27 Fun Getting to Know You Activities for Work Teams

Strong personal bonds between colleagues have been proven to boost employment fulfillment and engagement, making getting to know you activities a vitally important activity for every team.

If you and your team don’t play getting to know you activities, you’re probably missing out on some big-time professional benefits.

Why?

Because, whether you work remotely or together in the office, one thing’s for sure: knowing your colleagues on a personal level is one of the best ways to create a strong, positive, and productive work environment—in turn creating a more successful organization. In fact, employee fulfillment has been directly correlated to their relationships with colleagues.

Whether you’re onboarding new employees, connecting teams that don’t interact very often, or simply looking to become better acquainted with your colleagues, getting to know you activities will do the trick. And what’s best is that they can be played whether you’ve got an hour set aside or you just want to spend five minutes interacting before you start a meeting.

So, we’ve compiled our 27 favorite virtual and in-person activities to help you get to know your colleagues better.

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18 Getting to Know You Activities for In-Person Teams

Whether you’re looking to host your team for an off-site meeting, fill some time when you’re away for a conference, or just want to have some fun as a group, there’s a get to know you game that’ll fit the bill.

Check out our favorites.

Two Truths and a Lie

There’s a good chance you’ve heard of the game Two Truths and a Lie. 

But if not, the premise is pretty simple: each person on your team will be tasked with coming up with three facts. Two of them will be true, and one will be a lie.

Then, the rest of your group will need to decide which ones are which – and you might be surprised by the answers!

It’s an absolutely hilarious activity for getting to know your colleagues better and discovering fun things about them.

Team Pursuit

Nothing’s better for getting to know each other than an activity that’s all about using unique skills and finding out new things about your colleagues.

In Team Pursuit, your team will need to get their energy levels up in order to tackle a series of mental, physical, skill, and mystery challenges, earning points for each successfully completed challenge.

What kinds of challenges will you be up against? We’re glad you asked. A few highlights include:

• Air Band Geeks: Who used to or still does play an instrument? Find at least three band geeks and have them hold “air” versions of their instruments. Record a 5-second video of them playing part of a song.
  
  
• Juggling Responsibilities: Who can juggle? Take a 5-second video with that person juggling three or more objects.
  
  
• Tasty Trivia: You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What is it?
  
  
• Commonalities: Determine your team’s most unique commonality. Once you figure out the most unique thing your group has in common, write a rap or rhyme about it of at least 4 lines. Then record a 5-second video of a teammate performing it.
  
  
• Sing-Along: Choose a popular song and rewrite the lyrics to be about your team. Record a 5-second video of your team performing it and enter the original song’s title in caption space.

Your team won’t be able to help but have a blast with this activity.

Unique and Shared

If you’re looking for a fun game to help your colleagues get to know one another better, this is a great option because it will show them what they have in common as well as what makes them unique.

Here’s how it works.

Break your team into small groups—between three and five people will offer the best results. Then, give them a set amount of time and ask them to chat until they determine three things they all have in common as well as one thing that’s unique about each person.

Typically, around half an hour works well.

Then, you can either create new groups and do the exercise again or get the full group back together to share everyone’s findings. 

Corporate Castaways

Here’s an interesting get to know you activity question: how would your team handle being stranded on a deserted island together? With this activity based on the popular TV game show is for you, you’ll find out.

In Corporate Castaways, your group will split into “tribes” to collaborate and tackle fun physical and mental challenges. Each challenge is worth a unique number of points based on its level of difficulty, so each tribe will need to be strategic in how they complete them.

The team with the most points when time runs out will be crowned Corporate Castaways Champions!  

Show and Tell

If the idea of “show and tell” conjures up images of kindergarten classes, you’re not necessarily wrong—but there’s a good reason why this get to know you game is used in classrooms and offices alike!

Set out a day and ask each person to bring something they’re interested in, proud of, or that represents them. Give each team member a few minutes to share what it is and why it’s meaningful to them with the rest of the group.

