Have new teammates tell a joke at their first all-hands meeting. This is a great way to encourage people to be vulnerable and also ensures the meetings start on a cheery note. Remember that opening activities needn’t be complicated to be effective and when looking for ice breaker ideas, don’t discount the simple joy of making others laugh! Once each person has described who they would like to get the group in a circle to discuss the exercise. Ask people to place themselves on an imaginary map laid out in the room representing the country according to where they grew up. Ask them to share one internal value they got from that place, and why is that important for them. Encourage people to share a short story if they want ​ Two Truths and One Lie This activity helps people ease in a group and brings out their creativity without a lot of effort. This is a great energiser that requires players to move about as they build an imaginary electric fence. They have to try and cross it without touching it and getting “electrocuted”. The fence can be represented by a rope or a shoe string tied between two objects. It should be about waist high. Players can’t go under it, this is not limbo dancing!

Whenever you have a group of people participating in a meeting, project, or event, it’s helpful to get to know each other so you are more comfortable working together. This fun activity could be used as an icebreaker for people who have just met but it can be framed as a method that shows and fosters team communication, collaboration and strategic thinking as well.To move marbles around, select the first marble you want to move, then select the marble you want to switch it with. The interview is a good warm up for every training or workshop session. Playful start in which the participants will start to communicate with and come to know each other, directing the thinking toward the topic of the day. It is usually a very cheerful activity. One of the major benefits of small group icebreaker games is space for participants to talk and get to know each other a little more than they would in a group of 20+ people. Interview is a playful way to get team members talking at the start of a session while also introducing the topic of the workshop or meeting.

Working with small groups creates an opportunity for greater depth. In this icebreaker game, invite team members to draw their life as a map, using common symbols and signs you might find on a map. Stop signs, deer crossings, mountainous areas…the choice of how to illustrate your life story is yours! The Four Quadrants is a fun and creative team icebreaker than can be adapted for any situation. It is super easy to prep for and set up – you only need large sheets of paper (flipcharts or similar) and markers. Have people draw up a 2×2 grid and ask them four questions. They should draw the answers in each quadrant. The benefits of a good ice breaker far outweigh any negatives. They can take care of introductions in a much more fun way than just simply going around the room and stating what’s on your business card. They can make people remember names easier & help start conversations. Passions Tic Tac Toe #get-to-know #values #icebreaker #thiagiThis simple game that explores the concepts from these two quotations: “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you”. —Oprah Winfrey. “Getting to know someone else involves curiosity about where they have come from, who they are.”—Penelope Lively, novelist ​Jenga questions

Rules

This is a seemingly contradictory ice breaker that actually results in lots of smiles. Instruct everyone to keep a straight face and do not smile under ANY circumstance in the first five minutes of the meeting. People turn into children with an instruction like this, and immediately start looking at others, seeing how they are coping. The anticipation makes everyone giggly, so after a while they cannot suppress their laughter anymore. This activity takes zero prep and so is a great one to pull out at the last minute! Hello Kitty Become the ultimate karate master. Break the Board is the hard- hitting, fast action electronic game that lets you become a Karate Master! Follow the lights and Chop, Strike, and Swipe your way through level after level. Explore how facilitators use SessionLab to build effective workshops and meetings or watch this five minute video to get started! A simple printout of a completed session in SessionLab, ready to share with clients and participants. Now over to you! Done wrong, an ice breaker can be awkward or take up large amounts of your meeting. By choosing a proven ice breaker from the selection below, you can see results and add an opener to your session in a pinch!

Thank you for this great collection of wonderful and fun icebreakers and activities. Here’s a favorite icebreaker called Paris, Rome, or New York. The object of this game is to introduce event participants to each other by co-creating a mural-sized, visual network of their connections. Image by Parabol on Unsplash. Ice Breaker Games for Small GroupsAs a management-awareness game to illustrate required change in behavior and leadership on a management level (e.g., illustrate the change from ‘task-oriented’ management towards ‘goal/value-oriented’ management). A fun team-building energiser that encourages groups to recreate the scavenger hunt experience in a fully remote environment! Electric Fence Icebreaker These small group icebreakers are great at using the extra space to create opportunities for team bonding and deeper sharing between team members. They’re also designed so you’re not left with awkward silences just because you don’t have a massive team taking part! Solving seemingly simple problems as a group to get everyone working together at the start of a workshop. This game requires one long, thin, light rod (e.g. a broom handle) and a bunch of curious participants!

Ice breaker games are not only useful at the beginning of meetings or getting to know new people. They are also a great way to support team building, by creating a positive atmosphere, helping people relax and break down barriers. They can reveal new information about colleagues that otherwise you wouldn’t discover during your everyday routine. Remember that successful teams are often those who’ve gotten to know each other better on a personal level too!But how can you break the ice without also frustrating your team or making them roll their eyes? Using facilitator-tested and proven methods like those below are a surefire way to open your meetings more effectively and engage your team. The Four Quadrants is a tried and true team building activity to break the ice with a group or team.