Get ready to level up your conference calls and create lasting memories with our ultimate list of team building activities for conference calls!
In today’s fast-paced and remote work environment, building strong connections and fostering teamwork is more important than ever. But who said team building had to be boring? Inject some fun and energy into your virtual meetings with our 25 exciting and engaging games. From interactive challenges to hilarious icebreakers, these activities are designed to bring your team closer together, all from the comfort of your own screens.
Free team building activities for conference calls
1. Last Thing You Ate
Get ready to tantalize taste buds and explore the culinary adventures of your virtual team because ‘Last thing you ate’ is the game! Instead of simply asking about their weekend, or everyone’s favorite food, why not spark some excitement by discussing the last thing everyone ate? This activity becomes even more enjoyable when the meeting takes place around mealtime. By sharing their recent goodies, colleagues can not only discover interesting food choices but also uncover cultural specialties from different regions. It’s a delightful way to foster a sense of connection and learn something new about each other’s tastes and experiences.
- Skills: Communication, team bonding, listening skills
- Players: 3-20
- Duration: 5-10 minutes
- Requirements: –
2. Icebreaker Questions For Conference Calls
Icebreakers have saved us so many times! Whether we were new to a job or we happened to be stuck in an awkward situation, fun icebreaker questions are the perfect getaway, meant to relax the atmosphere. They’re a simple and cost-free way to bring the team closer together.
In each meeting, choose a silly or thought-provoking question and let every team member have a chance to share their answers either out loud or through the chat feature. While icebreakers are typically done at the beginning of meetings, you can also sprinkle them at the end of the call or during a well-deserved break. Here are some examples:
- What would be your catchy advertising slogan if you were a product?
- Is there someone in the office who makes your heart skip a beat?
- Which tech company rubs you the wrong way and why?
- Which three emojis do you use the most?
- What’s your go-to team building activity that you absolutely love?
- Skills: Team bonding, communication, listening skills
- Players: 3-20
- Duration: 5-10 minutes
- Requirements: A pre-made list of the best icebreaker questions for virtual meetings
3. Window Wanderings
This is one of the conference team building activities that tackles team bonding in remote collaboration. The players get a chance to share their surroundings with everyone else. To be more specific, they are asked to show or describe what they see outside their nearest window, reminding them that it’s important to take a break from their screens and appreciate the outside world. You might notice or hear about really fun and enticing stuff happening out there!
- Skills: Public speaking skills, communication, team bonding, listening skills
- Players: 5-15
- Duration: 2 minutes/player
- Requirements: Access to a window (hopefully, you’ve nailed that)
4. Childhood Flashback
Managing a remote team in 2023 can be quite challenging if you don’t focus enough on creating a strong connection among you. Productive cross-team collaboration = engaged employees, and that’s why conference team bonding is a must. That’s when conference team building activities come into play!
Before the conference call, ask everyone to share a childhood photo of themselves. During the meeting, these photos are displayed one by one, and the participants try to guess who is who! This activity is especially enjoyable and humorous for teams who are familiar with one another and have a good understanding of everyone’s appearance! Yet, this game might not be a good idea for introducing new groups who are not yet familiar with each other.
- Skills: Observation skills, communication, team bonding
- Players: 5-15
- Duration: 10-20 minutes
- Requirements: Asking in advance for childhood photos of the players
5. Pop Culture Buzz
This is a free team building activity for conference calls in which participants get to indulge in the latest gossip from the world of celebrities. Whether it’s a juicy tidbit you stumbled upon online or an interesting conversation you had with a friend, everyone takes a moment to share the latest pop culture news that piqued their curiosity. This activity is meant to be light-hearted and enjoyable, so it works best in meetings that have a fun and relaxed atmosphere. You might also learn about your colleagues’ celebrity crushes or who they follow closely and why!
- Skills: Communication, listening skills
- Players: 3-15
- Duration: 5-10 minutes
- Requirements: –
6. Hot Takes
This is a fun virtual team building activity especially because participants get the chance to share their unpopular opinions! Every player is invited to share their most hot take on a lighthearted topic.
*Note: Don’t choose topics that might lead to heated debates or controversial discussions.
Here are some suggestions:
- I believe that socks and sandals can be a fashionable choice.