You might be surprised just how much you can learn about your colleagues this way.

Cardboard Boat Building Challenge

This hands-on spring team building activity takes you out on the high seas (or the local beach or swimming pool) and balances team building, business lessons, and, of course, getting to know each other. Your team will be challenged to build functional floating vessels out of nothing but cardboard and tape. Then, it’s time to get in the water and test their handmade boats. 

Get to Know You Bingo

You’re probably familiar with bingo, but this version comes with an ultra-social twist.

All you need to do is create bingo boards with unique traits, hobbies, or achievements on them. Then, write each one down on a small piece of paper that you can draw from a box or a bag.

You can do a little background research on each of your employees to include things that are specific to individuals and mix them with more common ones.

This could include things like:

• Traveled to X country
• Likes cats more than dogs
• Loves to watch sports
• Was recently married
• Has a child
• Has a side hustle
• Owns stocks
• Addicted to shopping online
• Is an only child
• Loves to dance
• Likes to garden
• Sings in the shower or bath

As you draw the pieces of paper, call out what’s on them to the rest of the group. Ask people to throw up a hand once they hear one that applies to them so that others can learn more about them. The first player to get them all (or makes an X or diamond) wins.

Game Show Extravaganza

Here’s the thing about trivia: nobody has all the answers to every question. But when you’re working with a team, someone will likely have the answer you need. It’s all about getting to know your team and figuring out who knows what.

And with Game Show Extravaganza, teams will work collaboratively to answer trivia questions with topics ranging from pop culture to sports, world history, and beyond. Teams will earn points for each correct answer. Whichever team has the most points when time runs out will be named the winner!   

Icebreaker Questions

Whether you’re looking to kickstart a meeting with a laugh, spice up your next social get-together, or host an event that’s all about getting to know each other, you can’t go wrong with icebreaker questions.

The great thing about team building icebreakers is that you can learn so much about your colleagues in a way that feels natural, light-hearted, and low-pressure.

You might want to try some fun questions like:

• What does your morning routine look like when working from home?
• How many cups of coffee, tea, or beverage-of-choice do you have each morning?
• Do you have any pets as in-house colleagues?
• What’s something you are really proud of accomplishing?
• What’s something interesting about your family history?
• When you’re not at work, what are your passions?
• You have your own late-night talk show. Who do you invite as your first guest?
• What would the title of your autobiography be?
• What was your favorite band ten years ago?
• If you could live in any country, where would you live?
• Snow, sand, or other?
• You’re going sail around the world. What’s the name of your boat?
• If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore who would it be and why?
• If someone offered you a million dollars to give up your smartphone forever, would you do it?
• What’s your cellphone or computer wallpaper? 
• If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be any why?
• If you were forced to participate in a flash dance, what song would you perform to and why?
• What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?
• How do you like your eggs?
• What’s the best advice you’ve ever given?
• If you could be guaranteed one thing in life (besides money), what would it be?
• If you could be the funniest or smartest person in the room, which would you choose?

And that’s just a small sample of the possibilities! If you want more inspiration, we’ve got a list of 300 team building icebreaker questions you can use.

Picnic Party Games

Here’s our advice for building strong bonds between colleagues: head out for a social activity and then work in some getting to know you activities.

We recommend a picnic paired with Picnic Party Games.

In this activity, your group can split up into teams, pairs, or individuals. Together, you’ll compete through an array of fun and high-energy challenges, collecting points for each one you complete. You can make this as competitive or as light-hearted as you’d like. 

Some of the challenges you might get include:

• Balancing Act: Have one teammate lay on the ground, place an uncapped bottle of water on their forehead, and record a 5-second video of them trying to stand up without spilling
  
  
• Photo Booth: Collect whatever props are available and stage a photo booth beach shoot in the park, then position the image of the beach scene in the shot and snap a creatively posed team photo
  
  
• Brain Freeze: Record a 5-second video of a teammate getting a brain freeze by drinking a cold bottle of water as quickly as possible
  
  
• Head Rush: Snap a photo of a teammate doing an unassisted handstand or headstand

This is a great way to take your outdoor time up a notch.

