If you’re not all in the same location, you can still run games, collaborative activities and creative sessions. In fact, engagement and team bonding might be even more crucial in your workshop.

You will however need more preparation, allow more time, need more instructions — so aim for simple over complex activities!

Watch the video

Preparation

• Email the instructions; such as how to download and use tools, ensure they have post-its and pens available on their desk, or any preparation steps needed for the game.
• Send out any game material/products the participants will need.
• Ensure tools, video, audio is working; do a quick test or a complete dry-run.

Games for distributed groups

Icebreakers

• Use the Jellyfish game as an icebreaker and help to keep the rest of the conversation focused.
• Tweak the Name & Dance activity to smaller gestures and learn each other’s names.
• Ask everyone to provide a photo before the session, and have the group guessing who it belongs to (eg. ‘who is the owner of this dog’, ‘who works at this desk’).

Energiser

• Ask every participant to quickly fetch something (eg ‘find and show something that is older than 10 years’, ‘something you could not live without’).

Sharing/trust

• You can use storytelling cubes to encourage sharing stories.
• Draw and share life graphs.
• Search and select an image online, and then tell the story why you picked it.

Creativity

• Games such as Circle creativity and Paper Clip test are simple and easy to run with remote participants.

Collaboration

• If you have access to a digital workspace/collaboration tool, you can still run collaborative activities such as Squiggle to Story.

Extra tips

What you need