11 Virtual Leadership Activities, Games & Ideas For 2023
Aug 22, 2024 • 15 min read
2023 is just around the corner and with the ongoing pandemic, the need to conduct virtual leadership training is more important than ever before. Virtual leadership training is not only an effective way to keep your remote employees engaged and motivated, but it can also help build trust, team cohesion and increase productivity. If you’re looking for virtual leadership activities, games and ideas to incorporate into your training program, here are some activities that you can consider:
You’ll learn:
- List of Virtual Leadership Activities
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List of Virtual Leadership Activities
Being an effective team leader in a virtual environment requires a unique set of skills and strategies. As more and more teams transition to remote work, virtual leadership skills has become essential. One of the most effective ways to train your team is to engage them in virtual workshops.
1. Spot the Difference
Incorporating fun and engaging activities in virtual leadership training sessions can help team members develop important skills while also boosting team cohesion and morale. One popular activity is “Spot the Difference”, a game that challenges participants to compare two images and identify the differences between them.
This activity not only encourages team members to work together to solve the puzzle, but it also develops their attention to detail and observation skills, which are essential qualities for effective leaders. It’s a fun way to get the team members to relax and interact with each other while simultaneously building their problem-solving abilities.
To play “Spot the Difference,” the trainer can first display an image on the screen and show it to the participants. Then, the trainer can display a second image, similar to the first one but with a few differences. The participants must compare the two images and spot the differences as quickly as possible. The team that identifies all the differences correctly, or the one that identifies the most differences within a set period of time, wins the game.
This game can easily be customized to fit the specific needs of each team and can be done using a variety of images, from iconic landmarks, popular celebrities, or even just pictures of the team members themselves. This activity is also an excellent ice-breaker for virtual teams and can be an excellent way to start your virtual leadership training off on a fun and relaxed note.
2. Leadership Coat of Arms
One innovative approach to virtual leadership training is the use of a Leadership Coat of Arms activity. This activity aims to develop leadership traits by creating a visual representation of one’s leadership persona in the form of a coat of arms.
The first step in creating a Leadership Coat of Arms is to identify the core values that guide one’s leadership style. This can include values like accountability, integrity, creativity, or adaptability. Once the core values are identified, participants can begin designing their coat of arms, incorporating symbols, colors, and images that represent these values.
Through this activity, individuals gain a deeper understanding of their leadership strengths and areas for improvement. The visual nature of the coat of arms allows for a clearer representation of one’s personal brand as a leader, which can be used as a tool for self-reflection and growth.
In addition, the Leadership Coat of Arms activity fosters team-building and collaboration. Participants can present their coats of arms to the group, sharing their insights on their leadership persona and learning from their colleagues’ perspectives.
3. Virtual Leadership Trivia
Virtual Leadership Trivia is an engaging and interactive way to develop your leadership skills while having fun. This activity is particularly popular amongst remote teams, virtual teams, and hybrid teams, where team cohesion and effective leadership are especially important.
Virtual Leadership Trivia comprises questions related to leadership traits, behaviors, qualities, and practices. For example, questions may be focused on leadership philosophy or effective communication techniques. The activity can be customized to suit the specific needs and interests of the group.
One of the key benefits of Virtual Leadership Trivia is that it encourages learning objectives in an interactive and engaging way. By using demand learning principles, the activity allows participants to acquire knowledge in a fun and exciting way, promoting retention and recall.
Additionally, the activity enables leaders to assess team members’ knowledge of leadership and identify areas for further training. This can help identify knowledge gaps and allow leaders to design training programs to address those gaps.
Virtual Leadership Trivia is also a great tool for employee engagement. By participating in fun activities that facilitate growth and development, employees are more likely to feel motivated and engaged in their work.
4. Leadership Race
Leadership is an essential component of any successful team or organization. With skilled leaders at the helm, teams can navigate challenges and achieve their goals more effectively. However, many leaders may not be fully equipped to lead in a virtual environment, which has become increasingly commonplace in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s where virtual leadership training comes in, offering a valuable opportunity to develop critical leadership skills that can benefit both team members and their organizations.
The Leadership Race is a highly effective virtual leadership training activity that offers a range of benefits for leaders at all levels. By building soft skills, enhancing team cohesion, encouraging innovation, and boosting engagement, the Leadership Race can help leaders develop critical skills and behaviors that can ultimately drive team success and benefit their organizations as a whole.
5. Situations
Virtual leadership training is becoming increasingly important in today’s workplace. With the rise of remote teams and virtual meetings, leaders need to adapt their leadership style to effectively manage their teams. Virtual leadership training provides the necessary skills and knowledge to lead effectively in a virtual environment.
