WorkSMART Blog

Many years ago, I taught Negotiation and Conflict Resolution with a group called “Conflict Management, Inc.” They were an offshoot of the Harvard Negotiation Project. Every so often, I’m asked, “can you recommend an activity or icebreaker that will help launch a soft-skills workshop?” The Arm Exercise (a.k.a. Arm Wrestle Icebreaker) remains one of my all-time favorites, to break the ice or raise awareness of assumptions. It’s active, quick, and clearly establishes the need for training, showing our tendency to: Assume a zero-sum world Approach negotiations as adversaries Restrict communication Limit negotiators’ ability to find an optimal solution Setting up the Arm Exercise — Never say “WRESTLE”! You must never say the words “arm wrestle.” Here’s what you do: Have everyone find a partner.  Ask partners to “assume this position.” Demonstrate with a volunteer, and hand link position with both of your elbows on the table. Explain, “This is a very easy exercise. There are two things you must know. - You get a point if the back of your partner’s hand touches the table - You want to get as many points for yourself as possible. You don’t care about anyone else. - “Each ‘point’ is worth one M&M. You will have only 10 seconds to get as many M&Ms as you can. GO.” The Debrief Poll the group: By a show of hands, ask how many points each person got. “0 points?” “1-5 points?” “6-20 points?” “More than 20?” Behavior questions: For a team that got a LOT of points, ask, “What did you do?” If everyone gets locked, ask “How did you lock? Why? Could you have done anything differently?” Offer to show how some teams generated many points: by either flip-flopping their hands backward and forward or by repeatedly tapping one player’s hand on the table and agreeing to share the points. Reasoning questions: For pairs who got many points, ask how or why they did what they did. How did they come to that? Who said what to whom? What were you thinking? Did the person who came up with the idea offer to tap the back of their partner’s hand on the table, rather than their own? Assumptions questions: For teams that got very few points, try to tease out the assumptions they made that limited their success, such as: We’ve seen this game before We know how this game is played We assumed no communication We assumed we had to keep our hands together We didn’t trust each other We assumed the rules were set Conclusions At the end of the arm wrestle icebreaker, discuss how difficult it is to dismantle assumptions and develop a collaborative approach when folks assume that more for one person means less for the other. Read More on Icebreakers Icebreakers to Start a Soft Skills Session Probing Questions for Goal-Setting Icebreakers Icebreakers for Virtual Meetings and Training Networking Icebreakers for Large Groups

I recently came across the term and book Gamification, by Gabe Zichermann and Christopher Cunningham, which seems to have taken the marketing world by storm. The word refers to “the use of game play elements for non-game applications.” Companies are using it to make their websites, social media, and mobile apps “sticky, viral, and engaging to their customers.” I also had the pleasure of meeting Gabe after his recent presentation at the NEMOA Direct Xchange Conference for direct marketers. As I listened, I considered not only how gamification could help Trainers Warehouse, but more importantly, how it could help teachers and trainers understand and maximize the effectiveness of learning games? My reflections on how gamifying learning is both old and new, can be found on both the Gamification blog and below. Gamification History While it’s a hot buzzword for today’s marketers, it’s hardly a new concept for teachers and trainers. In the early 1980′s the term “edutainment” came into vogue as software developers looked to create applications that would be both educational and entertaining. Their goal, three decades ago, was to marry children’s computer games and learning. Two decades ago, in the early 1990s, Active-Learning (AL) became a much talked-about topic in the adult learning world, and has continued to grow in popularity since then. Active learning covers methods such as class discussions, “think-pair-share,” student debate, video discussions, role playing, and of course, game-play. In fact, during this time, Trainers Warehouse, has grown as the go-to source for creating tools, toys, and games to make learning more innovative, fun and effective. Although the concept is not new, watching the evolution of Game-Based Learning (GBL) has been exciting. In grade school, I remember matching games were quite popular, as a method to learn vocabulary or concepts. 10 years ago, Jeopardy-like games were the go-to game paradigm for energetic, competitive learning reinforcement games. Today, we look to games to do even more heavy-lifting—not just help to reinforce and remember information already presented, but we look to games as a way to introduce new information and engage the mind in fun, challenging, emotional, competitive, and memorable ways. As an example, see how third grade teacher, Mr. Pai, has transformed his class. Finding Games Ideas for games that support a variety of learning initiatives are everywhere – in books, in card decks, for sale online, for free in blogs and in social media discussion groups, for hire through consultants. Games seem to have been created to cover every topic under the sun — icebreakers or openers, teambuilding, communication, leadership, project management, process improvement, customer service, sales, marketing, banking, you name it. Making Games If you can’t find a game already created for your content, you can create your own. Lots of “game guys” are out there waiting to create a snazzy customized game for you, complete with all the latest and greatest in game design. It will take some time and some “kish-cay” (my son’s term) – but it’ll be good. However, if that is simply cost-prohibitive, you can still “gamify” your training with popular game structures or “Frame Games,” (a term that Dr. Sivasailam Thiagarajan, a.k.a. “Thiagi” uses), consisting of generic shells into which you can load your own content, for instant customization. Some games are geared toward information discovery—that is, learning new information. Others act as learning reinforcement and memory aids. Many do both. Following are some popular options. Jeopardy-like games This is my starting point, because it’s so popular and familiar. Although there are many free versions online, those tend