10 Icebreakers
Twenty Really Good Ice Breakers Strictly for Meetings and Special Functions
Ice breakers are particularly well suited for beginning a speech or starting a meeting. As the name implies, they “break the ice,” help participants relax, and generally set the tone for the presentation. They help to relax participants, and that makes them more receptive to listening and contributing. An ice breaker can also serve to create a “team atmosphere” and motivate participants to work with others in a cooperative manner. Ice breakers can take various forms but those that seem the most popular and effective are those that promote interaction, sharing, and team building.
In order for an ice breaker to be effective, it must employ content appropriate to the group as well as be appropriately timed. It should not be too long otherwise it might sabotage the more serious work of the meeting. It should occur at the beginning of the meeting or speech, and then at appropriate times during the program. Knowing when to insert an ice breaker requires sensitivity and creativity. It is not easy to teach one when to insert an ice breaker. Some people seem to know instinctively when to use an ice breaker. Other people may require practice and experience to develop their timing. Let’s get rid of any tension in the room. It’s easy, we will just wash the tension out…ride it out on a tsunami. On the count of three I want the people in the front to raise their arms straight up and with a throwing action, pass all of their tension to the second row. The second row does the same thing and passes it to the third row. We continue the wave to the last row who hurls the collective tension, stress, or anxiety right out the door. Let’s just hope nobody’s walking by when the wave washes out into the hallway!
Following are twenty proven ice breakers:
As note above, it is not just the content of the ice breaker that is important. Timing is critical. All of the
Ice breakers are particularly well suited for beginning a speech or starting a meeting. As the name implies, they “break the ice,” help participants relax, and generally set the tone for the presentation. They help to relax participants, and that makes them more receptive to listening and contributing. An ice breaker can also serve to create a “team atmosphere” and motivate participants to work with others in a cooperative manner. Ice breakers can take various forms but those that seem the most popular and effective are those that promote interaction, sharing, and team building.
In order for an ice breaker to be effective, it must employ content appropriate to the group as well as be appropriately timed. It should not be too long otherwise it might sabotage the more serious work of the meeting. It should occur at the beginning of the meeting or speech, and then at appropriate times during the program. Knowing when to insert an ice breaker requires sensitivity and creativity. It is not easy to teach one when to insert an ice breaker. Some people seem to know instinctively when to use an ice breaker. Other people may require practice and experience to develop their timing. Let’s get rid of any tension in the room. It’s easy, we will just wash the tension out…ride it out on a tsunami. On the count of three I want the people in the front to raise their arms straight up and with a throwing action, pass all of their tension to the second row. The second row does the same thing and passes it to the third row. We continue the wave to the last row who hurls the collective tension, stress, or anxiety right out the door. Let’s just hope nobody’s walking by when the wave washes out into the hallway!
Following are twenty proven ice breakers:
As note above, it is not just the content of the ice breaker that is important. Timing is critical. All of the