Ice Breakers

Words: 954
Pages: 4
Open Document
How many meetings have you been to that are just the same old thing -- boring gatherings you cannot wait to leave. Most meetings are poorly managed and non-productive.

I have been a teacher, management consultant, and meeting facilitator for over twenty years. In the hundreds of classes and seminars I have taught, I have learned one truth -- people get more out of your meetings if you mix in a little fun.

By using team building exercises and icebreakers you can make your next meeting, class, or team building event something dynamic and fun.

It is wise to consider a few basic elements before choosing a team building exercise or a meeting ice breaker.

Ownership -- First, icebreakers tend to work best when participants have taken ownership …show more content…
Provide them something constructive to do during the exercise. When given the freewill to choose, people will take greater ownership of their participation.

Set the Climate -- Icebreakers set the climate for the event to proceed. With this understanding, it makes sense to choose an icebreaker that is in alignment with the climate of the meeting. An ice breaker or team building exercise could send a wrong message. The unintended message could send the meeting in a different direction. Therefore, it makes sense to spend the time to choose the proper meeting icebreaker.

Learning Objectives -- Some trainers and team facilitators prefer using either a meeting ice breaker or team building exercise focused on the learning objectives related to the meeting, training program, or goal of the group. Others prefer using an unrelated exercise just to break the ice. However, each icebreaker is dynamic and has both intended and unintended consequences. Consider this prior to the event so you can maximize the experience and build a cohesive …show more content…
Give each group a napkin and ask them to fold the napkin as small as possible. However, it must be large enough for members of the team to place their toe on the napkin.

Paper-Tearing Exercise

This meeting icebreaker only takes about 5 minutes to conduct.

Give everyone a blank 8 1/2-by-11-inch sheet of paper. Tell them the following: "We are going to do something that will show us some important things about communication. Pick up your sheet of paper and hold it in front of you. Close your eyes and follow my directions-and no peeking -- you cannot ask questions."

Then tell them the following. "Fold your sheet of paper in half. Now tear off the upper right-hand corner. Fold it in half again and tear off the upper left hand corner of the sheet.

Fold it in half again. Now tear off the lower right-hand corner of the sheet."

After the tearing is complete, say something like "Now open your eyes, and let's see what you have. If I did a good job of communicating and you did a good job of following my directions, all of your sheets should look the same!"

Hold your sheet up for them to see. It is highly unlikely any sheet will match yours
Show More

Related Documents: Ice Breakers

Essay about Op Ed Poli 201 Morgan Bellamy

Op-ed Assignment OPINION: Stephen Harper’s Horse Must be stopped Harper’s plans for the Arctic Circle are expected to come with a 3.5 billion dollar price tag for a fleet of ice breaking patrol ships1 before factoring environmental and political costs. It’s no surprise to Canadians that Stephen Harper is breaking the Arctic ice, in 2005 he revealed the project, then again in 20082, and just now are we actually seeing any real work being done. With the project’s estimated arrival time of 20222, Harper’s…

Words 654 - Pages 3

Health: Hula Hoop and Personal Health Reflection Essay

costume. The kids noticed them before recess was even over, so we went on the playground, which the kids loved. Then, Mia, Michelle, and Ryan started off the introduction and rules on nutrition day. Following the introduction, we did the picnic game ice breaker with the entire class. Afterward, Alisha and Julien continued with reading the book Up, Down, and Around. Once we were done reading the book, they went outside for my plate. While they were all outside, Mackenzie, Dominique, and I set up snack,…

Words 527 - Pages 3

The Power of Prejudice Essay

position, relying upon a mixture of coordination, flexibility, rhythm, and most importantly, style. It is usually the first and foremost opening display of style, and it serves as a warm-up for transitions into the more acrobatic maneuvers of downrock. Breakers may devote considerable time to developing their toprock, and the style they display is a point of pride. Toprocking is a style of dance in and of itself, and the Indian step is the most commonly performed toprock "move". However, toprocking is…

Words 422 - Pages 2

Ice Attack Narrative

Ice Breaker As musket balls soared my head, I crouched in the tall grass as the British charged us, I fired from my spot on the ground. BOOM! I love this one! Suddenly a cannonball smashed the ground next to me, sending me flying into the air. Musket balls zoomed past me as I flew through the air, I landed hard on the ground, and I blacked out. I woke up and found myself in a hospital field. By the way, my name is Benjamin. I am a Patriot and I fight for the Patriots. Today is December 24, 1776…

Words 552 - Pages 3

Informative Speech

We would build a ramp out of snow and the skateboard ramp I had in the garage to put snow on it and water to make ice. The ice took a little while to form so we waited for it to from while we played penguin. Ryan went first and he got down in 10 seconds and I got down the hill in 8 so I won and he wanted a rematch and he won after that. So we decided to do a tie breaker on the sleds. We played rock, paper, scissors over the blue sled because it was the least chewed on out of all of them(my…

Words 740 - Pages 3

Essay on Rms Titanic

ticket was $4,700. (Equals $50,000 in today's economy) The Iceberg There were 6 ice warnings received by Titanic on the day of the collision. They were all ignored by the wireless operator who was preoccupied with transmitting passenger messages. On the night of the collision, because the moon was not out, and the water was so still, it was very difficult to see the iceberg. Less calm water would have caused breakers around the iceberg making it easier to see it from afar. The iceberg that the…

Words 363 - Pages 2

Essay on Healthy School Essentials

Healthy School Essentials By Kenneth Phin I. Project Description ­ This project emphasizes the social and behavioral health of the student. The student’s achievement revolves around how supported he/she is at home and socially in addition, to their attitude. With the creation of better organized clubs, connectivity, incentives, and support, there is no doubt in our education system’s prosperity. ● Title: Healthy School Essentials (HSE) ● Type: Psychoeducational ● Project Champion: Bishop Jeff Parry…

Words 889 - Pages 4

Letter To Jose Zuniga Garcia

I am writing this letter on behalf of Jose J. Zuniga Garcia, a remarkable student here at Clark High School. Jose is my student in Geometry class during his junior year. Overall, Jose's character stands out as respectful, compassionate, perseverent, and attentive to detail. As a student Jose is a great example of a dedicated and studious student; his transcript also confirms it. Throughout the Geometry course, he completed his work, made sure that he was on task and understood the work, and completed…

Words 302 - Pages 2

Essay on Canadian Arctic Sovereignty

route. The route could facilitate the entry of drugs, arms/weapons, illegal immigrants and even terrorists into what is currently the poorly defended northern Canada (Byers). There could be an increase in ocean accidents, especially in cold waters and ice flow which could result in costly rescue missions (Byers). Currently, Canada does not have a proper search and rescue base in the Arctic and does not have the military equipment to support search and rescue missions. An oil leak from a super-tanker…

Words 1208 - Pages 5

Day 4 AFTER MIDTERM Essay

-crate -ship to engine specialty shop. Induction >Air intakes >Air filters induction systens -intake manifold -icing >fuel evaporation >Throttle ice >Impact ice -ice detection and removal -temperature indicating Fuel and fuel metering -Caburetor >bowl >venturi >float -Fuel injection >pump >spider >nozzle Self exciting ignition system: >ignition coil >breaker points >condenser >distributor Ignition systems >Magneto -impulse couplings -induction vibrator Exhaust systems >Remove heat >remove gases…

Words 540 - Pages 3