Icebreakers and Energisers 1 Dorothee Spuhler, Stefanie Kaiser (seecon international gmbh)

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Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: Content Introduction Examples of Icebreakers Examples of Energisers 3

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: What to do when your participants are getting tired? 4 Introduction Source: TEARFUND (2005)

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: What are Icebreakers? Help people to integrate and connect with one another Arouse the participants’ attention Create an inspiring learning atmosphere Improve the group dynamic Enhance cooperation & participation Icebreakers contribute to a better training outcome STERNS & MELOCHE (2004)  Icebreakers “warm up” the training. 5 Introduction

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: When to Use Icebreakers? The best times to use icebreakers are the following: Pre-event socialisers Morning openers After lunch wake-ups Calming dissension or tension relievers Adapted from INSTITUTE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE (2002)  Icebreakers provide a welcome break during a long day of training. 6 Introduction

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: What are Energisers? Refresh people Help participants to get to know each other better Break down barriers Bring enjoyable breaks between two session, high temperatures and challenging decisions ARCHER TRAINING (2010); UNESCO (2004)  Energisers raise the energy level of a training session by gaining back people’s attention and interest. 7 Introduction

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: Be Careful Choosing an appropriate energiser or icebreakers is not easy. They require a degree of openness that is not comfortable for all. Be careful when energiser involve physical contact, or when mixing female and male participants. Sometimes it may be more appropriate to switch the training method (such as group works, discussions or role plays). 8 Introduction Source: [Accessed: ]

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: “I am the one who…” Time: approx. 15 min. Group Size: min. 10 up to large groups. Everybody gets a paper and has to write on it, “I am the one who...” (e.g. I am the one who like strawberries). Then you collect the cards and redistribute them. Now ask the people to stand up and walk around to find the one who has wirtten the cards he had got after redistribution. When everybody has found the person that has written the card, gave it back and received is own card, people go back to their seat and everybody shares his “I am the one who…” statement with the group 9 Examples of Icebreakers

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: “Name Game” Time: approx. 10 min. Group Size: max. 25 as everybody has to explain the adjectives. Ask participants to write their name vertically on a A4 paper. The ask them to write two adjective, for each using a letter of their name, which described one good and one bad characteristics about them. D O R O I M P A T I E N T H E N E R G E T I C E 10 Examples of Icebreakers

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: “Toss a Ball” Time: approx. 10 min. Group Size: min. 10 up to large groups. Stand in a circle with all participants. Start passing a ball to one person. This person has to say a key word what they will take home from the day. The persons then passes the ball to a next one, which will say a key word on her turn. And so on, until each participants had the ball at least once. 11 Examples of Icebreakers

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: “Signature” Time: approx. 10 min. Group Size: min. 10 persons up to large groups Ask people to stand up. Ask them to imagine having a pen in their hand and a blackboard in front of them. Ask them to “write” their signature. Then ask them to do the same thing with the head, with the shoulder, with the leg, with the knee and finally with their back… 12 Examples of Icebreakers

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: “Know who you have in front of you” Time: approx. 10 min. Group Size: min. 10 persons up to large groups Form two groups, which stand in front of each other in a line (make sure that everybody can see the whole other group. Ask them to observe each other very well. Then ask them to turn around that they cannot see the other group. Every person changes a small detail on her appearance (e.g. remove scarf, change position of hands, etc.). Then ask the groups to turn around again. Now the groups have to find out what the other group changed. The group that identifies more changes will win. 13 Examples of Icebreakers

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: “Island Game” Time: approx. 10 min. Group Size: max. 25 as everybody has every group has to explain what they will take with them. Make groups of 4 people. Tell them they will be lost on a island and can take only 5 thing with them (as a group). Give them 5 minutes, to choose the 5 things. Ask them one group after another, what they will take. Ask how they have taken the decisions and were there were confilcts. 14 Examples of Icebreakers

