Icebreakers can play an important role in helping people integrate and connect with one another in a group environment. Icebreakers can help to stimulate cooperation and participation. They can provide positive momentum by:
Helping a new group get to know one another.
Helping new members to integrate into a group.
Helping people feel comfortable together.
Encouraging cooperation.
Encouraging listening to others.
Encouraging working together.
Encouraging people to break out of their cliques.
Developing social skills.
Building a rapport with leaders.
Creating a good atmosphere for learning and participation.
Planning your ice breaker 1. Determine the goal of your ice breaker. Use ice breakers that will have your desired impact in your training session / class. Do you want ice breaker or participants to:
Get energized / warmed-up
Get to know one another
Simulate team building
Build consensus
Understand differences
Bridge the group into the topic you will be discussing
Demonstrate insights about the participant’s working together
2. Think about your participants (preferences, interests, ages, comfort level)
3. Consider length of ice breaker relative to length of session; Consider multiple ice breakers throughout longer sessions
4. Types of ice breakers:
Movement
Training Reinforcement and Discussion
Action Oriented
5. Consider debriefing the group after the ice breaker
Ice Breakers from Class
Pair Interview (Connie and Joy)
Put people into pairs and have them interview each other for approximately ten minutes. They can ask each other questions on some or all of the following topics:
Their birthplace and where they live now
Their home life and interests
Their work background and current job
Something that no-one else in the group knows about them
What they can offer the team in terms of skills and abilities
What concerns they have about the team (if any)
Each team member then introduces his partner to the rest of the group. As it gets people talking, the atmosphere lightens immediately.
Fact or Fiction (Neal and Kathy)
Ask everyone to write on a piece of paper THREE things about themselves which may not be known to the others in the group. Two are true and one is not. Taking turns they read out the three 'facts' about themselves and the rest of the group votes which are true and false. There are always surprises. This simple activity is always fun, and helps the group and leaders get to know more about each other.
The Question Web (Kim) You need to have a spool of string or wool for this game. Ask the group to stand in a circle. Hold on to the end of the string and throw the ball/spool to one of the group to catch. They then choose a question from 1-20 to answer. Holding the string they then throw it to another member of the group. Eventually this creates a web as well as learning some interesting things about each other!
At the end of the game you could comment that we all played a part in creating this unique web and if one person was gone it would look different. In the same way it's important that we all take part to make the group what it is, unique and special.
If you had a time machine that would work only once, what point in the future or in history would you visit?
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
If your house was burning down, what three objects would you try and save?
If you could talk to any one person now living, who would it be and why?
If you HAD to give up one of your senses (hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting) which would it be and why?
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Do you have a pet? If not, what sort of pet would you like?
What bad habit do you wish you could break?
What is one of your hobbies?
What's your favorite thing to do in the summer?
Who's your favorite cartoon character, and why?
What fear would you like to overcome?
What’s your favorite board game? Do you usually win?
If you are at a friend's or relative's house for dinner and you find a dead insect in your salad, what would you do?
Of all the tools and gadgets you own, which do you enjoy using the most?
What is your favorite movie?
What’s your preference: motorcycle, dirt bike, moped, mountain bike, racing bike, scooter, or unicycle?
What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
What is something you did growing up that your parents never found out about?
What book, movie or video have you seen/read recently you would recommend? Why?
Note: Can tie questions to team or specific project… i.e. ask work related, theme specific (social service), project related questions.
Planning your ice breaker
1. Determine the goal of your ice breaker. Use ice breakers that will have your desired impact in your training session / class. Do you want ice breaker or participants to:
- Get energized / warmed-up
- Get to know one another
- Simulate team building
- Build consensus
- Understand differences
- Bridge the group into the topic you will be discussing
- Demonstrate insights about the participant’s working together
2. Think about your participants (preferences, interests, ages, comfort level)3. Consider length of ice breaker relative to length of session; Consider multiple ice breakers throughout longer sessions
4. Types of ice breakers:
5. Consider debriefing the group after the ice breaker
Ice Breakers from Class
Pair Interview (Connie and Joy)
Put people into pairs and have them interview each other for approximately ten minutes. They can ask each other questions on some or all of the following topics:
- Their birthplace and where they live now
- Their home life and interests
- Their work background and current job
- Something that no-one else in the group knows about them
- What they can offer the team in terms of skills and abilities
- What concerns they have about the team (if any)
Each team member then introduces his partner to the rest of the group. As it gets people talking, the atmosphere lightens immediately.Fact or Fiction (Neal and Kathy)
Ask everyone to write on a piece of paper THREE things about themselves which may not be known to the others in the group. Two are true and one is not. Taking turns they read out the three 'facts' about themselves and the rest of the group votes which are true and false. There are always surprises. This simple activity is always fun, and helps the group and leaders get to know more about each other.
The Question Web (Kim)
You need to have a spool of string or wool for this game. Ask the group to stand in a circle. Hold on to the end of the string and throw the ball/spool to one of the group to catch. They then choose a question from 1-20 to answer. Holding the string they then throw it to another member of the group. Eventually this creates a web as well as learning some interesting things about each other!
At the end of the game you could comment that we all played a part in creating this unique web and if one person was gone it would look different. In the same way it's important that we all take part to make the group what it is, unique and special.
Note: Can tie questions to team or specific project… i.e. ask work related, theme specific (social service), project related questions.