What’s one of the fastest ways to create a stronger, more connected team? Making diversity and inclusion part of your daily culture, without making it feel like a lecture.
Fun diversity and inclusion activities help teams go beyond buzzwords and actually experience what it means to belong. When done right, these activities spark meaningful conversations, uncover hidden talents, and bring out the best in everyone, no matter their background, experience, or perspective.
In fact, according to a McKinsey report, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity on executive teams are 39% more likely to outperform their peers in profitability compared to those in the bottom quartile. That kind of impact starts with intentional, inclusive team-building—and yes, it can be fun.
How to Choose the Right Activities for Your Team
The success of your fun diversity and inclusion activities often depends on how well they match the dynamics of your team.
Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all ideas, take time to consider a few important aspects that can shape the overall experience and impact. These factors can help you choose activities that resonate with your team and make everyone feel included, engaged, and respected.
Size and Structure
Your team’s size and organization will naturally influence which activities work best. Smaller teams tend to benefit from more personal formats, such as storytelling circles, one-on-one chats, or intimate group discussions.
Larger teams may find more value in structured activities, such as themed sessions, games, or rotating breakout groups, which allow for more involvement without overwhelming individuals.
Accessibility
If you want your activities to be inclusive, they need to be accessible to everyone on your team. This includes physical accessibility for in-person gatherings and digital accessibility for remote or hybrid teams.
Choose platforms and formats that work across time zones, allow for screen readers or captioning if needed, and consider asynchronous options to involve those who can’t join live. When accessibility is built in from the start, participation feels natural and inclusive, not forced.
Team Recommendations
The best activity ideas often come from your team itself. By asking for input—either through a quick survey or a team-wide brainstorming session—you give people a voice in shaping the experience. This makes your diversity and inclusion initiatives more relevant and ensures you’re not relying on assumptions about what people will enjoy or find meaningful.
Comfort and Communication Styles
People engage in different ways, and not everyone feels comfortable speaking up in a group. Some may prefer written reflection, hands-on collaboration, or creative expression. By offering a mix of activity formats—like discussion-based, visual, and interactive—you create more opportunities for people to connect in ways that suit their personality and communication style.
Variety in Leadership
Having different people lead or co-facilitate activities adds energy and broadens perspectives. When only one person is always at the front of the room (even in a virtual setting), it can unintentionally limit the inclusivity of the experience.
Rotating leadership roles helps highlight voices across departments, roles, and backgrounds, reinforcing the idea that inclusion is a shared responsibility.
Choosing the right activities isn’t about creating the perfect plan—it’s about understanding your team and creating space for everyone to show up as they are. When your choices are intentional, your DEI activities will do more than entertain. They’ll build trust, connection, and a stronger sense of belonging.
Fun Diversity and Inclusion Activities for the Workplace
Fun diversity and inclusion activities don’t have to be complex to be meaningful. In fact, some of the most effective activities are simple, low-pressure experiences that spark conversation, build empathy, and help teammates connect across differences. Whether you’re building something from scratch or looking to energize your current DEI efforts, these ideas can help you make inclusion feel less like an initiative and more like a shared experience.
Here are a variety of fun diversity and inclusion activities you can use—whether your team is in-person, remote, or hybrid:
Conversation Starters and Storytelling
🧳 Culture Swap Show-and-Tell
Share a meaningful item, tradition, or story from your culture, family, or upbringing. This is a powerful way to connect with others on a personal level by highlighting your unique lived experiences. Do this activity through the CoffeePals program Culture Connect, to make the process seamless.
🗣️ Inclusive “Two Truths and a Lie”
It’s the same Two Truths and a Lie you know, but with a cultural twist—participants include a cultural or identity-based fact in their answers. This playful variation not only gets everyone guessing but also sparks deeper conversations and a better understanding of one another.
📖 Story Circles
Each team member shares a brief personal story in response to a thought-provoking prompt, such as 'A time I felt truly seen' or 'An experience that shaped my perspective.' It’s a simple yet powerful way to build empathy and understanding, especially effective in small group settings where deeper connections can flourish.
🎙️ My Name, My Story
Employees take a moment to share the meaning, origin, or personal significance behind their names. This simple yet powerful activity invites conversations around identity, heritage, and self-expression, creating space for deeper understanding and connection within the team.
📸 Cultural Photo Share
Invite team members to share a photo that reflects their cultural background, a meaningful journey, or a moment that has shaped their perspective on the world. Whether it's a family celebration, a childhood memory, or a travel experience, each photo becomes a powerful storytelling tool that sparks connection, curiosity, and deeper appreciation for one another's unique perspectives.
Activities that Celebrate Cultural Awareness
🎧 Global Playlist Party
Build a shared playlist filled with songs that reflect each person’s culture or favorite childhood memories. During a team call or chat, invite everyone to share the story behind their song—whether it’s a family favorite, a dance anthem, or a lullaby passed down through generations. Use CoffeePals’ Music CoffeeMaker program to start these musical conversations in your Slack or MS Teams channel.
📅 Heritage Month Spotlights
Celebrate cultural heritage year-round by rotating themes like Black History Month or Lunar New Year. Encourage team members to lead short presentations or share posts that highlight traditions, stories, and personal connections, bringing rich cultural insights to the spotlight.
🍱 Global Snack Box Exchange
Invite team members to share or send snacks from their region, then come together for a virtual “taste tour.” As everyone samples treats, they can swap stories about food, family traditions, and the cultural moments that make those bites meaningful.
