Usher in a bit of levity with a virtual scavenger hunt
It’s amazing how we can work side-by-side with someone and still only know a little bit about them. This is often the result of a hyper focus on “the work” instead of the person. You don’t need to become everyone’s best friend, but failing to build social capital will come back to bite you when you need it most.
So start where you are!
Tony Martignetti (CIO, Inspired Purpose Coaching): “Growing up as a child of an immigrant, I was taught that honest hard work is the only way to get ahead in life and the harder you work the more you could achieve. Naturally, this led me to become an overachiever in everything I did. Often, getting frustrated when things did not go according to plan. I learned how to break the pattern and that it is not working harder that leads to success but working smarter. This theme followed me throughout my years and this drive has fueled my purpose to support others on their mission.”
Tony Martignetti of Inspired Purpose Coaching shared a personal story to highlight the impact that a virtual scavenger hunt moment had on his ability to connect with and feel closer to perfect strangers at an industry event.
Back when office life was a thing, we used to hold scavenger hunts to help new employees get acclimated to their environment. It’s also a great way to make staff aware of what’s available to them. It’s also great as an event icebreaker, meeting energizer, or to drive home a point during training.
Setup Your Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Follow this recipe to spice things up at your next event. First, gather all necessary materials and decisions or more of your teammates. You’ll need at least 5+ attendees, but you may still have a great time with three really engaged ones.
Basic instructions: Ask everyone to go find different objects in their space and bring them back to show to the group. Don’t overthink it!
Upgrade your virtual scavenger hunt:
- Add a prize: Use a gift card, dessert item, time off, and company branded items as a participation incentive.
- Connect the virtual scavenger hunt to your objectives: If you’re teaching about a certain topic, you can ask people to find objects related to that topic (e.g., for a wellness presentation, ask attendees to locate an item that supports their health).
- Incorporate story time: Supercharge the scavenger hunt by incorporating stories (both true and false) about the items. When people return with their items, ask them to tell a true or false story about the item. If you are facilitating, be sure to find these items for yourself before the session starts and have them close by so you can participate as well. This is a great way to learn more about your attendees.
10 Scavenger Hunt + Storytime Prompts
Here are 10 items that can prompt meaningful and interesting stories. They were selected for a remote work environment where most people should be able to find these items in their homes. For these items, ask participants to find an item and return with a story about it or reason why they selected it.
- Locate something furry.
- Find something that’s meaningful to you.
- Search for an object that you worked hard for.
- Bring back an object you traveled a long way to get.
- Share something you made.
- Locate an item that you wish wasn’t in your space.
- Find something that you can’t live without.
- Share a book that everyone should read.
- Go to your pantry and locate your favorite ingredient.
- Find something adorable.
The Levity Impactful Stories Series is designed to bring the concept of levity to life. Hear from real people with real stories, and discover the variety of options that are available to you too. Is your environment setup to support levity? Find out now.
