Connect and Collaborate with Virtual Holiday Games on Zoom


Hello Reader,

In all my years of working with virtual and distributed teams, the common confusion is: what is ‘real’ work?

Some people think that taking the time to let team members connect and deepen their relationships is a distraction from ‘getting things done.’

But the relationships forged in play are precisely what give us the resilience needed to solve hard problems.

When I led the opening session of the Australasia Change Days Conference recently, I asked the attendees, “What is the hardest thing about keeping people's attention during virtual meetings?”

Here are some of their answers:

  • Stopping people from looking at other applications or screens - doing their ‘real’ work!
  • the digital distractions they have (emails / phones)
  • Interactivity
  • It being more interesting than all the other things they can see at the same moment.
  • Competing with all the other distractions around them including email, people chatting with them off screen,
  • The flat screen- not being in the room with them
  • Keeping them engaged enough to ignore any emails etc coming in
  • Continued engagement through activities to make them think/ do
  • Keeping their cameras on, engagement.
  • keeping them engaged in the present moment so they are not easily distracted
  • Keeping them engaged in every moment of the meeting

These are common problems, I hear about them all the time. During my interactive workshop, Gamify Your Work, I provided a variety of tools and techniques that remote and distributed teams could use to get more done in good cheer.

Here's a simple Zoom game: everybody turn into a pirate!

The feedback from this session included:

  • Great tips and tools for improving online facilitation - excellent
  • Will definitely use icebreakers and games in my next workshops
  • Absolutely brilliant session, engaging interactive and educational
  • Engagement is everything
  • Play is the antidote to zoom fatigue
  • This was brilliant
  • Thanks Caelan, I really enjoyed that.
  • Thank you Caelan for an interesting and engaging session!

If you’d like to gamify a holiday party, I’d be happy to lead some fun games for your team on Zoom.

Do you need a fun host for a virtual team gathering?

Reply to this email, and let's talk.

Stellar Platforms Newsletter

For experts and entrepreneurs who want smart marketing systems that increase their influence, income, and impact. Written by an 🇺🇸 American digital nomad living in 🇳🇿 New Zealand, Caelan started his career as an acrobat in the circus. 🎪 He wrote the book on Marketing Yourself 📙 and is on a mission to help one million people develop a playful attitude about life. ✨

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