to be loaded with advertisements and do not look particularly professional. The great thing about Jeopardy-like games is that they can be easily adapted for live, webinar, and online learning. They can also accommodate individual play, team play or “all-play” needs. Although Jeopardy is often perceived as a reinforcement game, you can also use it to introduce new material—starting and stopping the play to explain a new concept, explore nuances of an answer, or clarify confusion. Other TV Game Shows the vendors listed above also base learning games on TV favorites such as: Family Feud, Who wants to be a Millionaire? Wheel of Fortune, Money Taxi, Hollywood Squares, etc. You can easily add your own content into these games. Points and Prizes First, consider what behaviors you’d like to reward – participation, correct answers, timely attendance, etc.? Next, choose a currency to award when students display that behavior. It can be points, play money, self-made scratch tickets, raffle tickets, candy, tokens, or anything else collectible. At the end of your session, reward a prize to the winner and/or the one who’s made the best comeback. Throwables Balls connote game play. They can be used to call on individual contribution or team play. You can easily toss a ball around to solicit contributions. To make a game of it, set people into teams and reward points for correct answers, or take away points for “dropping the ball” with an incorrect answer. Interactivities Interactivity Games are a new style of participatory play developed for online learning. They are generally short and quick, and can be easily inserted into your online course, no matter what authoring tool you happen to use. Sports games, puzzles, flashcards, and Jeopardy-style games all translate well to the online learning environment. What we can learn from Gamification Clearly, we have a myriad of options when it comes to training games. The question for us seems to be not whether to play, but what to play? and how to play? in order to maximize effectiveness. Be aware that true Gamification experts optimize playing experiences for a range of player types, identified by Bartles as Killers, Achievers, Socializers, and Explorers. As trainers looking to simply engage our learners at a deeper level, we haven’t segmented our participants into Player Styles (we have enough industry debate Learning Styles!). Perhaps that’s our next challenge. Meanwhile, let’s embrace the findings of our friends in the marketing department, who have done the research to know that game play is most satisfying when players get to: Compete (against themselves or others) Accumulate points or currency Move to increasing levels of difficulty Face new challenges and celebrate achievements View success and status on “leader boards” that show the highest-ranking players. Indeed, many of the games listed above are successful game experiences because they already employ many of these basic techniques. They are also effective learning techniques because they motivate participation, evoke emotion, challenge the brain, and engage our minds. However, like marketers, let us always keep in mind our reason for playing. For trainers, it’s not to win customers, build fans, or collect survey results – but our games do have a purpose. We are responsible for the growth and development of people. We must view games as engaging vehicles for learning and only select games that will achieve our desired learning results.

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, trainers looking to make their webinars as interactive as their live training sessions asked about virtual icebreakers. I initially put this blog post together several years ago, but am updating it now to reflect new ideas and new resources that have become available in response to our increased need to engage participants in online learning, remote meetings, zoom gatherings, webinars, and more. Warm up your Group with virtual icebreakers  Invite people to informally check in 10-15 minutes prior to the start of a working session. Or ask them to stay on for a few minutes afterward to talk, if they can. Some may relish the opportunity to chat, while others may be anxious to bypass that time and just get to work. If you plan way ahead, you could even email or mail meeting tools that will be referenced during the meeting. Facilitation Techniques — Have a plan! You can facilitate an icebreaker in several ways. One or more of these might make sense depending on the size of your group. Whatever you decide, have a plan and communicate it clearly to participants. Free-for-all – if you don’t have too many participants, just let the conversation flow naturally Facilitated Free-for-all – Let conversation flow, but the facilitator should step in if one person is monopolizing the conversation or if others “raise a hand” or otherwise indicate an interest in chiming in Take turns – have the facilitator “call on” participants to answer a question Pass the “mic” – have one person answer a question then pass it on to another Encourage CHAT or QUESTIONS so more can chime in – if using a tool where participants can type or text contributions, you can get away from one-person-talks-at-a-time frustrations Utilize BREAKOUT ROOMS – welcome small groups to break apart, have smaller group discussions then come back and report highlights to the larger group Quick Facilitation Tools UNZiP-it! Remote – For an easy virtual icebreaker, share your screen to reveal a playful PowerPoint presentation that lets you press a button and randomly choose a conversation prompt. UNZiP-it Remote, by Trainers Warehouse, is available for a variety of topics: Common Ground, Getting to Know You, Onward & Upward (dealing with Change), Favorites, Session Openers, and more to come Penny for your Thoughts – Michelle Cummings of Training Wheels shares this icebreaker (and a myriad of other virtual icebreakers), whereby you have each participant bring a penny to the online session. When introducing themselves, have them relate their intro to the date on the penny. If you’re working with kids, have them find a penny with a date no older than their birth year. Play a song – some of the meeting platforms play a song for those who arrive early to the meeting. Select a song from Laughable Lyrics for a meeting-themed song, or pick another favorite (that you’re licensed to share). Take a poll – if your meeting interface has polling capability, take a poll to engage participants and keep the session engaging. Other virtual icebreakers Symo Training: 21 free virtual