How to Make Team Meetings Interesting: Fun Ideas and Topics for Work

Productivity / Time Management

How to Make Team Meetings Interesting: Fun Ideas and Topics for Work

Team meeting is an integral part of a collaborative work environment that assists in maintaining team spirit and continuity while also facilitating to build a successful team. 

But that does not mean that all-hands meetings and standup meetings are solely devoted to the work part, creating a boring and monotonous experience for everyone.

A survey showed that almost every employee spent 21% of their working time in meetings. This means that if your meetings are just formalities with no added benefit other than boredom, then you are both wasting your time and that of your employees. 

If you want to spice up your team meetings, why not organize a fun event packed with team-building activities? Simply changing the usual meeting routine can make them more meaningful and fun.

In this article, we will discuss fun topics for team meetings at work and explain how to make these meetings more enjoyable.

Bonus Article:
Are you looking for top office games that promote teamwork? You should check it out! 🤝🤲

Why is it Crucial to Have Team Meetings?

A successful meeting will enable your team to produce quality work more quickly and chart a more efficient path. Meetings can enhance the entire team’s work ethic, improve productivity, and ensure that the project is on track.

why meeting

An effective team meeting is also a good opportunity to illustrate your leadership skills. A good team meeting ensures alignment on the discussion topics and clarity on future actions.

Here’s why fun topics for team meetings at work are so important to every organization.

1. Builds Stronger Relationship

A successful team meeting facilitates teamwork. It’s important to express your opinions and listen to those of your colleagues when you exchange ideas and views.

You can create an intimate bond with your teammates. It is essential to assemble a strong team to be successful at work and productive.

 An effective team meeting increases employee engagement, which leads to more productive and healthy workplaces. 

2. Showcase Leadership and Motivate

The team meeting is a platform to showcase your skills, knowledge, and leadership qualities. 

Attending the meeting is just half the battle; the other half is being heard. When preparing for the meeting, read the schedule carefully and make your insightful suggestion for the meeting. 

Your focus should be on providing valuable suggestions to make progress on the agenda and solve the problem. Having a voice during the meeting can make a big difference in uplifting your career and motivating everyone. 

3. Ensure that the Team is Aligned

The goal of a team meeting is for all team members to be aligned and in agreement.

An efficient and well-structured team meeting ensures that everyone understands the team’s responsibilities and priorities. A weekly team meeting can help everyone prioritize their tasks for the week ahead, increasing productivity with effective time management.

4. Facilitates Innovation and Creativity

Employees can showcase their critical thinking, creativity, and ingenuity during effective team meetings. A great idea can be conceived on your own, and consider the possibility of creating even better ideas when you collaborate with your team. 

5.  Improves Employee Engagement

Team members are more likely to value their job if they feel that their input is respected and considered. In addition, it motivates them to contribute to the improvement of the team and the organization as a whole. 

Being a part of the organization gives them a sense of community and helps them appreciate their work. An engaged workforce performs better and is more productive, so your company performs better.

Reasons Why Team Meetings Should Be Fun

Team meetings should be fun and interesting for several reasons.

  • Boost productivity and enhance employee satisfaction Employees are often happier and more engaged when team meetings are organized, fun, and engaging. In addition to feeling more connected to their work, engaged employees are more productive.
  • Improves communication – Employees who have fun during team meetings are likelier to see each other as friends. 
  • Reduces employee absence Relaxed and open team meetings may reduce employee stress and anxiety. As a result, employees are likely to take a few leaves. 
  • Improves motivation – Fun workplaces may improve employee motivation. In many organizations, employees are rewarded and recognized for their dedication to creating a fun and positive work environment. This often motivates employees to succeed. 
  • Promotes creativity Working in a fun environment encourages creativity. Companies must ensure that their employees enjoy what they do, learn more, and feel enthusiastic about it. As a result, there are often more conversations and collaborations, which results in new ideas.

Related: Looking for ways to maintain a healthy work environment? Check it out!

Engaging and Fun Topics for Team Meetings at Work

Employees and organizations benefit from starting a meeting with a fun and interesting technique. Here’s how to make your meeting agenda fun and engaging by adding excitement. 

We’ve included 18 ideas and activities to make your virtual meeting fun. 

1. Ice Breaker Questions

A meeting icebreaker is a fun activity, game, or event that warms up conversations among participants. A large selection of icebreakers is available, ranging from simple one-question games to elaborate team games.

Meetings will be more effective and dynamic if people are comfortable in them, not only listening but also participating. A good icebreaker can open doors to casual interaction and better engagement by allowing people to loosen up.

Icebreaker games help to create a relaxed environment where everyone shares their viewpoints and participates more actively.

Applicable for: Virtual team meeting, team meeting at the office, Both(virtual team meeting and team meeting at the office.

