From the very first days of the COVID-19 lockdown, we immediately set about creating new virtual team building concepts for our clients. These were to maintain connections between colleagues all working from home or remotely.
How did we build on our 20 years of experience with team building and event organisation to create exciting and unique online virtual team events? Read on, and then visit our new Virtual Team Activities page to find out even more. We would love to hear from you, so please contact us.
Inspiring virtual team building activities
After years of inspiring thousands of conference participants or bringing hands-on team challenges in smaller meetings, we used our experience to develop specific activities to be delivered online, through platforms such as Zoom, Teams and Skype.
Even in ‘normal’ times, organisations often struggle to build bridges between departments or to inspire individuals with company values. So, in these new times of global uncertainty and constant change, the need to keep employees engaged and working as a team is even more critical.
It is remarkable just how quickly people, who are used to working shoulder-to-shoulder with each other, chatting over lunch, or simply passing the time of day, have started to miss the human connections that we all take for granted. We are social animals and the lack of human interaction, even on superficial levels, can have a direct impact on our happiness and general mental health.
Just two weeks into lockdown, we started receiving enquiries from existing clients, asking if we could bring our energy and creativity back to their now-separated workforces.
Online team building through Zoom, Microsoft Teams. Skype and Webex
In lockdown, one of the first hurdles that most homebound employees faced was video interfaces. Many people, unfamiliar with video conferencing, were having to get to grips with new (to them) technology, and having to learn to communicate effectively via camera, rather than face-to-face. Our online team events make this process as accessible and comfortable as possible.
The presentation skills of our own Lisa Hayes are being used to great effect in coaching clients who want to develop their on-camera techniques. A helping hand like this allows directors and team leaders to feel more comfortable on screen and make their delivery look more professional.
We have built our reputation on the style and energy of our events. The many artists and facilitators we have onboard know exactly how to inspire any room and conjure instant excitement. We know that the success of these virtual events relies on still recreating our trademark laughter and surprises.
Having carefully studied the effects and outcomes of our team events over the years, we have found that the most successful team activities are the ones that generate non-stop positivity and fun.
We offer a great range of virtual team building activities
We can now deliver drumming, Junk Funk, Boomwhackers, Haka and singing events via our virtual studio.
For the ultimate involvement, we can even have an actual drum or boomwhackers sent to every employee at home to use during our virtual session and as a gift to keep.
We have created an event called ‘Company Music Video’ based on our One Voice singing team activity. In it, we compile and create a hilarious music video, put together from the individual recordings your team sends back to us, all recorded at home using smartphones or tablets.
The footage we receive back is all edited together into a complete performance from your colleagues, all displaying different levels of pop superstardom. We are constantly amazed at how individuals bring their own personality (and costume!) to the table.
Seeing the commitment and joy of people being artistic together in our Big Picture events led us to create a new online activity. Being mindful of the material constraints that home-working participants might have, we have designed ‘Company Masterpiece’ as the virtual equivalent.
In this art-based, virtual team activity, each participant recreates a small section of a larger piece of art we send to them, using any items they might have around them. With paint probably not being available or practical, they need to think fast about what tools and materials they can find to recreate their part of the image. They send a photo of their creation back to us and as you’ll see in the video, we piece it all together digitally and the final whole artwork is ‘unveiled’ back to everyone.
All together on screen
On our virtual team-build activities page, we have these and a growing list of other experiential activities designed for different formats. These include a TikTok-style dance workshop, virtual tasting experiences and an amazing mind reading show to name just a few.
Our stress busting sessions have proved to be very popular with several departments from the NHS over this trying time. In all these formats, individuals simply dial in at the scheduled time, and our presenter hands them over to the instructor leading the event.
These virtual events open up incredible networking opportunities. With the click of the microphone button to speak, or typing on the on-screen chat, participants can communicate together in ways that would prove impractical (and definitely expensive) if individuals were travelling to a conference or meeting venue. During and after virtual events, we often see colleagues continuing to share their thoughts with each other, across regions or even continents, in ways never thought of before.
As ever, we are here to turn the event ideas of our clients into reality. With access to our instructors, artists, musicians, dancers and facilitators, creating bespoke virtual events for a specific event or group is no problem at all.
Just as an example, we recently delivered a vibrant female DJ and live drumming set, while our Street Moves team taught a dance routine for our watching clients to join in with.
Embracing the future of online team building
As and when we are able to safely move back to delivering team events in person, the fact remains that a lot more people will continue to work from home more than they ever did before. There will be an even greater need to keep everyone feeling inspired and connected to their teams and departments.
Virtual and hybrid events will join face-to-face team building activities in allowing businesses to become more connected while allowing their teams to let off a little stress in their isolation. This can all be done affordably, and with minimal impact to schedules.
Let Creative Team Events help you bring back a new normal to help secure your company’s success. Please contact us now!