- I enjoy watching reruns more than new episodes of my favorite TV shows.
- I think cilantro tastes like soap.
- I prefer cold pizza over freshly baked pizza.
- I actually enjoy Mondays and find them energizing.
This game allows everyone to embrace their individuality and discover interesting perspectives within the team.
- Skills: Communication, team bonding
- Players: 5-10
- Duration: 5-10 minutes
- Requirements: –
7. Guilty Pleasure
Here participants get to embrace their hidden loves and share their favorite guilty indulgences. It’s a chance to reveal those little joys that we may not always admit to openly. Whether it’s listening to cheesy pop songs from the ’90s, indulging in a guilty pleasure book, or taking long, relaxing baths, everyone is encouraged to share their favorites. This activity creates a fun and lighthearted atmosphere where teammates can bond over their shared guilty pleasures.
- Skills: Team bonding, communication
- Players: 4-20
- Duration: 5-10 minutes
- Requirements: –
8. Praise Train
Incorporate positivity and recognition into your team building conference calls with the ‘Praise Train’! Keep the compliments flowing by having each person give a compliment to the person who spoke before them. You can also select one employee each week and let everyone shower them with compliments during the meeting.
This works wonders as a conference call icebreaker idea because it encourages open communication, fosters gratitude, and allows team members to acknowledge and appreciate each other’s contributions.
- Skills: Communication, team bonding, observation skills
- Players: 5-30
- Duration: 5 minutes
- Requirements: –
9. Virtual Coffee Breaks
Embrace the perks of remote work with a virtual coffee break during your conference calls! While working from home offers freedom, it can sometimes lead to feelings of loneliness and reduced job satisfaction. Recreating those small social interactions can make a big difference in boosting morale. Here’s how it works: Schedule regular 15-minute work breaks where everyone can gather in a shared online space. Take this time to chat, gossip, and enjoy a virtual coffee together. By fostering these moments of connection, you’ll help combat feelings of isolation and create a more positive work environment. Check out our list of 12 virtual coffee break ideas!
- Skills: Communication, team bonding, listening skills
- Players: 3-20
- Duration: 10-15 minutes
- Requirements: Depend on the activities you choose. Most of them require 0 to minimum effort & equipment.
10. Virtual Happy Hour
Hosting regular happy hours is a great way for your team to unwind and get to know each other in a more casual setting. While you can incorporate games into the happy hour, it can also be a time for open conversations about life outside of work. And why not combine both? Set aside some time for a game and a friendly chat.
*Tip: Go for some ‘minute to win it’ drinking games for adults to make it even more fun! But remember, there are also fun activities that don’t involve alcohol! You can enjoy a virtual happy hour with any beverage of your team’s choice. Cheers!
- Skills: Communication, team bonding
- Players: 5-20
- Duration: 2-3 hours
- Requirements: Foods and drinks enjoyed by the players
11. Home Tour
Let’s embrace the reality of remote work with a fun ‘Home Tour’ activity during conference calls! We all know that working from home comes with its unique quirks, from barking dogs to makeshift offices.
Here’s how it works: Each team member will take turns giving a short virtual tour of their house, showcasing their work area, favorite lunch spots, and more. This game is all about discovering the personal working environments of your colleagues and building stronger connections.
- Skills: Public speaking skills, communication, team bonding, observation skills
- Players: 3-10
- Duration: 10 minutes/player
- Requirements: –
Fun activities for conference calls
12. Cookie Face
Get ready to witness some hilarious moments and see who can master the art of ‘Cookie Face’ on your conference calls! In this challenge, each participant balances a cookie on their forehead and, when the time starts, relies on their facial muscles and gravity to maneuver the cookie into their mouth. Remember, no hands allowed in this game! You have the flexibility to award points to every player or team who successfully completes the task, or you can create a tiered point system where the first player to bite the cookie earns the highest score.
- Skills: Dexterity, competitive spirit
- Players: 3-15
- Duration: 5-10 minutes
- Requirements: Small, fist-size cookies
13. Chubby Bunny
This fun conference call game serves as a great icebreaker, bringing laughter to your virtual gatherings. Here’s how it works: 2 players face off and take turns placing marshmallows in their mouths, while attempting to say the phrase ‘chubby bunny’ as clearly as they can.
