Steering Your Icebreaker: Successful Ice-Breakers

Using icebreakers successfully is similar to being able to tell a good story: you need to know your audience, delivery is everything, and good stories build up intensity as they go along. And props never hurt if you have them.

1. Make Course Corrections (Be Flexible)

As with most games, you can change the rules to suit the group. Icebreakers may start off well but may degrade into a stale activity quicker than we anticipate. Always be ready to change your routine and learn a new game to become enthusiastic about. Generally, with youth you can move pretty quickly into highly active, or silly games that get everyone laughing. For “too-cool” teens or “very serious” adults, you need to proceed very slowly. You can always tell how things are going by the level of conversation and laughter.

2. Iceberg Ahead! (Obstacles to Avoid)

Anything that causes embarrassment to individuals: “my most embarrassing moment” speeches might be entertaining for the instructor, but they don’t do anything to foster a conversation.

Also watch out for icebreakers that involve:

• uncomfortable or forced communication
• fun and games that detract from course content
• time consuming activities
• competition
• assignments that highlight differences
• cultural bias
• activities in which success requires prior knowledge or experience

3. Let’s Try a New Heading (Variation)

Use fun props. Buy rubber chickens, silly rubber faces, fun stuffed animals, or other objects that create laughter or interest by themselves. Whenever possible, use these props in place of tennis balls, or whatever standard objects you might use. If you don’t have any, don’t worry, the activities are fun enough, fun props are just a bonus! You don’t always have to use the same icebreaker the same way. Feel free to experiment with a different variation or add a new twist to an old, familiar icebreaker to spice things up a bit.

4. Put Your Backs Into It! (Enthusiasm)

Participate enthusiastically. The whole point of name games and icebreakers is to help participants break down barriers, learn something about the others in the group, and most of all… have fun.

Encourage everyone to participate, but it is not advisable to force someone to participate and risk bringing the whole group down. An extremely introverted person may not immediately be comfortable participating in icebreakers, along with youth with below average physical abilities. You will find that when given the option to decide on their own, most people will choose to participate.

Be sure to play an active role in the game, as it is important that the participants learn something about you as well. This is equally true for youth or corporate groups, too. Always encourage your participants to play full out, 200% - that includes you! Be a good example of enthusiasm.