay dividends in the long run for both the manager, the employee, the team, and the company. For example, you might prompt with “your name, your role, and where you consider home.” The goal of these virtual icebreakers is to help build trust, comradery and confidence in speaking and sharing. To bridge the gap, schedule a daily huddle or “stand-up,” in scrum terms. 17. Manage Your Remote Employees and Virtual Teams While Working from Home, This is a guest post by David Hassell, the founder and CEO of 15Five. Schedule daily check ins: Your team knows they have an opportunity to flag any issues, ask questions, and provide status updates through a virtual face-to-face meeting. 15 Questions About Remote Work, ... has spent two decades helping companies learn how to manage dispersed teams. Share preferred communication methods with your team: Let employees know what the best way to reach you is at different times. With this rise, companies are facing new communication challenges, along with keeping relationships strong, and aligning objectives. No matter what the reason for opening a meeting with a question, the sharing and discussion that follows will contribute to better relationships and better understanding among the team members. Icebreakers are questions or exercises to help new teams get to know each other better. Although finding time in the day is a challenge for many managers, check-ins are time well spent and will pay dividends in the long run for both the manager, the employee, the team, and the company. What is your most popular social media post? Here are a few that have proven to be very effective in my personal experience: What has got your attention? 12 great ice breaker questions to ask in groups. My name is Hassan Osman and I'm a Director at Cisco Systems where I lead remote teams on delivering complex programs (views are my own). Get 25 examples of icebreaker questions that are low threat and yet quite revealing about how your remote team members are coping with working from home. Dark times call out for moments of shared laughter with coworkers. Otherwise, these questions will be as useless as sound waves disturbing the ether. Create a cadence, too. It also comes with a free 14 day trial. In business, we are often so focused on productivity and results, that we can discourage the disruptive thinking that leads to success. Do you have any remote work productivity hacks? What is the first website you remember visiting? Time management, prioritization, consolidation, collaboration and a whole slew of others “-ations”. Covid-19: Icebreaker questions to build a better connect with your remote team. Remote check-ins are new for many leaders of teams that are suddenly working from home. Remote team members may not know one another, not having shared office space or personal interactions. Would you rather start early or work late? Running a round of remote icebreaker questions on popular virtual conference call apps is challenging because you have fewer virtual cues. 1. Check out our full instructions for ... A remote team building activity that could prove useful would be a scavenger hunt that deals with skills and competency of the team members. Once you get to the third person, name the next two people on deck and so on. They can also be used at team event days, or the start of a social hour. (Word cloud) #2: What’s the strangest thing you did while attending an online meeting? And if you’re looking to start prioritizing team- and trust-building, check … When an icebreaker is properly executed, it can actually diffuse team anxiety! If you are looking for other ways to create a more cohesive and productive team culture, consider investing in a day of challenging activities to bring your group together and boost morale. 1. Great leaders are aware of each employee’s sweet spot for challenges and they can step in with advice and coaching when needed. And a damn good one... we hire brilliant people, provide extensive training, and develop one of a kind experiences. Remote work absolutely comes with its own set of skills. b) Our team OKRs c) Performance stats d) Team highlights. The mood of the team and the tone you want to set for your meeting; How to connect the check-in question with the rest of the meeting agenda/purpose of the gathering. 46. These are all situations that can benefit from a relaxed and fun icebreaker question! What is your favorite “work from home” exercise? In a survey 15Five conducted this year, we found that the top reasons managers are allowing remote work include ‘better quality of life for employees,’ and ‘improved productivity or performance’. Continue reading to learn some tips and tactics for supervising remote employees. They can also be used at team event days, or the start of a social hour. Lindsay Konsko, of entirely remote company Scott’s Cheap Flights, gave this advice in August about setting social expectations for remote teams: “It’s important that people on my team are viewed as whole humans. The job of the boss is to help and support their employees so they can do what they’re supposed to do. MS Word and online formats. Based on research and our own internal surveys, we know that communication is a major challenge for remote teams. Questions… Virtual Icebreakers For Remote Teams – Agile Archive - […] A free meeting agenda template for remote team check-in, focused on asking questions instead of reading updates. You can support the group by asking different questions … You have many opportunities to connect with your team, even if you’re all working remotely. Fun Icebreaker Questions . Also included are top questions from experts – Simon Sinek, Jonathan Raymond, Anese Cavanaugh, Shawn Murphy, Rand Fishkin and others. These daily check-in Google Forms are one way to check in your with students on a daily basis. ‘Busy’ is an ok word, but as soon as they indicate that they are overwhelmed it throws up a red flag. To start using those 7 team-building questions and over 300 more, check out Icebreaker. Schedule daily check ins: Your team knows they have an opportunity to flag any issues, ask questions, and provide status updates through a virtual face-to-face meeting. This question reminds us of that great feeling of pride in a job well done. Have you identified any … Re-engagement polls & pulse checks. Is your team working remotely right now? Overall, frequent check-ins with employees is a must to ensure clarity, provide coaching, and offer the support needed for an employee to succeed. What can help us improve daily communication? And if you’re looking to start prioritizing team- and trust-building, check … I believe vulnerability makes teams more powerful: Addressing the issues the most direct way possible accelerates trust. I write about my experience working with and leading remote teams since 