From the course: Creating a Culture of Collaboration

Break the ice

From the course: Creating a Culture of Collaboration

Start my 1-month free trial

Break the ice

- A bad icebreaker can feel as awkward as the first day of middle school. A good one can start a friendship or a partnership and build trust and cooperation across an office or an entire organization. To kick off an annual meeting, a conference or even a team huddle, lean on a tried and tested icebreaker. From melting social barriers to helping colleagues feel more connected. Here are three icebreakers that can help you warm up even the coldest of rooms. The first is called Common Ground. It's ideal for introducing new people to one another or increasing rapport in colleagues who already work together. It takes about 15 minutes and we recommend it for groups of 30 or fewer to keep it moving quickly. Now start by splitting the room into groups of two to three people each. Then give each group a sheet of flip-chart paper and a Sharpie. Tell the groups that they have two minutes to capture everything that they have in common on paper and share these with the room. The big takeaway comes when everyone discovers how much they have in common with each other. If you got a competitive group, declare the group with the highest number of commonalities is the winner. Now next up is an icebreaker that is known as That's Fantastic. It's best for 20 or so senior leaders and managers, and it's an ideal warmup for creative or strategic sessions. You'll need about 15 minutes and one chair per group. So, start by splitting the room into groups of three or four. Ask groups to spread out across the room bringing along just one chair with them. Inform groups that they will each take turns acting as CEO of a company of their choice, and the other members of the group will be presenting the CEO with at least three dire issues plaguing the business. When you're in the CEO chair, you must reply to every issue by saying that's fantastic, and then make a case for why the problem is actually a positive opportunity not a negative. Now two pro tips. None of the companies dire issues should involve death because this is an icebreaker, not a Stephen King novel. Also, everyone must sit in the CEO chair at least once. HBO and Merck have used That's Fantastic as a way to practice turning adversity into opportunity. In your own company, use it to get senior leadership in the positive habit of seeking out opportunity in the face of negative news. The final ice/coma breaker is called Tattoo You, and Seton Hall University in New Jersey is rumored to use it when introducing new students and faculty together. You can use it as a morning icebreaker to introduce new teams to one another or to nudge folks out of post-lunch food coma. It's ideal for 15 or fewer people at any level in your org, and it takes about 15 minutes. Start by providing each participant with a blank piece of paper and markers and direct them to take three to five minutes to draw a tattoo of something that represents them. When times up, all participants should find someone in the room and explain the significance of their tattoo. People should continue moving around the room until they've exchanged tattoo stories with everyone. Since solo activities tend to appeal to introverted team members, and the one-on-one interactions energize extroverts, this ice/coma breaker can strengthen connections between participants with different personality types. Effective icebreakers compel interactions between employees and establish a comfort level in the room. They also ease people into a focused and engaged mindset that's conducive to learning, and after the ice has melted, your meeting or training session will be met with much less resistance and awkwardness than a cold start.

Contents