The pandemic brought different challenges including a question how to facilitate interactive and dynamic meetings using digital tools. If you want to nurture less formal relationships among members of some online group – food can be a helpful tool even in online work. Here are some ideas:
Think about hiring expert chefs around the globe or your country. Though it requires a lot of technicalities to have one cooking class with them, the possible outcomes might be great. Interacting with such an expert chef might give your group pride and motivation. At the end of the class, every member could show their creation, and, of course, you would eat it together – this time it doesn’t matter that it is in front of the screen.
If you are working with an international group, alternatively, you might ask one of the members to teach others to create a typical dish from their country. That’s a good opportunity also for intercultural learning.
In this team building activity everyone contributes a family recipe. Each team member can pick or be assigned a recipe randomly. Then, you will pick a day where your team could show their creations. This activity encourages the team to learn new skills and promote team bonding, because the group can learn more about each other’s lifestyle, culture, and background.
Get in touch with wineries in your surroundings and ask them if it would be possible to send a selection of wine bottles to each member of the group before the event takes place. Invite their representative to lead a degustation and also share some tips and details regarding the art of tasting wines and the complimentary food that would go well when paired with wine. You can then have them sip the wine together virtually as group members share their experience and impressions.
