Q&A: Team-building activities for remote staff

Q: I am the team lead/educator for second level review staff, and our division is required to do an eight-hour education and team-building day. I am wondering if anyone has team-building exercises that they have done remotely to keep staff engaged and participating? We use Microsoft Teams and require cameras to be on, and I want to make it fun and interactive so any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Response #1: I play this simple ice breaker of asking each team member to fill out a survey, then ask the team who the person is. Here are some of the questions:

• What city were you born in?  
• What month is your birthday?  
• What is your favorite car?  
• Favorite actor/actress? 
• How many siblings do you have?  

During the activity, I pass out the surveys without the name attached to the answers, and people must figure out who it is.  It is a fun way for them to get to know each other and usually takes 30 minutes.

Response #2: Our team is a remote group of 26 staff, and we have two dedicated team members that plan and execute engagement activities throughout the year. Some of the highlights include “Guess the Dress,” a pumpkin carving contest, holiday recipe collections, and a virtual gift exchange.

Response #3: My biggest tip for long virtual meetings is to see what your organization offers. We found many free offerings from our system that I previously didn’t even know existed which really helped break up the long day of CDI teachings.

For example, things that we’ve had in the past:

• We asked for an inspirational/encouraging talk and one of our system’s mission officers came and presented a great talk on “Your Gifts and Powers,” which the team loved.
• We had a yoga instructor (also through the hospital system) come and do a 30-minute office/chair yoga session, giving everyone ideas on how to stretch and move your body when we are sitting all day.
• We had a cooking demonstration that was a surprising hit with the team, which was through our system as well (they do classes for patients to teach them nutrition and healthy recipes).
• We reached out to our system’s ergonomics team, who will do evaluations on people and their workspace to help prevent workplace injuries, and they were happy to present on good office ergonomics.
• Our hospitals have musical thanatologists that will play music for patients, so we reached out and they did a 20-minute session for our team playing the harp. Team members got tea or coffee, and it was a wonderful quiet reflection time listening to their beautiful music.

Other ideas that our team has put together include CDI jeopardy/trivia, raffle prizes. We also do an annual CDI award where the team nominates one of their peers and provides comments on why they are being nominated, why they are great team members, etc. The winner receives a certificate and a little gift basket or prize.

Response #4: Here are some fun team-building day ideas:

• Virtual escape room: The team solves puzzles and works together to "escape" within a time limit
• Trivia games: Kahoot or Teams polls for healthcare-related trivia or fun general knowledge quizzes
• Icebreaker bingo: Create a bingo card with fun personal or professional facts and let team members discover connections
• Storytelling challenges: Ask each team to craft a creative story using healthcare terms and share at the end
• Virtual cooking class: Choose a simple recipe everyone can prepare together while on Teams

Response #5: Here are some ideas for your remote eight-hour education/team-building day using Teams:

• Icebreaker activities
  
  • “Two Truths and a Lie”: Each team member shares three statements about themselves—two true and one false. The group guesses which is the lie.
  • Virtual scavenger hunt: Create a list of items for staff to find in their homes. Keep it light and fun (e.g., something blue, an item from childhood).
• Team-building games
  
  • Escape room challenge: Use virtual escape room platforms to divide your team into groups and have them solve puzzles collaboratively.
  • Trivia: Create trivia questions relevant to your division, organization, or fun general topics. Use a tool like Kahoot for engagement.
• Interactive workshops
  
  • Skill sharing: Ask staff to teach the team something they’re passionate about (e.g., a recipe, a quick exercise, or a hobby tip).
  • Collaborative problem-solving: Present a mock case or challenging scenario for the team to solve together.
• Engagement activities
  
  • “Most Likely To” awards: Before the meeting, collect nominations for lighthearted awards (e.g., “Most Likely to Brighten Your Day”). Announce winners during the session.
  • Storytelling: Ask team members to share a memorable work moment that showcases their passion for what they do.
• Movement breaks
  
  • Stretch or dance breaks: Play a short video or music and encourage everyone to get up and move.
  • Guided meditation or breathing exercises: Invite a mindfulness expert or use a YouTube session to help the team relax.
• Team projects
  
  • Build a vision board: Have team members create virtual vision boards representing their personal and team goals. Share them using screen-sharing tools.
  • Collaborative art: Use a shared whiteboard on Teams for everyone to draw something meaningful to the group.
• Wrap-up
  
  • Open forum: End the day with an open discussion about takeaways, favorite moments, or suggestions for future events.
  • Recognition: Acknowledge team achievements and contributions to foster a positive atmosphere.

Editor’s note: This question was answered by members of the ACDIS CDI Leadership Council. For the purposes of this article, all Council member answers have been deidentified.