Remote Workshops
Fun card, MethodKit for Remote Workshops
Card 15 of 63 · MethodKit for Remote Workshops
  • ThemeEngagement & energy
  • CardCard 15 of 63
  • Questions5 to explore
Engagement & energy

Fun

Elements & jokes to lighten up the session

Fun is not decoration in a remote session; it is one of the main reasons people stay present instead of drifting.

A session that is purely functional feels longer than it is online. When there is no shared physical space, the little moments of levity that happen naturally in a room (a joke landing, someone's cat walking by, an aside that makes people laugh) are gone unless you put them in deliberately.

Fun does not mean forced icebreakers or having a naturally funny personality. It means designing in moments of lightness: a warm welcome activity, a playful prompt, a meme in the chat, a moment where the agenda relaxes and people are just being humans together. These moments reset attention and help people feel comfortable contributing.

Online, specificallyThe casual, spontaneous fun that emerges in a shared room rarely survives the translation to a screen, so moments of lightness need to be planned rather than hoped for.

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.

Build it into the design

Good facilitators schedule a moment or two of lightness at key points: a warm opener, something playful mid-session when energy dips, and a light close. They do not rely on it happening organically.

Use the chat for it

They drop a relevant GIF, a funny image, or an easy 'would you rather' question into chat at a natural pause. It signals that the space is human, not just transactional.

Name funny things as they happen

When someone's child appears on camera or a technical mishap happens, they acknowledge it briefly and warmly rather than ignoring it. Shared moments of unplanned reality can be the most connecting thing in a session.

Questions to plan around

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

  1. Where in your session design is there space for levity, even briefly?

  2. What kind of humour fits this group and this topic, and what would not land well?

  3. Do you have a few low-risk fun moments prepared that do not require everyone to perform or be funny themselves?

  4. How will you handle an attempted joke or playful moment that falls flat?

  5. Is the overall tone of your session one people might actually enjoy being part of?

What trips people up online

  • Forced fun (mandatory icebreakers, scripted jokes) tends to create awkwardness rather than warmth, especially with groups who do not know each other.
  • Fun that only works if participants are comfortable speaking up may exclude quieter or more reserved participants; visual or chat-based fun reaches more people.
  • Be careful with humour across cultures and languages; what reads as light in one context can feel strange or uncomfortable in another.