Workshop and Meeting Energizers

I do a fair bit of online facilitation and I have noticed that sometimes doing silly games, or taking the mind off of the hard work - even if for a minute - can be really beneficial to the wellbeing of participants.

About the Energizer Templates

Whether you’re planning a meeting for a small team, or you are a teacher engaging 40 students online, these templates will help you start your sessions or bring the group back together after a break.

What is an Online Energizer?

Energizers are a great way to keep people engaged and focused if you’re in the middle of a slump or tackling a particularly complex topic. Transferring these into a remote environment is an essential tool to help people stay engaged in a remote meeting.

The Five Templates

1. 5 Senses

This exercise is very quick and great to get people to focus on the meeting - it invites people to take into consideration the rest of their body and their physical environment, and everything that is happening in the present moment. It is like a mini-meditation, disguised as a fun-game. Very easy to lead, as long as you stick to the order suggested (5 objects, 4 textures, 3 sounds, 2 smells and 1 taste).

2. Weather Report

I have a friend who says he does not have the "mood" organ. For some people, to express their moods in words can be really difficult. However, this kind of visualisation does not need words and can help get everyone on the same page. This exercise is great to do in silence, or if you want, you can play some music on the background. Give people time to compose their weather, and suggest they get creative and add other bits to it (eg: A UFO, or a blooming tree) that would help with nuancing their expression. If it feels safe, you can invite people to share a reflection about their picture.

3. Superpowers

This is an energiser to help your team show appreciation for each other in a creative way. Another variation is to have people draw their own portraits, which might be helpful for larger groups like students, etc. I would suggest you give the participants enough time to be creative, but not so much time that it drags on - it is nice if there is an element of trying to get everyone's portraits done under a certain time limit. I would work on them collectively, so people can self organize around the drawings - depending on the number of people you have. Or, you can create a rota and each person draws someone else.

4. GIF Challenge

GIFs are a dynamic and playful way to express feelings, and they can be especially helpful in easing the tension when people might be encountering difficult moments in a project. This game/energizer can also be used to start or end a meeting.

All you have to do is to ask a question pertinent to the group, and the moment, and invite people to answer it using an animated GIF. The easiest way to do that is participants go to https://giphy.com/ and choose a GIF they like, copy the URL and upload via url.

5. Emoji Story Scavenger Hunt

This is a very quick game, and you can do as many rounds as you want. Just pick one emoji and copy it into the frame. Then, people have a very short time window to find it. Whoever finds it has to make up a short story about that emoji.

Other versions could be: Curate a sequence of emojis, and as people find it, they narrate parts of a made-up story.

Workshop and Meetings Energizers Template FAQs

What are energizer activities?

Energizer activities help you lead meetings and workshops more effectively, warming up the room and getting participants focused and engaged. You can lead energizers in many ways, depending on your time and effort. This template contains five workshop energizer activities you can choose from, allowing you also to tailor them to your meeting as you see fit.

What are some good meeting warm-up questions?

Good warm-up questions are the ones that have the power to connect and engage your meeting participants. Avoid getting too personal or touching on topics that might be sensitive or not inclusive. It’s ok to ask questions about job experiences, skills, or entertainment, so people can connect and share their answers without feeling uncomfortable. Some questions examples: ‘What was your first job?’, ‘How many languages do you speak?’ or ‘What was the last book you read?’.

How do you make a workshop fun?

People usually engage in fun workshops and get value out of them. There are a few things that you can do to make your workshop fun, like keeping energy levels high by engaging people with workshop energizers or allowing them to learn something new at your workshop or meeting. Lead the workshop in a way that time is well planned, so it doesn’t feel dragged or too fast. Remember that for every meeting, it helps to have clear communication, inclusive guidance, and good time management.