Icebreakers have the potential to set the tone for a course. For participants, they can reveal much about the facilitator. (How zany are we? I, I mean how thoughtful.) For facilitators, icebreakers serve a series of purposes:
Warmly begin to establish trust, break down barriers and welcome vulnerability
Prepare the mind for something other than “business as usual,” effectively transitioning participants from their last task or meeting into the course
Yield insights into the personality and level of creativity of the class
Preview the course’s subject matter in a hands-on way
Introduce participants and identify commonalities
While the sky is the limit for the number of possible creative course openers, I have collected a series of favorites over time and wished to share a few as well as two classics that should not be underestimated. Ready-made templates for a few of these can be found on Today’s Unicorn Talent’s new Resources page.
Unicorn Favorites
Buddy Bingo: Armed with a Bingo card, encourage participants to walk around and discover the hobbies and traits of their peers. Through collecting a series of initialed squares, play until the first person earns Bingo or until someone attains Bingo blackout. Add a layer of fun with the pressure of a ticking clock, including free musical ones on YouTube. A sample bingo card is available here.
Line Game: To highlight the unity of the group and slowly wade into the waters of candor and vulnerability, play the Line Game made famous by the book, The Freedom Writers Diary and later film, Freedom Writers. More information on how to play can be found here.
Video or Case Study: Choose a course-related video, TED Talk or case study and curate a reaction sharing session that prompts discussion.
Team Juggling: Get participants on their feet and focused on the task at hand. Standing in a circle, ask participants to throw a ball and remember who they threw it to and from whom they caught it. Once the group establishes a ball path and becomes comfortable, add additional balls. Inject a bit of storytelling by illustrating what each ball represents and how keeping all of them in the air requires communication and teamwork.
Sticky Note Seating: To promote new relationships and prevent participants sitting only with those they know, hang numbered sticky notes on the entry door and place corresponding numbers randomly at each seat. Place conversation starters at the tables to encourage pre-course dialogue.
Fun Fact Sharing: During introductions (e.g. name, department, company tenure), ask individuals to share a memorable fun fact. Generally, I say, “Share something memorable that I could easily strike up a conversation with you in the break room about.” If someone claims they are an open book or are not interesting enough to have a fun fact, call their bluff. (Pets and cute pet stories count as fun facts.)
First Initial Adjectives: A cliché oldie but goodie – have participants introduce themselves with an adjective that corresponds to their first initial. Then, have them explain why they selected that adjective. This will give you an insight into how they think, what they value and how creative they are.
Two Truths and a Lie: Learn something new and discover how strong folks’ poker faces are.
Human Rock, Paper, Scissors: Get the blood flowing by hosting a rock, paper, scissors tournament. Ask everyone to pair up and play the classic childhood game. The winner of each contest moves on until the top two players are poised for a best two out of three battle. Encourage all those who lose a round to become the cheerleaders of those still playing. This game can also be adapted to the course subject or a company’s product line. For instance, Apple employees could play Apple Watch, iPhone, Mac by defining physical gestures and which product beats each. (Yes, I may have played angel, pope, saint in school.)
Marshmallow Challenge: Armed with simple supplies – spaghetti, marshmallows, string and tape, unlock the communication skills, systems thinking and leader/follower tendencies by asking participants to build the tallest tower topped with a marshmallow within a designated time frame. Learn more from the TED Talk and Facilitator Guide.
Silent Sorting: Either in small groups or as a whole class, instruct participants to line up according to a certain criterion (e.g. height, birthdate, alphabetical order, length of commute, tenure). The trick is to do so silently while either racing against other teams or the clock. Short hand languages, problem solving and leadership styles emerge.
Personal Timeline: For smaller classes or team bonding retreats, encourage everyone to draw their life story and share the highlights.
Guess Who/Pair Up: Tape a well-known person’s name to each participant’s back. Then, have the class ask their peers yes/no questions in order to discover which name is on their back. For added fun, pick names that form famous pairs (e.g. Elmo/Big Bird, Thelma/Louise, JFK/Jackie O., Romeo/Juliet) and require participants to find their other half.
18 and Under: Have participants share the greatest accomplishment they achieved before the age of 19.
