Fast Icebreakers: Team-building made easy and fun
I used to hate icebreakers when I attended meetings. As a facilitator, I’ve come to adore them. I’m especially fond of the results they yield when used over time: increased familiarity, ease and fun. Some of my clients incorporate them into all their meetings, using an offbeat question or two each time they meet. Nothing beats a personal question for breaking the ice and building a team, especially when you meet by phone. The best questions are the ones that let us see into the mundane in each other’s lives. Two of my favorite questions, “What CD is in your car right now?” and “What is the last book you read?” yield consistently hilarious results.
And, it’s simple and quick to do: Write 1-3 questions on a flipchart pad and give participants a 5-10 seconds of silence to come up with answers. Reiterate the rules for round robin (no discussion, time limit of 20 seconds for your answer), and let the fun begin. This is the best way for groups up to 16 or so. For larger groups, consider taking 24 questions and making a bingo game out of it. If you’d like my standard version of this, I’d be happy to email it – either email me or leave a comment.
The Master List of Questions
Here’s a list of questions to get you started:
1. What CD is in your car?
2. What’s the last book you read?
3. Do you prefer to dance alone or with someone else?
4. What’s your favorite color?
5. What’s your favorite food
6. What’s your favorite dessert?
7. What’s your favorite vacation spot?
8. When you were a kid, what did you want to grow up to be?
9. What is the title of the novel you want to write?
10. What is your favorite song?
11. Who is your favorite singer?
12. Who is your favorite band?
13. Who is your favorite actor?
14. What is your all-time favorite movie?
15. What was the last movie you saw in a theatre?
16. If you could do/be anything, what would you do/be?
17. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
18. What are the names of your pets?
19. Have you changed your name?
20. Where were you born?
21. Where did you go to school?
22. Do you have brothers or sisters? Their names?
23. Where are you in your family’s birth order? (oldest, middle, youngest, 4th, 5th, etc.)
24. Who is your favorite superhero?
There – that’s enough for a 5×5 bingo card, or for several meetings. I’ve got scads more. You can generate your own of course, or ask your team for ideas. Let me know how it goes.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Ah! Incentive to leave a comment.
I’m very curious to see how these questions work as a Bingo game.
In the flipchart pad version, once the time is up, how does the fun ensue? With all the extroverts talking and joking at once? One person at a time, with or without your facilitation? How do make room for the quiet ones?
November 26th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
You found me out, Judy.
I’ll email you the bingo game. The bingo version is as you imagine: a big free-for-all with everybody milling about talking at once, trying to be the first to get bingo, then the first to fill all the squares on their card. It maximizes interaction and gets strangers talking to each other.
The flipchart version is more sedate and better for teams getting to know each other. One person speaks at a time, so listening is maximized. Everybody gets the same time limit, usually 10-20 seconds, and the ground rule is no discussion. That equalizes participation.
In practice, it works very much as described with an occassional outburst when something is hilarious or compelling.
May 16th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Thanks! I love this site and found it b/c of your blog – I was searching on quick icebreakers! This was a great inspiration to a facilitation I am doing in the AM — I have done this too – but the way you wrote about it gave me an idea about using questions — thanks!
May 17th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Hey, Christy – That’s wonderful to hear. Isn’t the internet amazing? I love the synchronicity, even when it’s enabled by Google. I’d love to hear how the icebreaker qs worked for you.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:03 am
I used to hate ice-breakers! In my old company you were always expected to tell everyone about the work you were doing and how your work was helping your clients. Which was generally really dull!
But I love the idea of sharing the mundane in your life. That’s a true ice-breaker and helps everyone relax very quickly!
Thanks for the list,
Gregor
September 12th, 2008 at 5:45 am
You’re so welcome, Gregor. And yes, icebreakers are about relaxing – not about the competitiveness that inevitably arises when we talk about our work and how it helps our clients. Have a great time with these, and the ones you may add over time.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
This is a great list of questions. I also remember the times when an embarrasing moment is shared. Although it may be a little nerve-wracking for the person sharing, it still helps to eliminate tenseness and let people relax more.
October 18th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I’m adding the embarassing moment to my master list, Richard. Talk about breaking the ice! Thanks for posting.
March 6th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Interesting list of questions. I am a constant attendee of trainings ng seminars and i would say, this is something different. One great way to add fun in between lectures.
March 12th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Thanks for another way to use this list, more bloons – as a pick-me-up during long presentations. I know when I attend lectures, I love having something to break up the all one-way communication. Keeps me awake and attentive.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Interesting list of questions.Thanks for the list.
October 1st, 2009 at 5:16 pm
nice article thanks
October 21st, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Is this really work
) OK, I will try it, thanks!
August 15th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
I hate these kinds of things. They seem very intrusive. This sort of information is no business of my coworkers or company. Let’s stick to work folks!
September 10th, 2010 at 1:48 am
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September 25th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
I feel as though each of you is talking in my head: I’ve held all these positions over the years. Domas and Scott, I know it can seem like a distraction form work and an invasion of privacy to ask co-workers personal questions. I’ve been uncomfortable with them at times myself. But more and more, I see how knowing my co-workers as people enhances the work we do together.
Last week I asked a group of talented execs what accomplishment they were most proud of. Not only were the accomplishments stunning, I learned in 5 minutes how to design work for each of them that would challenge and fulfill them – no guessing, no wasting time. That’s effective work, wouldn’t you say?
September 15th, 2011 at 11:48 am
Hi! I’d love to see the bingo card of questions about the mundane aspects of one’s life.
Thanks,
rose
September 15th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
I’ll email a word document to you by the end of the day tomorrow, Rose. Thank you for your interest.
October 29th, 2011 at 7:37 am
As an alternative, you may also wish to consider music- and rhythm-based ice breakers, which we’ve found to be highly effective. They include drumming, Haka and boomwhackers.