21 Questions

This game is super simple, but it’s a great way to discover new things about your colleagues.

All you need to do is break your team into smaller groups and then take turns having the group ask each person 21 questions they want to know.

These questions can either be purpose-driven to learn something specific about people or open-ended to learn general answers about one another.

Whose Story Is It?

Another great way to learn something that might surprise you about your teammates is with a get to know you game called Whose Story Is It?

To play, have each person write down a fun, wild, whacky, or unbelievable story about themselves. Next, have one person draw the stories one by one and read them aloud.

Then, everyone gets to guess at whose story it is. You never know what you might learn about people!

You can also tweak this game to focus on people’s fun talents or strange skills.

Top Five

The goal of this get to know you game is to find out what people love based on various different categories.

To start, write down a list of categories, such as:

• Movies
• Books
• Actors
• Bands, songs, or albums
• Travel destinations
• Foods
• Video games
• Animals
• Cars
• Hobbies
• Celebrities
• Day-off activities
• Cocktails

Then, go through each category and ask your colleagues to share their top five favorites for each.

Never Have I Ever

We personally love this get to know you game for team happy hours.

The rules of Never Have I Ever are simple: players take turns listing potential experiences they’ve never had, using the phrase “never have I ever…”

If someone has, in fact, done that thing, they have to take some action—whether it’s a sip of their drink at happy hour or a spin in their office chair.

This is a great way to find out hilarious new things about your colleagues.

You can also play this without drinks. In this version, the person simply stands up if they’ve done the action in question.

Would You Rather?

When it comes to getting your colleagues better, there are few ways more efficient (or hilarious) than with would-you-rather questions.

If you’re unfamiliar with these questions, the premise is pretty straightforward: you ask somebody a question with an either-or outcome, and they have to decide which they’d prefer.

But here’s where it gets good: would-you-rather questions offer virtually endless possibilities, from thought-provoking and insightful to downright ridiculous.

You can try questions like:

• Would you rather Danny DeVito or Danny Trejo play you in a movie?
• Would you rather watch nothing but Hallmark Christmas movies or nothing but horror movies?
• Would you rather always have B.O. and not know it or always smell B.O. on everyone else?
• Would you rather spend a week in the forest or a night in a real haunted house?
• Would you rather be 11 feet tall or nine inches tall?
• Would you rather hunt and butcher your own meat or never eat meat again?
• Would you rather walk to work in heels or drive to work in reverse?
• Would you rather find true love today or win the lottery next year?
• Would you rather be forced to live the same day over and over again for a full year, or take 3 years off the end of your life?
• Would you rather travel the world for free for a year or have $50,000 to spend however you please?
• Would you rather know the answer to every trivia question or the lyric to every song?
• Would you rather go for a run or go for a hike?

And that’s only scratching the surface! For more ideas, check out our extensive list of would-you-rather questions for work.

Where I’m From

Whether you work together in the office or with a remote team, this is a great get to know you game for learning more about where people are from—either where they live or grew up or their nationality.

All you need to do is get a big map and some pins.

Have each person put a pin the place that they’re from and share a detail or two about that place with the rest of the group.

Scavenger Hunt

While this isn’t necessarily your typical get to know you game, scavenger hunts are a great way to help get colleagues better acquainted.

After all, they foster collaboration, help people learn to work together, and show how each person prefers to operate within a team.

You might like:

Wild Goose Chase

In this scavenger hunt activity, your team can get out of the office and explore your city in a whole new way. Together, your team will need to think outside the box, bond as a group, and venture outside into the community in order to complete a series of fun and unique photo and video challenges.