icebreakers Guided Insights: This site is a terrific source for many virtual icebreaker ideas. Photos: Invite participants to post a photo of themselves, state a few comments about their background, expectations for the team/meeting/course, and other pertinent information. Depending on the culture and comfort level of participants, you may want to ask them to include some personal information as a means of building relationships, such as hobbies or favorite sports. Photo Matching: Another variation on the photo theme: Try asking people to send their photos to a central place that others (except the facilitator/leader) can’t see at first. During the first call, you can ask people to try to match the voice to the photo Social Greetings: Greet each person as s/he hops on the call. Ask people a “social” question of each person as s/he joins. (Examples: “It’s 10 below in Boston this morning. How’s Tokyo?” or “Steve, where are you headed for vacation next week?”) However, don’t delay the start time just to prolong this social check-in. Once everyone has joined, be ready to jump right in with your agenda During the meeting Facilitation Techniques – if you have lots of people on the call, consider how to maximize their experience Multiple Presenters – it’s easier to focus if one person isn’t talking the whole time Co-Facilitate – have one person monitor the question or chat box to direct questions to the appropriate panelist Change it up every 20 minutes – people can’t focus too long on one thing. Be sure to take breaks, ask questions, and vary your delivery Welcome “Chatter” and “Questions” – keep an eye on your group’s input and feedback as you go. Don’t wait until the end. Play a Jeopardy Game – Engage participants with an interactive game. Top 10 TV GameShows lets you play a PowerPoint-based game on your computer. Share your screen and invite people to “raise a hand” to answer a question, or call on participants, giving equal time to each team. Gameshow Pro also lets you play Jeopardy-style games live or online. Insert jokes or “groaners” – silly as they may be, they create a mental break and add playful energy to your meeting. Trainers Warehouse’s Punchlines and Groaners can be a good resource of ready-to-go material, and because it’s PowerPoint, you can easily change the backgrounds to match your presentation. Conference Call Bingo – A friendly game of BINGO can help your group stay focused. Don’t forget a prize for the winner! Poll the Group – Polls are a fun way to introduce material, test understanding, and gather opinions. They keep people energized, engaged, and participating, even if they aren’t speaking. More Meeting Tips Also from Guided Insights… Who’s There?: Right before you officially begin the meeting, you may want to announce who’s on the call, time permitting. If you’re using a web meeting tool that allows everyone to see who’s online, you can avoid the verbal roll call. Clock: At the start of each meeting, ask participants to draw a clock. As each one joins the call, assign a number as s/he joins, starting at 1:00. If you expect more than 12 participants, use half-hour increments. When you want to poll the group quickly, start anywhere on the clock and go in either direction. This is also helpful to remember who you have not yet heard from. 1-10 Check-in: Assess the “temperature” of the team intermittently. For example, ask: “On a scale of 1-10, let’s go around the virtual room and ask how close we are to achieving our objectives for this call.” Or if you’re using a web meeting tool, post a quick survey that can be anonymous to assess where people are. For example, using a scale of 1-10, ask about the relative energy level of each participant Paraphrase: If some have a limited command of the predominant language, let everyone know that you will paraphrase frequently to ensure shared understanding. Invite everyone to ask others to slow down or provide an explanation, or to admit confusion Team-building Games Murder Mystery – Online: Use this popular 30-minute Murder Mystery game to improve communication skills, team building, problem solving, leadership, and more. Send one or more of the 27 clues to each participant and challenge them to find the murderer, victim, time & place of the murder, and motive in 15 minutes — without writing anything down and using only verbal communication. If you have a large group, do make use online breakout rooms. After each team plays, they can select a spokesperson to share their team’s experience with the rest of the group. Zin Obelisk – Online: A challenging mathematical puzzle is made even more complex, by using made-up words in the fictitious, ancient city of Atlantis. There, a solid, rectangular obelisk -called a zin and was built in honor of the goddess Tina. The structure took less than two weeks to complete and the group’s task is to determine the day of the week on which the obelisk was completed. For virtual play, email a few clues to each player and try to sort it out over the phone–maybe with a shared online whiteboard! After all clear phone communication is more important now than ever! Normally, teams consist of 5-8 players. If you have a larger group of people you can use online breakout rooms. After each team plays, they can select a spokesperson to share their team’s experience with the rest of the group. Colourblind – Online: Virtual Teams of ideally 6 – 14 members gather and share knowledge to identify 2 colored abstract shapes that are missing from a complete set. If you have a larger group of people you can use online breakout rooms. After each team plays, they can select a spokesperson to share their team’s experience with the rest of the group. The communication processes involved are much more complex and take participants through increasingly sophisticated patterns of active listening until the task is achieved. Individuals draw on their experience and descriptive skills to explain to each other abstract shapes that they can see on their screens, but cannot share with the others. They use feedback and clarification skills to ensure that their understanding is accurate. MORE TO COME… After the Meeting Maximize the memorability of their session by thinking about the whole experience–from virtual icebreakers before the session begins, to playful facilitation techniques during the live event, to follow-up “touches” after the meeting. For full effectiveness, don’t forget to: Send an email highlighting key points Circulate a list of attendees, including names, phone numbers, and/or emails (as appropriate, as long as folks have given their permission), so individual participants can be in touch with one another Send a post-card, a tactile reminder of time spent together With all of these tools at our disposal, we can get through COVID and other challenges thrown at us, if we get creative and do it together. Beyond Virtual Icebreakers – More tools for online meetings Zoom – Zoom offers a few best practices ideas, such as: launch a poll and share results; share a blank page, maze, or word search. Also, give attendees Drawing Tools; create a “meet and greet” using chat; launch a test and use Chat to collect initial reactions. Guided Insights – One of my favorite sources was Guided Insights. They are a facilitation, training and strategic communications consulting firm founded by Nancy Settle-Murphy. New Social Learning Blog – find 10 online icebreakers. Includes familiar exercises: Two Truths and a Lie, Three Words, What’s on your Reading List?, and Same and Different  

