Entering on the Human Side. Whether it is a small get together or a large training session, we all want to feel that we have some commonality with our fellow participants. By creating a warm, friendly, personal learning environment, the attendees will participate and learn more.
We provide just a few of the hundreds of ice breakers facilitators’ use today. Be creative and design your own variations. Try different things and most of all . . . have fun!
Get people laughing and moving and put them at ease. These are meant to be fast and fun. Use these activities at the beginning of meetings, when things are beginning to drag and to refocus after breaks.
There are many printable forms to use with Ice Breakers. You will need Adobe Acrobat to view and print the forms on this page.
Here’s a new one
Line Up
This exercise is good for a group of 20 or More. Use it for Team Building or just for Pure Fun! Use this activity to break the monotony of long periods of sitting and to help participants find out about each other. Any group is game for this activity!
Estimated Time: 5 to 7 minutes
What you will need: Line Up Activity Sheet for Leader
Instructions:Organize participants into groups of 8 to 20. Tell participants that in the Line Up, they will have a chance to learn things about one another they may never think to ask.
Give these instructions: Tell them that this is group competition and that you will give the instruction for groups to line up in a particular way. Your group should get in a line as quickly as possible. When your group is lined up appropriately all group members should clap to indicate they have completed the task.
Conduct a practice round. Tell them to line up by height and to clap when they’re finished.
Begin the activity. After each lineup, determine which group clapped first and then announce them as the winner of the round.
Variations: Use this activity periodically throughout a long session or you can ask groups to come up with their own way of letting you know they’re ready. (We have had groups yell, hum a song, put up their hands, etc.) This can add a lot to the fun to the activity.
Tips
Keep the tone light; this is a fun competition. Laugh and play with humorous comments from participants. 3. Remember political correctness with regard to your own or participants’ comments.
LINE UP ACTIVITY SHEET FOR THE LEADER 1. Line up in order by shoe size. 2. Line up in order by length of arm’s reach. 3. Line up in order alphabetically by favorite color. 4. Line up in order by number of siblings you have. 5. Line up in order by hair color, lightest to darkest. 6. Line up in order by age, youngest to oldest. 7. Line up in order by length of time with current employer. 8. Line up in order alphabetically by first name. 9. Line up in order alphabetically by last name. 10. Line up in order by number of pets owned. 11. Line up in order by hair length, longest to shortest. 12. Line up in order by the number of bones you’ve ever broken.
All Aboard
This activity works well with complete strangers; Groups of 20 or More; Pure Fun; Outdoors Group Size 20 to 100 Level of Physical Activity High Estimated Time 5 to 8 minutes Props Two balloons per person of varying colors (one color per group); one permanent magic marker per group of six to twenty. Participants will enjoy forming a “train” and picking up passengers. This activity encourages team behaviors and creativity. Use it when you have three to sixty minutes in open space when you want people to be very active. Instructions 1. Distribute deflated balloons of varying colors around the space. 2. Organize participants into groups of six to twenty. 3. Ask groups to get into train formation and give each engine a magic marker. 4. Tell groups that they are passenger trains who must pick up passengers–2 passengers per car (per person). 5. Explain that balloons become passengers easily when one inflates them and creates a face on them with the magic marker. 6. Tell them to move around in train formation to a location where there is a balloon. One person must inflate the balloon, tie it, and paint a face on it with the magic marker. That person (or car) then carries that passenger with them. Each car will eventually be carrying two passengers in it. 7. Explain that groups will be competing to fill their trains (two passengers per car) with passengers of the same color. The train that is filled first wins the race. 8. Remind participants that their train must stay still while a person is inflating a balloon and drawing a face on it. The train can then move on to find another balloon (passenger) of like color. The only time trains can uncouple is when they are standing still. Variations 1. Use pieces of cloth rather than balloons, increasing the pace of the race. 2. Tell groups they must have five or six different color balloons. Tips 1. Remind participants that they must have two passengers per person when they pull into the station. 2. Have everyone look at all the faces created.
Polyester Triathlon
This works great for Sales Meetings; Groups of 20 or More; It can be done outdoors;
Group Size 10 to 40
Estimate Time 5 minutes each time
Props This activity gives participants who might never qualify for a triathlon the chance to experience one–and a creative one at that. Because groups design their own physical activities, it doesn’t matter whether you have lots of open space or not.
