We explain 3 fantastic icebreaker activities
Do you want to play fun games with your team and you don’t know how? We explain 3 Fantastic Icebreaker Activities.
The icebreakers have the power to strengthen coworker bonds, stimulate better brainstorming sessions, and create an atmosphere of inclusivity. When you are working on a new team, small group icebreakers can help you get to know your team member and set a strong standard of collaboration and respect.
Try these small group icebreakers to better connect with your new team and improve productivity.
Salt and Pepper
Salt and Pepper quick icebreaker activity is fun, excellent for energizing your team and letting them get to know each other. It doesn’t take up a lot of time and requires a few simple materials like a pen, tape, and small sheets of paper.
First you need to think of pairs of things like salt and pepper, ham and cheese, lock and key. Separate the pairs and write only one of them per sheet. Tape one sheet of paper on each person’s back so they can’t see it.
Once everyone has been assigned an item, they will have to walk around asking yes or no questions to figure out which word is on file. Once they know what they are, they need to find their “match.”
When a pair has been paired up, they can sit down and share three interesting facts about themselves. An optional step: have the pairs present their partners and the interesting facts they learned about them.
This exercise will encourage communication and creativity among the participants. Learning how to ask the right questions will be a challenge. It will also encourage teamwork as interacting with the other team members is necessary.
Ring the Bell Game
The objective of the Ring the bell activity is to get to know your team better and to promote a deeper formation of relationships within the team. Similar to the old “family quarrel” TV show, this activity should be just as entertaining.
We recommend using this activity with teams that don’t know each other very well yet, as it makes them work as a team and have a bit of fun together.
Create a quiz that contains questions like “favorite food”, “favorite color?” or “more fun days.” Ask people to answer this questionnaire and count the five most popular responses.
Divide your team into groups of about 4 to 6 people and set up a table with a bell in the middle. Only one member of each team should be able to press the bell at a time.
Ask the first question in the survey: whoever rings the bell first must guess the most common answer. When the answer is correct, write it on a board for all to see and give the team a point.
If it is incorrect, ask one of the other teams the question. If no one gets it right, go to the next question.
One-Word
One-Word icebreaker helps the group explore their thoughts on a common theme. This icebreaker is a perfect transition to the topic of the meeting or training class.
This activity is becoming a new favorite icebreaker. After using it for a couple of years, they find it works well in every meeting, training, and team building session on any topic.
Divide the meeting participants into groups of four or five people by having them number off. You do this so that your participants get to know fellow attendees.
People generally begin a meeting by sitting with the people they already know best, when your goal is normally team-building across a group. Tell the newly formed groups that their task is to think for a minute and then share with their group the word that describes a topic: for example, leadership, organization or communication.
After the initial spontaneous discussion is over, ask the participants to share their only word with the larger group. Ask a volunteer to start, and then ask each participant to share their only word.
Then, after the participants have heard the variety of words from the larger group, ask them to explore several questions in their small group about all the words. When finished, continue with the rest of the material you have prepared for the session.