Three statements; one is not true: 1) I believe in icebreakers. 2) Good icebreakers are easy to find. 3) “Two truths and a Lie” can be a good icebreaker. If you asked me last year, I’d say there were two lies in the three statements above and only one truth. I have to admit, I turned up my nose to the idea of the “Two Truths” icebreaker. I took it to be an overused, unimaginative, and frivolous use of time. I also hear one colleaugue in my mind who says, "I hate to start a session asking people to lie." However, Bill Casey’s online posting of an interesting twist on the exercise has changed my mind. Two features of his explanation are responsible for challenging my thinking. First, he explains the purpose of the exercise; and second, he uses the content throughout the day to lighten the mood and foster communication and networking. Casey writes: When using the “3 Fact & 1 Lie” exercise, I ask participants to write down three facts about themselves and one lie. When introducing the exercise I explain, “You are here to learn X, but as adults often do, you will learn a great deal from each other. Hopefully you will even stay connected beyond our seminar. If you can learn a few interesting facts about each other, it will be much easier to have hallway conversations AND stay in touch. I have a way to help us do that. . .” This explanation enables the exercise to proceed without skepticism and with full participation. Then, throughout the day, I’ll read a few submissions. Together, we vote on what we think are the truths versus the lie, and give away prizes to best liar(s) at the end. In addition to conducting the exercise so that participants can learn a bit about each other, Casey’s method of facilitating the icebreaker induces lots of laughter (which stimulates the brain), offers a ready source of super quick brain breaks when needed, and entices people back at the end of a break or breakout. As for the other two statements above: I do believe in icebreakers–that is true. However, I feel that finding one that’s worth the time can be tricky, making statement 2 a lie. Be Transparent about your Purpose One of the challenges with icebreaker activities, openers, and session-starters is that participants roll their eyes as soon as they hear the term. Sure, some like them, but others immediately don their protective shields, wondering what uncomfortable situation they’ll soon face. Help your group by prefacing the experience with your goals and rationale. Something like one of these, “In order to help you locate others with shared interests, we’re going to…” “We’re going to be working on team dynamics. In order to have positive conversations, let’s… “We’ll only be together for a few hours, but after that, I hope you’ll be able to reach out to others, so… “I know you all have a lot on your minds, about what you hope to achieve here. So that you can achieve those goals, we want to take some time to share…” “We’re going to have a very participatory experience here. To get the conversation going early, I hope to…” As in Bill Casey’s example above, you might also explain how to use what you learn throughout the learning event. If you’re not going to be calling people by name, then don’t spend time on a name game. Icebreakers You Can Rely On THUMBALL: One of our favorite icebreakers is the Session Openers Thumball. Throwing a ball around the room instantly creates a playful environment. Beyond that, the ball’s 32 discussion prompts focus on goals, motivations, and aspirations. They’re easy to answer and can easily be related to course content. Those with smaller budgets can create their own by purchasing a colorful beachball and writing prompts on it with a Sharpie marker. CHOOSE ONE: If you like props and card decks, another good one is the Choose One Game. Each one of the cards in the huge 300-card decks has two opposite words. Players pick a card, then explain either which of the two words describes them, or where they might lie on the continuum. Facilitators can tie this to their training or event in two ways: 1) select only the cards that link in some way to the content, and 2) ask players to make a connection between their answer and their session goal. PHOTO PLAY: Facilitators can set our a random group of photos from a card deck, magazine, or set of postcards. They would ask players to select a card that reflects a/an… Aspect of themselves Quality they feel will help them be successful during the event Goal they hope to achieve Worry or concern that might hold them back Place they lived or hope to visit etc…. How you facilitate the Two Truths and One Lie Icebreaker can depend on whether it’s a playful way to build energy and relationships, or a useful way to open a training session. If you make a practice of thinking first about your goals and then adapting your activity to those needs, you’ll find success in any icebreakers you choose. Read More about Icebreakers Icebreakers that Make the Most of Every Minute Networking Icebreakers for Large Groups Virtual Icebreakers for Online Meetings Icebreakers to Start a Soft-Skills Session Probing Questions for Icebreakers and Goal Setting

It’s a tall order to find an engaging experience for a large number of people that sets the tone for your learning event, is related to your topic area, and offers a “debrief-able” experience. Tom Wujec’s Marshmallow Challenge is one such exercise that was recently featured in a TED Talk. It is a remarkably fun and instructive design exercise that encourages teams to experience simple but profound lessons in collaboration, innovation and creativity.