Instructions
Organize participants into three groups. Explain that they will be participating in a relay race called Polyester Triathlon. Tell each group they have 2 minutes to choose an event to include in the triathlon. Encourage creativity. (Examples might include running in place for a count of 100; walking backward from one specific location to another; singing “Yankee Doodle” while riding an imaginary horse around a circle; turning around in circles 10 times; and so on.) After 2 minutes, ask each group in turn to perform the event it selected. Then ask all participants to practice that move. Tell groups to line up in the order in which they will perform the triathlon.
Explain that you will blow the whistle and the triathlon will begin. Each person in a group must perform all three of the events decided upon by all groups, and then the next person in the group begins. The group that finishes first wins.
Following the competition, distribute ribbons or prizes for first, second and third place. Variations Make it an individual competition. Give the groups the events that they should complete. Conduct this activity indoors and ask participants to choose pretend events, such as swimming in a swamp of alligators. Tip Use fun props such as a sign that says Starting Line, water bottles, or sweatbands.
Peculiarities
This activity can be used at any time during a short or long session, with participants who know one another well or with complete strangers, to introduce the topic of diversity.
Group Size: 12 to 60 Estimated Time: 2 to 5 minutes
What you need: Peculiarities Activity Sheet for leader; simple prizes such as candy, stickers, or pens.
Instructions
1. Ask participants to stand.
2. Explain that the object of the activity is to discover peculiarities in the group.
3. Tell participants that you will read items from a list, one at a time. Ask them to come forward to receive a prize if they have that peculiarity. As a variation pass out the list to participants and ask them to fill it out individually, then find others in the room who have marked the same categories. Include some categories that you know apply to more than one person.
Tips Keep this quick and fun. Add peculiarities to the list relating to organizational quirks or norms, or add specific peculiarities that you know about people in the group. Click on the title to download a usable copy of the activity sheet.
PECULIARITIES ACTIVITY SHEET
1. Was born on February 29.
2. Has or had a dog named Spot, Midnight, Lucky, or Shadow.
3. Is wearing an article of clothing that was chosen and purchased by someone else.
4. Is wearing a family heirloom.
5. Drives a car more than five years old.
6. Competes in sporting events such as running, skiing, etc.
7. Likes pizza with anchovies.
8. Volunteers for charity fund drives.
9. Was born in another state.
10. Was born in another country.
11. Has won a prize.
12. Has been to Idaho.
13. Writes songs or poetry.
14. Has an organized, clean desk.
15. Has a twin brother or sister.
16. Has a shoe size of 12 or greater.
17. Has milked a cow.
18. Has been to the top of the Washington Monument.
19. Collects stamps or other collectibles.
20. Remembers sodas for five cents.
21. Has been to a concert in the last month.
22. Has five or more siblings.
23. Prefers winter to summer.
24. Has been on a radio or TV show.
25. Restores old cars or trucks.
26. Has won a prize or money with a mail-in form.
Constructive Feedback
Use this activity to introduce a Topic
Group Size 6 to 12
Estimated Time 3 to 6 minutes
Props: A Box; 30 pieces of wadded paper
Your participants will value the benefits of constructive feedback as they try to accomplish a goal that is not possible without feedback from their peers. It works best with a small group of people who can all participate. Use it at any time in a program to introduce the value of feedback. Conceptual thinkers will make the most of the activity if you ask them to draw conclusions; concrete thinkers will appreciate the experiential demonstration.
Instructions: Ask for one volunteer. When that person comes forward, position the volunteer in a standing position and place an empty cardboard box somewhere behind him or her, but not directly behind. Place the 30 pieces of wadded paper within reach of the volunteer.
Explain to the group that their job is to give clues to the volunteer that will help him or her to throw the wads into the cardboard box without turning around.
Give examples of clues such as, “A little further to the left.”
Begin the activity. About halfway through the activity, remind the volunteer of some of the clues given. Ask which one were actually helpful and why that was true. Keep the activity going until the volunteer has successfully thrown three wads into the cardboard box. Ask the group to describe what is true about feedback based on what occurred in the exercise.
Variation: If you have fewer than seven people and more than five minutes, ask them all to stand in a square and do the activity for each person, one at a time.
Debrief: Feedback was expected and welcome. One person could not make the goal in a timely manner without hearing other perspectives and suggestions. When the goal was accomplished, everyone participated in enjoying the success.
If I Had A Hammer
This activity is good to introduce a topic.
Group Size: 6 to 24
Estimated Time: 5 minutes
If I Had a Hammer Activity Sheet, one per participant.
Participants compare the “tools” they learned about in the session to the drawings of real tools on an activity sheet. Use this activity to gain closure on an informative or skill-building session.
