{"id":319,"date":"2018-03-27T19:42:42","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T19:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielvlopes238992071.wordpress.com\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/"},"modified":"2025-02-28T14:09:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T22:09:44","slug":"breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking the (remote) ice: 5 tips for icebreakers in distributed teams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-our-most-popular-recommendations-for-team-bonding-regardless-of-the-distance-separating-your-remote-employees\">Our most popular recommendations for team-bonding, regardless of the distance separating your <a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/m\/training_modules\/9-how-to-lead-well-remotely?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\">remote employees<\/a>.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.knowyourteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/f232b-1jdwewm9scsmn_giyfg8ata.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Believe me when I tell you that I adore running a remote company. It\u2019s enabled me to hire and work with folks I could\u2019ve <em>never <\/em>have hired locally. It\u2019s helped me work with fewer distractions and greater focus. It\u2019s given me more flexibility to see my family and spend time on side-hobbies that bring me joy\u2026 I could go on&nbsp;\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, I\u2019ll admit: Being geographically disparate can also be isolating. As a remote company ourselves at Canopy, we don\u2019t pretend that there are zero difficulties to <a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/m\/training_modules\/9-how-to-lead-well-remotely?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\">running a remote team<\/a>. There are quite a few\u200a\u2014\u200aand one of the biggest is making team members feel welcome and connected to the company when they live on the other side of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about the<a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2015\/08\/13\/hire-someone-new-dont-forget-to-do-these-four-things-when-onboarding-a-new-employee\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> last time you started a new job<\/a>. Do you recall feeling overwhelmed or disconnected from your coworkers? Now imagine that you\u2019re facing all the same pressures and uncertainty but from a few hundred (or thousand) miles away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For all the upsides to remote work, those benefits can be hampered by the loneliness that some folks can feel if they don\u2019t get to interact with other team members on a regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some tips for creating great icebreakers to help build a better sense of connection within your remote teams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ditch-the-dull-general-questions-in-exchange-for-specific-questions\"><strong>Ditch the dull general questions in exchange for <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2017\/08\/28\/the-9-questions-that-uncover-the-most-surprising-feedback-from-employees\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>specific questions<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>How many times have you been asked, \u201cWhat do you like to do on weekends?\u201d or \u201cWhat are your hobbies?\u201d Eye roll. <em>So<\/em> many times. The questions feel rote, so the answers become rote. Just as when you\u2019re seeking out meaningful feedback about the company, you\u2019ll want to ask meaningful social questions to get meaningful social responses, too. Unsure where to start?<a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/01\/08\/the-25-best-icebreaker-questions-for-team-building-at-work\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> Check out the 25 specific best icebreaker questions<\/a> to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-get-folks-face-to-face-when-you-can\">Get folks face-to-face when you&nbsp;can.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Where were you the last time you participated in an icebreaker activity? It probably wasn\u2019t from your home office. Just like in-office icebreakers, remote teams\u2019 icebreaker conversations should happen via video chat, or (ideally) in person at a company retreat. One of our remote clients, <a href=\"http:\/\/balsamiq.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/balsamiq.com\">Balsamiq<\/a>, is known for their <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.balsamiq.com\/2017-retreat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/blog.balsamiq.com\/2017-retreat\/\">all-team retreats<\/a> that focus getting everyone, face-to-face together to have a good time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-schedule-in-the-time-for-socialization\">Schedule in the time for socialization.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Nothing happens unless you carve out the time to do it. That\u2019s something Paul Farnell, co-founder of <a href=\"http:\/\/litmus.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/litmus.com\">Litmus<\/a> (another one of our customers), emphasize. He\u2019s said that you have to \u201cmake time for socialization.\u201d At Litmus, he <a href=\"https:\/\/open.buffer.com\/trust-remote-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/open.buffer.com\/trust-remote-team\/\">describes<\/a> how \u201ca few times a year, we have company get-togethers and smaller teams meet in-person more often. Week to week, we get Coworker Coffees, drink beers on Skype, and play video games online. And we invite local employees to the office every Thursday.\u201d Schedule in time for folks to break the ice\u200a\u2014\u200aor else it just won\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-assign-a-buddy-and-switch-it-up\">Assign a buddy, and switch it&nbsp;up.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Another way to keep icebreakers feeling fresh, especially in a remote team, is to switch up who is getting to interact with who on your team. At <a href=\"http:\/\/helpscout.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/helpscout.com\">Help Scout<\/a>, another client of ours, they organize 15\u201330 minute coffee breaks between randomly assigned team members called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpscout.net\/blog\/remote-team-connectivity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.helpscout.net\/blog\/remote-team-connectivity\/\">Fikas<\/a>. By assigning someone a buddy for a period of time, you take the hard work (and sometimes awkwardness) of leaving it up to the employees to figure out who they should get to know better. And, switching up the assignments keeps the getting-to-know-you process from becoming stale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-keep-it-light\">Keep it&nbsp;light.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Icebreakers are supposed to be fun\u200a\u2014\u200aso don\u2019t overthink them, or be <em>too<\/em> intent on \u201cthis <em>needs<\/em> to build trust in my team.\u201d A overly forced icebreaker is never fun. Rather, reflect on your team\u2019s personalities and interest, and consider how you might give people a reason to laugh, joke, and feel a bit more connected with one another. The best leaders know that injecting some levity in an otherwise intense work week can make a big difference. A light question such as, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/01\/08\/how-cereal-improves-employee-engagement\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What\u2019s your favorite breakfast cereal<\/a>?\u201d yields surprising levels of engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>While team icebreakers can seem like a \u201cnice to have,\u201d in a <a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/m\/training_modules\/9-how-to-lead-well-remotely?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\">remote team<\/a> they are \u201cmust-haves.