Say goodbye to Zoom gloom
Zoom is here to stay. Many disability advocates point to the ways in which online meeting platforms have increased workplace accessibility. Reduced commuting has not only improved emissions but helped some achieve a better work-life balance.
If, like us, you find yourself working online, here are 3 simple games you can use to keep the fun going (plus instructions to easily adapt them in person):
1. Telepathic Counting
We love this game for onboarding and new hires as it primes the brain for play. The rules are as follows:
The facilitator prompts everyone to come “off-mute.”
The group attempts to count from 1 - 20, or a higher number designated by the facilitator, one at a time, in sequential order.
If two or more people say the same number or speak at the same time, the whole group starts back at 1.
That’s it! It sounds simple and ridiculous and… well, it is! But it also unites people towards a common goal incredibly quickly and lays the groundwork for deeper camaraderie.
In-person variation: In an open space, have the group stand in a circle formation and follow the directions above. Voilà, you’ve just taken your team to Recess!
2. Gibberish Translator
This game works particularly well to get teams in sync. It builds trust and requires participants to rely on a partner to have their back.
Choose two people, or even better, take two volunteers!
One person will deliver an inspirational message or speech to the rest of the team in gibberish. (Gibberish is just a nonsense language made of random sounds that should feel fun to make.)
Their partner will then translate their message, sentence by sentence, into whatever language is primary for the group. (Pro tip: you can spotlight or pin these two volunteers on Zoom!)
In-person variation: This one is pretty much exactly the same as above, but in a room full of real, live people! Easy peasy.
3. Zoom Portrait
This is one of those games that’s pretty close to perfect. Yes, the name implies that this is an online-only game, but it can be easily adapted for in-person play.
The facilitator starts by asking each person to “pin” a video of a colleague or themselves. (If you’re using Zoom, move your cursor over someone’s Zoom square, click the 3 dots that appear at the upper right hand corner, and select “pin video.”)
Once pinned, participants have 60 seconds to draw the portrait of the person on their screen… without ever looking down at their papers.
After 60 seconds is up, we get a chance to see everyone’s “Zortrait.”
In-person variation: The facilitator asks participants to pair up. For 60 seconds, partners will draw each other’s portraits and proceed as directed above! This exercise is inherently more intimate in person (cut to people staring fixedly at one another in order to draw said portrait), making the impact of this game different and worth exploring IRL.