Some timeago, I learned about the term “teach back.” It’s when students teach what they’ve learned back to other students. This is a great way to ensure that folks really learned their stuff–learned it so well, in fact, that they can share it with others. When I read about Garry Duncan’s reinforcement game for the end of a learning event, it reminded me of the effectiveness of this method. He says it takes a little longer to close the day, but this method is very effective because everyone gets involved, they review their notes, have fun, and are more successful at remembering key points. Here’s how it goes: Form your group into teams of 6 to 8. Have them appoint a captain and pick a team name. Each team chooses 7 questions (5 will be used, 2 are for back up) on anything that was covered in the session. Workbooks or handouts can be used to create the questions, as their goal is to stump the other team. Teams rotate asking questions and score when the opposing team cannot answer the question. Trainer is judge on all answers and questions. Once the game starts, books and notebooks must be closed. The team giving the answer gets 60 seconds to agree on their FINAL answer. NOTE: For larger groups you will need an assistant to run 4, 6, 8 teams etc. Posted on LinkedIN by Garry Duncan Pick-and-Pass Helping Hands If you don’t have too much time, but like the teach-back idea, this quick exercise also sets up a dynamic where students are learning from each other. This one involves the use of stress toy "Reminder Hands" or some other iconic objects placed in a small box. If using the Reminder Hands, the trainer might write one keyword prompt on each of the stress-reliever hands. Ask each student to pick one item out of the box and share one recollection about the concept or one idea they hope to remember going forward. Pass the object from person to person until everyone in the group has made a contribution. Alternatively, set it up as a group activity. Have a delegate from each table pick a hand. Request that each table come up with a synopsis (or even create a poem!) of the key points, which they will later present to the rest of the group. Double Jeopardy We’ve also heard from trainers and teachers who love the idea of playing a Jeopardy-like game, but simply don’t have the time to create all the questions. So, instead of taking the time to make up questions themselves, they challenge their learners to do the “heavy lifting.” Game Set-Up Break your groups into 5 teams (because Jeopardy games often have 5 categories of questions). Assign one category to each team. Have each team come up with 5 questions of varying difficulty (point values of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500). Voila, you have 25 questions. Playing the Game Play as you would any Jeopardy-like game. However, teams cannot select their own category when choosing questions, or they will be disqualified. Click here for a Jeopardy-like game board that does not require a computer interface.

A colleague was looking for an interactive experience and cooperation activity for a large group. Having taught negotiation and conflict resolution, I was drawn to this suggestion posted on LinkedIN by Andrew Rea. The exercise presents itself as a team challenge, so participants go into it ready to prove that their team will be the best. They quickly see that the key to success is working cooperatively with other teams. That success is not a “zero-sum” game, whereby one team wins and other loses. Rather, many teams can be successful. If "Co-opetition" is your team's challenge, this one if for you! Set-Up Split into groups of 6-10 and give each group an envelope of instructions and materials. (NOTE: instructions will be the same, but the materials in each envelope should be different.) Ask each group to make something with the materials enclosed in the envelope. The “something” could be any of the following: paper cube 10cm square a paper chain colorful name badges for everyone etc some puzzles to solve crossword puzzle re-create the flags of certain countries find certain information about the venue etc Exercise While every group has the same tasks, you will have distributed the materials needed to complete the task randomly in the envelopes. As you watch the activity unravel, you will see groups start in a frenzy and will observe very little sharing or inter-team work. However, once people notice that other groups have materials they need they’ll likely adopt all sorts of tactics to acquire them – from bargaining to stealing! Eventually mosty groups realise that the task is about inter-group cooperation, but there will still be some reluctance and competition. Debrief Don’t forget to debrief the experience to draw out learning points. Ask questions such as: What happened? What worked well? What would you do differently? How might this affect the way you work in the future?

This collection of icebreakers was drawn from various LinkedIN groups as well as a few other online sources (noted below). Icebreakers – with a content focus Stand up – Sit down Ask participants to stand up if a statement is true for them (i.e. stand up if you commuted more than 30 minutes to get here). Ask them to sit down after each inquiry. Continue with a series of questions that grow increasingly provocative. For a team-building class, you might end with statements such as: “stand up if you’ve ever felt that someone has taken credit for something you’ve done,” or “stand up if you feel your opinions haven’t been recognized,” or “stay standing or stand up if you fear you may have done the same to others”). This exercise is physical, begins to identify shared experiences, involves everyone, and gives people a “voice,” without putting them on the spot. Years of experience Add up the number of years of experience in the room and draw out the collective wisdom. Identify the most common challenges that your group faces ahead of time. Present your findings to your audience and have them add to it. Continue to tie their best practices and your key concepts to the identified challenges. Posted by Chris Old Planned interrupt Explain that an opening activity is a way to “interrupt” their day, their concerns, and their worries over extraneous issues—what you might call “the clutter of life.” For participants to be fully engaged, it’s first important to break through that life clutter that plagues us all as individuals. Posted by Virginia Corbett Group Whine Encourage groups to have a 60-second “Whining Session.” It lets them express their concerns and worries about participating, being away from other work needs, wasting time, etc. Why are you here? Vacationer? Explorer? Prisoner Another take on the Group Whine exercise is to ask, “WHY are you here?” This gives the “whiners” an opportunity to say, “My boss made me come” and it’s helpful for me to gauge my audience and meet their needs through the session. Secondly, my next question for them is to think about their role during the training. I have a pre-made sign that says, Are you a: -vacationer, -an explorer, or a prisoner? I then explain that I understand he/she may have entered thinking he/she was going to be a vacationer but hope that he/she will view his/herself as an explorer and approach the session with an open