10 “Hot” Icebreakers

Ideas for warming up your group before a meeting, project or team-building event.

An icebreaker serves as a warm-up for your group. Whether you are organizing a project-oriented event centered around problem-solving; a team-building event; or simply want to create a positive group atmosphere, icebreakers help people relax; break down social barriers; energize and motivate; and encourage people to think outside the box.

In a large meeting, the icebreaker can be a single question that gets people thinking and talking. Or it can be as involved as a trivia game based on registration information that you have obtained in advance, or an improvisational session that focuses on the meeting topic. Be sure to tailor whatever you do to the group; you don’t want to introduce questions that may make people uncomfortable or are inappropriate for your gathering. (See “Do’s and Don’ts” accompanying this article.)

Here are 10 top icebreakers:

1. Common Ground—Divide the meeting participants into groups of four or five people by having them number off. (This method serves to break up the habit people have of sitting with those they already know.) The groups’ assignment is to find 10 things they have in common with every other person in the group; no body parts or clothing—you want them to explore shared interests. Have one person in each group take notes and set a time limit (10 minutes). When the time is up, the note taker reads the group’s list to the whole crowd. This teambuilding exercise doesn’t take long, and often results in laughter and discussion.

2. Five Favorites—Have your group or groups share their five favorite or least-favorite movies, books or songs. You can also pick subjects related to your teambuilding function by asking questions such as, “What are five key factors that contribute to a successful team [in this field]?” “What are five key factors that inspire people to volunteer [for your mission or project]?”
One person must take notes. Upon completion of the assignment, each group shares the highlights of their discussion with the whole group. When each presentation is finished, ask the rest of the participants if they have anything they’d like to add before moving on with the rest of the session. This is a quick, fun activity that easily engages people.

3. Who or What Am I?—As each participant arrives, tape an index card on his or her back with the name of a famous person or city. They must circulate in the room and ask questions that can only be answered with a “yes” or “no” to identify clues to their identity. Example: Am I male? Am I alive? Am I a politician? You can also have each group member pick a person or city, write it on a sticky note, and attach it to another person’s back. Members can keep asking questions until they get a no answer or until they guess incorrectly. The winner is the person who can guess their name without getting any no answers or incorrect guesses. This icebreaker works well at an event where people are up and mingling, but in a small group, you can have people take turns asking questions about who they are to the entire group.

4. Hometown—Post a large U.S. map on the wall; leaving border space for those born outside of the country. Have participants put their hometown and first name on the map, then ask them to share information about their hometown. Alternately, for a group that travels frequently, ask them to pinpoint favorite destinations. You can also develop a map or trivia game of the city in which you are meeting, and use it to familiarize attendees (in fact, some convention and visitor’s bureaus have games already prepared that you can use).

5. Friends Circle—Form two large circles, one inside the other (or form two lines side by side), and have the people in the inside circle face the people in the outside circle. Ask the circles to take one step in the opposite directions, allowing them to meet each new person as the circle continues to move slowly. This works well for welcoming a large group that will be attending a seminar for more than one day.

6. Acting Up—Ask each person to turn to the person on their right and greet him or her as if they really didn’t want to be there and can’t wait to leave. Then, have everyone (simultaneously) turn to the same person and greet him or her as if he or she is a long-lost relative who has just returned home. Finally, ask everyone (again simultaneously) to turn to the same person and greet him or her as if this person just told you that you won the $50-million state lottery.

7. Hat Works—Sometimes the silliest project brings out the creativity in everyone. Put inexpensive paper hats on tables, with colored markers, feathers, glitter, stickers and other craft miscellany, and have participants express themselves. When they’re done, you can have a quick fashion show. (Believe it or not, this one was a hit at a meeting of top executives.)

8. Quick Trivia—Ask everyone to create a name, combining the name of their first pet (or imaginary pal) with the street name from their childhood home. Have them take turns announcing the name and give a small award to the most outrageous, funniest, longest, etc.

9. When I Grow Up—As a kid, everyone had something they wanted to be when they grew up. Maybe it was a fireman, maybe it was a doctor, maybe it was the president. Going around the group, have each person reveal what they wanted to be. The answers will be fun and may inspire further conversation about pursuing dreams, paths, skills and the challenges and growth that lead us to new pursuits.

10. The best icebreaker games are simple, and this one couldn’t be any easier. All you have to do is gather everyone in a circle and get them to toss a ball to one another. When someone catches the ball, they shout out their name. It doesn’t take long to play and it’s more interesting than nametags. Another variation is to ask questions pertaining to the group of meeting, have participants shout out answers, and throw candy (Mardi Gras-style) to those responding correctly. The idea is to keep things moving; you’ll have people jumping out of their seats and scrambling to get to the treats.

Do’s:

• Do use icebreakers to create a more relaxed environment.
• Do use icebreakers as topic lead-ins during class and meetings.
• Do choose the right game for the right group.
• Do make sure that you have the right amount of people for the game that you choose.
• Do make the instructions for the icebreaker as simple as possible.
• Do keep your eye on the participants. Make sure that they are having fun.
• Do be ready to improvise if necessary.
• Do have a back-up plan. If the icebreaker isn’t working, you will need it.

Dont’s

• Don’t introduce an icebreaker game that will make others uncomfortable, physically or mentally.
• Don’t underestimate the time it will take to complete the icebreaker game or activity.
• Don’t forget to bring all of the materials that you need.
• Don’t limit icebreakers to the beginning of a meeting/class. Use them to revitalize the group at any time.
• Don’t force people to participate.
• Don’t forget to keep track of which ice breakers work and which don’t.
• Don’t choose complicated icebreakers. Keep it simple.