The challenge intensifies as more marshmallows are added. The game continues until you determine that a player’s rendition of ‘chubby bunny’ has become unintelligible, crowning the last player standing as the winner.
- Skills: Speaking skills, competitive spirit
- Players: 2-15
- Duration: 10 minutes
- Requirements: Marshmallows
14. The Wiki-Relay Race
This team building activity for conference calls is all about friendly competition and teamwork. First, the team will be divided into 2 groups, each forming a racing team. The goal is to navigate through Wikipedia pages and reach the designated ‘destination topic’ as quickly as possible. Let’s say the starting point is ‘The Statue of Liberty’. When the race begins, a member from each team must click through Wikipedia links to reach a specific page, for example, ‘Christina Aguilera’. The first player to successfully land on the ‘destination page’ claims victory for their team.
- Skills: Language skills, reading skills, speed, sharpness, competitive spirit
- Players: 2 teams of at least 3 players
- Duration: 5-10 minutes
- Requirements: A starting page and a destination page for each round
15. Takeout Typing
Get ready to test your typing skills in a unique and challenging way. The gamemaster will start by sharing their screen, revealing a long paragraph for all participants to see. But here’s the catch: instead of using fingers, players must type using chopsticks!
Once the countdown begins, everyone starts maneuvering their chopsticks to hit the keys and type out the paragraph as quickly and accurately as possible. Remember, speed and precision are key! After sixty seconds, participants will submit their copied paragraphs in the chat. The typist who has typed the most words with the fewest errors will be crowned the winner of the round.
- Skills: Dexterity, speed, competitive spirit
- Players: 5-15
- Duration: 5 minutes
- Requirements: Chopsticks
16. The GIF Game
A host will kick off the game by presenting a statement to the group, like ‘On a typical Sunday evening, you’ll probably find me…’. Now, it’s time to put your GIF-finding skills to the test! Each player has one minute to find the perfect GIF that best answers the statement. It can be funny, relatable, or simply entertaining.
Once everyone has chosen their GIFs, the group comes together to decide which GIF they think is the best or funniest. It’s all about sharing a laugh and enjoying the creative responses! The participant whose GIF receives the most votes wins and gets to come up with a new statement for the next round.
- Skills: Creativity, team bonding, communication
- Players: 5-15
- Duration: 10 minutes
- Requirements: –
17. Speedy Scavenger Hunt
When you’re short on time but still want to inject some excitement into your conference calls, this activity is perfect for a quick thrill. Announce the start of a speedy scavenger hunt. Participants will have a limited time, let’s say 5 minutes, to find specific items within their reach.
The list may include items like a childhood toy or game, something green in color, a quirky hat, a flower, a ticket stub from an event or concert, or a unique or interesting keychain.
As the clock ticks, team members race against each other to gather the items and be the first one back. The participant who returns with all the items in the shortest time wins.
- Skills: Speed, sharpness, observation skills, competitive spirit
- Players: 5-20
- Duration: 5-10 minutes
- Requirements: A list of objects players must find
Games to play on conference calls
18. Connection Circles
‘Connection circles’ is a great game to play on conference calls because it fosters meaningful conversations in the team. To begin with, participants are divided into breakout rooms for a set period of time, typically 5 minutes. In these intimate settings, team members have the opportunity to engage in genuine conversations and get to know each other better.
To facilitate the discussions, you can provide conversation starters and icebreaker questions for the participants to explore. Take a look at our ‘getting to know each other’ questions. However, participants are also encouraged to freely chat about any topic that interests them. This activity allows team members to connect with colleagues they may not interact with regularly, expanding their network and building stronger bonds within the team.
- Skills: Communication, team bonding
- Players: 6-30
- Duration: 20-30 minutes
- Requirements: Topic suggestions
19. Virtual Debate Club
This team building activity for conference calls offers an engaging platform for team members to express their opinions and engage in lively discussions. This game particularly encourages the more reserved people to share their viewpoints on lighthearted subjects.
On a monthly basis, select a whimsical topic to debate among the group. For instance, ‘Is Tenet that good?’. A team member takes on the role of debate leader and presents their well-constructed arguments on the chosen topic.