Distribute one If I Had a Hammer Activity Sheet to each participant. Ask participants to think of the tools they became acquainted with during the session. Instruct them to make analogies between the tools on the sheet and the tools they heard about during the session. When participants are finished, ask them to explain their analogies for each tool to the group.
Variations: Ask participants to list tools, then make analogies. Create a sheet with a column of hardware tools next to a column of business tools and ask participants to match each hardware tool with a business tool, and then explain their matches. Give each group one of the tools to create analogies for. Use the tools for a grouping activity in the beginning of the session.
“What If” You Had a Great Icebreaker?
To get your group laughing and talking right off the bat, start your session with a quick game of “What If”.
Directions: Give each participant a small piece of paper. Ask them to write a “What if” question, such as “What if the sky was purple?” or “What if we all had three arms?”. When everyone has completed their question (encourage them to work quickly), ask them to pass their question to the person on their right. Next, each person writes the answer to the question they’ve received. They should answer the question as if they had written it. For example, if Tom hands his question (“What if I won the lottery?”) to Susan, she should answer the question as if she had won the lottery, not Tom.
When everyone has written their answer, select someone to read ONLY the question they have in front of them. Ask the person to their right to read the ANSWER to their question. They should then read the question on their paper and the person to their right reads the answer, etc. Even though the questions and answers are unrelated, you’ll find some hilarious combinations!
Materials/Time Needed: For a group of 15-20 people, this exercise will take about 10-15 minutes. No advance preparation is required, but you’ll need pens or pencils and note paper.
Pocketbook Scavenger Hunt
Did you ever watch Let’s Make A Deal TV? At the end of the show they would always pay audience members for bizarre or unusual items that they would have in their purse or pockets. This is a version of that game. It is great for introducing a topic, to help people get to know each other, for team building or just for fun!
Groups work best with about 8 members. Give each person a Pocket Scavenger Hunt Sheet.
Time: give the groups 2 minutes to come up with as many things as they can.
Each item is worth 2 points however a reasonable substitute can be made. If a substitute is used only 1 point is given.
If time permits ask groups to share what items they got from the list and what substitutions were made.
Tip: Give prizes to the group that has the most points. Add your own ideas Click on title to download a list you can use.
Pocketbook Scavenger Hunt List
Grocery List
Mint
Cloth handkerchief
Matches
Hair Pin
Black Comb
Money Clip
Dry cleaner receipt
AAA Card
Picture of a close relative
Hair Scrunchie
Contact lens case
Restaurant coupon
Safety Pin
College ID
Planning Calendar
Candy
Tissues
Lipstick
Candy Game
Object of the Game: To end up with one or more candy bars before time’s up.
Items Needed: 1 timer; 1 6-sided die; A different type of candy bar or small toy per person. If 7 people are playing you will need seven different bars (such as Snickers, M&M’s, Mars, Starbursts, etc.) or toys (such as small stuffed animals, noise makers, plastic animals/games/etc).
Preparation: Place the bars on a table or the floor. Have people sit in chairs or on the floor in a circle around the bars.
Directions: Set the timer for 10-20 minutes (or longer if desired as the time goes by quickly). Everyone takes turns rolling the die until someone rolls a 1 or 6, and then they can either take one of the bars from the middle or ask for one, by name, from someone who has already taken one. People roll the die and take bars from each other until time’s up.
Example: Player one rolls a 2, player two rolls a one and takes the Snickers and hides it from view (in their lap, in a shirt pocket, under a pillow held on their lap). Player three rolls a four, player four rolls a six and takes the M&M’s. Player five rolls a three, player six rolls a one and asks player two for the Snickers, which player two hands over. Player seven rolls a five, player one rolls again and this time rolls a six and asks player three for the M&M’s. But player three doesn’t have the M&M’s, so player one’s turn is over and player two goes again. Once the time’s up everyone shows what they had. Everyone keeps a bar, and those with an extra bar gives them to those who ended with nothing, that way everyone ends up getting one in the end.
Alphabet Search
Divide the participants into small groups. Instructions: Search your person for objects that you have on you or with you ranging from A-Z. Make a list. First group to get all 26 letters represented wins. Exercise can explore how diverse we are - insight into our individual selves. If done as a small group lends itself well to a small team building exercise as the group works together through the alphabet.