Emergency Preparedness: You are stranded on a deserted island with 10 people; a helicopter that can seat 7 (including the pilot) can reach you before the volcano erupts, who do you save? On a hike gone wrong and with a blizzard on the horizon, prioritize a list of limited tools…. paint a disastrous scenario, provide a list of people or tools and watch the reasoning, negotiating and decision-making play out.
Classic #1: Get to Know Game
Particularly beneficial for newly formed teams, departments with new leaders and/or a cross-functional work group, have everyone fill out a one page “get to know” worksheet. Then, play a custom game of guess who. Either one facilitator can work through each worksheet or he/she can pass out the worksheets randomly and have each team member present one of their peers for the rest to guess.
The added bonus of this activity is that the leader will have a written reference sheet on each person on the team. By selecting varied and strategic questions/prompts, such as birthday/anniversary, preferred recognition style, favorite candy/snack, these worksheets can become an invaluable tool for building and maintaining team morale and engagement.
A sample is available here.
Classic #2: Random Question Game
Little beats the suspense of being asked a completely random question which you have no control over. Countless variations of this game exist – pull a slip of paper out of a hat/fishbowl, pick a number between 1-50…or my favorite, write the questions on a beach ball and the one your right thumb lands on when you catch the ball is the one you must answer.
The questions can be themed, silly, soft skill-oriented or course/company-specific. Nearly anything goes, except for repeating a question. To keep the game moving, use the “popcorn” technique. Namely, once someone answers, have him/her select the next person by saying “popcorn (name),” and the game’s focus “pops” to the next person.
Below is a starter list of questions to spur your own creativity:
What are your hidden talents?
Which 5 people inspire you most and why?
You are totally ‘in your element’ and time seems to have disappeared. What are you doing?
What difference do you want to make in the world? What legacy would you like to leave behind?
A genie has granted you three wishes. What do you wish for?
What do people ask you for information/advice about? Which areas are you deemed to be a little fountain of knowledge?
What careers do you have wild dreams of having?
If you were to pioneer a cause around the world, and it was guaranteed to be a success, what would it be?
What do you love to do when you have free time?
What topics interest you and what would you really love to know more about?
If someone were to pay all of your living costs and expenses for 2 years, what work would you pursue in that time?
When you were 5, what did you want to be when you grew up?
If you were to change 3 things in the world for the greater good, what would they be?
What is it that you would regret not doing with your life, if you were to die tomorrow?
You just got finished doing something for 8 hours straight and feel energized. What is it?
You have the ability to eradicate one injustice or evil in the world. What would it be?
If you had 30 seconds on a platform before the whole world, what would you share?
If there was one book that you could give away to everyone at no cost, what would it be, and why?
You have a time machine that can go back only five years. What guidance would you give yourself or someone else?
When you were in high school, what was something that people said you were great at doing?
You could have a two-hour lunch with any person. Who would it be and why?
What would you do differently with your education if you got a chance to start over?
If my best friend were to describe me in 3 words, they would be…
What are three goals you want to accomplish before the end of the year?
If you could be an instant expert in any area or topic, what would you choose?
What does your ideal day look like?
If you could be known around the world for one thing, what would it be?
Your life becomes a movie. What genre is it, what’s the title and who plays you?
What is something that you do every week that you find absolutely draining?
What is something that you look forward to doing on a regular basis?
What do you love learning about?
What are your favorite shows, podcasts, vloggers, and why?
Your picture is on the front page of a national newspaper. What is the headline?
Do you love working from home or would you rather be in the office? Is there a balance of both that you like best?
What’s the hardest part about working virtually for you? The easiest?
Are you an early bird or night owl?
What’s one thing we could do as a team/company to improve our meetings?
What’s your favorite flower or plant?
What’s your caffeinated beverage of choice? Coffee? Soda? Tea?
What’s your favorite scent?
Best book you’ve ever read?
Best professional development book you’ve ever read?
If you could learn one new professional skill, what would it be?
If you could learn one new personal skill, what would it be?
What’s your favorite way to get in some exercise?
If you could write a book, what genre would you write it in? Mystery? Thriller? Romance? Historical fiction? Non-fiction?
What is one article of clothing that someone could wear that would make you walk out on a date with them?
The zombie apocalypse is coming; who are 3 people you want on your team?
What is your most used emoji?
What was the worst style choice you ever made?
What was the worst haircut you ever had?
