Standups Over Coffee

Countless workers across the world start their day with a cup of coffee. Countless workers across the world also start their day with daily standup meetings.

Combine the two and you have this activity – standups over coffee.

The purpose of this team building activity is to replace the daily standup for remote teams. In a real-world office setting, daily standups are short (under 10 minute) sessions where team members talk about what they’re doing today. It’s called a “standup” because that’s exactly what team members do – standup during the meeting.

With this remote team building activity, you’ll ask team members to have a quick phone call or video chat session over their morning cup of joe (or tea). Team members will talk about their day while sipping their favorite beverage.

Number of participants: 2+

Duration: 10 minutes

Objective: Build camaraderie and improve communication

How to play:

1. Ask team members to find a coffee shop near their home or workspace (if they work out of a coworking space). This isn’t necessary, but holding the meeting in a public space naturally limits its duration.

2. Team members hold a group video chat for 10 minutes while inside the coffee shop.

3. Limit chat focus to the top items on each person’s agenda, what they intend to do, and what they need help with.

4. The team leader’s job is to make sure that the conversation is fun but short.

Strategy

Having a daily video call while doing something casual can help break the ice between team members. When you see someone every day in an informal setting, you often feel that you know them. It’s also great for improving communication and bringing clarity to work schedules.