Icebreakers (Part I)
Icebreakers: How to Break the Ice in Training Sessions or Meetings?
Icebreakers are discussion questions or activities used to help participants relax and ease into a group meeting or learning situation. There are two types:
Facilitating Introductions: Icebreakers are used to help participants relax and ease into a meeting or training; and to help participants learn each other's names and personal/professional information.
When participants are meeting for the first time, start with an icebreaker that helps everyone learn names and personal/professional information. If you are facilitating more than one session, choose a few icebreakers - you can use one to get people chatting and exchanging personal information, another to help memorize or review names, and another at a stretch break.
The icebreakers "Everyone's a Liar" and "What's the Question?" are fun games for exchanging personal information. Both can be used even if participants already know each other. "Alliterative Introductions" and "Name Chain" help participants memorize names. "Seating Plan" requires movement and can be used to enliven a tired group.
Everyone's a Liar:
Facilitator writes three statements on the board. Two statements are true, and one is a lie.
Example:
I have been teaching for 10 years.
I have a pet cat called "Mini."
I lived in Mumbai for a year.
Participants ask "lie detector" questions to get further information, to determine which statement is false. For example:
Teaching - Where have you taught? What have you taught? What year did you start?
Pet - How old is Mini? What does Mini eat? Where do you keep Mini?
Mumbai - Where did you live in Mumbai? What language was spoken in Mumbai?
Participants vote on which statement is a lie. Reveal which are truths and which are lies.
Place participants in small groups (3 or 4 works well). Small groups repeat steps 1-3.
Have participants introduce each other to the large group.
What's the Question?
Facilitator writes some facts on the board. Example:
Purple
16 months
Japan
Participants try to find the question that matches each fact.
Purple - What's your favorite color? What color is your car? What color are your toenails?
16 months - How long have you lived in this city? How old is your child? How long have you been married?
Japan - Where were you born? Where have you worked? Where are you going on vacation?
When participants have discovered all of the questions, place them in small groups (3-4). Repeat steps 1 and 2.
Have participants introduce each other to the large group.
Alliterative Introductions:
Introduce yourself to the group with an alliterative sentence based on the first letter of your name.
Example:
"I'm Akhil Sutaria. I like playing guitar."
(Pattern: I'm ADJECTIVE NAME. I like ACTION-ing NOUN)
Participants introduce themselves to the group with alliterative sentences.
"I'm Varsha Purohit. I like embroidering clothes." "I'm Prashant Shah. I like giving gifts."
Name Chain:
You can play "Name Chain" as a follow-up to "Alliterative Introductions."
Introduce yourself and the person to your right.
I'm Akhil Sutaria. This is Prashant Shah.
The person to your right repeats previous introductions and introduces the person to their right.
He's Akhil Sutaria. I'm Prashant Shah. She's Varsha Purohit.
Continue with the next person to the right until all names have been repeated.
Challenge volunteers to rhyme off all names quickly!
This game can be repeated for a few days, moving around the group to the left or in random order until participants have memorized each other's names.
Seating Plan:
Ask participants to arrange their seats:
* Alphabetically, according to first name, or
* Sequentially, in order of birthday month and date
When participants have already met but don't know each other well, try a mixer like the index-card activity, "Do you Know Me?" This icebreaker encourages participants to circulate and share knowledge about each other. Facilitators can also use index cards to help remember names and take attendance.
Will be sending you people the Part II of Icebreakers tomorrow.... Meanwhile, let me know your comments.
Best Wishes,
Sridhar
Executive - HR
Invensys India Development Center
From India, Hyderabad
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4Icebreakers: How to Break the Ice in Training Sessions or Meetings?
Icebreakers are discussion questions or activities used to help participants relax and ease into a group meeting or learning situation. There are two types:
Facilitating Introductions: Icebreakers are used to help participants relax and ease into a meeting or training; and to help participants learn each other's names and personal/professional information.
When participants are meeting for the first time, start with an icebreaker that helps everyone learn names and personal/professional information. If you are facilitating more than one session, choose a few icebreakers - you can use one to get people chatting and exchanging personal information, another to help memorize or review names, and another at a stretch break.
The icebreakers "Everyone's a Liar" and "What's the Question?" are fun games for exchanging personal information. Both can be used even if participants already know each other. "Alliterative Introductions" and "Name Chain" help participants memorize names. "Seating Plan" requires movement and can be used to enliven a tired group.
Everyone's a Liar:
Facilitator writes three statements on the board. Two statements are true, and one is a lie.
Example:
I have been teaching for 10 years.
I have a pet cat called "Mini."
I lived in Mumbai for a year.
Participants ask "lie detector" questions to get further information, to determine which statement is false. For example:
Teaching - Where have you taught? What have you taught? What year did you start?
Pet - How old is Mini? What does Mini eat? Where do you keep Mini?
Mumbai - Where did you live in Mumbai? What language was spoken in Mumbai?
Participants vote on which statement is a lie. Reveal which are truths and which are lies.
Place participants in small groups (3 or 4 works well). Small groups repeat steps 1-3.
Have participants introduce each other to the large group.
What's the Question?
Facilitator writes some facts on the board. Example:
Purple
16 months
Japan
Participants try to find the question that matches each fact.
Purple - What's your favorite color? What color is your car? What color are your toenails?
16 months - How long have you lived in this city? How old is your child? How long have you been married?
Japan - Where were you born? Where have you worked? Where are you going on vacation?
When participants have discovered all of the questions, place them in small groups (3-4). Repeat steps 1 and 2.
Have participants introduce each other to the large group.
Alliterative Introductions:
Introduce yourself to the group with an alliterative sentence based on the first letter of your name.
Example:
"I'm Akhil Sutaria. I like playing guitar."
(Pattern: I'm ADJECTIVE NAME. I like ACTION-ing NOUN)
Participants introduce themselves to the group with alliterative sentences.
"I'm Varsha Purohit. I like embroidering clothes." "I'm Prashant Shah. I like giving gifts."
Name Chain:
You can play "Name Chain" as a follow-up to "Alliterative Introductions."
Introduce yourself and the person to your right.
I'm Akhil Sutaria. This is Prashant Shah.
The person to your right repeats previous introductions and introduces the person to their right.
He's Akhil Sutaria. I'm Prashant Shah. She's Varsha Purohit.
Continue with the next person to the right until all names have been repeated.
Challenge volunteers to rhyme off all names quickly!
This game can be repeated for a few days, moving around the group to the left or in random order until participants have memorized each other's names.
Seating Plan:
Ask participants to arrange their seats:
* Alphabetically, according to first name, or
* Sequentially, in order of birthday month and date
When participants have already met but don't know each other well, try a mixer like the index-card activity, "Do you Know Me?" This icebreaker encourages participants to circulate and share knowledge about each other. Facilitators can also use index cards to help remember names and take attendance.
Will be sending you people the Part II of Icebreakers tomorrow.... Meanwhile, let me know your comments.
Best Wishes,
Sridhar
Executive - HR
Invensys India Development Center
From India, Hyderabad
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Good one, Sridhar. If anyone is interested in management games that can be used during meetings, icebreaking sessions, etc., you can visit the HR website www.hr2hr.us.tt. You can download files related to Management Games by visiting the Download Page and Topics page.
Looking forward to your Part II of Icebreakers!
From India, Bangalore
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Looking forward to your Part II of Icebreakers!
From India, Bangalore
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