- Skills: Communication, team bonding
- Players: 5-20
- Duration: 20-30 minutes
- Requirements: A list of topics for debate
20. Virtual Quiz
Fostering genuine connections among remote colleagues is essential, and one enjoyable way to achieve this is through regular socialization. Bring the excitement of pub night trivia to your video calls by organizing a virtual trivia session. While the trivia questions need not be work-related, you can sprinkle in a few relevant ones for added interest. Popular topics like pop culture, sports, history, and geography can be explored, and team members can contribute personal questions to test their knowledge of one another.
To heighten the excitement, consider introducing prizes as incentives. Reward participants with enticing offerings such as complimentary lunches, gift cards, fine wines, or even an extra day off! This not only adds a competitive edge but also enhances the enjoyment of the team trivia event.
- Skills: General knowledge, speed, sharpness, competitive spirit
- Players: Teams of 3-4
- Duration: 1-2 hours
- Requirements: Trivia questions
21. Show and Tell
Embracing the spirit of childhood memories, ‘Show and tell’ adds a twist to your team building activities for conference calls, fostering closer connections among colleagues. The idea is pretty straightforward: each participant presents an item or achievement that holds significance, whether it’s something meaningful from their parents, a creative pursuit, or a noteworthy professional accomplishment. The activity can be structured as a dedicated video conference or integrated into regular meetings, with a different team member taking the spotlight each week.
- Skills: Communication, team bonding, listening skills
- Players: 5-10
- Duration: 2 minutes/players
- Requirements: An item/player
22. The Rhyming Game
Here’s how it works: Each player takes turns constructing a sentence that rhymes with the previous one, forming an evolving story. For example, ‘Sarah stepped out into the bright sunlight…’, ‘She wore sunglasses to block the rays so bright…’, and so on. To keep the game lively, set a time limit for each participant to deliver their sentence, ideally around 5 seconds. If someone exceeds the time limit, they are out for the next round. Also, if a rhyme is repeated, the person who said it is also eliminated from the game. It continues until only two participants remain for the thrilling final showdown.
- Skills: Creativity, spontaneity, language skills, listening skills, competitive spirit
- Players: 5-30
- Duration: 20-30 minutes
- Requirements: A prompt to begin with
23. Virtual Escape Room
During the online escape room, your team will face time-sensitive puzzles and trivia, putting their problem-solving abilities to the test. Some services even offer customized questions and clues tailored to your industry, enhancing the engagement. With a wide variety of themes to choose from, you can make this a regular team building activity for conference calls, if your team thoroughly enjoys the experience.
Virtual escape rooms are an excellent way to foster teamwork, encourage critical thinking, and create memorable shared experiences!
- Skills: Problem-solving skills, speed, competitive spirit, teamwork
- Players: 6-30
- Duration: 30 minutes – 1 hour
- Requirements: A virtual escape room scenario
24. Forensic Artists
For this one, divide the group into teams, with a minimum of 2 teams. Let them know that a crime has been committed, and luckily, one person from each team has spotted the suspect. Using a random face generator, generate a unique face for the witnesses to describe.
The witnesses must do their best to describe the face they see to their team members. The rest of the team members must then aim to draw the face as accurately as possible based on the descriptions. The team with the most precise sketch wins!
This game not only allows everyone to showcase their drawing skills but also encourages effective communication and teamwork. So, grab your pens and get ready for a fun-filled drawing challenge!
- Skills: Drawing skills, teamwork, communication, observation skills
- Players: At least 2 teams of 3
- Duration: 20 minutes
- Requirements: Online face generator, pens, paper
25. Ruined Paradise
This is a great conference team building activity to encourage creativity, collaboration, and a sense of friendly competition among players.
Once the group is divided into 2 teams, each team will be assigned a role. A member from Team 1 will kick off the game by describing an ideal ‘ruined paradise’ in one sentence, using only positive descriptions. Then, a member from Team 2 will follow by attempting to introduce a twist or challenge into this paradise with a sentence that adds a unique aspect. The game continues in this manner as each participant adds their sentence. Finally, a judge decides which team has excelled in transforming the paradise, considering whether it has been successfully ‘ruined’ or not.
- Skills: Creativity, spontaneity, critical thinking
- Players: 6-20
- Duration: 10 minutes
- Requirements: –
