Icebreakers Breakout Session
Session Objectives:
- To be familiar with basic icebreakers.
- To be comfortable LEADING icebreakers.
- To see different ways to lead an icebreaker.
- To practice the explaining portion of icebreaker facilitation.
Additional Resources:
- Fall Guidebook: pages 37 – 44.
- Master Activity Guidebook: online, “Resources” page.
Points to Emphasize:
- Model the energy you want from them.
- PMA, All The Way!!
- Invite them to be part of the process (explanations, etc).
- Speak clearly, ask them questions to make sure they understand you.
- Be confident! Have fun!
Potential Agenda: This is a SAMPLE of what you can do. This is very flexible. The intent of this document is to GUIDE you (in the event you need it). Feel free to make this your own!
Range / Description / Who / Notes7-12 min / - As people come in, set the tone somehow
- Start with 1-4 icebreakers (Maybe intentionally lead some poorly? Facilitate them with specific GOODS or BADS?)
- Debrief: What did we do right? Wrong? How to improve?
3-5 min / - Welcome them to session
- Describe objectives, etc
7-12 min / - Open up conversation (maybe use whiteboard?)
- Brainstorm what makes a facilitator GOOD or BAD?
7-12 min / - Practice? Be creative with group size because of TIMING.
- Perhaps just practice the beginning “explaining” portion. Focus more on tone and energy, versus content.
3-5 min / - Tell them about additional resources.
- Re emphasize takeaway points.
- Thank you!!!
Facilitation Tips
Facilitation is everything. Icebreakers, meetings, etc. all compose the STLF experience. You are facilitating the entire time, so be intentional about it! Whether it is during the ten minutes after a meeting or a few moments with a first-time STLFer… think of what you want to accomplish. How will you reach this goal?
Some things to think about, specifically for the Tour are:
1. Act like a facilitator for the entire trip
2. Consider four guidelines when trying to effectively facilitate
3. Program intentionally
4. Describe activities clearly
Act like a facilitator for the entire trip
Please keep in mind that you are all facilitators the entire bus trip—whether you are leading the actual activity or not, participants will be looking to you as an example. You are facilitating the entire time, so be intentional! Whether it is the 10-minute bus ride or a few moments after your project, be conscious of your actions. Consider this:
1. What do you want to accomplish?
2. How will you get them there?
Consider four guidelines when trying to effectively facilitate
There are four basic guidelines that transfer through all types of facilitation:
1. Engineer reflectively: Know what result you want. Understand and define exactly what you are trying to accomplish.
2. Be open to new ideas: Everything goes, so go with it! Get into a mindset that says, “No idea is bad.” Create an open environment and be confident!
3. Do yourself what you desire them to do: Your actions, energy, pace, and tone must exude what you are trying to evoke. If you want high energy before an active activity, then you, as a facilitator, should be excited! If you want them to go deeper, then speak slowly, use pauses, and change your tone/attitude. Exude the type of emotions that will get you the response you’re looking for.
4. Lead, don’t just do: Be up front and give the participants opportunities to respond. Remember that you are providing opportunities for people to participate. An invitation to be part of the experience is key. All participation is voluntary; don’t ‘force’ somebody to volunteer. Instead, make people want to volunteer.
Program intentionally
There are some key factors that make programming/activities successful:
o Personal touch—hand games, chair games, human bridge
o Actively thinking—question games, visualizations, discussion
o Face reality—identity questioned, questioning in general, inspiration, etc
o Teamwork and equality
o Allowing others to lead and add
o Mood of a room—no forcing, set the tone, camp mentality
o Evaluation of the situation—body language, people’s attitudes
Describe activities clearly
o Be as clear as possible when explaining rules and directions before beginning the activity. Ask if there are any questions. Confusion can lessen the effectiveness of the activity.
o Note the group energy level. Leave them wanting more. Wrap up before they tune out.
o Use volunteer demonstrations as much as possible.
o Not every activity has to be processed or debriefed. This is only necessary if you want the group to take something away from the activity, or if something came up that is worthwhile to discuss.
o Always provide an alternative or option to the activity in case somebody is uncomfortable.
o Scan the group. Try to maintain eye contact with the whole group.
o The only person you can volunteer is yourself!
o When leading the processing of the activity, don’t volunteer your own opinion. Stay objective and let the group carry out the discussion. Minimize outward objection or agreement to any points or comments. You can add your piece at the end when you wrap up.
o Try your best to have groups (large or small) be on the same physical level. This means that everyone should be sitting in chairs, on the floor, etc. We know it is tough, especially with the large group, but try!
o Remember that not every activity will be perfect. If a group doesn’t respond well, it does not mean you did anything wrong. Keep a positive attitude!
Facilitation Quickies
All of this facilitation stuff is most pertinent on the Tour itself, but practice makes perfect! The more you are able to carry out and use these skills in your everyday life and other organizations, the better you will be able to perform them on the Tour. In addition, these are great tools that you will be able to transfer to a number of situations.
