Many work environments post Covid have changed. In these, one or more employees works from home and many of the “water cooler” conversations have disappeared.
It leaves people with less face time than before and fewer conversations getting to know each other. That’s why it’s more important than ever to use tools that help people open up to each other. It’s not easy to make the same connection online.
And in the end, relationships are still the foundation of business. People work hard for others they know, trust, and like. It’s as simple as that. So how do you cultivate connection in a work environment that doesn’t prioritize it?
My husband understands this problem well, as the team of engineers he manages now works almost entirely from home. He recently coordinated a break-out session with them to help them get personal and connect as a team. Here are the games and questions that worked!
Rapid Fire Questions
Rapid fire questions are great because they require quick responses – often not giving the participant time to filter in the “politically correct” answer. The questions are fast and keep the pace moving along which is entertaining to everyone. He found that he got much more honest and open thoughts this way. It’s fun in small groups.
2 Truths and a Lie
This worked well with any group that didn’t know each other extremely well. One player comes up with several truths and one lie about their life, work, past, etc. and the participants have to pick out which one is untrue. You can find creative lie ideas for 2 truths and a lie here>>. (Even in groups that know each other well, this can be a great way to connect if you are willing to get creative!)
Trivia Questions
Next, whether it’s holiday trivia or Disney trivia, any kind of random facts and answers were a HUGE winner with his work group. You can find trivia questions for just about anything online! It also takes the pressure off a person if they don’t want to share about their own lives and helps people connect over common interests.
Yes or No Questions
Like quick fire questions, these are fast-paced. The difference here is that the person must make a decision between agreeing or not. These questions are nice because they often prompt the participant to explain his or her thoughts – which opens up the conversation and dialogue.
Would You Rather or This or That Questions
And finally, giving the participants two outrageous (or ordinary) choices to pick from turned out to be a lot of fun. This game was popular and really helped people share their thoughts and opinions in a lighthearted way. You can steer the conversation in whichever way you choose depending on what choices you use, and it can be really funny too.
Examples include:
Would you rather take a cruise to Alaska or a flight to Hawaii?
Would you rather speak in front of a group of 100 people or go sky diving?
In Conclusion
Likely, at least one of these question games will work for you too! My husband was surprised at how well these worked, even a group of right-minded thinkers.
It takes a little bit of effort, but it’s still worth it to connect with others at work when you spend much of your time away from your colleagues. Strong connections on the job encourage productivity, promote teamwork, keep everyone more satisfied with their jobs, and deliver better results. Isn’t it worth a few minutes to connect?
What about you? What have you found that does well when connecting with those you work with? Are there work games you love? Please share in the comments!