You’ll need to tackle a list of challenges, including:

• Snap a photo of your team standing next to a large public clock that reads EXACTLY 22 minutes past the hour
  
  
• Search for a business that is open 24 hours 7 days a week and snap a photo of a team member with the sign showing the business’ hours
  
  
• Snap a photo of a teammate next to a vehicle that has an “antique” or “collectible” license plate
  
  
• Head to a nearby playground and take a photo of your entire team balanced on a seesaw. Here’s the catch: everyone’s feet must be off the ground while balanced!
  
  
• Find a hopscotch course or use a piece of chalk to create your own on a sidewalk. Record a 5-second video of a teammate hopping and completing it
  
  
• Stage a martial arts battle with another team in a nearby park. Record a 5-second video of both teams facing each other (with plenty of space between you) and doing the famous crane kick

The team with the most points when time runs out will be named the winners!

Scavenger Hike

Nothing helps your team to relax and recharge like getting out into nature. So, consider heading out for a day hike or nature walk with your group and doing a scavenger hunt while you’re at it. For instance, there are best day hikes in Europe that provide scenic routes ideal for team exploration. With expert tips for 2024 at hand, you can ensure each step is memorable.

Before you go, create a list of things your team will have to take photos of. This could include:

• Birds
• Animal tracks
• A tree growing out of a tree trunk
• A stream of river
• A waterfall
• Berries
• Wildflowers
• A cave
• Trail markers
• A beautiful view
• Fruit on trees
• Rock formations
• Spiderwebs
• Trash or litter you can clean up
• Fallen branches or trees

This will vary depending on where you live, but you can tailor your hiking scavenger hunt list to align with your geographical location.

The Amazing Chase

Inspired by the popular reality TV show The Amazing Race – on which teams race around the world, with each leg of the competition requiring the groups to solve puzzles, interact with locals, and complete challenges – this interactive scavenger hunt has teams following clues around their city and taking on physical and mental challenges to move on to the next destination.

With more teams in play, the stakes are even higher, and the competition is even more fierce.

For even more ideas, check out our list of 12 team building scavenger hunts your workgroup will love.

Q&A Jenga

Jenga is always a good time, but did you realize it can also be an activity for getting to know your colleagues better as well?

Here’s how it works.

Get a traditional Jenga stack and, on each brick, write an intriguing question tailored to gaining insights and interesting facts about teammates.

Then, play Jenga as you typically would—except, with each block you pull, answer the question about yourself.

This is a great way to get to know each other better in a fun and low-pressure environment.

Pro tip: If you’re on a remote team, don’t worry! These getting to know you activities can all be played easily on a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. All you need to do is use breakout rooms to split your team into smaller groups.

9 Virtual Getting to Know You Activities for Remote Teams

Physical distance can make it extra challenging to get better acquainted with your colleagues, but it certainly doesn’t make it impossible. The key is to find the right virtual getting to know you activities to play with your colleagues.

The good news? All you need is a video conferencing platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Here are a few get to know you games your team will love.

Virtual Beach Staycation

We’re all in desperate need of a vacation. Luckily, Captain Furling has room for you and your colleagues on his virtually chartered yacht. Come aboard and transport to your “inner Cancun” for a tropical online team building adventure.

Get together for some laid-back fun with your colleagues as you get to know each other even better.

Create a Team Quit with Kahoot! E-Learning

Make learning fun and stay connected with Kahoot! With Kahoot! for business, you can create an interactive question-and-answer presentation in minutes. This online platform offers quiz and open-ended questions, polls, word clouds, and more. 

Not meant to be a serious learning and development tool, your questions should be upbeat and relevant to your organization—such as fun facts about employees.

Once you’ve made your presentation, share your screen with your team using GoToMeeting, Zoom, or any of the previously mentioned video conferencing platforms, and let the e-learning begin!

Virtual Social Shuffle

Get to know your colleagues and build better connections with this ultra-social virtual team building activity for remote groups. Your group will learn fun facts about one another as you tackle a series of themed discussion topics together and engage in exploratory conversations.

