You and your colleagues are only seeing each other during ZOOM-meetings. There is no more chit chat at the coffee corner or sneakily having an hour long conversation at the fax station. You and your colleagues have decided that you want to see each other in a different setting than the usual meetings. You’ve decided to throw a digital Friday afternoon get-together. Great idea. Here are 4 tips to help you out.
Have a solid plan
A thorough preparation is essential for every get-together. Make sure every colleague downloads the right software and that they have access to the login details. And make sure that everyone knows exactly when the party gets started to avoid unnecessary waiting. And last but not least, make sure that you choose appropriate software if you are planning on a large meeting, for example, Google Hangouts, Slack, Teams, Skype or Zoom.
Send a party box
Are you throwing a digital party? Then make sure that it is fun for everyone, even behind their screens. How? Send your colleagues a party package with some fun attributes. You can think of balloons (Dutch: ballonnen), helium balloons (Dutch: helium ballonnen), confetti cannons or other decorations to light up the room. And do not forget the drinks and snacks! A nice bottle of wine or some beers will get everyone excited for the party.
Is there something else to celebrate? For example, are there employees who have been in service for a certain amount of years? Or does someone have a birthday coming up? Then it is extra fun if you send all participants some birthday attributes, for example some birthday decorations or gadgets if a colleague turns 50 or 60. That will definitely be a surprise for the birthday boy or girl!
Implement games
Games are often a part of Friday night drinks. Luckily, you can also play games from behind your screen. For example, organise a fun quiz for all your colleagues. You can easily create a quiz via platforms such as Kahoot. Ask the most hilarious questions about your colleagues or about amusing occurrences of the foregoing get-togethers. Next to or instead of a quiz, you can also play Ranking the Stars. Ask everyone to fill in the questionnaire and let’s get ready to rumble!
Music isn’t a good idea
Usually, some good music at get-togethers is highly appreciated. At a digital party, however, music is not always a good idea. Because it is already a bit more challenging to communicate properly through a screen (especially with a lot of people), it is not handy if there is also music involved. This might bother people. One advantage: no music means no fights about the music taste of that one colleague!
Hopefully, your digital get-together will be an absolute blast with these tips. Do you have other tips to share? Please let us know.
