Zip-Zap-Zoom is a good meeting starter, especially for new teams. It brings energy to the room and the activity dynamics helps participants remember each other’s names.
Running the activity:
- Ask the team to form a circle, and each participant to close their hands while pointing index fingers.
- Explain the rules to participants: Each participant should, in their turn, give a verbal command and point to a receiver. The verbal command should be one of the following:
* Zip: Point to the person exactly at your side, keeping the previous direction.
* Zap: Point to the person exactly at your side, changing the previous direction.
* Zoom: Point to anyone in the circle, saying their name. The receiver should decide the direction for the next movement in their turn. - Ask a participant to make the first movement, giving one of the verbal commands and choosing the initial direction (clockwise or counterclockwise).
This activity not only is a good energizer but also pushes participants to focus, and helps them remember each other’s names. For extra fun, have some markers for when a participant executes a wrong command and get them to buy snacks afterwards.
Remote-team advice: This activity works well for remote teams. Ask people to follow the alphabetic order of names and follow it for the activity.