Types of Icebreakers:
1.
Who Done That?
Prior to the meeting, make a list of about 25
items relating to work and home life. For example, a list for a group of
trainers might have some of the following:
- Developed
a computer training course
- Has
delivered coaching classes
- Is
a mother
- Knows
what ADDIE means and can readily discuss it
- Enjoys
hiking
- Has
performed process improvement
- Served
in the Armed Forces
- Is
a task analysis expert
Ensure there is plenty of space below each item
(3 or 4 lines) and then make enough copies for each person.
Give each person a copy of the list and have them
find someone who can sign one of the lines. Also, have them put their job title
and phone number next to their names. Allow about 30 minutes for the activity.
Give prizes for the first one completed, most names (you can have more that one
name next to an item), last one completed, etc. This activity provides
participants with a list of special project coaches and helps them to learn
about each other.
2.
The ADDIE Game (Analysis, Design, Development, Implement,
Evaluate)
Make up a reasonable problem scenario for your
organization where people need to get introduced, e.g. “The manufacturing
department is bringing in 20 temporaries to help with the peak season. They
want us to build a short activity that will allow the permanent employees to
meet and introduce themselves to the temporaries.” Break the group into small
teams. Have them to discuss and create a solution:
- Analyze
the problem — Is it a training problem? If they decide that it is not a
training problem, then remind them that most problems can be solved by
following an ADDIE type approach.
- Perform
a short task analysis — How do people get to know each other?
- Design
the activity — Develop objectives, sequence.
- Develop
the activity — Outline how they will perform the activity and trial it.
- Implement
— Have each small team in turn, introduce themselves in front of the group
using the activity they created.
- Evaluate
— Give prizes to the most original, funniest, etc. by having the group
vote.
This activity allows them to learn about each
other's problem solving styles and instructional development methods, it also
introduces the members to each other. This method can also be used to introduce
the ADDIE method to new trainers. Time — about 60 minutes.
3. Expectations
Meeting
Expectations Can Make or Break Your Class.
Expectations are
powerful, especially when you're teaching adults. Understanding your students'
expectations of the course you're teaching is key to your success. Make sure
you know what your students expect with this expectations ice breaker.
Ideal Size:
Up to 20. Divide larger groups.
Use for:
Introductions in
the classroom or at a meeting, to understand what every participant is
expecting to learn from the class or gathering.
Time Needed:
15-20 minutes, depending on the size of the
group.
Materials Needed:
A flip chart or white board, and markers.
Instructions:
Write Expectations at the top of a flip chart or
white board.
When it’s time for students to introduce themselves,
explain that expectations are powerful, and that understanding them is key to
the success of any class. Tell the group that you would like them to:
- Introduce
themselves
- Share
their expectations of the class
- Add
a wild prediction of the best possible outcome should their expectations
be met. Ask them to be as specific as possible, and encourage silliness or
fun if you want.
Example:
Hi, my name is Deb, and I’m expecting to learn
how to handle difficult or challenging people, and my wildest expectation is
that if I knew how to do that, nobody would ever get under my skin again. Ever.
Debrief:
State your objectives of the course, review the
list of expectations the group made, and explain whether or not, and why,
if not, their expectations will or won't be covered in the course.
4. Zoom and Re-Zoom
A group tries to create a
unified story from a set of sequential pictures. The pictures are
randomly ordered and handed out. Each person has a picture but cannot
show it to others. Requires patience, communication, and perspective taking in
order to recreate the story's sequence.
Group Size
- 20 to 30 ideal, but can be done
with fewer (see variations)
Time
Total
time~20-30 minutes
- ~5 mins set up and brief the
group
- ~15 mins active problem solving
- ~5-10 minutes debrief
This
is a
novel icebreaker by handing each participant a picture on arrival. When
everyone has arrived, explain that each person is holding part of a story and
that the group task is to find out what the story is by putting their pictures
in sequence.
This can also be mapped to story telling
part of the ID.
5.
