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Written on 07.12.22
So you’re thinking about hosting the perfect virtual Christmas party?
Hybrid working doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and connecting online is still a necessity. As more of us have migrated to save some money,
Although some of us may not be in commutable reach anymore, virtual platforms like Microsoft Teams have paved the way in keeping us all connected, not just professionally, but socially too, and it’s never been more important for teams and colleagues, working in isolation, to connect over the festive season, to not only feel the Christmas spirit, but that they are a part of something greater as well, which can often diminish when working from home.
With that said, this season presents the opportunity for our home bound colleagues to break their Christmas jumpers out of storage and compete in that all important ‘Caroloke’ showdown. Whatever the chosen activity, Teams has a way of making it possible for teams nationwide or globally to take part.
This blog will provide you with fun and innovative ways to host the perfect virtual Christmas party and really mix things up.
Kick off your Christmas party with a holiday happy hour. Start by sending a gift box of cocktail items to all those taking part for a live cocktail class. This could be done by a host of your choosing, or a professional mixologist for the session – this is a sure-fire way to get the party started.
Everyone should be all fired up after the holiday happy hour and raring to get stuck into the activities lined up for the evening, so why not set up an online game, and what better way to get to know fellow colleagues than taking part in a game of Who’s who, with Microsoft Teams Together mode. You can set your background to be festive or whatever you like and then just line up your team members.
Trivia quiz games are all the rage when it comes to remote virtual team building events and with the Kahoot app extension on Teams, you can create a quiz in literally minutes. Invent your own trivia game or choose a pre-existing one, it’s completely up to you. How about hosting a general knowledge pub quiz? Or a quiz on your co-workers? With the option to add video and images, you can really liven things up.
Why not take a leaf out of a classic TV game show’s book and host a game that is known and loved by everybody or a series of mini games with quick-fire rounds, using the Microsoft Teams forms app. This allows you to create and share quizzes, surveys, and polls. You can then choose whether to display results instantly or keep votes anonymous.
Here are some ideas to start you off:
A good old-fashioned game of Pictionary has always been an office winner and thanks to the whiteboard app in Teams, it is also possible to emulate the fun virtually. For some inspiration, use the Pictionary generator to select a word, and away you go.
Jackbox games claims to ‘leave no party goers behind,’ with a selection of online party games to suit all – think of inventive drawing, writing, trivia and hidden identity games for everybody to enjoy. Some popular titles include YOU DON’T KNOW JACK, Quiplash, Fibbage, Drawful, Trivia Murder Party, and more! and can be bought as a pack of five party games. Only one player needs to be registered and other players can have access by simply using a room code to enter a game through their personal devices. Games can be played in the form of lots of little mini games or as one virtual tournament.
When hosting your virtual get-together, start up the Jackbox Party pack of your choice. Use the screen sharing option in Teams, and make sure you check the “Include computer sound” option.
For more information on Jackbox games, click here
Now everybody has loosened up, it may be time for some festive karaoke. Get the Christmas tunes going and have your team members compete in a karaoke or ‘Caraloke’ showdown. Song lyrics can be screen shared for all to join in on the action.
This is the main event of the night, where everybody can socialise over some good Christmas grub of their choosing with some goodies thrown in via a Christmas hamper sent to all. This is a chance for people to really connect and just talk over some good food. During the meal, people can choose to dip in and out with breakout rooms to catch up with certain colleagues, as well as taking part in the main event.
Going virtual doesn’t mean you can’t have a Secret Santa, and there are many ways online to recreate the age-old office tradition. Here are a few:
To commemorate the night, colleagues can recreate the classic holiday party photobooth. Participants can gather a few props, festive or otherwise – Santa’s hat, sunglasses, feather boa, some tinsel and pose for a few screenshots to share using Snap camera photobooth in Teams. Colleagues can choose the same custom background for a more unified look or better yet, use the winter wonderland Together mode scene. The feature also includes filters, such as flower crowns, dog ears, cat hats, floating pizza slices, as well as lenses that transform users into potatoes or tigers. So, what are you waiting for, go and be a Christmas potato!
To learn more about how to use Teams photobooth, click here
Conclusion
Now, you’ve received some festive virtual inspiration, get stuck in and start organising the perfect virtual Christmas party.
With fast broadband connections and reliable communication services, such as web and video conferencing from partners such as Gamma, we offer many ways to keep your teams, clients and customers connected at all times.
For more information , on our range of mobile and broadband services for businesses click here to visit our website, Alternatively, call us on 020 7503 3020 or e-mail ictsolutions@aurora.co.uk