Always Better with Two
Pair people up together. Ask them to spend 2 minutes each talking about themselves. At the end of 4 minutes we will come back together as a group and you will introduce each other. Ask them to tell the persons name, their position and how many years experience they have in the industry. For example: How many years they have been in Customer Service? All participants get to hear about other participants from of a third party instead of hearing from the person themselves. Depending on the session content, it is fun to add up all the years experience in the room and close with something like “Combined, we have 100 years of customer service experience.”
Animals
Objective: Have fun! Get acquainted.
To get ready: On a slip of paper, write the name of an animal that makes an obvious noise. Create five to ten slips for each animal.
Give each slip of paper out and instruct the group that they have to find the people in the room who have the same animal as them without talking. Give them a few minutes. They should make sounds and jesters that let them know what animal they are. Once they find each person in their group they should continue around until they find all the monkeys, or all the dogs, etc.
Birthday Partner
Have participants mingle in the group and identify the person whose birth date (not year - just month and date) is closest to their own. Find out two things they have in common.
Birthday Party Ice Breaker
Overview: Participants will get a chance to create their own dream birthday party.
Goal: To learn more about the participants in the group.
Time Required: 4 - 5 minutes
Material Required: Colored Paper, Markers or Crayons
Instructions: Provide participants with a hand out to record their answers and allow them to make notes and create their own dream birthday party. If the participants like to draw ask them to illustrate.
Discussion: Take a few moments to discuss as a group and share examples.
Form: Birthday Party Ice Breaker
Blob Tag
Its helpful to have a pretty large, open space for this energizer. The facilitator is it. When she or he tags someone they lock arms and then jointly attempt to tag someone else. As each person is tagged they lock arms with those who are already it. The game is over when the last person is “captured.” Some boundaries must be set up for this activity to keep folks from roaming too far a field. This game typically takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
Circle of Friends
This is a great greeting and departure for a large group who will be attending a session or meeting for more than one day together and the chances of meeting everyone in the room is almost impossible.
Form two large circles (or simply form two lines side by side), one inside the other and have the people in the inside circle face the people in the outside circle. Ask the circles to take one step in the opposite directions, allowing them to meet each new person as the circle continues to move very slowly. If lines are formed, they simply keep the line moving very slowly, as they introduce themselves.
Cut the Cake
Draw a picture of a cake. (Variation – If you have an exact group of eight – use a real cake!) The objective: There are eight people coming to the party. You have one cake to serve. Your task is to produce eight pieces of cake with only three cuts of the knife.
Possible solutions:
1. Cut cake in half so you have 2 small complete cakes. Put them on top of each other and then cut in exact 4’s thus having 8 pieces.
2. Cut the cake in half. Now you have 2 pieces. Stack them on top of each other and then cut in half – now you have 4 pieces. Cut those in half either way and you will have 8 pieces.
3. Using the knife make one complete circle cut about ½ way through the cake so you have a circle inside the cake – 2 pieces. Now cut into 4ths and you will have 8 pieces.
4. The elegant solution, Using the knife cut 1 curved line through the cake that has 3 curves. Then cut another curved line that intersects in the middle of the top and bottom curve. Then cut the cake in half.
Dinner Partners
Pair people up together. Ask them to spend 2 ½ minutes each talking about themselves. Ask them if they could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why. Tell them that at the end of 5 minutes we will come back together as a group and you will introduce each other. Ask them to tell the persons name, their position and their dinner partner.
Note to facilitators – this is a great exercise to help you understand the personality of the class. For example you may have a lot of people who want to have dinner with political figures or movie stars it gives you a clue that politics are important to this group or they are movie goers. If you have a lot of people who want to have dinner with religious figures again it helps you understand the basic personality of the group.
Dream Vacation
Ask participants to introduce themselves and describe details of the ideal, perfect dream vacation.
Family Heritage
This activity works great for a diversity training session. Have each person introduce themselves by ethnicity and have them speak about their ethnic heritage or their ancestors. They could speak of family stories about coming to the U.S. or family traditions.
Favorite Animal
As the guests arrive, and before you write their names on a name card, ask them to tell you their favorite animal and three adjectives to describe the animal. As they tell you, write the three adjectives on a name tag BEFORE their name (omit the name of the animal.) Ask them to mingle with the crowd, sharing why these adjectives best describe their own personality. Example - Loyal, cuddly, playful Sherrie. Ask participants to guess which animal the words represent.
Favorite T-shirt
Ask attendees to bring (not wear) their favorite T-shirt to the session. Once all participants have arrived, ask each person to show the shirt to the group and ask them to explain how the T-shirt best resembles their personality.
