You’ve scheduled a Teams or Zoom call with your team since most of your employees work remotely. While on the call, you notice that some members have their cameras off, and the ones who do, are doing other things while pretending to pay attention.
It’s an issue of engagement that affects organizations of all sizes around the world. And it’s not just having to do with work-related matters. Engagement can be a challenge for team building events, as well, especially for remote-based groups.
There is a powerful way to connect and unite distributed teams, though. It’s called music. That’s because music offers teams ways to be creative, to collaborate, and to have fun, all transcending physical boundaries.
Let’s look at why including music in your virtual team building events could be the key to stronger team connections, enhanced worker productivity, and a more engaged organization.
Why Music-Based Virtual Team Building Works
Music is a universal language. It bridges cultures and unites opposing viewpoints. Scientific studies have shown that it helps build trust, promotes creativity, fosters a sense of community, and produces memorable moments. Team members who engage with music together create shared experiences on both emotional and intellectual levels. For distributed teams, feeling connected to other co-workers is important for knowledge-sharing and a sense-of-worth feeling. Music is the ultimate way to bond teams.
Key Benefits of Virtual Music Events Remote Teams
There are several benefits to including music in your virtual team building activities. Here are a few of them.
Enhanced Communication and Collaboration
Music team building activities help encourage participants to listen to each other, coordinate their efforts, and work toward a common goal. Whether it’s creating a team anthem or taking part in a virtual drum circle, these activities strengthen communication skills that translate to everyday work situations.
Increased Creativity and Innovation
When people are engaged with music, different parts of their brains are activated, compared to when they’re engaged with typical work tasks. Music can help people think more creatively and solve problems from new angles, which can lead to innovations and fresh perspectives in their work responsibilities.
Improved Moods and Reduced Stress
Whether you enjoy smooth jazz or hand-banging metal, music provides a break from your routine work and helps reduce your stress levels. Even the act of making music together helps release endorphins, leading to strong connections among team members and contributing to a positive work environment.
Strengthened Team Bonds
Shared musical experiences help develop stronger, interpersonal connections among workers that extend beyond the experience itself. These bonds lead to improved collaboration, workplace satisfaction, and more cohesive teams, even for those who are remote.
Music Team Building Ideas That Are Fun and Effective
Several music-based experiences can be effective for remote teams. Here are a few ideas.
Virtual Songwriting
An activity like the Team Anthem experience is a great way to encourage collaboration while also creating a memorable moment. Led by world-class musicians, teams work together to write and perform their own songs, often using company values and goals in the lyrics.
Music Challenges
Friendly competition through music-based trivia contests, like the Virtual Rock & Roll Game Show, can create memorable experiences for team members who like to show off their musical knowledge.
Lip Sync Battles
Not everyone likes to sing, but most like to pretend they’re music stars. In a Lip Sync Battle, teams choose a hit song they like, create choreography, and perform it for the other teams. It’s a great way to break down departmental barriers and strengthen team bonds.
Making Music Team Building Activities Inclusive for All Groups
A successful music-based team building event, whether in-person or virtual, relies on creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable participating, regardless of whether they have any musical training.
Remember to focus on participation and not perfection. Make it clear that the goal is to have fun and make connections with each other. No one is there to make a Grammy award-winning song. Also, offer several ways for team members to contribute that match their comfort levels. Some people might want to just write lyrics, while others will want to sing.
Bringing Your Team Together Through Music
Virtual music events are a great way to strengthen your teams and create memorable experiences. Some of the other benefits of team building include better communication skills and a more engaged organization.
And the best part of music-based team building activities is that they create an emotional impact beyond the event itself. People may not always remember a PowerPoint presentation, but they’ll remember that pop song you all created together.
Connect with us to learn how we can help you design music team building events for your organization. And visit our blog for more stories about the power of music and how it can transform teams.