| Zoom or Teams fatigue. Are you feeling it? Despair no more, as this month I’ve pulled together my top 5 “meetings check-ins” for you. Over the last year I’ve been collecting check-in or icebreaker games and meeting energizers. These games not only help energize or quieten our brains, but also help us connect with each other, awaken our courage, help us relax or simply bring laughter into our workday. Here we go: 1. A round of applause The Chair to call out each person in turn. Each team member to say something simple like their name and where they’re calling from. Everyone else to give them a stupidly massive cheer and a clap. Ridiculously simple and fun. 2. YES, LET’S! Someone suggests an action (e.g. let’s brush our teeth). Everyone responds with “Yes, let’s” and pretends to brush their teeth for a while, until someone else shouts out a new action. This game gets people to lead, follow, commit and experience collective ownership, all whilst being silly and not thinking too much. 3. Tweet check-in Everyone to take it in turns to check-in as if it were a tweet or even just a twitter hashtag, describing their day so far. E.g. No time to stop #surviving 4. Silly sound check-in How are you right now? Respond with a sound and an action in a way that’s truthful for you in the present moment (e.g. “BLUUUUGH!” Everyone then repeats it immediately after to show support!. The message it gives is “we support you, every response is allowed”. 5. Wrong-un’s! I picked this up on BBC Radio 1. The Chair asks each person a load of questions in a row. They have to respond with wrong answers only. This can even be done with everyone at the same time, with mics on or off. Guaranteed silliness and laughter (even with mics off!). E.g. What year is it? What does the U.N. stand for? What’s your name? Name an Olympic sport. What’s the capital of Spain? Go on, bring a little silly joy and human connection to your zooms, the people will thank you!! Elena X PS. JUST IN!: Here’s one more bonus idea which is MY NEW FAVOURITE. Use the Chihuahua scale! (Credit to Caroline Webb for sharing this one!) PPS: And credit to these two brilliant improv schools where I picked up most of the other ideas: The Maydays and Hoopla Impro. PPPS: Oh by the way, are your team drowning in a sea of messy comms? Ask us about our new Supercharge Your Team Comms workshop. I promise it will solve all of your problems. |
This blog was first seen on the Inside Track.
*The Inside Track is our MD Elena Kerrigan’s monthly newsletter where she shares some behind-the-scenes thoughts and questions exclusively with our wonderfully discerning Clients. This month we’re giving our lovely blog readers a peek too!*