Five Things in Common
Split the group up into pairs. Each pair will have 30 seconds to find 5 things they have in common. At the end of the 30 seconds, put two pairs together and give the foursome a minute to find something all 4 students have in common. Finally, each group can present the list of things they have in common. You can use this activity to form groups.
Ha
This exercise asks the participants to pass the word ‘ha’ around a circle. This activity is generally more effective when used during the later stage of the training program or session. It takes about 7 minutes and is best suited for a group of 20 or less participants.
Ask the participants to form a circle. When they are ready explain that the object of this activity is for the participants, without laughing, to pass the word “ha” around the circle. Designate one participant to be the head of the circle. That participant begins by saying “ha”. The person sitting to his or her right must repeat the “ha” and then say another “ha.” The third person must say ha ha and then given an additional “ha.” In this manner the “ha” continues around the circle. It ends when all of the participants, trying not to laugh (a virtual impossibility), have repeated the “ha’s” that preceded them and then added their own “ha.”
Variations: Use another word in place of “ha.” For example: “yuck,” “har,” or “tee hee.” or ask all of the participants to repeat the “ha’s” stopping only to let the person whose turn it is pipe in with his or her own. You can continue the exercise for five minutes regardless of how many times the “ha’s” go around the circle.
Holidays - A to Z
Have a blank flip chart prepared with all the letters of the alphabet from A to Z. Ask participants to fill in a holiday word or phrase that starts with each letter. Here are examples for you to use. Give bonus points for the letters Q, U, V, and Z.
A. Angels
B. Bells
C. Candy Canes, candles, cranberries
D. Deck the Halls ,doves
E. Elves, Eggnog, Eight Maids a Milking
F. Food, Frankincense, five golden rings, four calling birds
G. Garland, Goose
H. Holly
I. Incense
J. Jingle Bells
K. Kwanzaa
L. Logs - as in Yule
M. Mistletoe, Menorah, Mir
N. Noel
O. Ornaments
P Peace on Earth, Partridge in a pear tree.
Q.
R Ribbons, Reindeers
S. Silent Night, Seven Swans a Swimming, Six geese a laying, Shoes, Sleigh, Santa
T. Trim, Turkey, two turtle doves, three French hens
U.
V.
W. Wreaths
X. X-mas
Y. Yule tide
Z.
Hum That Tune
This activity is a fun way to break participants into groups.
What you will need: Songs Examples that work well: Row, Row, Row, Your Boat, Rock-a-by Baby. The National Anthem, The Itsy-bitsy spider, Old McDonalds, etc. Write down the names and cut them apart. The number of songs you choose depends on the number of groups you want.
Each person in the group is given a small piece of paper with the name of a nursery rhyme or other song written on it. Participants are to go around humming their tune until they find everyone else singing the same song. Then they form a group.
Ice Breaker Cards
Table Talk / Chicken Soup for the Soul Cards Success for Dummies, Public Speaking for Dummies and Selling for Dummies - all new cards. See card section of the store for more details.
Take the easy way out! Buy a pack of Table Talk or Chicken Soup Cards. Hand one to each participant.
Table Talk cards present a fascinating fact, then pose an intriguing question to start conversation. No special knowledge needed. A great way to get conversations rolling. A perfect ice breaker for any training session or meeting event. Example: “The Mount Rushmore National Memorial Park in South Dakota, which is visible from 6-0 miles away, was completed in 1941. It honors four U.S. Presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Question: If you could add a person from any walk of life to Mount Rushmore, who would you add?”
Travel Talk - A great way to get conversations about travel going.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Cards can work the same way. “Take a sip of Chicken Soup and start talking! Each card in the deck condenses a Chicken Soup story, then poses a soulful question to share.” Example: “A beachcomber saw a man walking along the shore, throwing back starfish that had washed up. “There are thousands of starfish on the sand, ” the beachcomber told him. “You can’t possibly make a difference.” The man picked up a starfish and threw it out to sea.” Made a difference to that one!” he said. Question: “How do you make a difference? To whom does it matter?”
Koosh Toss / Group Juggle
A Good Icebreaker for Day 2 of a multi-day training session. Good for a group of at least 12 and up to 30 where some people know each other, but the whole group is still getting acquainted:
Materials Needed: 3 Koosh Balls
Get the group in a circle.
Facilitator tosses 1 ball to someone in the group whose name they know, saying their name and then the other person’s name (e.g. Nancy to Tom). Tom (person who receives the ball) tosses ball to someone whose name he knows (e.g. Tom to Mark). Mark tosses to someone whose name he knows and so on, saying both names all the way around the circle. The ball is tossed to each person one time only until everyone in the circle gets it and all names have been said.
