Easy Ice Breaker

Ice Breaker Games

Imaginative Ice Breaker Idea 

There’s a cool article in The Sunday Times Style mag this weekend.

In it they asked some foodies “if you were a vegetable….”

Of course this got me thinking – it’s quite similar to some of our ice breaker games “if you were a car what would you be?” “if you were a dog what would it be..?” Obviously they have to expand on their answers and the Sunday Times had some really insightful ones…

Jason Atherton, executive chef at Pollen Street Social

“I would be a heritage potato, because they are earthy and have amazing staying power.”

Lily Vanilli, cupcake maker

“Asparagus, because I’ve got great tips, or maybe celeriac, because I’m well hard.”

Ravinder Bhogal, recipe writer and TV presenter

“An onion, because there are lots of layers to me (my first layer comes off easily). Also i’m best when pickled”

You get the picture! There’s absolutely no reason why you couldn’t use this as an ice breaker game for your training, meetings and events.

For shed loads of fantastic ice breaker games to electrify your meetings, training, social and corporate events, check out the ice breaker ideas web-site NOW!

Ice Breaker Games

Why Use Ice Breaker Games?

Ice breaker games are brilliant for getting people to talk and befriend each other quickly. They bring people together that otherwise may not have the opportunity to talk.  Having a bit of fun together breaks down barriers quickly and helps people loosen up.   Ice breakers speed up the getting to know you process and make it easier to take a group forward. They are a trainer’s ideal tool but can be used in many more meeting situations than people do!

When should you use an Ice Breaker Game?

Ice breaker games are incredible to use both at work and away from work. They can be used for all ages too! You can use them to kick- start your training sessions, sales meetings and corporate events but you can also use them to integrate your school pupils at the start of the new school year, for youth groups, club meetings etc. Any group gathering could make use of ice breaker games to ensure an event gets off to a good start. I used to use them at the start of every PTA meeting.

To get your meetings off to a brilliant start you should learn how to  conduct an icebreaker really well. Get to know your chosen ice breaker game very well and then practise on your friends!

First, give an summary of the game and then step by step instructions. Start with easy  ice breaker games when you’re first starting out and then learn something a bit more challenging for established groups. Ask around colleagues and friends for their favourite ice breaker games and try those. With some great care and attention you will grow in confidence and your meetings and events will have a real oomph about them.

Ice breaker games can be quite noisy and busy affairs – that’s what they’re supposed to be! if you need to amke yourself heard you might think about investing in a whistle, bell or some attention getting device.

Try this easy ice breaker game:

Changing places

• Have everyone seated in a circle. You stand in the centre. You say
• “Everyone wearing red change places and greet your neighbours on both sides”
• So everyone wearing red changes places and you try and slip into one of the vacant seats. Allow a few seconds for people to greet their new neighbours
• The new person in the centre issues another command such as:
• “Everyone who drove their car here today change places and greet your new neighbours”
• The person in the centre slips into the empty seat, everyone greets their new neighbours and on it goes until everyone has met lots of people and had enough!!
• Above all, have fun with this dynamic ice breaker game suitable for all kinds of groups.

Sharon Naylor is fanatical about ice breaker games for work, play, parties, meetings, groups and clubs. In fact anywhere people are connecting to others whether it be for the first time or even when familiar with each other. If you would like to find some great icebreaker ideas for your next training or event visit the ice breaker ideas web-site for hundreds of amazing games and fun icebreakers.

Ice Breaker Games

A long time ago when I was starting out in my career I worked in an outdoor centre for children and young adults. The first evening was always given over to a session of Ice Breaker Games.

This was the first time I had ever come across such a concept, but since then, I have used ice breaker games to great effect in nearly all my jobs, places, meetings, training sessions,conventions, parties and corporate and social gatherings.

Ice breaker games are fantastic for breaking down barriers rapidly and for helping people feel at ease with each other. Used correctly they can rapidly create an atmosphere of fun and expectation.