\u201d Since your team isn\u2019t interacting face-to-face every week, the miscommunication, trust issues, and poor team dynamics that can bubble up are only exacerbated if you\u2019re not findings ways for your team to connect regularly. So give one or two of these tips a try, and remember how beneficial team-building icebreakers can be for a <a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/m\/training_modules\/9-how-to-lead-well-remotely?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\">remote team<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For a deeper dive, be sure to check out our \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/m\/training_modules\/9-how-to-lead-well-remotely?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\">How to Lead Well Remotely<\/a>&#8221; module in Canopy. The first few lessons are free \u2013 as are hundreds of daily tips. Try\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/m\/training?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=remote-one-on-one\">Canopy<\/a><\/em>\u00a0<em>for free, yourself, today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/m\/training_modules\/9-how-to-lead-well-remotely?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=five-ice-breakers\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"744\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-11.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8977\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"newsletter-post-form-container\">\n  <h3>Never miss a post \u2013&nbsp;get our latest leadership insights, as they&#8217;re released&#8230;<\/h3>\n\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/newsletter.canopy.is\/embed\" width=\"850\" height=\"150\" style=\"border:1px solid #EEE; background:white;\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<br\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"http:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=banner&amp;utm_content=footer\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2516\" height=\"944\" src=\"https:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CleanShot-2023-02-09-at-19.36.32@2x.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7971\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"crp-list-title\">You might also find these articles helpful&#8230;<\/h3><ul class=\"crp-list\"><li class=\"crp-list-item crp-list-item-image-above crp-list-item-has-image\"><div class=\"crp-list-item-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/10\/30\/4-non-cringeworthy-team-bonding-events-that-people-actually-enjoy\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" style=\"max-width: 50px; height: auto;\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/cab31-16fh8hsw-kpgwyfc71hvb6g-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-50x50 size-50x50 wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"crp-list-item-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/10\/30\/4-non-cringeworthy-team-bonding-events-that-people-actually-enjoy\/\">4 non-cringeworthy team-bonding events that people actually enjoy<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"crp-list-item crp-list-item-image-above crp-list-item-has-image\"><div class=\"crp-list-item-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2017\/12\/01\/8-things-leaders-of-remote-companies-do-differently\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" style=\"max-width: 50px; height: auto;\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/f0ce0-1jv_b3e0wm_delvmpga9bdq-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-50x50 size-50x50 wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"crp-list-item-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2017\/12\/01\/8-things-leaders-of-remote-companies-do-differently\/\">8 things leaders of remote companies do differently<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"crp-list-item crp-list-item-image-above crp-list-item-has-image\"><div class=\"crp-list-item-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/06\/26\/how-to-have-a-good-relationship-with-your-boss-when-youre-working-remotely\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" style=\"max-width: 50px; height: auto;\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/8298c-1jcnxfx_34atec6bx6uldsq-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-50x50 size-50x50 wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"crp-list-item-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/06\/26\/how-to-have-a-good-relationship-with-your-boss-when-youre-working-remotely\/\">How to have a good relationship with your boss when you\u2019re working remotely<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"crp-list-item crp-list-item-image-above crp-list-item-has-image\"><div class=\"crp-list-item-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/01\/08\/the-25-best-icebreaker-questions-for-team-building-at-work\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" style=\"max-width: 50px; height: auto;\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" src=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/3d76f-1hiwechk0-_e8sy_xywiy4g-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-50x50 size-50x50 wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"crp-list-item-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/01\/08\/the-25-best-icebreaker-questions-for-team-building-at-work\/\">The 25 best icebreaker questions for team-building at work<\/a><\/div><\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our most popular recommendations for team-bonding, regardless of the distance separating your remote employees. Believe me when I tell you that I adore running a remote company. It\u2019s enabled me to hire and work with folks I could\u2019ve never have hired locally. It\u2019s helped me work with fewer distractions and greater focus. It\u2019s given me&hellip; <\/p>\n<p><a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/\">Read the full article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[12,16,69,83,84],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.1 (Yoast SEO v22.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Breaking the (remote) ice: 5 tips for icebreakers in distributed teams - Canopy | Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Breaking the (remote) ice: 5 tips for icebreakers in distributed teams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our most popular recommendations for team-bonding, regardless of the distance separating your remote employees. Believe me when I tell you that I adore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Canopy | Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/knowyourteamhq\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-27T19:42:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-28T22:09:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/f232b-1jdwewm9scsmn_giyfg8ata.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"444\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire Lew\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@clairejlew\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@KnowYourTeamHQ\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire Lew\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Claire Lew\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/94d1f9d2f817b329f35174edc7d4fa5f\"},\"headline\":\"Breaking the (remote) ice: 5 tips for icebreakers in distributed teams\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-27T19:42:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-28T22:09:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/\"},\"wordCount\":819,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/f232b-1jdwewm9scsmn_giyfg8ata.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Collaboration\",\"Company Culture\",\"Remote Working\",\"Team Building\",\"Teamwork\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Leadership\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2018\/03\/27\/breaking-the-remote-ice-5-tips-for-icebreakers-in-distributed-teams\/\",\"name\":\"Breaking the (remote) ice: 5 tips for icebreakers in distributed teams - 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