Round 2 – The facilitator tosses the balls to the same person (Nancy to Tom to Mark, etc.) only this time with 2 balls in succession (not at the same time) saying both names, both times. Balls get tossed to the same people they were originally tossed to, first one ball, and then the next, all the way around the circle stopping when they get back to the facilitator.
Round 3 – The facilitator starts again only with all three balls this time. Saying names each time, all three balls get tossed, in succession, in the same order until they get back to the facilitator.
By the time there are three balls going, it gets pretty chaotic and fun. By now all names have been said so many times everyone should have a pretty good idea of who’s who and they are pretty warmed up and ready to go. When someone drops a ball, simply give them a chance to just pick up where you left off–no need to start again.
Lap Sit
We have seen this work with 250 people in a big hotel meeting room. It works well with large groups of people. Have everyone get in a huge circle side by side. Instruct them to turn half a turn to their right. This should now look like everyone is in line facing the back of the person in front of them. Have them put both hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. Then ask everyone to sit. They sit back on the knees of the person in back of them.
You have to be careful where large and small people are placed. Small people should always be in front of large folks! This usually works great and gets everyone laughing.
Name Tag Match Maker
Each group member will need a 5″ x 7″ card for a name tag. Then give the following
directions:
1.Put your name in the center of your card.
2.In the upper left corner, write four things that you like to do.
3.In the upper right corner, write your four favorite singers or groups.
4.In the lower left corner, write your four favorite movies.
5.In the lower right corner, write four adjectives that describe you.
When everyone finishes, have them mingle with the group for a few minutes. Without
talking, they are to read the upper left corner of the other group members’ cards. When
time is up, they are to find one or two people who are most like them and visit for a few
minutes. When time is up, they are to mingle again reading the upper right corner of the
other group members’ cards. They then find the one or two people most like them and
visit. Repeat with the lower left corner and lower right corner information.
To make sure everyone visits with several people, you could implement a rule that no
two people can be in the same group more than once.
M&M’s
Pass around a bag of M&M’s. Tell the participants to take as many as they want. Once everyone has M&M’s, tell them that for each M&M they took they have to say one thing about themselves. For instance, if a person took 10 M&M’s, they would have to say 10 things about themselves.
Meet ‘n Greet
Objective: get acquainted - help discover common backgrounds and interests.
Procedure: At the beginning of a meeting or class, ask people to introduce themselves to as many others as they possibly can in two minutes’ time. After those 2 minutes tell them to get into groups of three people. Tell them that their assignment for the next two minutes is to find at least three distinctive things that the three of them have in common. The only rule is that the three things cannot be job related (i.e. they work for the same organization.) Ask them to identify the three things as quickly as possible and to shout out loudly when they’ve done so. Provide a token prize for the first team to complete the task. Some examples of areas of commonality could be:
bullet all are from the same home state
bullet all have an older brother
bullet all drive a SUV
bullet all have degrees in the same field, etc.
After most have completed their assignments, call on a few groups to tell their areas of commonality.
Discussion questions:
1. How did some of you complete the task so quickly?
2. Did some of you have difficulty finding common backgrounds or interests?
3. Did anyone discover some startling or surprising information about the others (all are twins.)
Approximate Time needed: 10-15 minutes.
Once Upon a Time
Objective: Quick ideas to get people focused in the room on each other; also ready to participate.
Procedure:
Go around the table (or circle) and complete one of these sentences:
Once upon a time, I…
My ideal vacation is…
The riskiest thing I ever did was…
The wildest thing I ever did (that I’ll admit to) is…
Oxymoron’s
This energizer asks the participants to identify oxymoron’s and list these on a flip chart. It is very effective if used spontaneously when someone uses a oxymoron. You can also break the group into smaller teams and have them compete for the most creative or the longest list.
Click here now for a sample list of oxymoron’s. Add more to it and create your own list!
People Bingo
Make a 5 x 5 grid, like a bingo grid. Write “FREE” in the center space. In all the other
spaces, write things such as “Born in another state,” “Is the youngest child in family,”
or “Beatles fan” (tailor musical group to your audience). Fill in all the grids with items of interest to the participants. Run a copy for each person.
The participants are to get the signature of a person who meets the criteria for each
section. You might want to implement a rule that a person can only sign another
person’s paper in two spots. The first person with a completed card wins.
Run Away With the Circus Ice Breaker!
Overview: Participants will pick a circus character and explain how that character relates to themselves or why they would chose to be that person for a day.
