ICE BREAKERS

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.