Is your creative team feeling disconnected by working remotely?

In today’s remote / hybrid work environment, building strong, connected teams is more important than ever. While remote work offers flexibility and convenience, it can also lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection. Since the Covid lockdown, we’ve seen firsthand how vital it is to maintain team cohesion while everyone is working from different locations.

Team building isn’t just about fostering good relationships—it’s about enhancing collaboration, boosting morale, and ensuring everyone feels like a valued part of the team. In a creative field, where collaboration and idea-sharing are key, a well-bonded team can make all the difference in delivering exceptional work. But with busy schedules and tight deadlines, finding time for team building can be challenging. That’s why I’m a big advocate for short, impactful activities that can be done in under an hour. These activities are designed to keep your team engaged, connected, and creatively energized, without taking too much time away from your workday.

Here are five quick and creative activities that you can incorporate into your remote team’s routine to help strengthen those bonds and keep your team performing at its best.

1. Quick Brainstorming Sessions

• Description: Engage your team in a focused 30-45 minute session where everyone contributes ideas to solve a specific problem or generate creative solutions for a project.

• Benefit: Encourages collaborative thinking and helps the team quickly align on a direction.

• Example: If your team is working on a new marketing campaign, use this session to brainstorm taglines or key visuals. Each member can contribute ideas, and by the end, you’ll have a list of creative directions to explore further.

2. Flash Design Challenge

• Description: Provide your team with a fun design prompt and give them 30 minutes to create a quick solution. It could be anything from redesigning a logo to creating a social media graphic.

• Benefit: Stimulates creativity and encourages quick thinking, helping team members to think on their feet.

• Example: Challenge your team to redesign your company’s homepage using only three colors and one font. After the session, have everyone share their designs for a quick review.

3. Virtual Show-and-Tell

• Description: Each team member shares something they’ve recently created or a piece of work that inspires them during a 30-45 minute meeting.

• Benefit: Builds camaraderie, provides inspiration, and helps team members learn from each other’s experiences.

• Example: A team member could share a recent website design they worked on, explaining the thought process behind their choices. Others might share an interesting article or a design trend they’ve come across. My personal fave is featuring an item that is within arms reach of where they are. What is it and why do they have it? 

4. Collaborative Playlist Creation

• Description: Spend 15-30 minutes creating a team playlist where each member contributes a few songs that reflect their current mood or the vibe of a project.

• Benefit: Enhances team bonding and creates a shared sense of culture within the team.

• Example: Before starting a new project, ask everyone to add a song that represents how they want the project to feel. This playlist can then be used as background music during work sessions. I love, love this one.

5. Creative Writing Prompt

• Description: Give your team a 10-minute creative writing prompt related to your current project or something abstract, followed by a brief sharing session.

• Benefit: Stimulates divergent thinking and offers a fun, low-pressure way to engage the team creatively.

• Example: Ask the team to write a short story or paragraph imagining your brand as a character in a story. After 10 minutes, have everyone share their stories and discuss how the different interpretations can inform your project.

Building a strong, cohesive team in a remote environment doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complex. With just a few minutes to an hour, you can implement creative activities that not only strengthen team bonds but also inject fresh energy into your projects. 

Incorporating these practices into your remote work routine can make a difference in how your team collaborates and innovates. By supporting a culture of creativity and open communication, you ensure that every team member feels valued and inspired, no matter where they are working from.

So next time you’re looking for a way to bring your team closer and spark some creativity, try out one of these activities. You might be surprised at how much of an impact a short, focused session can have on your team’s morale and productivity. Keep making magic happen!