Goal: To learn more about the participants in the group and to demonstrate that they can be spontaneous and fun during the session.
Time Required: 4 - 5 minutes
Material Required: Colored Paper, Markers, Crayons
Instructions: Provide the participants with the hand out below and allow them to make notes and select a character that they would like to be if they had ran away with the circus for a day. Tell participants to be as wacky as they would like and to have fun. Let them know they can color and illustrate if they wish to.
Discussion: Take a few moments to share a few examples and laughs as a group.
Ask why they chose that character?
Ask how the character relates to themselves?
Ask how the character does not relate to themselves?
Form: Run Away With the Circus for a Day!
Say Cheese, Please
As each participant arrives, take their picture with a Polaroid camera and hang their photo on a piece of flip chart paper in the entrance area of the meeting room. Hang them in groups of two or three photos (depending on size of meeting - you may have only 2 per group or more if the group is large). Use your creativity and decorate the flip chart paper to extend a Warm Welcome and set the tone of the meeting. Once all participants have arrived, ask them to find their partner from the photo display on the easel. They are to spend about 5 - 10 minutes getting to know the person. Then have them introduce their partner to the rest of the group and share something they discovered they have in common.
Self Awareness Ice Breaker
Overview: Participants are asked to write down what comes to mind first when certain questions are asked.
Goal: To learn more about themselves.
Time Required: 3 - 5 minutes
Material Required: A blank piece of paper
Instructions: Define the term adjective and ask the group for a few examples. Read the following questions only and encourage participants to write what first comes to mind and to only spend a few seconds on each question. Once you have completed asking the questions review as a group, ask for volunteers to share their responses and read the answers listed below.
Questions:
List two adjectives that describe your favorite animal.
Answer: This is how the participants see themselves.
List two adjectives that describe your second most favorite animal.
Answer: This is how others see the participants.
List two adjectives to describe the ocean.
Answer: This is how the participants view life.
List two adjectives to describe the sky.
Answer: This is how the participants view death.
Optional: ****Warning High Risk
List two adjectives to describe white water rafting.
Answer: This is how the participants view sex.
Skittle Skuttle Ice Breaker Activity
Overview: Participants select a skittle candy from a dish and match to the color listed on the worksheet.
Goal: To get to know each other during introductions.
Time Required: 1 minute to select a candy, 2-4 minutes to share an experience.
Material Required: One Bag of Skittles and a candy dish or bowl.
Skittle Skuttle Ice Breaker Activity Worksheet
Match the color skittle you have drawn from the cup to the questions listed below.
Red
Boy! I was embarrassed when…
Orange
My strangest job ever was…
Purple
My best vacation was…
Green
Something I like to treat myself to…
Yellow
Dessert I can not live without…
Stranded on a Desert Island
Overview: We have used this ice breaker for many years as being on a desert island, however if you want to, you could appropriately rename it Survivor - like the popular TV show!
Participants are asked to write down what they would bring if they were going to be stranded on a desert island and only had 5 minutes notice. Once everyone has written down their item ask each person to tell what thy brought and how they plan to use it.
Give them a few minutes to decide how they could combine their items to better survive. If you want to allow more time combine people into groups have them brainstorm what they can do with their combined items. Give a prize to the group that is most creative.
Goal: To learn more about themselves.
Time Required: 3 - 5 minutes
Material Required: Colored Paper, Markers, Crayons
Instructions: Provide the participants with the hand out below and allow them to make notes or illustrate what one item would they would bring if they were going to be stranded on a desert island and had only 5 minutes advance notice.
Discussion: Take a few moments to share a few examples and laughs as a group.
Ask why they chose the items and why they meant so much to them?
You are going to be stranded on a desert island in less than 5 minutes and you are only permitted to take one item. What will you take with you? Feel free to illustrate or make notes.
You can click on the image to the right and get a full page to print on a color printer to use for the exercise.
The Name Game
Overview: Have the group complete the questionnaire silently. Upon completion fold into fours and drop into a hat or bag.
Goal: To get groups to realize they do not always know everything about their co-workers or someone they have worked with for quite some time.
Time Required: 2 minutes to complete questionnaire - 10 minutes to draw cards and discuss.
Material required: Colored paper to print question sheet on and a hat or bag.
Instructions: Have someone randomly draw a card and read the answers out to the group as they guess which classmate it may be. Once someone selects the correct classmate have that individual draw the next card.
Discussion: Ask if they discovered anything new about someone? Ask if they found something in common with someone?