Virtual leadership training provides leaders with the necessary skills to handle various situations in a virtual workplace. By addressing communication breakdowns, employee engagement, team conflicts, technology issues, and time management, virtual leaders can effectively manage their teams and drive success.
6. Elevator Pitch
Another key aspect of virtual leadership training is mastering the art of the elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a concise and compelling message that explains who you are, what you do and why it matters in the time it takes to ride an elevator.
In a virtual environment, the elevator pitch is more important than ever. With virtual meetings and networking events becoming the norm, it’s important for leaders to be able to quickly and effectively communicate their message.
To create an effective elevator pitch, leaders must first identify their unique value proposition. What sets you apart from others in your industry? What skills or experience do you bring to the table? Once you have identified your unique value proposition, craft a message that clearly communicates this value in a concise and compelling way.
It’s also important to tailor your elevator pitch to your audience. Consider the person or group you are speaking to and adjust your message accordingly. Make sure your message is relevant and resonates with your audience.
Practice is key when it comes to delivering an effective elevator pitch. Take the time to rehearse your message and experiment with different approaches. Get feedback from colleagues or peers and use their input to refine your delivery.
In a virtual setting, there are additional factors to consider when delivering an elevator pitch. Make sure you have the right technology and tools to effectively communicate your message. Practice speaking clearly and concisely, and use visual aids or slides to reinforce your message.
7. Best 30
In today’s world of remote and virtual teams, it’s crucial for leaders to possess the skills needed to effectively manage and engage their employees in a virtual environment. Virtual leadership training programs can provide leaders with the tools and techniques needed to enhance their soft skills and lead high-performing teams.
We’ve compiled a list of the 8 best virtual leadership training programs available to help leaders develop their skills:
FranklinCovey – The 7 Habits for Managers: Essential Skills and Tools for Leading Teams
This program focuses on building effective communication skills, managing team conflicts, and driving employee engagement for virtual and hybrid teams.
Dale Carnegie – Leadership Training for Managers
This program helps managers build leadership qualities and strengths, promote employee accountability, and foster teamwork in a virtual environment.
SkillPath – Leadership and Management Essentials for Emerging Leaders
This program teaches leadership skills such as employee motivation, communication, and team-building to help managers engage and motivate their virtual and remote teams.
Udemy – Virtual Leadership: Leading From a Distance
This program focuses on building virtual communication skills, such as effective messaging, conducting virtual meetings, and fostering engagement in a remote working environment.
LinkedIn Learning – Leadership Strategies for Successfully Leading Virtual Teams
This program teaches leaders key strategies and techniques for effectively managing virtual teams, including conflict management and building team cohesion.
CCL – Leading Virtual Teams
This program teaches leaders how to build trust and rapport in a virtual team environment, establish accountability, and deliver effective feedback and coaching to enhance team performance.
EdX – Leadership Communication for Maximum Impact: Storytelling and Influence
This program helps leaders develop their influence and storytelling skills to build trust, inspire change, and drive results in a virtual setting.
Coursera – Leading People and Teams Specialization
This program focuses on building leadership skills such as employee motivation, problem-solving, and critical thinking, with an emphasis on virtual and remote teams.
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8. Virtual Leadership Retreat
Virtual leadership training has become the norm in this pandemic-hit world. Teams are working remotely and managers are leading them from a distance. So it’s essential to train leaders in this new age of virtual collaboration. The pandemic might have restricted our movement but it has also given birth to innovative solutions. One of those solutions is the virtual leadership retreat.
The virtual leadership retreat provides leaders with an opportunity to hone their leadership skills in a peaceful and conducive environment. It is a perfect blend of traditional leadership retreat and modern virtual technology. The retreat helps leaders unwind from their routine, technology-driven lifestyle and provides them a chance to connect with their team and nature as well.
Virtual leadership retreats can offer a variety of activities, such as guided meditation sessions, team-building exercises, and keynote speeches from industry experts. Leaders get the chance to reflect on what their teams need and build productive conversations with their team members. They also get to learn leadership qualities and techniques that can help them deal with challenging situations.
9. Debatable
Debating is an age-old art form that can help improve critical thinking skills and foster healthy discussion among peers. However, debates can also be controversial and often stir strong emotions. The ability to handle controversial topics and engage in constructive debates is an essential skill for anyone who wants to succeed in today’s world. Here are some points to consider when it comes to debating:
Debates can improve critical thinking skills.
Debates require an individual to think analytically about a topic, gather evidence and analyze it logically. These skills are essential for success in any profession, and debates can help people develop them.
Debates can improve public speaking.
Public speaking skills are essential to convey a message effectively, whether it is in the boardroom, classroom or home. Participating in debates can help improve public speaking skills by cultivating confidence and poise.
Debates can be contentious.