APPLE
o A: Assess your audience
o P: Plan your activities (and a back up just in case)
o P: Prepare your supplies and practice the initiatives
o L: Lead your group through the activity
o E: Evaluate your group’s process throughout the activity and at the end
Full value contract (hand)
o “I suck” – don’t put yourself down
o “You suck” – don’t put others down
o “We suck” – don’t put the group down
o “This stuff sucks” – don’t put what we are doing down
o “This place sucks” – don’t put where we are down
Challenge by choice
o Inner circle = Comfort zone
o Middle circle = Stretch zone
o Outer circle = Panic zone
o Always in comfort zone = No challenge
o Always out of comfort zone = Fear, Anxiety
Describe, demonstrate, ask questions, do!
o Lead by example
o The best facilitators are those who go unnoticed
o Do not judge motivation or behavior
o Do not take it personally
o Do your best to do what you can do to help!
Debriefing/processing/reflection/discussion
o Ask yourself and the group what occurred, what this meant, and where to go from here.
o Ask open-ended questions, avoiding yes/no responses. Say, “What did the group do well?” vs. “Did the group do well?”
o Activities without debriefing are just activities. You need to make a connection and have a purpose.
Classic Icebreakers
The following is a list and brief descriptions of some basic icebreakers you can use throughout this first semester—at meetings, events, etc. This is targeted specifically for the fall, and more activities and facilitation techniques will be covered at the Winter Retreat.
Remember, there are countless variations to every activity. Feel free to customize these, add your own twists, and really make it your own!
The Hovda
Each number between 2 and 6 corresponds with a different activity (described below). Have one facilitator call out the numbers. After each round, eliminate the last person/people to complete the activity or get into the correct formation. Emphasize that people must get into different groups each time.
o 2 = birdie on a perch, carrying like a baby OR sitting on one knee.
o 3 = teeter totter, one person in the middle with the others teeter tottering on each side going up and down.
o 4 = train, person in front must CHOO CHOO with caboose bending over.
o 5 = merry go round, one in the middle hands up, four others circling like a merry go round.
o 6 = mini cab, this is complicated. Driver and navigator (with map) in the front. Two annoying kids fighting in the middle. The last two are sleeping on the road trip.
Electricity
o Find a partner and face each other, while forming two lines.
o Hold hands to your side and so actually, your ‘partner’ is on the other team.
o Facilitator is on one end with a coin.
o The two people by the facilitator have their eyes open, everyone else’s are closed.
o The facilitator will flip the coin continuously until it lands on ‘heads’.
o In silence, the person at the end must squeeze the hands of the person next to him/her. This generates and ‘electric current’ of sorts all the way through to the end of the line. The people at the end then race to an object (like water bottle) to gain a point.
o In the event of a faulty squeeze (they do happen), team loses a point.
o This is a quick enough game that you can have everyone filter through and can play both roles.
Person-Lift
o Concentrate and get in groups of 5.
o Have someone volunteer to sit in a char.
o The four others have to carry the person in the middle only using two fingers.
o They may get frustrated and laugh, but there is a trick. Put your hands together in the form of a gun, and carry under each armpit and kneecap—it works!
Song Wars
o Get into small groups.
o Say a word and each group must sing a line of a song with the word in it.
o You can have a couple practice rounds before eliminating people.
Two Truths and a Lie
o Get into groups of three people.
o Have them talk amongst themselves for a bit.
o Each person tells the entire group a statement about him or herself—two of the people telling the truth, and the third a lie.
Question game via Concentric Circles—inner and outer circles
o Come up with a list of questions, nothing too tough
o Go from surface/odd facts to personal questions to goals.
· Another fun variation is to have your participants come up with questions that they would love to know the answer to from their peers. Hand out note cards and markers on the bus, have them write down a question, collect them, and then use them later in the week during this activity.
Chair Lean Back
o Place chairs in a circle, and have everyone sit sideways in chairs.
o Have them lean back on the lap of the person behind them.
o Have a few people (including the facilitator) pull out the chairs and eventually have the group supporting itself.
o It is important to ask permission before touching the people.
o Be considerate and spread out the chairs you pull out.
Finger-Fencing
o Find partners.
o Stand at a good distance apart and grasp hands with your finger fences out.
o The objective is to touch your fencing sword on your opponent’s thigh (above knee, below hip).
o You are not to move your feet.
o Make it tournament style and involve as many people as possible.
All My Friends
o Circle up. You can use chairs, or use people’s shoes to keep track of spots.
o Take out one set of shoes or one chair.
o One person starts in the middle.
o After introducing him/herself, finish the statement “All my friends…” with something in the room. (examples: “…are wearing jackets” or “…have gone skydiving” or “…enjoy snowboarding).
o Whoever this applies to in the circle, he/she runs around and finds an open spot in the circle.
o The odd person out is now in the middle.
People to people
o You can do it either as a mingling game (like the Hovda) or with concentric circles. The point is-mix them up.
Evolution paper, rock, scissors (PRS)
o Clarify the regular rules of paper rock scissors, do you shoot on three or is it 1-2-3 shoot?.
o Have everyone spread out within a certain area in no particular order.
o The purpose of this game is to evolve from an egg to a king/queen, the first one to do this is the winner.
o You evolve by winning a paper rock scissors game.
o Everyone starts out as an egg then you evolve into a chicken-> dinosaur-> prince/princess-> king/queen (winner).