By Theyo Team
A virtual coffee break is a deliberately chosen time to bring employees, colleagues and teams together for a nice get-together, chatting and brainstorming with as little effort as possible. Virtual coffee breaks can either be used as a break for a longer meeting or actually as a "coffee meeting" to connect remote teams and employees working from home. It doesn't matter whether the participants already know each other or whether the virtual coffee chat is a low-threshold offer to make it easier to get to know each other. The digital coffee break usually lasts 15-30 minutes and can take place in very small groups (2 people each) or in smaller groups.
Whether it's for two or in smaller groups, the following coffee break ideas are a great way to break out of everyday work and do something nice together for a short time. It is important that the break is kept really short so that employees do not feel bad during this time because they are wasting valuable working time. When designing the coffee chat, you should also consider whether the participants are people who already know each other well or are just getting to know each other. Depending on how popular it is, some coffee break games are more popular than others. Enjoy the list!
The blind coffee format is particularly suitable when there are many new employees or your employees have been working from home for a long time and should not lose contact with each other. It is therefore a really nice way to spend the coffee or tea break together. It is best to use the donut app to randomly throw the dice together for the employees. You can also send a form to everyone a little more manually once a month so that those who are interested can register. After that, all those who have registered will receive a calendar invitation so that they can keep the period free. On that day, employees can then enjoy a coffee or tea together via video call and talk about everything – except work.
It doesn't always have to be coffee! Another idea for the virtual coffee meeting is to include a "real" break to relax. A chocolate meditation, for example, is ideal for this. This can be guided by a team member or employee, or you can simply use a YouTube video. You can find out how you can carry out a chocolate meditation here , the 6-minute YouTube video can be found here . If you would like to take a whole chocolate break instead of a chocolate meditation, take a look at our virtualchocolate tasting options . These can be perfectly installed as a break, especially in larger meetings.
Whether it's in pairs or groups, it never hurts to have a list of questions handy. These can be available as a guide to the coffee gossip.
This idea is only suitable for larger groups who, for example, want to take a break from a longer meeting. Colleagues interview each other in podcast format. Selected employees can come up with questions before the meeting or you give them input. The “podcast” then takes place live during the virtual coffee break. The aim is to get to know certain employees better. It is particularly great if you use the "podcast" to introduce new employees or team members.
Another format for a larger group break: ask all participants to share a picture from their life in advance in a common online document (eg using a Google slide). The participants can choose the picture freely, the only important thing is that everyone can tell a short story about it. This activity is suitable for teams that have known each other for a long time as well as for teams that have yet to break the ice at the beginning.
Theyo tip: whichever idea you choose, suggest that the participants should ideally take their virtual coffee break standing up. This brings in activity and makes the whole thing more dynamic. Studies also show that most employees do not exercise enough when working from home.
This is a selected period of time that is used for meeting participants, (new) employees or existing teams to spend a relaxing time together. The virtual coffee break can be used both as a break in a longer meeting or as a conference break .
We recommend that the duration should be an average of 15 to a maximum of 30 minutes. Less than 15 minutes might be more rushed and not in the spirit of a break. And longer than 30 minutes might drag, plus most people don't want to be away from work any longer. In many companies, 30 minutes is also a standard for meeting length, so this length fits perfectly into busy schedules.
You can design the virtual coffee gossip in different ways. Virtual coffee breaks are games or simply smaller formats that can be carried out together for the coffee break in a team, in larger groups of employees or with external participants. The implementation can be carried out by individual participants or by experts. We at Theyo are always happy when we can create tasty chocolate events as a break for you.
Whether it's for two or in smaller groups, the following coffee break ideas are a great way to break out of everyday work and do something nice together for a short time. It is important that the break is kept really short so that employees do not feel bad during this time because they are wasting valuable working time. When designing the coffee chat, you should also consider whether the participants are people who already know each other well or are just getting to know each other. Depending on how popular it is, some coffee break games are more popular than others. Enjoy the list!
#1 Blind Coffee
The blind coffee format is particularly suitable when there are many new employees or your employees have been working from home for a long time and should not lose contact with each other. It is therefore a really nice way to spend the coffee or tea break together. It is best to use the donut app to randomly throw the dice together for the employees. You can also send a form to everyone a little more manually once a month so that those who are interested can register. After that, all those who have registered will receive a calendar invitation so that they can keep the period free. On that day, employees can then enjoy a coffee or tea together via video call and talk about everything – except work.
#2 Chocolate Meditation
It doesn't always have to be coffee! Another idea for the virtual coffee meeting is to include a "real" break to relax. A chocolate meditation, for example, is ideal for this. This can be guided by a team member or employee, or you can simply use a YouTube video. You can find out how you can carry out a chocolate meditation here , the 6-minute YouTube video can be found here . If you would like to take a whole chocolate break instead of a chocolate meditation, take a look at our virtualchocolate tasting options . These can be perfectly installed as a break, especially in larger meetings.
#3 Virtual Coffee Break Themes
Whether it's in pairs or groups, it never hurts to have a list of questions handy. These can be available as a guide to the coffee gossip.
- Coffee or tea?
- Chocolate or gummy bears?
- What is your earliest childhood memory?
- What is your favorite holiday destination?
- What makes you particularly happy?
- Are you currently reading a book/watching a series and can you recommend one of the two?
- What is your best tip for the break in the home office?
#4 The 'podcast interview'
This idea is only suitable for larger groups who, for example, want to take a break from a longer meeting. Colleagues interview each other in podcast format. Selected employees can come up with questions before the meeting or you give them input. The “podcast” then takes place live during the virtual coffee break. The aim is to get to know certain employees better. It is particularly great if you use the "podcast" to introduce new employees or team members.
#5 A picture of you
Another format for a larger group break: ask all participants to share a picture from their life in advance in a common online document (eg using a Google slide). The participants can choose the picture freely, the only important thing is that everyone can tell a short story about it. This activity is suitable for teams that have known each other for a long time as well as for teams that have yet to break the ice at the beginning.
Theyo tip: whichever idea you choose, suggest that the participants should ideally take their virtual coffee break standing up. This brings in activity and makes the whole thing more dynamic. Studies also show that most employees do not exercise enough when working from home.
FAQ virtual coffee break
What is a virtual coffee break?
This is a selected period of time that is used for meeting participants, (new) employees or existing teams to spend a relaxing time together. The virtual coffee break can be used both as a break in a longer meeting or as a conference break .
What is the ideal duration for a virtual coffee chat?
We recommend that the duration should be an average of 15 to a maximum of 30 minutes. Less than 15 minutes might be more rushed and not in the spirit of a break. And longer than 30 minutes might drag, plus most people don't want to be away from work any longer. In many companies, 30 minutes is also a standard for meeting length, so this length fits perfectly into busy schedules.
What are good ideas for designing the digital coffee break?
You can design the virtual coffee gossip in different ways. Virtual coffee breaks are games or simply smaller formats that can be carried out together for the coffee break in a team, in larger groups of employees or with external participants. The implementation can be carried out by individual participants or by experts. We at Theyo are always happy when we can create tasty chocolate events as a break for you.