Debates can be contentious, often leading to heated discussions. However, there are ways to keep debates respectful and productive, such as following established rules and tone-setting.
Debates can be polarizing.
Participants may hold different opinions about a topic, which can lead to polarizing debates. This is where the capacity to know how to listen and acknowledge differing viewpoints could be valuable.
Debates can build community.
Debates can also be used to build community by creating an environment where different opinions are welcome, and all voices are heard. This can foster a culture of openness, which can promote stronger team dynamics.
Debates can improve professional skills.
Debates can help professionals develop the communication skills and thought processes needed to excel in their chosen careers.
Debates create a safe environment.
Debates can be safe spaces where people can express their thoughts openly and without fear of retribution. The ground rules for the debate can help ensure that it’s a constructive and respectful space.
Debates can tackle important issues.
Debates can be used to address sensitive issues and bring different perspectives to the table. This can help promote understanding and possibly lead to solutions.
Debates can promote personal growth.
Debates challenge one to step outside of their comfort zone and listen to new ideas. This can help individuals become more open-minded, grow in understanding, and develop empathy.
10. Virtual Escape Room
One innovative approach to virtual leadership training is through virtual escape rooms. These online games combine team-building exercises with problem-solving challenges in a fun and engaging way. Virtual escape rooms provide a unique opportunity for remote teams to work together towards a common goal and develop their communication and collaboration skills.
The concept of virtual escape rooms is simple. Teams are presented with a scenario, such as being trapped in a haunted house or stranded on a deserted island, and have to solve a series of puzzles and challenges in order to escape. These puzzles require critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration, all of which are essential skills for effective leaders. Teams have to work together, share ideas, and make decisions in order to progress through the game and ultimately escape.
Virtual escape rooms offer a number of benefits to remote teams. First and foremost, they provide a fun and engaging way for teams to connect and work together. It can be difficult to foster collaboration and teamwork in a virtual environment, but virtual escape rooms provide a shared experience that helps to build team cohesion.
In addition, virtual escape rooms provide a safe and low-stakes environment for teams to practice their problem-solving and decision-making skills. It can be difficult to know what to do in high-pressure situations, but virtual escape rooms provide an opportunity for teams to practice these skills in a fun and low-stress environment.
Virtual escape rooms also offer a unique way to evaluate leadership skills. Leaders have to communicate effectively, delegate tasks, and make strategic decisions in order to succeed in the game. This allows for a more nuanced understanding of leadership skills, beyond just traditional training methods.
11. Role Playing
Role playing is a powerful tool that leaders can use to simulate real-world scenarios and help their teams develop critical skills. By taking on different roles and engaging in scenario-based simulations, employees can gain hands-on experience and practice applying their knowledge and techniques in a safe and controlled environment.
One of the benefits of role playing is that it provides an opportunity for employees to learn from their mistakes. Because role playing scenarios are typically low-stakes, employees can experiment with different approaches and techniques without worrying about making costly errors in the real world. As a result, employees can fine-tune their skills and build confidence in their abilities.
Leaders can incorporate role playing into their virtual leadership training programs by designing scenarios that are relevant to their team’s work or industry. For example, a sales team could simulate a customer meeting and practice their pitch and objection handling techniques. A project team could play out different stakeholder interactions and practice managing conflicts and negotiations.
Role playing can also be used to help employees develop soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and leadership. By taking on different roles and working together to solve complex problems, employees can learn to empathize with others, build trust, and communicate more effectively.
To maximize the effectiveness of role playing, it’s important for leaders to provide clear guidance and feedback. Set clear learning objectives before starting the simulation, and provide employees with feedback on their performance during and after the exercise. Encourage employees to reflect on their experience and identify areas for improvement.
In addition to being an effective learning tool, role playing can also be a fun and engaging way to break up the monotony of traditional training methods. By injecting some playfulness into the training program, leaders can help teams build stronger connections and reinforce the value of learning and development.
Conclusion
In conclusion, virtual leadership development training has become increasingly important in today’s remote work environment. Leaders must ensure that their teams are equipped with the necessary skills and qualities to meet the various challenges of working in a virtual environment, such as managing remote teams, conducting effective virtual meetings, and fostering team cohesion when working remotely.
Virtual leadership training can take many forms, including workshops, courses, and role playing exercises. Regardless of the specific training method, it’s essential that leaders set clear learning objectives and provide constructive feedback to help team members develop their skills and build confidence.
By investing in virtual leadership training, organizations can foster employee engagement, improve communication and collaboration, and ultimately drive better business results. As the work landscape continues to shift towards remote and hybrid teams, virtual leadership training will only become more critical to the success of organizations across all industries.
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Use the DigiWorks platform to hire, manage, and pay remote talent from all over the world.
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