mind. Posted by Jennie W. Trovinger Leadership disasters For a leadership-skills seminar, ask everyone in the small group to define leadership and share a best- or worst-case example, or fear, if they have one. This facilitates introductions and gives the group a common starting point for deeper discussions. Good/Bad Posters Break people into groups, give each group a piece of butcher’s paper and some markers and ask them to create a poster relevant to our training topic. For leadership courses, I ask them to draw a line down the middle of the page, and list good and poor examples of real leadership in their organization on each side of the line. For project management, I ask them to draw a picture that represents the project outcome (or the project process, or the project stakeholders, or the project resources). Folks can use words, pictures, Venn diagrams, flowcharts, process charts, and illustrations—anything to share their perspective with the rest of their group. We then hang these around the room, and ask each group to present their poster to the rest of the class. Posted by Geoff Higgins Presentation Skills I ask the learners to introduce themselves at the front of the class and I give a few prompts on what I’d like them to include. The final piece of information they are asked for is: “If you were hosting a dinner party, and you could invite any three guests (alive or dead, real or imaginary, famous or infamous – anyone you like) who would they be? Now, before you all say, ‘Yawwwwnnnn !’ – I promise there is a point to this.” When the last introduction has been made, including mine, I give them a few minutes to write down all the names they can remember. Then I write the names they have remembered on a chart. Because this is a Presentation Skills workshop, follow up with a discussion about why some names were remembered, which links into what makes an excellent presentation (told a funny story; was enthusiastic; repeated names at end; wrote on a flip; etc.) These are all positive aspects of the learners’ first presentation on the day (but folks rarely recognize that their introduction was actually a presentation) and I can continually refer back to them as the session goes along, which reinforces the learning. Thumball The Thumball™ is soft soccer-type ball with various questions printed on it, such as: “what’s your favorite board game,” “where is the best place to live,” etc. If the goal is simply to foster introductions and get people moving around, the ball works great as is. The students throw it around the class and have fun answering the question on the ball. To dig deeper, give them a second question specifically related to why they chose to attend the class or what they hope to get out of it. We keep tossing the same ball around, or I’ll put a customized Thumball into circulation with more content-specific prompts printed on it. Imagining Success Divide participants into groups of three or four and ask them to think about a peak experience of whatever the topic is (e.g. the best meeting you ever attended; the most interesting presentation you remember; or the most successful piece of writing you’ve done etc.). Ask them to think about what made this so successful. Working in small groups, have them share the experience and come up with some of the elements of success. Collect these “Elements of Success” on the flip chart and discuss how those can be translated to the workshop to insure that it meets their success criteria. Posted by Melissa Biro Origami – Why Training is important I would suggest a hands-on activity, perhaps creating a small origami. Half the participants get detailed instructions and the other half just gets the materials and an illustration of the finished product. The point is very simple: without training the product will be inferior! Posted by Sharon Hamersley Icebreakers – General A Rising Tide… Before training, I write on the board/flip chart the following aphorism: “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats.” During the introductions, I give everyone a chance to explain what it means. As you might expect, I hear a variety of explanations. Finally, I explain my interpretation of the expression: since each of us brings a wealth of knowledge and life experience to the class, the result is a learning experience in which the total is greater than the sum of the parts; hence, all ‘boats’ are lifted when just ‘one’ rises. Proactive learning (and contributing to decisions about goals, break times, or when to take lunch) gives learners a vested interest in the class. They appreciate knowing that their knowledge and experience are valued and welcomed. When you extend respect to adult learners they almost always respond accordingly.” Posted on LinkedIN by Griff Gregory, MBA/MOS Logo My icebreakers vary by audience. Here is one of my favorites: Have each participant draw a logo that represents themselves next to their name on the name tent. I use an example “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the golden arch”. Allocate just a few minutes for the design, and then each participant introduces themselves and their logo. It definitely breaks the ice. Pair/Share We have done a pair/share with everybody being assigned as a famous pair (burgers and fries, Sonny and Cher, mashed potatoes and gravy, Cheech and Chong and so on) They get 5 minutes to find out 3 or 4 specific things that we have written on the board; then they get introduced as their assigned famous pair and have to get up and introduce each other. Since we usually want to know something about previous exposure to training, that is one of the questions. And one question is always something fun or unusual you would want the rest of us to know about you. It’s fun to see who takes on a persona from the famous pair and it is amazing what we find out about our participants in such a short time frame. Posted by Melanie Elick Concentric Circles Ask the participants to divide themselves into two equal groups and form two concentric circles as quickly as possible (if you have an odd number of participants, include yourself, so the number will be even). Once that’s done, ask the inner circle group to turn and face the folks in the outer circle. Once they are paired off in this way, give them one minute to introduce themselves to one another briefly (name, job, role, etc.). When the minute is up, instruct the inner circle to rotate like a clock, all stepping in one direction so that they are each facing a new colleague in the outer circle. Again, have them introduce themselves for one minute. Continue until everyone is standing in front of the first person they met. Ask your group: “have you got to ‘connect’ with everyone?” Usually you will get a loud yes first and someone will volunteer a quiet “NO” because inner and outer group members have not ‘connect’ with one another. Give them another 3-5 minutes to do just that…you will observed the dynamics in the way they ‘connect’ will be very different from the first “systemic process.” After the second round of introductions, ask again: “now, have you get to ‘connect’ with everyone?” – Observe their responses and debrief accordingly. Posted by Allen Lim M&Ms I like to start my new hire orientations with this exercise: I pass around a pack of M&Ms