1. Size of the group
2. Purpose of the meeting or gathering
3. Purpose of the ice breaker
4. Preparation required
5. Materials required
6. Time available
1 - Size of the group – some ice breakers work best in large groups of 20 or more, some are better for small groups of 5 or so.
Tip – if you have too many people for the ice breaker, split into smaller groups of the right size and run the icebreakers concurrently.
2 - Purpose of the meeting or gathering – what are you doing after the ice breaker? Are you brainstorming new ideas? Discussing year end results? Kicking off a new project? Match the mood of the ice breaker to the mood for the meeting.
Tip – Be ready to switch icebreakers if you mis-judged the mood on the day. Have a store of icebreaker ideas, ready for use when you need them.
3 - Purpose of the meeting ice breaker – Will it ease introductions, get mental juices flowing or just be downright silly?
Tip – icebreakers don’t have to be restricted to the start of meetings. Well timed icebreakers will lift flagging energy levels or encourage creativity.
4 – What preparation is required? – simple icebreakers are effective when explained clearly.
More complicated icebreakers require preparation, and venture into team-building territory, possibly requiring different facilitation skills.
Tip – Choose simple icebreakers over complicated ones, and factor in preparation time.
5 - Materials required – there’s no baggage with verbal icebreakers! Pens and flip charts are usually required for meetings so that’s easy too. But if you’ve got bigger, bolder ideas involving ropes, scissors, balls, cards or other such fun, make sure you think this through!
Tip – make a checklist of materials and bring them. Be ready to improvise or switch icebreakers if you forget the crucial item or don’t have enough to go round.
6 - Time available – group energy levels will be zero if each one minute introduction takes five minutes! Be realistic about the time you have for the meeting ice breaker and stick to it.
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Tip – choose a short punchy icebreaker to get energy levels up, and longer icebreakers when more disclosure is desired.
We are all a bit shy and a little awkward in group situations, so be kind to your fellows and use icebreakers. Ice breaker games or activities can speed up processes which left to their own devices are painfully slow or do not happen at all.
A well chosen icebreaker is worth it’s weight in... ice! Choose your meeting ice breakers wisely and you will reap the rewards many times over
By Lyndsay Swinton
Owner, Management for the Rest of Us www.mftrou.com
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Two Truths and a Lie
Have the group sit in a circle. Take volunteers or go around the circle and ask people to tell two truths and one lie about themselves. The rest of the group has to figure out which is which.
Materials: None
My Name
People introduce themselves and tell what they know about why they have their name
(i.e. Their mother wanted to name me after her great aunt Helen who once climbed Pike’s
Peak in high heels). It could be the person’s first, middle, or nickname. If they aren’t sure, they should be creative.
Materials: None
The Adjective Game
Sitting in a circle, each person must use an adjective that begins with the first letter of their first name to describe themselves. Before someone adds their own name, they must repeat all of the names and adjectives that have been said before their name.
Materials: None
Alphabetical Introductions
Each person is asked to choose a letter and then is given a few moments to think of words that begin with the chosen letter that describe him/herself. Have people go around the group and share what words describe themselves.
Materials: Paper and writing utensils
Coin Toss
Place a list of topics on butcher paper in the middle of the room. Participants throw their coins on the butcher paper one at a time and talk about themselves according to the category, such as family, hobbies, childhood, embarrassing stories, dreams, etc. Can also work with a spinner or dice.
Materials: Butcher paper, coins/small objects
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4 C's
Each person writes down on an index card his/her favorite: Color, Cuisine, Country to visit and Closet Dream. The cards are shuffled and redistributed. Each person reads aloud the card they picked up and each person guesses in writing who wrote it. At the end, see who guessed the most correct responses.
Materials: Index cards, writing utensils
Toilet Paper Game
People are seated in a circle. Facilitator shows s a roll of toilet paper to the group and instructs them to take as much as they want as the roll is passed around. Once the roll has been around the circle, the group is told that for each sheet of paper they took, they must tell the group something about themselves that the other people don’t know. Talking starts with the facilitator and proceeds around the circle.
Materials: Roll of Toilet Paper
Slogans That Fit
While the group leader distributes paper and pencils, the participants are to think about their personal or professional lives.
The trainer then asks that each group member write down three famous slogans, savings or lines of poetry that seem appropriate for describing his or her personal life or professional career. For example, "The early bird catches the worm" may describe a participant who likes to be prepared, while "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" may reflect another group member’s personal philosophies affect professional behavior.
Materials: For each participant, a pencil and a piece of paper.
Treasure Hunt
At the very start of the seminar, explain the importance of becoming aquatinted with the other participants. Hand out a form to each attendee and ask that everyone find at least one similarity (e.g., "grew up in Chicago") and one dissimilar trait (e.g. "football fanatic" vs. "dislike sports") for at least 8-10 other participants. Award a small prize for the first person completing the form.
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Materials: Handout forms and nominal prizes.
Duo Interviews
The trainer begins the exercise by explaining that this getting-acquainted activity asks the participants to introduce one another to the group. Next the group leader asks the participants to pair off, preferably with someone they do not know or do not know well.
(If the group members are hesitant, the trainer may which to assign partners. Should it be necessary, one group may contain three members.) Each pair is to find a place in which they can work with some degree of privacy. They are then to spend five minutes interviewing each other, learning each other’s names and sharing information about backgrounds, interests, values, goals, etc. The group leader may wish to call out the time when one minute remains so that both partners have an opportunity to share information about themselves. When the allotted time has elapsed, the trainer calls the group together. When the group has assembled, the trainer explains that the partners are to introduce each other to the group." This continues around the circle until all group members have been introduced.
Materials: Writing utensils/paper optional
Six Degrees of Separation
It happens all of the time: we meet someone who knows someone we know. It’s a small world, that’s for sure. The object of this game is to see how small the world really is.
1.
First, find a partner. Introduce yourselves and make a list of five to ten things that you have in common with each other: where you went to school, year you were born, number of years with the company, food likes, sports likes, etc.
2.
Once you have completed your first list, you must find someone else in the room that also has one of those five to ten things in common with you. When you have found that person, repeat step one and develop a new list.
3.
Repeat step two.
4.
Continue until you have met five other people or time is called by the facilitator.
5.
A prize will be given to the first person able to complete the game. When you are done, let the facilitator know that you have finished.
Materials: Prize
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