🖼️ Cultural Collage Wall
Turn a virtual whiteboard like Kudoboard or Miro, or an office wall into a living collage by inviting team members to add flags, photos, traditions, or meaningful phrases. Each contribution becomes a vibrant piece of a shared mosaic that celebrates the diverse identities across your team.
🎨 Art from Around the World
Invite each team member to share a piece of art from their culture—whether it’s a song, painting, poem, or dance. It’s a creative way to celebrate the rich diversity of expression and the unique stories behind each contribution.
Reflective and Learning-Based Activities
🧠 Privilege Reflection Exercise
Use thoughtful prompts or guided discussions to explore how privilege shapes workplace experiences. Keep the space respectful, voluntary, and anonymous if needed, encouraging honest reflection without pressure or judgment.
🎯 Allyship Bingo
Encourage inclusive habits with a bingo card filled with everyday allyship actions. Squares might include “Shared my pronouns,” “Listened without interrupting,” or “Read an article by someone from a different background”—simple steps that build a more respectful and inclusive workplace.
🕵️ Inclusion Scavenger Hunt
Complete small tasks like “Attend a different ERG event,” “Pronounce a new colleague’s name correctly,” or “Learn about a holiday you don’t celebrate.” Each activity is a step toward greater awareness and deeper personal connection.
📚 Watch & Reflect Sessions
Choose a short video or TED Talk on inclusion, watch it as a team, and follow up with a guided discussion. These sessions ground big ideas in real stories, making inclusion more relatable and actionable.
💭 Identity Mapping
Invite team members to reflect on the many identities they hold—such as race, gender, abilities, or education—and how these aspects intersect. Create a supportive space to share insights, challenges, and the unique perspectives each person brings.
Cross-Group Collaboration and Connection
☕ Coffee Chats with a Cultural Twist
Pair team members for casual conversations sparked by fun prompts about traditions, holidays, or customs. These random coffee chats are a simple way to build rapport and uncover shared values across different departments or regions.
🤝 Random Coffee Pairings with ERG Members
Pair employees with members of different employee resource groups (ERGs) to spark conversations outside their usual circles. It’s a great way to promote curiosity, build understanding, and strengthen your sense of community.
💡 Inclusion Hackathon
Form small teams to brainstorm practical ways to make your workplace more inclusive, from reworking job description language to enhancing the onboarding experience. It’s a fast-paced, collaborative way to turn ideas into action.
👥 Cross-Team Culture Interviews
Pair up teammates to interview each other using prompts about upbringing, language, or meaningful life experiences. Then, have them share what they learned—an engaging way to build empathy and cross-team connection.
🛠️ Build Your Own DEI Activity
Split into small groups and task them with creating a new inclusion activity for the team. It’s a fun way to spark creativity while giving everyone a sense of ownership in shaping your DEI culture.
Tips to Facilitate These Activities Successfully
The success of fun diversity and inclusion activities isn’t just about what you do—it’s also about how you do it. A well-chosen activity can fall flat if it’s rushed, forced, or handled insensitively. On the other hand, even a simple conversation can be incredibly powerful when it’s facilitated with care and intention.
Below are a few key strategies to help you create safe, engaging spaces where these activities can truly make an impact:
Set Clear Intentions Without Making It a Lecture
Start by explaining the why behind the activity—whether it's to celebrate different cultures, strengthen team connection, or open up new perspectives. Keep the tone friendly and approachable so it doesn’t feel like a formal lesson. Framing the activity as a chance to learn from each other helps shift the focus toward shared discovery.
Make Participation Optional, Not Forced
Inclusion means respecting personal boundaries. Not everyone will feel comfortable sharing stories or identities in a group setting—and that’s okay. Always make it clear that participation is encouraged but never required. Offer different ways to engage, like submitting ideas anonymously or pairing up in smaller breakout rooms.
Create a Safe and Supportive Environment
Psychological safety is essential. Set basic ground rules like listening without interrupting, assuming positive intent, and respecting confidentiality. It also helps to have a neutral facilitator—someone who can guide the conversation, step in if things get tense, and steer the group with empathy.
Use Prompts to Guide the Conversation
Open-ended questions can spark meaningful dialogue without putting people on the spot. Try prompts like:
- “What’s something from your background that shaped who you are?”
- “What’s a tradition or value you grew up with that you still hold today?”
- “Can you share a time when you felt truly included—or excluded—at work?”
These prompts work well in smaller groups, during virtual coffee chats, or as written reflections.
Always Follow Up
After the activity, thank participants for showing up and sharing. If the group was larger or the topic more sensitive, consider sending a quick follow-up survey to gather feedback and suggestions. This shows that you value their input and are committed to improving, not just repeating the same activities.
When facilitated with intention and care, fun diversity and inclusion activities do more than check a box—they help build lasting trust, spark empathy, and create a space where everyone feels seen and supported.
Inclusion Works Best When It Feels Natural
The most meaningful progress often happens in the everyday moments—the casual chats, shared stories, and small steps that add up over time. That’s why the best fun diversity and inclusion activities aren’t one-off events or checkbox exercises. They’re experiences that feel natural, authentic, and aligned with how your team connects, communicates, and grows together.
When inclusion is woven into your workplace culture, it becomes something people feel, not just something they’re told to support. It shows up in how teammates treat each other, how ideas are shared, and how people show up as their full selves without fear of judgment. And the more you build that kind of environment, the more likely it is that innovation, collaboration, and belonging will thrive.
So keep the momentum going. Keep listening, experimenting, and creating space for your team to be themselves. The real magic of fun diversity and inclusion activities is that they don’t just make teams stronger—they make people feel like they truly belong.
Ready to learn more about promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace? Read this next: The Complete DEI Audit Guide for Workplace Inclusion
