Mnemonic Name Game
Time Required: 15-30 minutes
Source:
Sit or stand in a circle. Then you start the game... One person starts by usinghis/her name and something s/he likes that begins with the same first letter. Each subsequent participants does the same and repeats the name and like of everyone that went before e.g. (First person says "I'm Christopher and I like Candy... the next person says " He's Christopher and he likes candy... and I am Sylvia and I like swimming)." The next person repeats the first person’s name and then adds his or her own. It goes around the circle, each person repeating all of the names that came before. In a small group, go around the circle more than once, adding additional information such as an adjective beginning with the same letter as the first name or an action. Continue to have participants repeat all information that has been previously shared.
Name Boogie
Time Required: 10-15
Source:
The group begins by standing in a circle. The facilitator starts by describing the activity and then demonstrating. Each person will say his/her first name followed by a dance move. The rest of the group imitates the move, while repeating the person's name 3 times (e.g. "Joe!, Joe!, Joe!" while doing the sprinkler dance). The kinesthetic motion and repetition help people remember the names, and everyone ends up laughing.
Most groups are a little shy about this, so it's important the facilitator do a fun move to demonstrate.
Celebrity/Stereotype Party
Time Required: 10-15
Source:
Set Up: Writing out the names on the tags ahead of time saves time, and also have brief bios of the people to help with the debrief.
Directions: From the participants’ perspective, the object of this activity is for each group member to discover the personality that is written on their own back. You begin by assigning each group member a “personality” by sticking a nametag with the name of a famous person or character to his or her back. DO NOT show this nametag to the participant! Participants should be able to view the personalities of all other group members, just not their own. You then instruct the group to mingle, and ask questions of the other "guests at the party." Individuals can ask yes or no questions about their personalities of others in the group, such as “Am I a woman? Am I a singer? Etc. Instruct participants to ask each member of the group only one question at a time, moving on to another person after each question. Encourage participants not to offer hints.
Debrief
- What was challenging about this activity?
- What did you notice about the kinds of questions you or others asked?
Team Building Ideas
Two Truths and a Lie
Time Required: 15-30 minutes
Source:
Start out by having every team member secretly write down two truths about themselves and one lie on a small piece of paper – Do not reveal to anyone what you wrote down! Once each person has completed this step, allow 10-15 minutes for open conversation – much like a cocktail party – where everyone quizzes each other on their three questions. The idea is to convince others that your lie is actually a truth, while on the other hand, you try to guess other people’s truths/lies by asking them questions. Don’t reveal your truths or lie to anyone – even if the majority of the office already has it figured out! After the conversational period, gather in a circle and one by one repeat each one of your three statements and have the group vote on which one they think is the lie. You can play this game competitively and award points for each lie you guess or for stumping other players on your own lie. This game helps to encourage better communication in the office, as well as it lets you get to know your coworkers better.
What’s Different?
Time Required: 5-10
Source:
Ask everyone to team up with a partner (someone they haven't worked with yet, who has the same birth month, etc.) Ask them to introduce themselves then stand back-to-back. Once they are all back-to-back, ask each person to change 5 things about their appearance (including one which is silly). Once both partners are ready, have them turn around and try to guess the 5 things that have been changed.
Have you Ever?
Time Required: 10-15
Source:
Materials
1 spot marker (e.g. a post it note or piece of tape) for every member in the circle (one person is 'it' and they will be in the center of the circle, with no spot)
Set Up
Have everyone except the facilitator form a circle and stand on their spot markers.
Directions
Start with the group standing in a circle, with their feet on a spot marker. The facilitator stands in the middle of the circle and presents the rules of the game. Whomever is in the middle of the circle is "It." "It" will ask a question "Have you Ever?" followed by something they have done. EXAMPLE: "Have you ever worn shoes?" Anyone in the group who has done the thing that was asked, must move to a different, empty, spot. No one may move to the spot right next to the spot they were standing on. The person who was "It" must move onto an empty spot. Whoever is unable to get to a spot before all spots are full, becomes "It."