The key is to start with simple, non-threatening ice breaker games and gradually build up the complexity or outrageousness as the group allows. Once the ice is broken the group will look forward readily to the main topic of the day.

There are thousands of ice breaker games and ideas that can help you get your next event off to a flying start; whether you are looking for a meeting ice breaker to inject a bit of fun before the more serious business begins or you are looking for a party ice breaker to transform your event into the next memorable experience.

Check-out the ice breaker ideas web-site for the most fun you can handle!

Ice Breaker Game – Connections

Here’s a great ice breaker for teams or groups meeting for the first time. You will need only a large ball of string or wool.

Introduce the exercise “We’re meeting here for the first time. Most of us don’t know each other at all. It’s easier to get to know each other and make connections with people when you find something in common. This is the main purpose of this ice breaker game. In some cases you might have a lot in common with an individual but often you have to discover what it is first. This game will give you a helping hand”

Ask everyone to sit or stand in a circle. Starting with yourself, say “My name is Sharon” and start to talk about yourself. “I have 3 sisters. I love to ride horses. I drive to work. I work at…etc. etc.” By this time hopefully you might find someone else in the group with 3 sisters or even a sister and they then shout “CONNECT!” when they have found something to connect with you. Holding onto the tail-end of the ball of string you throw the ball to them. They then introduce themselves and continue saying something about themselves until someone else connects with them. They then hold onto the string and throw the ball to that person. And on it goes.

Ensure everyone has a go at connecting with at least one other person in the group; you might want to add this as a rule until everyone has had a go. Continue connecting until you have had enough. You will now be in a tangle of string or spider’s web.

End the ice breaker game by explaining that we all have things in common with other people, but they are often hidden. Look at all the ways we are interconnected with each other… look at all the strands of the web. Building relationships and rapport can be speeded up by finding and sharing similarities. 

Sharon Naylor is passionate about ice breaker games for work, play, parties, meetings, groups and clubs. In fact anywhere people are connecting to others whether it be for the first time or even when familiar with each other. Ice breaker games inject a sense of fun into proceedings, speed up that getting to know you stage and get people ready to face the rest of the event with eagerness and optimism. For more brilliant ice breaker ideas that you can use with your own groups and teams visit the ice breaker ideas web-site.



Quick Ice Breaker Game

Here’s a quick and seasonal ice breaker game for you to try at your next meeting or group session. It’s called:

Snowballs

•  Hand out pen and paper and ask everyone to sit in a circle.
•  Ask everyone to write one fact of interest about themselves on the paper.
• Once finished, get everyone to crumple up the paper to form a “snowball” and chuck them into the centre of the circle.
• Mix the snowballs up and then invite people to take a snowball
• In turn, each person introduces themselves, reads out their snowball and then tries to guess who wrote it. They can have up to 3 guesses

It’s a really quick way of finding out a bit more about each other.

For a riskier version ask participants to write down the most interesting thing about themselves!

For more easy and  quick icebreakers to engage your participants, visit the ice breaker ideas web-site

Benefits of Ice Breakers

Why do I love ice breaker games?

• Because they can transform a rather average or dull meeting into something rather special.
• Carefully crafted, an ice breaker can be a brilliant lead in to the main topic of the day
• People learn better when they’re having fun, and an ice breaker should be FUN!
• Ice breakers introduce people to one another in a fun and informal way
• Ice breakers relax people and help them to get to know each other far more quickly than without
• An ice breaker at the beginning of a meeting or conference means people are participating and joining in, they become more engaged than if merely listening
• And once engaged, your participants will be more receptive to your main message of the day
• Once you start using ice breakers you’ll never look back – people will look forward to your next meeting or session with anticipation

Never run a boring meeting or training session again. Set your social functions ablaze and have your audience eating out of your hand. We show you how. Go to our ice breaker ideas web-site for tons of fantastic ice breaker ideas to really set your events on fire!