Example Questions For Icebreakers

  1. What would be the perfect place for you right now?
  2. Who was your teenage celebrity crush?
  3. Best book you’ve ever read?
  4. What’s your favourite flower or plant?
  5. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
  6. How do you stay productive and motivated working virtually?

2. Play a game of Charades

Charades is a game of guessing words where one person acts out a word or action without speaking, and other players have to think about what the action is. Charades is an easy, fun game you can play with people of any age or wherever you have room to gather and move around. 

It’s an easy team-building game that doesn’t require a board, and most of your employees already know how to play it. Charades may roll their eyes when they hear what you’re playing, but if people take it seriously, it’s a show-stopper.

You can even keep the activity relevant by including company or industry-related activities. Play a game where your coworkers act out what’s on their paper while the others try to guess what it is.

Benefits of Playing Charades

  • Teamwork and collaboration strengthen social skills.
  • Enhance your ability to solve problems and boost your confidence
  • Enhances verbal and non-verbal communication skills
  • It provides an opportunity for role-playing to promote perspective-taking.
  • Builds listening skills and patience through focus and turn-taking.

How To Play Charades Game?

Step 1: To begin, choose a player. It is the player’s responsibility to come up with words that are of different themes.

Step 2: Then the player acts out the word they have chosen.

Step 3: The team members must guess the word correctly.

Game winners are those who correctly guess the word.

3. Make Jokes

The purpose of telling jokes in the meeting is to make it more casual and less serious, so your coworkers will feel at ease with each other. Prepare a funny joke that your coworkers can share before the meeting. Compare which joke is the most comic, and take turns telling them. 

4. Play “Would You Rather”

Are you interested in a casual trivia night where you can meet new people and make hard choices all night? It’s similar to “Never Have I Ever,” “Truth or Dare,” and other party games.

“Would You Rather” game questions inspire great conversations, push comfort zones, overcome barriers, and build lasting memories. 

The “Would you rather” game eases tension and allows for free communication among adults attending their first team meeting. 

How To Play Would You Rather Game

Step 1: Ensure that your games start with at least 2 players. Aside from yourself, choose one other player. 

Step 2: Pick the first player to ask a question that begins with “would you rather”.

Step 3: Listen to the question and choose one answer. From the question asked by the current player, pick which scenario you would “rather” do. 

Step 4: Continue asking and answering difficult questions to put teammates in dilemma. 

The purpose of the game is to have fun and refresh yourself. A slightly different question makes team meetings more entertaining.

5. Show and Tell

Your next meeting can be even more engaging with a quick show-and-tell session. Let your teammates take turns standing up and presenting their priorities.

Let people be as creative as they wish and share more about themselves. Sharing pictures of pets, family members, and favorite Lego models is okay, and you can use this opportunity to learn more about your colleagues before moving on.

6. Scavenger Hunt

Organize a scavenger hunt at your upcoming meeting to get your staff members out of their desks. Identify items around their office space and see who can locate most of them.

Furthermore, this game enhances problem-solving skills, time management skills, and the ability to collaborate between team members.

They give a sense of accomplishment to anyone who solves them. A mixture of physical challenges and mental puzzles makes it more likely for everyone to get involved.

A scavenger hunt can get everyone warmed up and have something to give your brain a workout, such as making up a poem.

How To Play Scavenger Hunt Game?

Step 1: Initially, hide different items in different places and let other employees search for them.

Step 2: A participant who collects more items and wins more points wins the game.

This type of game aims to create fun and engagement among the participants.

7. Set Aside Break Time

Depending on the topic you are discussing, some meetings can be time-consuming. Members can stay comfortable during lengthy sessions by scheduling food or bathroom breaks. Ultimately, this can lead to a higher level of focus and engagement.

8. Alternate Meeting Themes

You can extend your team’s knowledge by changing the topics frequently in meetings.

Providing topic feedback may also result in a more productive meeting since employees can choose what to discuss. By doing this, a team’s critical thinking skills are improved, and engagement may be enhanced.

9. Innovation Session

Innovation brings together individuals with different skills, information, and functional and educational backgrounds. 

If you’re looking for something comparable to your regular team meetings, consider organizing a creative event or hackathon. Organize everyone to tackle a challenge or generate ideas to help you reach a business objective.

A brainstorming or innovation session combines a productive meeting with team-building exercises. Participants have the opportunity to develop skills such as leadership, creativity, and collaboration. It is possible to deal with this in a conference room or schedule a Zoom meeting with remote team members.

10. Video Game Quest

Video games are a great way for teams to meet in a fun and different way. Many games and gaming platforms offer multiplayer modes and built-in communication systems. 

