Xendy Ong
December 15, 2020
Q&As are a staple at many events, but it is also a great and very versatile tool for all kinds of situations. This is especially true for the workplace. Though it is called the Question-and-Answer feature, it doesn’t have to be used just for crowdsourcing questions. In fact, it can be used as an icebreaker, bonding sessions, or even increasing employee engagement.
Here are 12 examples of how you can use Pigeonhole Live's Q&A feature in your workplace.
Types of Q&A
1. Ask Me Anything
To help your employees understand the company better, make some time for Ask Me Anythings with the heads of each department.
Your team will gain a deeper understanding of the company and how the different departments contribute to it, boosting employee engagement.
2. Birthday Q&A
During an employee’s birthday, have them take centre stage as everyone else sends in questions for them to answer. This way your employees can get to know each other a little bit better, even if they work in different departments.
This gesture may also help your employees feel valued, instead of just being another cog in the machine.
3. CEO Q&A
As part of your quarterly Town Halls, use the Q&A feature to have the CEO of the company answer everyone’s questions and concerns.
With direct communication between employees and the CEO, the employees can make sure their voices are heard. The CEO will also be able to understand their employees and what they need upon hearing it directly from them.
4. Crisis communications Q&A
When a crisis happens, it is important to have crisis communications within the office to provide clarity and direction for the employees.
Using the Q&A feature, you will be able to crowdsource concerns from the employees and note which are the bigger issues with the voting function so you communicate more effectively and earn your employees trust. Communicating effectively during and after the crisis will help stabilise and advance the company in an otherwise confusing time.
5. Pre-Internal Events
One basic use of the Q&A feature is, of course, to answer questions in preparation for upcoming internal events.
Set up a Q&A in your office Pigeonhole a few days prior to the internal event so your team can leave any questions they may have about it. This will help to streamline incoming questions regarding the event.
Questions can be replied easily with the Answers feature, simultaneously providing a place for others to refer to should they have the same question.
Icebreakers
6. Highlight of the Week
It’s always good to start the week on a positive note.
At the start of the week, simply ask your employees to type in what the highlight of their previous week was. Your employees can then vote for which highlight interests them and you can get the top voted ones to share a little bit about the highlight of their week.
This helps you get to know each other better outside of a workplace context. And helps you start the working week off with gratitude, which can lead to increased happiness and productivity.
7. Guess Who?
Have everyone write three3 quirky or lesser known facts about them before submitting their answers anonymously. The rest of the team will then attempt to guess who wrote what.
After they guess, the employee who wrote it identifies themselves. They can provide more context to the facts if necessary. Encouraging them to share relevant anecdotes is also a great way to get to know surprising new things about your teammates.
8. Simple Questions
Asking fun questions is a quick and effective icebreaker. Simply have each person send in an answer to a fun question.
Here are some examples:
- If you had to eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- What superpower would you like to have?
- Is there a skill you always wanted to develop but never did?
- If you could grab a coffee with any celebrity in the world, who would it be?
These questions allow your coworkers to spend some time in a more creative mindset as well as encourage conversations that would usually only take place outside the office, allowing you to get to know one another as not just employees, but as individuals.
9. Treasure Hunt
Because you can use Gallery View on Zoom that allows you to see everyone's video window at once, a treasure hunt can be really entertaining for everyone involved.
Have everyone send in an item they can see on the Gallery View to the Q&A feature without including whose room it is in. The first person to find all the items and name where they are wins!
10. Social Distancing Bingo
Here’s another icebreaker. You’ve probably seen social distancing Bingo going around on Instagram. With the Q&A feature, your office can set up their own board.
Everyone will send in one idea for what should be on the social distancing bingo board. When the board is full, vote for the things you’ve actually done while social distancing. The person whose idea has the most vote wins!
This icebreaker may also help clue you in to previously overlooked needs your employees have.
Crowdsourcing and Brainstorming
11. Monthly Suggestions Box
Every employee wants to work at a company where they feel valued and heard. Welcoming suggestions and addressing areas of improvement can reiterate your company’s commitment to your employees’ health and wellbeing.
Once every month, use the Q&A feature to ask your employees what around the office requires improvement. They can also vote for those they agree with, this will help to effectively bring your attention to issues that your employees are concerned with.
If you would prefer your employees to send in suggestions regarding specific topics, you can also set up the tagging function so they can tag their suggestions to the categories. Categories can include:
- Work-life balance
- Pantry
- Culture
- Upcoming events
12. Recommendations
Whether it be for things around the office, or just to know each other better, the Q&A feature can be an effective tool for getting recommendations from your team. This can include:
- Book
- Movies
- Music
- TV series
Don’t know what book to read during quarantine? Or wondering which series on Netflix is worth watching? Have your employees send in their suggestions. You can also use the tagging feature to organise them, so you can look through the suggestions based on what you’re looking for.
They can also vote for other’s suggestions which they agree with, so you know what’s popular amongst your team.
