Ice breakers are meant to establish a comfortable environment for proceedings to occur by making the participants feel at ease. These methods are even more essential when the participants aren’t yet familiar enough with each other to readily get under way. The use of an ice-breaker will usually make the people involved feel comfortable, and also set a good tone for a meeting to commence. This relaxed state of mind will help the participants to be more focused and receptive so they can actively listen to any discussion.
Ice breakers are used not only in the beginning of a management training activity, but also when the meeting is in the midway or reaches a difficult situation. The content and timing of using an ice-breaker doesn’t need to be given excessive consideration – as some people instinctively know how to use an ice-breaker. With a relatively small amount of training, just about anyone can easily learn this skill.
Ice-breakers are just quick exercises that have the potential to bring forth individual enthusiasm – making social situations more comfortable, with the intended overall result of increased positive interpersonal exchange. Some of the commonly used ones are:
1. True or False – Ask each person to tell three facts about him/her, two of which are correct, and one false. The rest of the people are to guess at which statement is false. The individual who eventually guesses the False statement is then the next one up for the continuation of the event.
2. Inferring – Ask everybody to make a list of his/her true and false selections, for example, favourite food, animal, and personal hobbies. Read this information to the group – one at a time, without stating the name of the person being discussed, and then ask everyone to guess at who just had their information read aloud.
3. Ask the individuals who are involved to say two or three adjectives about themselves that begin with the first letter of their first name. This generally enhances everyone’s thought process.
4. Physical exercises will remove any lethargic feeling some may have, for instance, ask the participants to stretch their arms and legs.
Some expert business coaching advice tips on a few of the Do’s and Don’ts that can help in the successful use of ice-breakers are:
Do’s
- The game chosen should be appropriate and suitable for the group concerned.
- Make the instructions as simple as possible to understand.
- Keep an eye on the participants to ensure that they are enjoying the process.
- Irrespective of how much effort you have put into devising a good ice-breaker, it may not work. So, always have a back-up plan in place.
- Make sure that you have the right number of people for the game.
Don’ts
- Don’t go for ice-breakers which might make the participants feel uncomfortable, physically or mentally.
- Don’t force anyone to participate.
- Don’t be unorganized. Have all of the material you might need, as any delay can quickly make the atmosphere lose direction and focus.
- Don’t underestimate the time that might be needed for completing this activity.
- Don’t limit the use of ice-breakers to the start of a meeting
Finally, as a general rule of thumb – insert Ice-Breakers whenever needed.
Alan Gillies is the Managing Director of the L2L Group, specialising in providing Executive Coaching, Training and Consultancy Services to Businesses across the Globe. Want to learn more about these business success strategies? Get Alan’s popular FREE Business Pack today!
