Quick Description
Create your own virtual meeting yoga. Have everyone on the remote video call turn on their cameras. One by one, they invent a name and pose for a yoga position. Everyone does the pose.
How to Play
On a virtual meeting, have everyone turn on their cameras and change the display into a grid or gallery view. This will allow the maximum number of people to be seen on the screen.
Explain that traditional yoga has poses that everyone does and that each pose has a name. Many of the names seem playful. For example, Downward Facing Dog, Happy Baby and Mountain Pose.
Explain that this group is going to create meeting yoga poses and names. Let them know anything is a possible pose.
Here is the structure.
- When you are called on you say the name of your pose and then take the position.
- While you hold the pose, everyone on the call will also do the pose.
- The person who just named the pose, picks the next person to create a pose.
You’ll have to gently remind people to call on the next person.
When you are done you can debrief it or just go on to your meeting agenda.
Examples:
Hand up blocking the camera. “I can’t think of anything pose.”
Looking down and to the right. “I swear I’m not checking my phone pose.”
Looking at the camera with a slight tilt of the head. “I’m listening pose.”
Notes
This is a playful icebreaker. It gets everyone’s voice in the room and it gives everyone a moment of leadership.
If someone on your team is struggling – you can tell them they can ‘pass’. The goal of the activity is to be playful not create stress. Although it might be fun to talk about why it was stressful.
This game is also called Faux-Ga. Clever, isn’t it?
Debrief
Debrief toward the topic or skill you want the group to develop.
Possible goals for the debrief:
- Embracing uncertainty
- How the team deals with risk
- Speaking with confidence
- Contributing to discussions
- The principles of improvisation
- Imposter Syndrome
- and more
Ask the group how the exercise felt. Give them time to answer. There may be silence for a while, breathe through it.
Ask the group how the exercise relates to [insert learning objective].
Encourage input from as many people as possible.
Ask how the exercise might inform a change to the behaviors and mindset for [the learning objective].
Variations
Have one person name the pose and then call on another person to create the pose. Then that person names a pose and calls on another person to create the pose.
Have people brainstorm names of virtual meeting poses in the chat function. Then call on people to show the team the pose.
You could also create poses for a specific type of meeting: Poses for a new hire orientation. Poses for a product launch. Poses for a weekly update meeting. Pick something that resonates with your group.
The Worlds Worst Yoga Teacher. Everyone stand up if they can and want to. One person starts. They are the Worlds Worst Yoga Teacher. They do a movement and give it a name. Example: Opening the window. (mime opening a window – repeat). Then the person who shared that yoga movement puts their hands together and with a slight bow says, ‘Namaste’. Then call on another person in the group to be the next Worst Yoga Teacher. Adam Sismey who created this activity says making it the ‘Worlds Worst’ helps lower to bar of success.
Origin
Adam Sismey taught me The Worlds Worst Yoga Teacher.
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