Donut on Slack

While it’s not necessarily a getting to know you activity, you can automate employee engagement and relationship-building using Slack with an app called Donut. This plugin introduces people who don’t know each other well via direct messages and encourages them to meet in person or virtually for a variety of purposes.

This includes:

• Social + watercooler: Facilitate daily conversation prompts in channel, virtual coffee meetups, CEO coffee lotteries, and lunch roulette  
  
  
• Remote or hybrid employees: Create remote team lunches, daily donut meetings, and cross-department introductions
  
  
• Learning: Run peer mentorship programs, code review pals, and sales demo buddies  
  
  
• DEI + ERGs: Organize discussion groups on diversity, equity, and inclusion and support employee resource groups  
  
  
• New hires: Connect new hires through onboarding buddies, new hire lunches, or job shadowing

Donut is a great way to build connections with people who might not otherwise have the chance to.

Virtual Jeoparty Social

If your remote team is eager to socialize, have some fun as a group, and channel their competitive spirit, we’ve got just the thing for you!

With Virtual Jeoparty Social, you and your colleagues will step into your very own virtual Jeopardy-style game show—equipped with a buzzer button, a professional actor as your host, and an immersive game show platform!

Best of all, this game has been infused with an ultra-social twist: players will take part in a unique social mixer challenge between each round, making it the perfect getting to know you activity.

Book Clubs

Sometimes, getting to know you activities can be ongoing rather than single-day events. For instance, starting a book club is a great way to help people socialize and learn more about one another.

Once per month, one person in the book club can suggest their favorite book for everyone to read. Then, your teammates can connect weekly to discuss their thoughts, insights, and opinions on the book together.

Virtual Happy Hour Trivia

In the last section, we mentioned how happy hours are a great way to help employees socialize and get to know each other better in a relaxed atmosphere. And virtual happy hours are no exception!

So, if you’re looking to level up your happy hour with some getting to know you activities, we’ve got the perfect option for you.

This is no ordinary happy hour trivia game. In this activity, you and your team will take a trip to Hamish McDuff’s virtual pub. This hilarious Scottish pub owner is the legendary host of a trivia game with more than 20 category options to choose from, including sports, food and drink, and even celebrity real estate. This virtual pub trivia game is guaranteed to produce plenty of laughs and lift team “spirits.” It might even include a few special surprises.

If you’re looking for even more amazing online happy hour activities, check out our list of incredible virtual happy hour games for work teams.

Guess Whose Fridge

One thing that everyone has, and which is almost always a little different for each person, is a refrigerator. And if you want to learn something unique about them, then it’s a good place to start.

So, for a simple getting to know you activity, you can play Guess Whose Refrigerator.

All you need to do is have everybody send a photo of their fridge to the person who’s coordinating the activity. Then you can show them all one by one, with each player submitting their answer for who they think this fridge belongs to.

Everyone who gets it right gets a point. Then, when every fridge has been shown, the person with the most points wins!

Guess Whose Workspace

You can broaden the scope of the last game to include your colleagues’ workspaces as well.

Since people don’t have cookie-cutter cubicles or desks at home, they’ve probably set their remote office up in a way that’s unique to them.

So, just like you would with their fridges in the last examples, have each employee send a photo of their workspace—or of a specific part of their office that they feel represents them—to the person organizing the game.

Then, have each person guess which workstation belongs to which person. For each one they get right, players get a point, and whoever has the most points after all the pictures have been reviewed wins!

The strongest teams have one thing in common: they all have strong interpersonal bonds. And strong teams create strong organizations.

So, it’s wise to take some time every now and again to get your team together to have fun, share some laughs, and play a few getting to know you activities.

Has your team taken part in icebreaker activities? If so, what was your favorite and why? Let us know if the comments section.

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Learn about how team building activities can act as perfect getting to know you activities for your workgroup.

If you’ve got questions about getting to know you activities for your team, reach out to an Employee Engagement Consultant.  

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