Remote Workshops
Energizers card, MethodKit for Remote Workshops
Card 55 of 63 · MethodKit for Remote Workshops
  • ThemeEngagement & energy
  • CardCard 55 of 63
  • Questions5 to explore
  • StepOpen the session
Engagement & energy

Energizers

Warm-up & ice-breaker exercises

A well-chosen energizer at the right moment can reset a flagging group in two minutes flat.

Energizers are short activities designed to shift the group's state: warm them up at the start, re-engage them mid-session, or break the ice between people who do not know each other. In person, they often involve physical movement. Online, they need to be adapted to work through a screen.

The best remote energizers require minimal setup, work for people sitting at a desk, and have a clear moment where they are over. Bad ones drag on, require technology that half the group cannot access, or feel forced for the group you have. Matching the energizer to the group and the moment is the skill.

Online, specificallyPhysical movement energizers that work in a room need redesigning for a screen; remote versions rely on quick chat games, visual prompts, or brief breakout conversations rather than movement.

In a remote session

The same building block as it plays out online: how experienced facilitators tend to handle it when the room is a screen. Illustrations to react to, not rules to follow.

Keep it short and structured

Good facilitators run energizers that have a clear start, a defined duration (usually two to five minutes), and a crisp ending. Knowing when it is over is part of what makes it refreshing rather than awkward.

Use visual or chat formats

They prefer energizers that work through existing tools: a quick word association in chat, a one-question poll with a funny or surprising prompt, or a shared image everyone reacts to. These work regardless of camera status.

Match it to the group

They choose energizers that fit the culture and comfort level of the specific group. A playful image poll works in most contexts; a physical movement exercise works only if the group is already warm and the tone allows it.

Questions to plan around

Use these on your own or in a group. There are no right answers, only better conversations.

  1. At what points in your session does energy most need a reset, and what will you use there?

  2. Have you tested the energizer yourself so you know how to run it smoothly?

  3. Does this energizer require camera-on, and is that realistic for everyone in this group?

  4. How will you handle an energizer that the group does not respond to as expected?

  5. Are you using the energizer to genuinely shift energy, or filling time because it seems expected?

What trips people up online

  • An energizer that requires participants to stand up or move is fine in principle but will not work if people are in shared offices or tight spaces; always offer an alternative.
  • Energizers imposed on groups that did not expect them or find them infantilising can backfire; read the group and have a lighter option ready.
  • Over-running an energizer eats into the session time and creates pressure on the rest of the agenda, which defeats the purpose.