Icebreakers
This is important activity to start building an effective team.
The term "icebreaker" comes from "break the ice", which in turn comes from special ships called "icebreakers" that are designed to break up ice in the arctic regions. Just as these ships make it easier for other ships to travel, an icebreaker helps to clear the way for learning to occur by making the learners more comfortable by helping to bring about conversation. Many times people are fearful in new situation. The icebreaker can help put new teams at ease. Icebreakers should be short from 15-20 minutes. Keep them moving, and fun.
Icebreaker: Complete this sentence: Break the large group into 4-5people circles, and let each person complete these three sentences (or something similar): o The best job I ever had was... o The worst project I ever worked on was... o The riskiest thing I ever did was... This is a good technique for moving on to a new topic or subject. For example, when starting a workshop and you want everyone to introduce themselves, you can have them complete "I am in this class because..." You can also move on to a new subject by asking a leading question. For example if you are instructing time management, "The one time I felt most stressed because I did not have enough time was: Icebreaker:Your team is stuck on island: You are shipwrecked on an island. What five items would you have brought with you if you knew there was a chance that you might be stranded. Note that they are only allowed five items per team, not per person. You can have them write their items on a flip chart and discuss and defend their choices with the whole group. This activity helps them to learn about other's values and problem solving styles and promotes teamwork Icebreaker: You have found a Jennie in the Bottle with Three wish You have just found a magic Jennie in the Bottle that allows you to change three work related activities. You can change anything you want. How would you change yourself, your job, your boss, coworkers, an important project, etc.? Have them discuss why it is important to make the change. Another variation is to have them discuss what they would change if they become the boss for a month. This activity helps them to learn about others' desires and frustrations Icebreaker: Ask each team member to bring his or her favorite t-shirt: Ask attendees to bring (not wear) their favorite T-shirt to the meeting. Once all participants have arrived, ask each person to show the shirt to the group and explain how the T-shirt best resembles their personality. Icebreaker:  Change is Good... You Go First with FREE DVD
At recent training session, the team facilaltor showed the video ‘ Change is good” Ask the team the following questions after the video; 1. Is change good or bad? 2. Why do people resist change? 3. Can our team take advantage of change and innovation? 4. What trends will impact our organization? 5. Do organizations need to change to survive? Can organizations profit from change?
Icebreaker: Time capsule: The items should represent items that make your organization successful. Ask each team to come up with list of items that should go into a time capsule. The time capsule will be open up in 10 years. Let the teams brainstorm for 10 minutes. Then ask them to pick the top five items to go into the time capsule Quick Teambuilding Activities Outdoor Teambuilding events Coaching trends in Teambuilding Top Ten teambuilding websites Quotes for Teamwork
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