and ask all participants to take a random number of m&ms (between 1 and 5). Once they all make their choice I tell them that each m&m stands for something they have to tell about themselves. For example, red – favorite vacation spot, green – favorite food, yellow – dream job, blue – favorite thing to do outside of work, brown – wild card (can talk about anything). You can modify the questions based on the purpose of the exercise. Posted by Mykola Soldatenko Penny for your Thoughts Have each participant select a penny from a jar. Tell them to look at the year of their penny and introduce themselves, where the came from and something interesting they did the year of their penny. If they were not born in the year of their penny, they add ten years or if they still were not born after adding ten, they add another ten. It’s a great way to start introductions, learn names and learn something about each one in the group. Posted by Erica Do you know your neighbor? Arrange chairs in a circle and have all students but one sit. The unseated student is to be in the middle of the circle. The person will then make a statement about themselves; for example, I have a dog. Everyone who has a dog must get up and race to find another seat. This creates fun chaos. When they get seated they should ask their neighbors their name. Some one will be left out because they didn’t get to a seat fast enough. When people are seated the odd man out (one in middle) can quickly as any participant in a chair, Do you know your neighbor? And if the person seated can not name the persons on the right and left of them, they have to trade places and “be in the hot seat. ” This process repeats itself. I like this activity because it introduces the participants and perhaps they may have things in common. Posted by Linda Bozza Varner ABC of Me This activity is really useful because you end up with a name badge as well so it acts as a memory aid for you. Ask your participants to write their name down one side of the page and then ask them to come up with some positive words to describe themselves on their interests that can be used when they are searching for jobs, so for example: GenuineEnthusiasmMerryMusicalArgentinian tango Posted online by Gemma Blagbrough Illustrate your Qualities To get people thinking differently about how they introduce themselves so I ask for a drawing or symbol of some of their attributes or interests and have it posted on the wall. Big flip charts or 1/2-page sticky notes work well. For example, one person’s chart might have a golf club, 3 stick figures representing children, a book cover, and the History channel icon. It’s an activity non-artists can do too because a symbol might be as simple as a heart, hand, eyes, etc. Posted online by Jeanne Etcheverry An alternative to this might be to ask people to draw their “Coat of Arms.” I once saw this as a question on a job application for a very creative company. Suggested by Susan Landay What would you do with a Million Dollars? I teach job search skills to a socioeconomically disadvantaged population. The other day returning from lunch, I wrote on the board: $10,000 $30,000 One Million Dollars! I asked them to write on a piece of paper, what they would do with the ten grand (then give them some time to think) then ask for thirty grand, and so on. Then most of the students shared what they wrote. It was fun and interesting to learn what was important to them. The point was– just to get them to dream of a better life even if for a moment and to understand the reality of the first two figures are quite attainable. Posted online by Linda Bozza Varner Human Bingo Distribute a BINGO grid handout to each participant. The grip should contain details about people they need to find in the room (i.e. has met somebody famous; has a tattoo; is a blackbelt in karate; etc.) Participants circulate the room seeking people with the attribute and getting their signature. The first person to complete all the grid boxes gets a prize. This is a fun exercise that gets people circulating and talking, doesn’t take much time, and is quick to set up. Posted online by Bryan Edwards  

This article appeared in eLearn Magazine in March, 2011. I was recently privy to a conversation about icebreakers—folks were exploring whether icebreakers are successful or not. I learned a lot about why some people love them and a lot of people hate them. On Thin Ice Lots of people hear the word “icebreaker” and cringe. Icebreakers are perceived as touchy-feely, frivolous, and a big waste of time. Some critics argue learners from different cultures and countries may be even more averse to icebreaker activities than skeptics in the U.S. Others suggest the dislike of icebreakers may not be so much a reflection of the culture but of the individuals themselves. Are they learners introverts or extroverts? Managers or line workers? Do they know each other or not? Does the technical nature of the course necessitate a collaborative learning environment or not? Certainly icebreakers should not humiliate participants or put them on the spot, nor should they create an overly competitive tone. Still, despite their bad reputation, icebreakers remain a highly valued component of many learning sessions, no matter the age, level, or geographic location of the learners. Why? Because the benefits of icebreakers so strongly outweigh the drawbacks, most of which can be managed by carefully selecting and framing the activity. The first suggestion to improve the effectiveness of icebreaker activities involves changing the name. What to Call Them? As a marketer myself, I am keenly aware of a brand in need of a makeover. The icebreaker is a sure candidate. Many staunch advocates, who use icebreakers to build relationships and set a positive tone, have changed the name. They refer to their icebreakers as an: Engaging Opening Energy Connectors Opener Grabber Discussion Starter Interrupt Others don’t refer to it by name at all. They don’t even announce that they’re doing an icebreaker. Rather, they simply launch into an interactive, content related learning activity, which will build relationships or set the tone for the learning day. Why Bother? Whatever you choose to call them, trainers around the world keep using icebreakers because they are powerful tools. Icebreakers can turn a so-so learning experience into something memorable. If you are unsure about incorporating icebreakers, you shouldn’t be. They can serve a multitude of purposes. Successful trainers utilize them to: Allow participants to express their expectations Introduce participants to one another Build a sense of community Introduce the content Set the tone for the session Help get conversations going Help people remember names Get people on their feet and get the blood flowing Engage participants in the learning process and set the tone for participation Give participants a sense of ownership over the learning Break down barriers between the trainer and the participants Encourage participants to think differently Understand the knowledge and experience of participants Enable participants to network with each other so they can use one another as a resource after the training has ended Trainer Madeleine Allen, a passionate advocate of using icebreakers claims, “active and