Virtual Teams benefit from time spent in getting to know each other – who is who, who does what, and what priorities they are working on. Virtual team building activities don’t need to take a lot of time.
Something most teams will want to build in across time are quick warm-up exercises to create connection.
The first exercise I wanted to share (which will be followed next week by 2 more), is by creating connection through Icons.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, creating trust and connection across a group is critical. If it’s a virtual and remote team you are working with, you might be working across geographic locations. You may have a team member calling in from Asia, one from Australia, one from Africa, one from New York, one from Europe.
Part of creating connection and team success is ensuring that people get comfortable and feel confident on the call, especially if they might be using a working language that is not their first language.
In my work over the last several decades I’ve liked to incorporate photos and icons as “door openers” and metaphors for conversation.
Before I started Potentials Realized, one of my last roles was as a sub- regional manager. I had staff in 10 countries and out of our team of about 30 at one point there were 20+ different nationalities.
In creating connection across a virtual team, we want to give the team an opportunity to:
- Get to know each other
- Understand who we are as a team
- Explore what's important to us
- and understand how we are similar and how we are different.
Back to the icon exercise, using your access to stock photography find a photo that offers a selection of icons. Have each person select an icon that they connect with, which represents what they bring to the team.
As you go around the table, this is a fun way to share a little bit about yourself in a way that hopefully is not too threatening. Select a graphic that has enough icons which provide enough variety to invite people into the conversation.
Best wishes,
Jennifer
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
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