Ice Breakers - knowing the ice

When planning icebreaker, think of the "ice" that must be broken.


If you are bringing together like-minded people, the "ice" may simply reflect the fact that people have not yet met.
If you are bringing together people of different degrees and levels of the organization of an open discussion, the "ice" may come from the difference in status between the participants.
If you are bringing together people from different backgrounds, cultures and perspectives to work within your community, then the "ice" may come from people's perceptions of each other.

You'll need to handle these differences sensitively. Just focus on what is important for your event. Remember, you want to break the ice for your event, not uncover the whole iceberg! And as you move to design and facilitate the event, it is always better to focus on similarities (rather than their differences), as a common interest in the outcome of the event.

An easy way to understand what kind of "ice" is being addressed is to consider the following factors:

1. Crew Size

Some icebreakers work better in large groups of 20 or more, some are better for small groups of 5 or so. If you have too many people for the icebreaker, divided into small groups and run the right size icebreakers simultaneously.
Another consideration often overlooked is the size of the premises who will be conducting your activities. It 's always advisable to have twice as much space as participants if there should be any running or moving.

2. Knowing the Crew (participants)

An obvious point to consider is the audience. You will want to consider:
A) Age (which affects the level of physical and mental capacity)
B) backgrounds (familiarity among the participants, culture, personality types, etc.)

3. Plotting Your Course (Purpose)

The tone for the rest of the event is determined by the icebreaker. What are you doing after the icebreaker?
Are you brainstorming new ideas?
Commenting on the year-end results?
Kicking off a new project?
Teach a valuable lesson?
Team building?


Match the mood of the ice break the mood for the meeting. Participants can immediately come to a conclusion on how the rest of the session will be based on the tone of the opening icebreaker.

Ask yourself: And 'there for the icebreaker:
ease presentations
incease understanding of other
improve communication
build group cohesion
build trust
obtain mental juices flowing
just be downright silly
increase the energy level of the group in the middle of a meeting


In any case, the members of the group should be able to take anything from activities that will be advantageous for the rest of the session.

4. Preparing for the Journey (Preparation)


Try your explanation on how to play in advance and choose your words carefully and instructions.
Run through with other leaders and facilitators in advance.
Take note of all the materials that may be needed before driving the ice-breaker.
Consider the safety of participants. (Hazardous Activities, furniture, etc.)
5. ETA (Time)

Be realistic about the time you have to break the ice to the meeting and stick to it.
Choose a vigorous icebreaker short to arrive at energy levels.
Choose more icebreakers when more disclosure is desired.
Remember always take a little icebreaker 'more than we think it will.
6. Full Speed ​​Ahead (Take It to the next level)

An important part of choosing an icebreaker is to decide whether or not a serious message will be included in the activity. You have to remember that regardless of the fact that learning is a focal point of activity, icebreaker inherently contain hidden messages.

We always prefer to use icebreakers that contain significant learning points, because they can create opportunities for effective teaching lessons without sounding like we are students.

7. Landing (Debriefing)

Once finished with an ice pick, it is important to take a few minutes to help participants find meaning in the activity. If time is not taken to bring it all together, participants may feel as if they were simply playing a game.
Discuss the purpose of the activity, what you have learned from it, and how it can be related to their lives. Be sure to make the discussion interactive. The participants will be farther from the debriefing if they are a part of it, instead of being held in a conference.

A debrief following our standard that we use icebreaker activities or has this basic structure:


"What has happened?"
What really happened out of business? What did you do?
"Why?"
What factors that limit your success? What factors have contributed to your success?
"What has changed?"
What have you done differently? What changes have you done in your strategy? What made more effective the second time?
"And then?"
How does this apply to us? What lessons can we learn from this?
"And now?"
What is one thing that would change in your life because of this? What would you do differently as a result of this activity?

Be sure to give participants the opportunity to ask questions throughout the activity. Nothing promotes learning as a dialog box. We encourage participants to discuss among themselves what they have learned and what the activity means to them. You may be surprised at the level of depth and understanding of the participants will have!

A well chosen icebreaker is worth its weight in. .. Ice!
Choose your ice breakers wisely and you can have an impact on many lives.

A new ebook, "Icebreakers Ahead: Take It to the next level" found in http://www.creativeicebreakers.com, not only provides 52 of the most popular group activities icebreakers in the world, but also includes life changing ideas lessons and questions to smoothly transition into discussions about issues common to most groups.