Who was your childhood actor/actress crush?
If you were a wrestler, what would be your entrance theme song?
If you could bring back any fashion trend, what would it be?
What’s the most embarrassing fashion trend you used to rock?
What did you name your first car?
If you had your own late-night talk show, who would you invite as your first guest?
If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
You have to sing karaoke; what song do you pick?
What was your least favorite food as a child? Do you still hate it or do you love it now?
If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
If you were left on a deserted island with either your worst enemy or no one, which would you choose? Why?
If aliens landed on earth tomorrow and offered to take you home with them, would you go?
60s, 70s, 80s, 90s: Which decade do you love the most and why?
What’s your favorite sandwich and why?
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
When you die, what do you want to be remembered for?
What is your favorite item you’ve bought this year?
What would be the most surprising scientific discovery imaginable?
What would your talent be if you were Miss or Mister World?
What would the title of your autobiography be?
Say you’re independently wealthy and don’t have to work, what would you do with your time?
If you had to delete all but 3 apps from your smartphone, which ones would you keep?
What is your favorite magical or mythological animal?
Who is your favorite Disney hero or heroine? Would you trade places with them?
If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore, who would it be and why?
You’re going to sail around the world; what’s the name of your boat?
What fictional family would you be a member of?
What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?
You can have anyone fictional as your imaginary friend, who do you choose and why?
What would your superpower be and why?
What’s your favorite tradition or holiday?
What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
If you came with a warning label, what would it read?
What is your favorite time of the day and why?
Coffee or tea? Waffles or pancakes? Pepsi or Coca-Cola? Cookie or brownie?
If you were a city, which city would you be?
What is your favorite TV show?
What movie have you seen recently that you would recommend and why?
What breed of dog would you be?
If you had a time machine, would go back in time or into the future?
Do you think you could live without your smartphone for 24 hours?
What is your favorite dessert?
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
What’s your favorite place of all the places you’ve travelled?
Have you ever met your idol or someone you revere greatly?
What are two things on your bucket list?
What’s is one thing we don’t know about you?
What is your favorite meal to cook and why?
What is your favorite musical instrument and why?
Are you a cat person or a dog person?
What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?
What is your cellphone wallpaper?
You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it? Sushi? Scotch Tape?
Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight, or nighttime? Why?
What season would you be?
Are you a good dancer? Prove it.
If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why?
If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?
If you could see one movie again for the first time, what would it be and why?
If you could choose any two famous people dead or alive to have dinner with, who would they be?
If you could be any supernatural creature, what would you be and why?
If you could change places with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
If you could rename yourself, what name would you pick?
If you had to teach a class on one thing, what would you teach?
If you could magically become fluent in any language, what would it be?
If you could be immortal, what age would you choose to stop aging at and why?
If you could be on a reality TV show, which one would you choose and why?
If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be and why?
If you could go to Mars, would you? Why or why not?
If you could have the power of teleportation right now, where would you go and why?
Would you rather live in the ocean or on the moon?
Would you rather travel back in time to meet your ancestors or to the future to meet your descendants?
Would you rather live where it only snows or the temperature never falls below 100 degrees?
Would you rather always be slightly late or super early?
Would you rather live without heat and AC or live without social media?
Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room?
Would you rather be able to run at 100 miles per hour or fly at 10 miles per hour?
Would you rather be an Olympic gold medalist or an astronaut?
If you could try any food, what would it be?
You can only eat one food again for the rest of your life. What is it?
What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Would you rather have a pet lion, pet elephant, or pet whale?
What are your favorite pizza toppings?
What did you dress up as for last Halloween?
What was your first job?
What is something you are looking forward to?
Do you have a favorite sports team?
What are your top 2 pet peeves?
If you could drive any car, what car would you drive?
If you could add anything to the office, what would it be?
What is your favorite frozen yogurt/ice cream topping?
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
Name a piece of technology you wish existed. Hover car, time machine?
What is your favorite quote?
What is your favorite charity?
What management style do you prefer?
What is your guilty pleasure?
What do you enjoy most about your job?
What has been the best day of your life, so far?
A printable list of these questions is available here.
To the Point
Never underestimate the value of an icebreaker. Dedicate time to selecting a meaningful one and carry it out with enthusiastic flair.
Interested in Learning More?
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