  a thing that you do or say, like a game or a joke, to make people feel less nervous when they first meet. Oxford Dictionary   something done or said to help people to relax and begin talking at a meeting, party, etc. (using an old joke as a conversational icebreaker). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Definition

An ice breaker is an activity, game, or event that is used to welcome and warm up the conversation among participants in a meeting, training class, team building session, or other event. Any event that requires people to comfortably interact with each other and a facilitator is an opportunity to use an ice breaker. An effective ice breaker will warm up the conversation in your training class or meeting, reinforce the topic of the session, and ensure that participants enjoy their interaction and the session. When participants don’t know each other, the ice breaker will help them introduce themselves to the other participants. What is an Ice-Breaker in communication?

Types of Ice-Breakers Topic Lead-ins: Are used to identify needs and goals, share information and resources, and/or surface resistance. Facilitating Introductions: Are used to help participants ease enter into training and helps them to learn each other’s names and other information. Types of Ice-breakers

The introduction icebreakers are best used on first days of school when trying to learn student’s names and a little bit about them. Here are some excellent Facilitating Introduction Icebreakers: & Facilitating Introductions

Name Chain Introduce yourself to the group adding a word that describes you based upon the first letter of your name. For example, “I am Smart Sarah,” or “I am Jumping Jack.” Then Introduce yourself, and the person to your right. The person to your right repeats previous introductions, and introduces the person to their right. Continue with the next person to the right, until all names have been repeated. This activity will help students learn each other’s names

I’m Smart Sally I’m Cheerful Cheryl I’m Amazing Anton I’m Brave Boris I’m Curly Claudia I’m Jumping Jack I’m Serious Samantha I’m Friendly Fyodor

These will direct the student into the content that will be taught. The icebreakers can be used to generate interest in a topic and activate the student’s prior knowledge. Topic Lead-ins will encourage the sharing of information and resources. & Topic Lead-ins

Multiple Choice Tests & True/False Quizzes Giving multiple choice tests or true and false quizzes before introducing a topic or reading engages students, activates a student’s prior knowledge, and will encourage the sharing of information and resources. The teacher can discuss the answers with the class before and after the lesson in order to focus on the important parts of the topic being taught

Ice-Breaker Questions

Life Goals Questions General Life Questions Work Related Questions Location Questions Personal Characteristic Questions Past History Questions

  General Life Questions 1. How was your day? 2. What did you do today? 3. Did you have a nice weekend? 4. Do you have anything planned for the weekend? 5. Is your week going well? 6. Have anything exciting planned?   Work Related Questions 1. Where do you work? 2. What do you do there? 3. Have you been working there along time? 4. Do you like it? 5. What’s your favorite/worst part of your job?   Personal Characteristic Questions 1. When’s your birthday? 2. What’s your favorite color? 3. What’s your favorite food? 4. Do you cook? What’s your favorite dish to cook? 5. Do you like animals? Which ones? 6. Do you have a favorite movie? 7. What type of music do you like? 8. What’s your favorite artist or band? 9. Do you like reading? What type of books? 10. What are your hobbies? 11. Do you play any sports? 12. Can you name something quirky about yourself? 13. How many languages do you speak?

  Past History Questions 1. Where are you from? 2. Where did you grow up? 3. Did you enjoy growing up there? 4. What was your favorite part of high-school? 5. Did you go to college? What was your major? 6. Where are you parents from? 7. Do you have any brothers or sisters? 8. Do you have you any nephews or nieces?   Location Questions 1. What’s it like where you live? 2. Are there a lot of bars or clubs there? 3. Which are your favorite places to go out to? 4. Which is your favorite restaurant? 5. Do you have a special place to go to?   Life Goals Questions 1. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be? 2. List the top 5 places you’d like to travel to. 3. What are you passionate about? 4. List the top 5 things you’d like to accomplish before you die. 5. Who is the most important person in the world to you? 6. What’s your dream job and why? 7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Do you have a plan? 8. If you were marooned on a desert island, what 3 things would you take? 9. Describe yourself using 5 words. 10. What’s the craziest thing you’ve done? 11. What’s the funniest thing you’ve done?

Why Use an Ice-Breaker? Ice breakers play a significant role in events in which communication and participant comfort level are important factors. They help you ensure that all attendees are equal participants. They break down the barriers that exist inherently and by design in workplaces. These are some of the reasons why you will want to consider using an ice breaker.

1. When participants know each other and you want to warm up and get the discussion flowing comfortably. 2. When participants know each other and work in different areas or departments, an ice breaker will bear the ice that can occur between silos. 3. When participants know each other but have different job titles and levels within your organization’s chain of command, an ice breaker can break down the barriers that might inhibit honest, comfortable communication.

4. When participants are strangers, an ice breaker is a comfortable, simple way to make introductions, help people start communicating and sharing thoughts, and generally, warm up the room. 5. When participants don’t know each other but share a mission, an interest or an idea and have a lot in common, an ice breaker warms up the group prior to more serious discussion of the topic. 6. When participants are diverse an ice breaker is essential to get people talking, generate laughter and start with an initial level of warmth within the room.

References  Dover, K. H. (2004). Break the ice in classrooms and meetings. Icebreakers.  Dover, K.H. (2004). Topic Lead-ins. Icebreakers.  Kelly, M. (2004). Warming up the classroom climate. The Ice Breaker.  is-an-ice-breaker.htm

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