Teammates can work together on missions to improve their communication and collaboration skills. Furthermore, playing games can be a great way to relax and relieve stress.

11. Guess The picture

A picture guessing game is played by almost everyone at some point – whether it is on a blackboard or online game. Consider incorporating one of these into your upcoming staff meeting as a quick icebreaker or a fun activity in between challenging topics.

People can get involved in your video meeting through this interactive feature. Taking turns drawing a picture and having others guess what it might be is a good idea. You can add friendly competition by keeping track of scores and crowning a winner. 

12. Embrace storytelling in Each Meeting

It can be easier for your audience to relate to your message if you use a real-life story to emphasize the meeting topic. In addition, you can promote meaningful conversations by asking questions to engage your team on a personal level.

You may be able to increase the level of cooperation between your team members by making your team members feel recognized.

13. Implement a Meeting Ritual

By implementing rituals, your employees can take a step back from their immediate work assignments, strengthen their bonds as personalities, or discuss bigger-picture ideas. Over time, rituals also help colleagues build stronger collaborations. 

The purpose of a ritual is to enable positive, rotating communication and to share accomplishments and insights. You can do something physical, like meditating every morning or exercise, or share what you thought about the previous week or month. 

14. Give Small Incentives or prizes

You can motivate your employees to work hard and stay with your company for a longer period by encouraging them to do their best.

Incentives increase performance by helping people assign more value to work goals, leading to a stronger commitment to those goals.

Meetings are a great time to show your appreciation to your team with muffins, pizza, or gift cards. Another option is to hold a lottery or a game night with real prizes. You can also award anyone who comes up with the winning idea in a creative exercise. 

15. Hold Short Meetings

Meetings should not last longer than 20 or 50 minutes. Generally, one hour of discussion is the maximum amount of time to produce productive results on a single topic, and meetings lasting longer than an hour are usually unproductive.

16. Keep a Q&A Session

The last 10 minutes of the meeting should be used for a quick Q&A. There may not be any questions at first, but be patient. When you wait for a minute without trying to fill in the awkward silence, typically, some questions will emerge. There is always a great deal of value in these questions.

17. Themed Party

Hosting an event with a theme can make a fun team meeting at work even more memorable. It’s a fun way to get the team together and relax, whether you’re planning a holiday party or your team is fond of an 80s theme. 

Create an amazing virtual party by asking your team members what kind of theme they’d enjoy. Your employees can send decorations, snacks, and drinks to make the event come alive, whether it’s an in-person or virtual gathering.

18. Game Night

A virtual game night includes activities that can be played online as well as tips on how to succeed. These ideas foster human connection and team bonding by using fun and simple online games.

Applicable: virtual team building, virtual activities, and online games, including video calls and virtual teams.

How to Select Games Perfect for Your Team

Fun and creative team-building games boost communication and collaboration among your team members. Your team will feel energized and brightened when you do activities together, whether you have a virtual meeting or an in-person meeting.

When it comes to team meetings, many people think they have to be serious and strictly business-related. There are, however, various ways to make team meetings at work more interesting and enjoyable for everyone involved. One way is to select games that are perfect for your team.

You may find it challenging to find games that your team enjoys since not all teams are interested in the same types of games. Everyone should choose an activity they feel comfortable doing.  

  1. Decide on the type of game you would like to play

There are a variety of games that can be played in a team setting. Some popular games include card games, word games, and puzzles. It is important to select a game that will be enjoyable for everyone involved.

  1. Choose a game appropriate for your team’s skill level

Not all games are suitable for all teams, and it is important to choose a game that is appropriate for your team’s skill level. If you are playing a complex game, your team may be unable to complete it in the allotted period. Conversely, if you are playing a simple game, your team may become bored if it is too easy.

  1. Select a game that fits within the time constraints of your meeting

Most team meetings are not very long, and selecting a game that can be completed within the allotted time frame is important. If the meeting runs over, the game may need to be cut short or postponed until the next meeting.

  1. Review the rules of the game before playing

It is important to review the game’s rules before playing, so everyone knows what is expected of them. In this way, any confusion during gameplay will be avoided.

  1. Start playing

You can begin playing as soon as the ground rules have been established. Keep track of who is winning and losing, as this can add an extra layer of excitement to the game.

Creativity can make team meetings more fun and interesting for everyone involved. By selecting the right games, you can help your team build stronger relationships with one another and improve their overall productivity.

4 List of Games for Fun Team Meetings

A fun staff meeting will keep employees engaged during the meeting and make it something employees look forward to.

Here are 4 games for fun team meetings that promote team building and a great company atmosphere.

  1. Team Quiz

This is a good opportunity to test your team’s knowledge on various topics. Split the team into two or more groups and have them compete against each other. 

After all, is said and done, the team with the most points wins! You can use a variety of quiz formats such as True or False, Multiple Choice, or Matching Questions.

  1. Board Games/Tabletop Games

Why not break out the board games if you want to take things down a notch? This is perfect for teams that want to get to know each other better. Some popular board games include Monopoly, Scrabble, Settlers of Catan, and Ticket to Ride Europe.

  1. Escape Room

One way to make team meetings more interesting is to play escape room games. Create a room in the office where team members have to work together to find clues and solve puzzles to “escape.” 

This can be a fun way for team members to get to know each other better and to work together cohesively. Regular team meetings can also be made fun of with this activity.

  1. Movie and Popcorn Night

A movie night will make your staff members feel like they are at a cozy non-meeting. Decide which film genre everyone would like to watch together, and then pick a movie you think they would enjoy.

Create an outdoor movie hangout space for your employees – or make your office the ultimate movie hangout area. You can host a remote movie night by inviting everyone to a video call and mailing them materials to help them make it real.

Interesting Team Meeting Topics for Discussion 

Introducing fun topics for team meetings at work will help you have more meaningful conversations with your team and improve their creativity, productivity, and morale.

Look at the team meeting topics for discussions that will spice up your team meetings.

You can keep these 10 things in mind when searching for Interesting Team Meeting Topics. 

1. Predictions

Try to make predictions about the company’s future and see if anyone on the team has any interesting insights. 

2. Offer Valuable Meeting options

Make your meetings more productive by offering options that will be both fun and informative for everyone. 

3. Client Catch Ups

Have a quick catch-up with your clients to see how they’re doing and if there’s anything new that you can help them with. 

4. Personal Updates

Take some time to update everyone on what’s going on in your life. This is a great way to build team morale and get to know each other better.

5. New Member Introduction

Use this time to introduce any new members of the team to everyone. When done this way, everyone will feel like they are part of the group.

6. Include work wins

Congratulate everyone on any recent successes at work. You can use this strategy to boost team morale and keep everyone feeling motivated.

7. Competitions

Run a competition amongst the team to see who can come up with the best ideas. Getting everyone’s creative inspiration flowing is a good idea.

8. Bring in Guest Speaker

Use this time to bring in a guest speaker who can talk about something that would be interesting and beneficial for everyone.

9. Create a Unique Meeting Tradition

Try to develop a unique meeting tradition that everyone can get behind. This is to make your team stand out and create a sense of unity among the members.

10. Discuss Failures

This might seem counterintuitive, but discussing failures as a team can be helpful. Learning from past mistakes is an excellent way to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Tips for Managing Team Meetings Effectively

Team meetings are required to understand employees’ ideas and make them aware of business ideas. 

Furthermore, team meetings give you a good idea of what is happening in the company and what changes need to be made. Meetings should be managed adequately, whether they are stand-up or weekly meetings.

But you need to ensure that team meetings don’t bore your employees. It should be something that the workers look forward to, and it should be where different people’s ideas are heard, appreciated, and informative.

Follow the tips below to organize team meetings effectively.

  • Set a plan before the start of the meeting.
  • Discuss the topic that impacts the whole team.
  • Only include related people.
  • Have a clear meeting goal.
  • Assign meeting roles.
  • Send the meeting agenda and report before the team.
  • Make sure attendees participate.
  • Highlight progress each week and ask everyone for feedback.

Final Words

The team meeting is essential to any organization, whether a startup or a multinational corporation. It is common for workers to spend a lot of time in these meetings.

The team can be energized and productive by introducing fun ideas and topics during meetings. Our list of fun topics for team meetings at work will hopefully inspire you to reinvent your team meetings and make them more engaging and productive. 

FAQ

1) How to make team meetings more interactive?

Using fun ideas and topics for team meetings can make the sessions more interactive and enjoyable. Team bonding activities and fun games can energize your team members and boost their performance.

2) How to start a fun team meeting?

Here are some ideas for starting team meetings in a fun way

  • Creative an interactive agenda
  • Utilize tools that allow for collaboration
  • Start with an icebreaker
  • Design specific roles for all team members

3) How to end a team meeting?

You should end your team meeting by gathering final thoughts and summarizing key points. 

4) Which five items would you include in the meeting agenda?

If you want your meeting to be productive, you must include these 5 things in your agenda.

  • Identify the meeting’s goal
  • List the question you want to address
  • Estimate the amount of time needed to discuss each topic
  • Identify the purpose of each task
  • Clarify expectations and responsibilities

5) What are some ideas for an out-of-the-box team meeting?

Here are some ideas for out-of-the-box team meetings:

  • Team Pomodoro session
  • Outdoor meetings
  • Breakfast meeting
  • Field Trip
  • Walking Meeting