Frame Game
Give each learner four blank cards and instruct
them to fill in four different responses on the subject: “What were main
concepts or learning points of the material we just covered?” Give them about
five minutes to complete the exercise, then collect the cards, shuffle them,
and randomly deal three cards to each learner. (Note: If desired, the trainer
can make up four cards of her own, but they should be philosophically unacceptable
with the principles presented. That is, play devil's advocate.)
Ask everyone to read the cards they just
received, and then to arrange them in order of personal preference.
Place the extra cards on the table and allow them
to replace the cards in their hand that they do not like. Next, ask them to
exchange cards with each other. They must exchange at least one card.
After about three minutes, form them into teams
and ask each team to select the three cards they like the best. Give them time
to choose, then have them create a graphic poster to reflect the final three
cards.
Select or vote on best poster that best
represents the topic.
This can be used to discuss how to include
interactivity. We can replace the ‘responses’ in this game by ‘interactivity
options’ for a given senario.
6.
Ball-Toss
This is a semi-review and wake-up exercise when
covering material that requires heavy concentration. Have everyone stand up and
form a resemblance of a circle. It does not have to be perfect, but they should
all be facing in, looking at each other. Toss a nerf ball or bean bag to a
person and have tell what they thought was the most important learning concept
was. They then toss the ball to someone and that person explains what they
though was the most important concept. Continue the exercise until everyone has
caught the ball at least once and explained an important concept of the
material just covered.
7.
Process Ball
This is similar to the above exercise, but each
person tells one step of a process or concept when the ball is tossed to them.
The instructor or learner, in turn, writes it on a chalkboard or flip chart.
For example, after covering “Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs,” you would start the
ball toss by having everyone give one step in the pyramid of needs, e.g.
Safety, Physiological, Esteem, etc.
8.
The Magic Wand
You have just found a magic wand that allows you
to change three work related activities. You can change anything you want. How
would you change yourself, your job, your boss, coworkers, an important project,
etc.? Have them discuss why it is important to make the change. Another
variation is to have them discuss what they would change if they become the
boss for a month. This activity helps them to learn about others' desires and
frustrations.
9. People bingo
Bingo is one of
the most popular ice breakers because it’s so easy to customize for your
particular group and situation, and everyone knows how to play it.
Ideal Size
Up to 30. Divide larger groups.
Use For
Introductions in the classroom or at a meeting.
Time Needed
30 minutes, depending on the size of the group.
Materials Needed
Bingo cards. See instructions below.
Instructions
If you know your participants, make a list of 25
interesting traits that describe different aspects of them, things like, “plays
the bongos,” “once lived in Sweden,” “has a karate trophy,” “has twins,”
“collects children’s art,” “has a tattoo.”
If you don’t know your participants, make a list
of more general traits like “drinks tea instead of coffee”, “loves the color
orange,” “has two cats,” “drives a hybrid,” “went on a cruise in the last
year.” You can make these easy or difficult depending on how much time you want
the game to take.
There are lots of places online where you can
type in your traits and print your own customized cards. Some are free; some
are not.
- Teachnology has
a card maker that allows you to shuffle the phrases on each card.
- Print-Bingo.com allows you to
customize with your own words or use their suggestions.
If you’re making your own, bingo cards have five
boxes across and five boxes down. B-I-N-G-O! A simple table in Word does the
trick. Fill in the boxes on a master and make copies. Leave room for
signatures.
When you’re ready to play, give each participant
a bingo card and a pen. Explain that the group has 30 minutes to mingle,
introducing themselves, and finding people who match the traits on the card.
They must put the person’s name in the corresponding box or have the person
sign the appropriate square.
The first person to fill five boxes across or
down yells BINGO! and the game is over.
Ask participants to introduce themselves and
share one of the interesting traits they learned about someone else.
Debriefing
Debrief by asking for volunteers to share how
they feel differently about the others in the group now that they know a few
things about them. When we take the time to get to know each other, barriers
dissolve, people open up, and learning can take place.