experiential learning always has a higher retention rate, and icebreakers help to get people in the mood and mindset for this approach very quickly.” Clare Howard concurs, saying “I find that when participants consciously do something or speak up in some way during the first hour of a session, they are less likely to ‘drop out’ or remain in crossed arms and furrowed-brow mode for the rest of the session.” The Right Way The question, then, is not whether to do an icebreaker, but how to do it right. Let the “three Rs” guide you in selecting an appropriate exercise that complements your goals (relevance), draws participants in without putting others off (relaxation), and is followed up with a discussion that articulates the benefits derived from the experience (review). Relevance Don’t do an icebreaker just for the sake of doing it. Any activity you do should have a purpose that is tied to your training goals. Ensure that your activities are always relevant by identifying your goals at the outset. Focus on this motive as you select and develop your icebreaker. Once you’ve found something that will help you achieve your goal, you can opt for either of these methods of “transparent” facilitation: Tell them everything. Be prepared to share your thinking with the group. Your willingness to explain the method behind your madness will trigger greater participation and yield greater benefit. Tell them nothing. Robert Manolson suggested a subtle approach. He explains, “make no announcement of your icebreaker, and creatively weave an activity or series of free-flowing activities into the very front end of your workshop where the audience has no sense that you are engaging them in an icebreaker. The magic is to give the illusion of spontaneity, being in the moment. Your audience is not at all aware of being engaged in your icebreaker and therefore fully engages with you, follows you and becomes ready for the next phase of your workshop.” RelaxationPeople learn best when stress levels are low and when individuals feel part of a supportive community. Your icebreaker should appeal to different personality types and learning styles and set the scene for the next segment of the learning event. You will need to select an exercise that complements existing relationships. Your ability to assess whether participants know each other at all or how well they know each other will prove useful. Knowing if there are any strained relationships can also help you set the tone. And most important, you should identify any assumed hierarchies among participants. Be aware that some exercises might push people’s comfort zone and work counter to your intentions. Unless essential, try to observe the “don’t” list: Don’t require participants to touch each other Don’t insist participants reveal too much personal information Don’t put people on the spot, without an “out” ReviewFinally, at the conclusion of the exercise, engage the group in a brief discussion, whereby they can collectively highlight important learning points. Tie the learning to the goals you established and shared at the outset. Virtual Icebreakers Breaking the ice during an online learning event, whether it’s a synchronous meeting or an asynchronous course, can be a bit trickier, but important for the same reasons discussed above. Online learning expert, Nancy Settle-Murphy says “online meetings are much more successful when they’re kicked off with a brief but purposeful icebreaker, but it doesn’t have to occur within the formal meeting time. Rather you might invite participants to informally check in 10-15 minutes prior to the start of a session or encourage them to share a photo.” Nancy suggests, during the meeting, you greet each person as they join in and ask a “social” question, as long as it doesn’t delay the start time. Once you begin, you may want to announce who is present or start with a traditional icebreaker question that can be quick but give everyone a voice. Depending on the purpose and goals, you could ask a probing question, such as “Give us one word to summarize where you are right now?” or “What skills can you contribute to the team that may not be obvious to the rest of us?” Denise Grissom Bradford’s favorite is to ask students to introduce themselves using an alliteration (i.e. Dancing Denise from Duluth). Whatever your predisposition is to icebreakers, don’t underestimate the value an icebreaker can create for participants. The focus should be on their needs—how can they have the best experience possible—not on you own reservations. Embrace the need to draw people into your session, in whatever way makes sense for your material and look for opener that will efficiently set that tone. The Campfire Method by Jan Keck In early 2026, Jan Keck came out with a new book, The Campfire Method," focusing on how to warm up the group before jumping in. View his Show & Share here.

Jeopardy-like games can be an excellent tool to introduce new learning points or reinforce what’s already been covered. These brief notes will help you easily facilitate an effective learning experience. Teams select game board questions with varying point values in each category (i.e. Sales for 100 points, or Sports for 200 points). If a team rings in and answers the question correctly, that team is awarded the points assigned to that question and can choose the next question. If a team answers incorrectly, that team loses the point value assigned to the question. The other teams can then be offered the opportunity to answer the question. The game is over when all questions are answered, the pre-allotted time has run out, or when the facilitator selects a Final Question. The team with the most points after all questions are answered is the winner! Preparation Prepare your category “answers” on the 5×7 index cards included. Insert answers back-to-back with the colored number points, so that you can reveal them when someone says, “I’ll take Customer Service for 300”. If needed, prepare an answer grid. Play Randomly select a team to go first. Ask that team to select a category and point value. Read the “answer” revealed on the back of the point value. (e.g. J.D. Powers) Have players “buzz-in” when they know the correct response. Option: use a buzzer system (like Who’s First?) to allow players to indicate when they know the answer. Alternatively, have them hold up their hands, ring a bell, or blow a whistle to indicate that they want to answer the question. Give the first responder the opportunity to get the “question.” (e.g. What is the preeminent Quality Award?) Add or deduct points to the player’s point tally according to whether the response is correct or incorrect. If the answer is incorrect, give the second responder an opportunity to play. Reward points accordingly. The player who answers correctly can choose the category and point value for the next round of play. Getting Fancy Insert Hidden Bonus Question into the back of a random category/point value. When players select these questions, invite all teams to wager and win extra points. Include a Final Question at the end of your game, to allow teams to wager points. Use a buzzer system so that you don’t have to wonder whose hand went up first. Use a stopwatch or timer to limit the amount of time a player/team has to respond.