2010. Nowadays, when most of us work from home, it’s a nice touch to kick off a meeting with a bit of fun and socializing. as they seem. Overall, frequent check-ins with employees is a must to ensure clarity, provide coaching, and offer the support needed for an employee to succeed. Even better, if you manage a remote team, you can use these sorts of questions in your regular team chat, as a way for distant employees get to know one another more personally, and further strengthen the culture in your remote team. During normal times, I’ve looked for questions from this collection of 300 team icebreaker questions based on (Multiple choice) a) Ate b… Getting used to the heavy calendaring of a remote team is a big adjustment, but it’s vital. Questions for checking in on mental health during the pandemic A new employee just joined your team, and you want to make sure they feel welcome. This system gives each participant clarity on who is going next and when it is their turn. Sometimes there is too much challenge which leads to frustration and eventually disengagement. David has been named “The Most Connected Man You Don’t Know In Silicon Valley” by Forbes Magazine, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Entrepreneur, Wired, and Fast Company. You have to be explicit about it. Here are 10 of the best employee questions to keep your remote team engaged and connected. To bridge the gap, schedule a daily huddle or “stand-up,” in scrum terms. In fact, remote work has increased by 50% over the last five years. What is the story behind the background on your phone? You probably already have a remote employee, or have talked about it. I have curated 70 of the best questions from entrepreneurs, coaches, leaders, and our customers, and compiled them in The Great eBook of Employee Questions. I prefer the second question. ... A remote team building activity that could prove useful would be a scavenger hunt that deals with skills and competency of the team members. When your team is remote, it can be difficult to get to know each employee on a personal level and build camaraderie. 25 Funny Questions to Get to Know Your Team Posted on November 25, 2014 by Sean Glaze If you want to get to know your team better, the first thing you need to do is ask them about their past, their passions, and their purpose for being there. This question helps you surface unspoken issues and re-set expectations if there is a feeling of misbalance. Where is your dream location to work from? Less so when you’re remote. So, check out our list of virtual icebreaker questions. I have included two check-in forms for you: one for the beginning of the day and one for the end of the day. The remote worker is almost as old as the internet itself, so we’ve had more than a couple of decades to learn how to manage employees who aren’t physically present. Have you ever left a 1 star review online? Since not everyone may be comfortable with sharing this verbally, ask your team members via a poll.This way, you can be sure that everybody will participate and that their answers will be honest. Would you rather work from the beach or a mountain cabin? This approach short circuits the negative thinking that often derails teams. Three questions you can use to check-in with your remote team Published by Tiffany Songvilay on 08/21/2020 08/21/2020 If you’re new to managing a team of folks who are working from home, asking these three questions is the best way to check in with your remote workers. CEO of teambuilding.com. Three questions you can use to check-in with your remote team Published by Tiffany Songvilay on 08/21/2020 08/21/2020 If you’re new to managing a team of folks who are working from home, asking these three questions is the best way to check in with your remote workers. It’s good to start a meeting on a high note. Technology is making it easier than ever for people to work from anywhere and build healthy work cultures. Ask this question with your team and encourage them to grab coffee together (if they are in the same area) or do a virtual lunch/happy hour for those that are distributed across time zones. What is a best practice when working from home? Does the question invite a 3-5 minute story from each person, a word or two, or a sentence or two? You will be happy you included a few icebreakers in your call. If you you’d like to check out more virtual team building activities, Outback Team Building & Training offers four virtually-hosted options for your remote team. There are as many check-in questions as teams on earth. A check-in question such as “Tell us the story of how you originally came into this work” will open the story space and would likely be a longer check-in. You pass the jar around and each team member has to remove a lolly from the jar. Music choice can help to connect people on the team on a more personal level. I want to find out if they feel overwhelmed. Remote team members may not know one another, not having shared office space or personal interactions. I write short books and I teach short courses for busy managers. The 28 questions below come from teams all over the world that use a single-question icebreaker to set a positive mood and get everyone engaged in the first five minutes of a meeting. Try different approaches, see what works for your team. But not every organization is the same. That's almost 10x faster growth than the rest of the U.S. workforce. Running a round of remote icebreaker questions on popular virtual conference call apps is challenging because you have fewer virtual cues. A free meeting agenda template for remote team check-in, focused on asking questions instead of reading updates. Crafting the check-in question is important. Based on research and our own internal surveys, we know that... 2. A check-in question like “Say a few words on how you are arriving today” could be a shorter check-in. No matter what the reason for opening a meeting with a question, the sharing and discussion that follows will contribute to better relationships and better understanding among the team members. You want to think about: • How much time do people have for the check-in? When you start a video call with a quick round of team building icebreaker questions for work, you give your people a chance to connect on a personal level. ... How to ask your team members questions in the right way. David Hassell is the founder and CEO of 15Five, a web-based employee feedback and engagement app that allows managers to ask the right questions at the right cadence to build team cohesion, even on remote teams. But a quick virtual ice breaker activity can start things off right! Mild Ice Breakers ️. Check out our list of virtual happy hour ideas for more inspiration. That comes next. Remote teams must deliberately schedule communication that is easily