Assign each student a well-known character from literature or pop culture. They must mingle and introduce themselves as that character, providing hints for others to guess. Test your team’s mental dexterity to see how many words your coworkers can make from 7-9 letters.
#14 Conversation Cubes
Here’s a list of my favorite icebreakers to avoid having those awkward meetings. When people hear “meeting icebreaker,” they think of ”bonding exercises.” In this post I share 15 meeting icebreakers that are anti-boring and easy. Perfect for the first day of school or introducing a new group activity, this game challenges wit and sparks curiosity. In this well-known game, students share two factual statements and one false statement about themselves. Gather some socks or wrapping paper crumpled into snowballs. Have each person throw as many “snowballs” through the wreath as possible—the person with the most wins.
Icebreaker Questions to Get to Know Your Teammates
Pick a few questions that feel like your style and have those ready when you’re going out to an event or for that dead time before a Zoom meeting. When you’re with people you’ve known for a while or want to take a relationship deeper, think about including some of these questions in your conversation. People are eager to respond to questions that make them remember a positive time, and invoking a bit of nostalgia can set the tone for more connection. Plus, you might find out you both have a love of SpongeBob.
- Create groups of three people to make conversations more manageable and less stressful for introverts.
- Hopefully, you’ll find something that works for your team and cultivates stronger workplace friendships among these 60 non-cheesy icebreakers.
- Everyone loves their furry friend, so take a few minutes for employees to share a funny story about their pet.
- Check out 120+ spring icebreaker questions and activities to spark lively conversations with friends at your next springtime gathering.
Then brainstorm a volunteer activity they can do, such as a park clean-up, toy drive, or food drive. Send an email to the team requesting them to bring a childhood photo to the next meeting. Show each picture to the attendees and have them guess who it is.
#2 Toilet Paper Fun Facts Game
In a work environment, the comfort level developed between team members transfers over into their everyday work life and allows them to collaborate more effectively. Teams need to create space to get to know each other on a personal level, which will ultimately lead to better teamwork, communication, and innovation. Ask everyone to quickly aim their camera down or take a picture of the shoes they’re wearing (or slippers, socks, or bare feet) and post it. It’s a funny, humanizing glimpse into everyone’s work-from-home life. Find a free Mad Libs template online before the meeting.
Human Bingo
The teams that did the icebreaker reported liking each other more. And if you want better meetings, you MUST send this article to your meeting planner. I’m going to convince you to upgrade the age-old icebreaker. You’ll uncover unique and surprising facts about everyone in the classroom through a colorful assortment of candies. This game is about sharing, connecting, and starting your journey together on a fun and flavorful note.
In a work setting, these kinds of interactions can help build trust in a team and encourage people to become close friends and colleagues. Spring icebreaker questions are spring-themed questions designed to get people interacting and connecting in an enjoyable and creative way. Here are 21 simple icebreakers to initiate group conversations amongst employees, including large group virtual icebreakers for remote teams. Ask each person to submit a 30-second video with answers to specific questions, such as, “What do you miss about working together in person? ” Bonus points for people who dress in their icebreakers for virtual meetings Christmas best—their Christmas pajamas, an ugly sweater, or their holiday finest. Once you have all the videos, put them together and play the compilation at your last meeting before Christmas break.
Everyone can record their answers through the site to play lightning rounds that get everyone talking. Some become secondary parents, so mention them in an icebreaker activity. The conversations focus on some of the most remarkable people who helped your coworkers become the successful, thriving individuals they are today. Ask your coworkers to talk about a skill a team member next to them excels at. It could be a skill that contributes to the workplace or their personal life.
Similar to the previous game, have team members say a one-word compliment about their coworkers. This game might be most straightforward by putting everyone’s name in a bucket and letting everyone pull a name and give a compliment. Split a large group into smaller teams, having them come up with an interesting movie pitch to share. They might include details from their lives to make the movie more interesting.
- There are likely a few people who have forgotten about that will come back to mind as a pleasant surprise.
- Students try to find classmates who match various statements on their bingo cards and get them to sign the corresponding square.
- Just because you’re not in person doesn’t mean you can’t do an activity together.
They are similar to icebreaker activities but usually do not require much or any preparation at all. Do you want to get to know your team on a more personal note? This icebreaker activity is a great way to break the ice by putting your most embarrassing/awkward/awesome/proud moments up front for the world to see. If you like having mini TED Talks sprinkled into your meetings, this one’s for you! “Teach Something New” is one of my favorite icebreakers—each team member will have, say, 5 minutes to teach everyone one little thing. It could be how to draw a giraffe, how to juggle, or a magic trick.
Bring it back by sharing the game on your screen and asking everyone to pitch a guess. Some internet searches will be faster than others, so create a long scavenger hunt list and set a quick timer to keep everyone on their toes. Start an icebreaker conversation about everyone’s favorite childhood costume if Halloween is coming up. People could bond over memories of homemade outfits or the costumes they wore on repeat. Anyone who didn’t participate in Halloween could still join the activity by mentioning what they wore during dress-up or even a school play.
Remembering a pleasant experience and sharing that with a new friend is a great way to learn about a person and connect their experience with yours. This is a great question to learn more about what your potential match finds important or entertaining. Are TikTok, Instagram, and Spotify at the top of their list, or could they not live without their dating app, stock portfolio, and workout trackers? Their app choices will probably give you insight into where they spend their energy.
Icebreaker #7: Draw and Guess
Maybe someone is great at making an aesthetically-pleasing slideshow while another person meal preps creative foods they bring to work. Everyone will shine in the spotlight for a minute as each person cheers the other. Nonsense questions help everyone release workplace stress by shifting their focus to silly challenges. Their answers also reveal new aspects of everyone’s personality. Take a normal Jenga tower game and write icebreaker questions on the back.
Everyone can guess what the abbreviation means until the answer gets revealed. Create an abbreviation using your company’s mission statement or your team’s name before writing it on a whiteboard so everyone can take turns guessing. Each person can bring one thing to your next conference call that they want to talk about. Whether it’s something on their desk, across the house, or an object they just bought, show and tell is an easy icebreaker activity that’s stress-free. Playing an online version of Scattergories with remote team members is easy. Find a free website with the numbered die and category list.
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