Mastering Virtual Team Introductions: Strategies for Building Rapport Online

Team rapport often begins with face-to-face interaction. In onsite work, the first face-to-face interaction is the employee’s first-day introduction. This is when they get to scrutinize fellow employees and form impressions beyond what their best resume writing services wrote on their CVs.

But how can you do that virtually? How can you introduce yourself on Zoom or other videoconferencing platforms and make an impact through the screen?

This blog shares a few virtual introduction strategies that will help build rapport online.

Personal Employee Videos

HR requests that new employees create a personal video. This is a short video introduction about themselves that lets the team know them on a deeper level. The video may contain the new hire’s background, hobbies, and reason for joining the company or the team. Some employees take it up a notch by creating a theme or making it funny and engaging.

Icebreaker Activities

When a team is meeting virtually for the first time, it’s important to put the meeting attendees at ease. Managers turn to some icebreaker activities to shake off the nerves.

Icebreaker Questions

Prepare 2-3 questions for everyone to answer. Choose non-polarizing questions that help team members share personal information without having privacy issues. Here are some examples:

• Where in the world are you? – If your team is working from different countries or continents, ask this question, but tell them not to name the place. Instead, they will describe their location by mentioning a trivia about it or a popular landmark. The others will guess the location. You can give a small prize to the best guessers.
• If you could choose any superpower, what would you choose and why? – This is one of the conversations that even the shy employees would want to be a part of. It also greatly helps you understand a team member’s values and approaches to work.
• What’s your nickname? – This doesn’t necessarily encourage using nicknames for each other, but some employees are comfortable being addressed less formally. What this question really wants to know is the backstory of the name, if there is one. Most nicknames do, and it can be another conversation starter.

Human Scavenger Hunt

This icebreaker game is best for a group of 10 or below. If your team is large, break it down into smaller groups. Create a list of at least 10 things your team may have experienced in the past. The group will go through the list, and the leader will award a point to the team member who “wins” each item. The member who has the most points “wins.” If you have more than one group, the groups can compete to see which individual winner has the highest points.

Here are examples of items you can place on the list. You can make it personal to the team if it will help make the game more exciting.

• Who has been to the most cities or countries?
• How many musical instruments can each team member play?
• Who has lived in the coldest cities?
• Who has the biggest collection of toys?

Six Degrees

Getting its idea from the popular game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, this game encourages team members to share things about themselves that will help teammates know them better. The individuals take turns sharing and discussing six pieces of information about themselves. Before the virtual meeting, the team lead or meeting organizer must inform everyone that they intend to play this game so team members can prepare their six items.

Company Trivia

If you’re part of HR or the management team that’s onboarding new hires, you can introduce the company by relating company trivia. But you can turn it into a trivia game. This is an excellent way to make new hires remember important details about the company in a relaxed atmosphere. Below are some of the trivia questions you can include in the game:

• What is the dominant color in the previous company logo?
• How many employees work here?
• What was our best year in terms of sales?
• What are our best-selling products and services?
• What is our company motto?
• What charity organizations do we support?

To encourage more participants, you can offer small prizes to the most active players.

Getting-to-Know-You Template

The problem with some virtual introductions is that they’re too straightforward—you don’t learn much about the person. HR experts suggest having an effective template to introduce yourself. Basic, but intentional.

• Hi, my name is (name) – Say your first name and your last name out loud and slowly. If your name is unconventional or can be associated with a celebrity, try to include that in your introduction. For instance, “Hi, I’m Tailor, with an i.”
• I live in (nearest big city) – Instead of mentioning your actual place of residence, say the nearest major city. This can spark conversations about local sports teams or city events, so more team members can relate.
• I am (title/position) – Some team members are curious about your title, not because they want to truly know it, but because they want to know where you stand in the power order. Who reports to you? Who do you report to?
• Before (current department/company), I worked at (previous department/company/ies) as (role/s). – Your resume service provider can be useful at this point. Mentioning your previous roles and work experience establishes confidence and trust. Those who came from your prior industries will feel they have an ally in you. Cherry-pick roles depending on the people who are with you in the virtual meeting.
• When I’m not (your current work responsibilities), I like to (hobbies and interests) – This is when you let them enter your real world, your life beyond work. It’s here where connections are created.

While the pandemic positively transformed the global workplace with remote work, it has diminished workers’ confidence to openly communicate and reduced the chance to form more lasting connections.

With these strategies to present strong and memorable virtual introductions, you can help your team gain confidence, create connections, and develop rapport.

The post Mastering Virtual Team Introductions: Strategies for Building Rapport Online appeared first on Woculus.

Ayo Oyedotun is a professional blogger and freelance writer. He reads, writes and talks about business. You can follow him on Twitter @Ayo_Oyedotun[http://twitter.com/#!/Ayo_Oyedotun] or read Business Owners’ Bible[http://woculus.com/].

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