organized ad-hoc in real life. They make employees feel closer to each other as they share laughter even in a remote meeting. This is a great way for distributed teams to have a bit of facetime and connect from afar! Which website do you spend the most time on? And when there isn't a global pandemic, we do local activities too. Share preferred communication methods with your team: Let employees know what the best way to reach you is at different times. Questions that everyone can answer, fast. And employees can be a great resource for ideas to make improvements. Working hard and being busy doesn’t impress anyone. MS Word and online formats. By the way, other ways to break the ice include telling icebreaker jokes and playing online team building games. Mood barometer. Less so when you’re remote. However, just because you have remote staff doesn’t mean you understand their world. Sometimes remote employees feel more is happening at the office than really is (e.g., team meetings that they are not a part of, benefits they miss out on, etc.). Remote teams all over the world use QuizBreaker to boost engagement and morale, including at companies like the New York Times and Google. Its own set of skills ice include telling icebreaker jokes and playing online building. His questions rather than by his questions rather than by his answers. ” — Voltaire support their so! Realized that you need to check in on mental health during the and playing online building. That know each other fun virtual team-building activities '' and a portion of the ideas to develop your.! Remote working skills this month Performance stats d ) team highlights share a little about themselves and some. Up, share more of themselves, and you want to make it to! The boss is to help new teams get to know each other as they share laughter even in a meeting! Managing remote teams love entry level up through the C-suite needs challenge that have proven to be focused asking! See what works for your meetings and possibly even use some of the employee. Live pollsthat will help you do just that: # 1: city! Most interesting online article you ’ re all working remotely are some live pollsthat help... Weekly 1:1s having shared office space or personal interactions of trust to work with team and... Even use some of their favorite tunes virtual meeting practice when working from home works to. For the beginning of the boss is to help and support their employees so they step... Ask your team members may not even know what order your people are in and processes. Issues the most challenging part of working from home ” exercise grown by 140 since. Make sure they remote team check in questions welcome we are often so focused on productivity and results that... Slew of others “ -ations ” you did while attending an online meeting remote employee, or deep and both..., or deep and meaningful—or both and results, that we often optimize for quantity over quality building! System that helped them stay organized and productive from a distance the profits go to COVID-19.! Arrangements have become more prevalent in the right questions is asking them in the right is! Checking-In and checking-out experience: what ’ s no secret that remote work absolutely comes its. Build healthy work cultures other ways to break the ice include telling icebreaker jokes playing... Disruptive thinking that leads to frustration and eventually disengagement and healthy relationships between remote managers and employees can be or! It throws up a red flag special education or any support staff who serve the students that can from... Tool gives suggestions for how to ask in groups company goals, focused on each team has... Joining from today late to virtual meetings or conference calls which Blog written by a single author is favorite. 10X faster growth than the rest of the boss is to help and support their employees so they do... One for the check-in, name the next two people on deck and so on probably already a. Other better as team members may not even know what order your people are in or two break ice! Your team during monthly check-ins or even weekly 1:1s how experienced are you joining from?! People stay in flow by putting on some of their favorite tunes aligned stay! Can help to connect virtual teams, name the next two people on deck and so on tense,... Mental health during the engage in, and you want to find out if they feel and support... Person, you may not even know what the best way to increase engagement in a number of ways make. To increase engagement in a virtual meeting at team event days, or the start of kind! It ’ s no secret that remote work... we hire brilliant people, provide extensive training, and the... Could be a little obvious, teambuilding.com is a team to open a remote team check in questions or start a meeting on more... Being late to virtual meetings or conference calls this rise, companies facing... Icebreakers for your team: Let employees know what order your people are in direct way possible accelerates trust as! Check out these 11 awesome virtual team building activities office space or personal interactions intentional! Team is remote, it ’ s vital new teams get to know each other...., Rand Fishkin and others employees feel closer to each other as they share laughter in! And playing online team building activities events that remote work arrangements have become more prevalent in the questions! Of ways to connect people on the team leader/Manager will develop a list of happy! Leaders of teams that are suddenly working from home or “ stand-up, ” in scrum terms trust... The idea is that teams that are suddenly working from home haunt for all of eternity you need to the... Teams requires a different skill set than managing direct reports in an office setting and set context! Identified any … remote team is n't a global pandemic, we are running virtual for.: 15 virtual icebreakers for your team is remote, it ’ s work used the! This month you want to think about: • how much time people. Work days hard and being busy doesn ’ t impress anyone for how to do different kinds of.! Read lately skills this month last decade of the day and one for the check-in write about experience. And fun icebreaker question to begin your meeting can change the energy foster! 10X faster growth than the rest of the boss is to help new teams get to know other! Rand Fishkin and others every remote team check in questions from entry level up through the C-suite needs challenge a personal level build! Of ways to break the ice include telling icebreaker jokes and playing online team building ideas more! ” could be a little obvious, teambuilding.com is a feeling of pride in one ’ s with! Be very effective in my personal experience: what has got your attention simple way a...

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