Form: The Name Game
1. Favorite Dream Vacation Spot ______________________
2. Favorite Type of Car ______________________________
3. Favorite Actress/Actor _____________________________
4. Favorite Movie ___________________________________
5. Favorite Hobby ___________________________________
6. Favorite Color ____________________________________
Toilet Paper Go-Round
Material: 1 roll of toilet paper (if you “borrow” it from an office bathroom, be kind and leave some for your colleagues!)
Pass around a roll of toilet paper and say something like “just in case this meeting gets a little messy, everyone needs to take some” (with no other qualifiers or instruction). Then go on with other business (agenda, minutes, and “housekeeping” items…) as the roll makes it way around the room.
Some folks by nature will take many “squares” and some just a few. Once everyone has had the roll, and you’ve finished other business, ask everyone to introduce themselves and share with the group as many “things” about themselves as number of “squares” they took! You can suggest the “things” be generic or make it work-related. You choose.
Travel to My Home Town
Objective: Get people acquainted.
Procedure: Divide the participants into groups of 4-6 people. Ask each group to get together in their own location. Their task is to come up with a list of home towns and then develop a geographically-correct number of home towns that represent the number of home towns for the entire group.
Hint: Participants from each group may “travel” to other group tables to obtain needed information.
Approximate time needed: 10 minutes to work in groups and 5 minutes to review answers with entire group.
Optional:
1. If you have a map for each group they could pinpoint and mark the home towns or,
2. If time allows have each group tell what town they think is the most interesting and why.
Discussion Questions:
1. Which group has the most accurate number of home towns?
2. Which group finished first?
3. If a map is used which group accurately placed all the towns on the map?
Two Truths & A Lie
In groups of three to eight (depending on how much time you want to devote to this exercise) have individuals take turns making three statements about themselves — two which are true; one that is a lie.
After an individual makes their statements, the other folks in the group discuss among themselves, which seem most plausible and what is most likely to be the lie. Once they come to some sort of consensus, the individual who made the statements not only tells which is the “lie” but also provides a bit more background about the “truths” as well as what made them think folks might have thought the “lie” was a “truth.”
Groups of three can easily do this in less than 10 minutes.
Note to facilitator - This game works well with groups that are new to one another. It is often surprising how relative strangers can instinctively pick up the nuances between truths and lies based on very little information. The game also works well with groups that have been together awhile and Think they know a lot about each other.
This exercise can also be done “electronically” with groups that aren’t physically located together, but have been “assembled” to work together on some task — for example a cross-functional task force or a committee that has folks from across the country participating. It takes a little longer — but provides the same benefits.
Yarn Toss
Start with a ball of yarn. Say your name and an interesting fact about yourself. Then, holding the end, toss the ball to another participant. That person will say his/her name and an interesting fact, then, holding on to part of the yarn, toss the ball to another person. By the time everyone has spoken, there will be a large web of yarn that can be displayed on the wall of the training room with tacks or tape. This activity can also be used as a review tool - each participant says something about the subject, then tosses the yarn.
Whistle While You Work
This energizer is best done outside or in a place where it’s okay to make a mess! It is ideal for an evening energizer at an outdoor event. Have a stack of saltines for each team. Break them into groups of 4 - 5. Give each group an equal stack of crackers and have them go to their designated location. Select a team of judges. Allow each team two minutes to plan their strategy. Then which ever team can successfully whistle “Whistle while you work” the fastest wins. The only rule is the person or people who are whistling must have crackers in their mouth the whole time they are whistling!
Who Am I?
For this activity you will need one sticky note per person. On each note write the name
of a celebrity, political figure, cartoon character, book character, etc. You can choose one category or mix them up. Use a different person for each note.
Place a sticky note on the back (or forehead) of each participant. The participants are to figure out who they are, but can only do so in the following manner. Find a partner and
read each other’s sticky notes. You may ask the other person three questions to which
there are yes or no answers.
Once your questions have been asked and answered, make a guess as to your identity. If you are correct, move the sticky note to your chest and you become a “consultant” who gives clues to those still trying to figure out their identities. If you are not correct, find a new partner and repeat the process.
SPECIAL NOTE: Be sure to choose characters that are appropriate to the age of the participants to avoid “generation gap frustration.”
Examples: Madonna, Santa Claus, John Wayne, Casablanca, Hillary Clinton, Kermit, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, etc.
*Several of our icebreakers we have found in The Big Book of Icebreakers by Edie West, published by McGraw-Hill 1999 - Check out her book for more quick fun activities for energizing meetings and workshops.