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: J-O-Y Time required: min / Group size: up to 15 persons Ask each member to think of three things that she/he would like to share. Use the letters of the word ‘joy” to structure what is to be shared: J: something in your life that JUST happened O: ONE thing you would like to do in your life Y: a part of YOU that makes you a very special person. (Point out that the keywords say, ‘JUST ONE YOU!”) 15 Examples of Icebreakers

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: People Bingo Time required: min / Group size: up to 20 persons Create a list of statements that are likely to be true for at least several of the participants. Write the statements in boxes on a piece of paper (everyone should get the same sheet, so make enough copies). Give the participants 10 minutes to find someone other than themselves for whom the statement is true and have them initial inside the box. Whoever completes all the boxes first wins a prize. Your statements can be general- for example, find someone who: was born in March A man that likes cooking has seen a popular band, live in concert has a daughter / a son / a sister / a brother… 16 Examples of Icebreakers

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: Wink Time required: min / Group size: up to 20 persons Have members stand in a circle with their eyes closed. One person walks around the circle and quietly taps the back of one person who will be the “winker”. Everyone opens their eyes and begins to mill around the room. If a person has been winked at, she or he must count to ten silently and then make a scene to let others know she or he is out of the game. The object is to catch the winker before everyone loses. If a person suspects the winker’s identity, she says, “I have an accusation!” However, there must be two accusers to stop the game. 17 Examples of Energisers

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: Nine Dots Time required: 5-10 minutes / Group size: any size Distribute to each participant a piece of paper and a pen. Draw nine dots on the chalkboard or whiteboard. Ask participants to draw nine dots on their paper and ask them to do the following: Dots must be joined by four straight lines Pen should not be pulled off the paper The participant who can join nine dots before anyone else will be the winner. (Let the others try until most of them are successful. Finally ask any of the participants to show how she/he joined the nine dots.) 18 Examples of Energisers Source: TEARFUND (2005)

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: Numbers Time required: depending on group size / Group size: up to 20 persons Ask the participants to stand in a circle. The participants have to count in turn around the circle. Every time the number five or a multiple of five is reached, that person claps instead of saying the number. Every time the number seven or a multiple of seven is reached, that person turns around once instead of saying the number. If someone makes a mistake, they drop out of the circle and the next person goes back to 1 again.. 19 Examples of Energisers Source: TEARFUND (2005)

Icebreakers and Energisers Find this presentation and more on: ARCHER TRAINING (Editor) (2010): Energisers. Gloucestershire: Archer Training Ltd.. URL: [Accessed: ]. CAMPUUS (Editor) (n.y.): Icebreaker/Energizer/Activity Resource Guide for Team Leaders. Wilmington: Campuus. URL: Resource%20Guide%20for%20Team%20Leaders.pdf [Accessed: ]. Resource%20Guide%20for%20Team%20Leaders.pdf INSTITUTE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE (Editor) (2002): Icebreakers for Training, Meeting and other Events. Alexandria: INSTITUTE FOR LAW AND JUSTICE (ILJ). URL: [Accessed: ]. KNOX, G. (2009): 40 Icebreakers for Small Groups. London: Insights. URL: [Accessed: ]. STERNS, C. ; MELOCHE, H. (2004): Using Icebreakers to Defrost a Chilly Atmosphere and Build Warm Relationships. Ontarlo: Training Makes Cents INC.. URL: [Accessed: ]. TEARFUND (Editor) (2005): Useful Energisers. Teddington: Tear Fund. URL: [Accessed: ]. TRAINING GAMES (Editor) (2010): 40 Icebreakers and other Warm-ups. Cave Creek: Training Games. TRAINING GAMES. URL: [Accessed: ]. UNESCO (Editor) (2004): Training Guide and Training Techniques. Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All. Bangkok: UNESCO Bangkok. URL: 0Training%20Techniques.pdf [Accessed: ]. 0Training%20Techniques.pdf 20 References

Icebreakers and Energisers 21 “Linking up Sustainable Sanitation, Water Management & Agriculture” SSWM is an initiative supported by: Created by: