Archive for the ‘Corporate Icebreakers’ Category

Got a Christmas conference this week or next. Looking for a last minute idea to have a bit of festive fun with your audience? Look no further we have the perfect sit in your seat Christmas conference ice breaker. It’s so easy – we don’t know why we didn’t think of it before!

If your delegates are seated in rows its tricky to do an ice breaker or some kind of break out session to get people involved, keep them engaged and stop then falling asleep.

Ready for Pass the Parcel?

So what about the traditional Christmas party game of “Pass the Parcel”?

In advance you will need to make up loads of pretty, wrapped and exciting looking parcels with lots of layers.

When the music starts (yes you will need piped music of some sort) feed the presents in at the start of row A and get them to pass along the row. When they get to the end they pass it onto the person behind them on the next row and they pass it down their row and so on until it reaches the end of the rows. When the parcel gets to the end of all the rows have some one on hand to take it back to the start of row A and feed it in again.

At random times begin to feed more parcels in at the start so you might have 20 parcels being passed around the rows at a time. Of course the exciting bit is when the music stops and the lucky people holding the parcel get take off a layer. At this point it could be a layer of wrapping or it could include some small gift, a corporate message or a daft item to wear eg. paper hat, plastic glasses etc. Be careful not to make this too ridiculous or to set out to embarrass people – the spirit of Christmas should always be kept in mind.

The most exciting bit is when the final layer is taken off the present and the person who does that gets to keep the present.

As there are lots of parcels on the way round and with different number of layers – keep going until the last present is opened. This could be an extra special parcel – the last parcel to be opened with more layers of wrapping than the others could be the best!

Good luck – you are sure to have fun with this festive Christmas conference game

For shed loads more brilliant ice breaker games and ideas for Christmas, conferences and team building, check out the ice breaker ideas web-site NOW! If you like this game please press the LIKE button. If you think you can use this conference ice breaker leave me a comment!

An interesting way to start a leadership program with delegates who don’t know each other would be to run an ice breaker game to help people get to know each other quickly and spark a few discussions. Try to find an ice breaker that has a leadership theme as a lead-in to the topic of the day. The following leadership ice breaker idea would serve to generate enthusiasm and opinions about the topic:

You will need to prepare beforehand a set of speeches from world class leaders. This can be easily done on the internet. You will need a speech and the name of the famous leader.

When your group have assembled give each one a few lines of the speech and another the name of the leader. Ask people to mingle and find the person with whom the speech matches. Once they have paired up famous leader and famous speech they should spend a few minutes sharing a bit about themselves to each other and their thoughts on this particular leader.

When everyone has paired up ask the group to come back together and then ask pairs to introduce each other. Ask them to read out a few lines of the speech and see if anyone else can guess who the leader is. Once the leader is identifed by the rest of the group the pair can then share a few thoughts on the leadership style of the leader. Carry on around the circle.

• This exercise can be quite difficult unless well know leaders and speeches are picked.
• The ice breaker can be quite lengthy with discussions of various leaders. With this in mind it’s a great lead-in to leadership styles. However if this is not required at this moment in time you can omit this stage or keep it brief.

Martin Luther King

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”

Queen Elizabeth I

“I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; butI have the heart and stomach of a king”

George Washington

“A passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils.”

Charles de Gaulle

“The flame of French resistance must not and shall not die”

John F Kennedy

“Ask not what your country can do  for you; ask what you can do for your country”

Nelson Mandela

“I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which i hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is aAn ideal for which I am prepared to die”

Ronald Reagan

“Mr Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall”

Barack Obama

“America is a place where all things are possible”

An easy and really quick ice breaker for new groups of 8 upwards is called “Pairs”. You will need a set of 8 or more objects (one for each person) that can be paired together or prepare a printed version with pictures. For example you could use:

• knife and fork
• cat and mouse
• paper and pen
• candle and match
• nut and nutcracker
• dustpan and brush
• stamp and letter
• salt and pepper
• shoe and sock
• padlock and key
• brush and comb

Distribute the items and ask people to find their partner. If you can place the objects in a bag or cover, it acts as a bit more of a surprise. Once people have found their partners allow a few minutes for each person to introduce themselves to the other. Bring everyone back to the circle and then ask each partner to introduce the other person to the group.

Sharon Naylor is passionate about ice breaker games for elevating meetings, training and events; turning “boring” into “extraordinary” and really getting people mixing and having fun. Check-out her web-site for more fabulous ice breaker games and ideas to instantly download.

 Start off your meeting or training session with a fun, experiential team activity and your team will be firing on all cylinders right from the word “go”! Dynamic and participative, we strongly believe in the experiential element of getting teams to have a go together at something fun together. They can be used for:

• Breaking the ice at the start of a session
• Breaking down barriers between individuals
• Creative problem-solving
• Illustrating a training point
• Creating team dynamics
• Providing an opportunity to review the way teams work
• To give feedback on team roles
• Low-cost exercises for when budgets are tight
• Ice breakers for conferences and both small and large events
• Kids love them too!

However you use these fun team activities you will find that they can have a real impact on your event. We have used them on all our team building events for over 20 years. In tough times they are also extrememly economical; you can run these team activites yourself without having to employ expensive outsiders! Check out the ice breaker ideas web-site for more on the sticky rope team activity and for ice breaker and training ideas to sky rocket your events!

If you’re looking for a fun way to demonstrate communication skills here’s a neat little communications exercise that will throw up lots for discussion on the accuracy of communication.

You will need a group size of at least 2 teams; a small lego model and an extra set of lego materials per team.

 Split the group into teams of 4-6 people and give each team a set of lego materials. Place the lego model away from the team’s view but make sure it is of equal distance from each team. Ask one member from each team to come forward to view the model for 20 seconds.

Send this person back to their team, when they should then instruct the rest of the team on how to build the model. They are not allowed to touch the model themselves. After one minute ring a bell or ask the teams to send another person to view for 5 seconds. This continues until the first team declare that they have the perfectly replicated model. The model is checked and if they are correct, they win, if not the exercise continues. The exercise can continue until all teams have finished.

This simple communications game should throw up plenty for discussion:

• How accurate were the instructions?
•  How hard is it to re-create something without being able to see?
• How difficult is it to view but not build?
• How pressured were individuals?

If you enjoyed this communication ice breaker you will find many more fantastic games and icebreakers to enhance your training programs and events on the ice breaker ideas web-site. Sharon Naylor is passionate about ice breaker games and team building activities to get people joining in and having fun. “When people are switched on and engaged they are more disposed to learning and taking in the main messages of the day.” Games and icebreakers are suitable for any type of group and activity whether it be for young people or adults; work training or functions or social events, meetings and clubs.

Here’s a great little communications exercise, ice breaker or warm-up suitable for any kind of group training or team building session. There is no limit on size of group and it takes only 10 to 15 minutes.

Use random objects to create a minefield such as pieces of paper, clothing or file folders. Give the team members the “mines” and have them disperse them over a field or gym floor. After the mines are all set up, separate the team into pairs of people. Provide a blindfold for one of the people and allow the other person to have sight. Instruct the pairs that the person with sight has to successfully guide their team mate through the minefield using just words. Allow all the pairs to go at the same time so that each blindfolded person has to listen closely for their leader.

Review the exercise by asking participants to name the skills needed to successfully complete the task

• How easy or difficult was it to hear instructions?
• Were the instructions accurate enough to be able to complete the task?
• How did it feel to be blindfolded?

This useful communication icebreaker illustrates leadership, communication and listening skills, building trust, giving and receiving accurate instructions.

For tons more amazing communications activities, ice breakers and games to use with your groups visit the ice breaker ideas web-site. Instant downloads available NOW

Famous Quotes

At some point during your leaderhip training programme you will no doubt be discussing famous leaders; their traits and personalities. Why not turn this into an interesting leadership icebreaker game or energizer?

Make a list of famous leaders and their quotes. Print 2 lists; 1 is your master copy and the other is cut up into strips giving each person a quote or the name of a famous leader. Their job is to match the quote to the leader and hopefully have some meaningful discussions about leadership along the way.

Here’s a list of quotes you might like to use:

• Steve Jobs  “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
• Peter F. Drucker   “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
• Theodore Roosevelt   “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” 
• Kenneth Blanchard     “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”
• “Eleanor Roosevelt     “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves”
• Nelson Mandela      “When you let your own light shine, you unconsciously give others permission to do the same.”  
• Winston Churchill     “Those who can win a war well can rarely make a good peace and those who could make a good peace would never have won the war.”
• Thomas Jefferson   “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it.” 

This could be quite a difficult task unless you choose famous quotes, but can be a great lead-in to a discussion and reflection on famous leadership styles. Once the game is over take time to really try and understand the meaning behind the words.

Leadership icebreakers are a brilliant way to start your leadership programs. They can be used as energizers too to break up the session and engage your participants.

Sharon Naylor is passionate about ice breaker games for training, meetings, away days, team building and conferences.  A quick ice breaker at the start of a meeting or event helps people relax,  injects a sense of fun into gatherings and speeds up that getting to know you stage, and ready to face the rest of the event with high energy and expectation. 

Tons more fantastic leadership icebreakers for warming-up groups  can be found on the ice-breaker-ideas web-site.

If you are running a leadership training programme or seminar you must include this fun-filled leadership icebreaker!

Ask participants to sit in a circle and choose one person to go out of the room. This person is the detective.

Appoint a leader and have everyone follow the leader. The leader might start with a hand clap, and everyone joins in in unison. The leader might then stamp feet or snap fingers or choose a different rhythm of clapping. The goal is to follow the leader seamlessly so the detective when they come into the room does not know who the leader is and their job is to work out who it is.

The team can get really good at this with practise. The key is for everyone to follow the leader without giving the game away and by staring directly at the leader. The team could wait for a ripple effect instead.. so waiting for their neighbours to change action before they do. The leader should also change movements slowly so as not to give the game away, and make movement changes when the detective is looking elsewhere.

A more advanced variation can include a change of leader by an agreed signal eg. a wink at another person.

The detective has 1 guess only. Once they have guessed another person takes on the role of detective.

You can review this exercise by:

•  Examining what made the game successful or unsucessful.
• What qualities of a leader were needed to make it happen?

Leadership icebreakers are a fun and novel way to start your leadership programs. They can be used as energizers too to break up the session and engage your participants.

Sharon Naylor is passionate about ice breaker games for work, play, parties, meetings, groups and clubs. A quick ice breaker at the start of a meeting or event helps people relax,  injects a sense of fun into gatherings, speed up that getting to know you stage and gets people ready to face the rest of the event with high energy and expectation. 

Tons more fantastic leadership icebreakers for warming-up groups and can be found on the ice-breaker-ideas web-site.

Here’s a great introductory ice breaker for a team or group meeting for the first time. All you need is a large ball of string or wool.

Introduce the exercise “We’re all meeting for the first time. Most of us don’t know each other at all. It’s easier to get to know each other and make connections with people when you find something in common. This is the main purpose of an ice breaker game. In some cases you might have a lot in common with an individual but often you have to discover what it is first. This game will give you a helping hand”

Ask everyone to sit or stand in a circle. Starting with yourself, say “My name is Sharon” and start to talk about yourself. “I have 3 sisters. I live in Wales. I walk to work. I work at…etc. etc.” By this time hopefully you might find someone else in the group with 3 sisters or even a sister and they then shout “CONNECT!” when they have found something to connect with you. Holding onto the tail-end of the ball of string you throw the ball to them. They then introduce themselves and continue saying something about themselves until someone else connects with them. They then hold onto the string and throw the ball to that person. And on it goes.

Ensure everyone has a go at connecting with someone else in the group; you might want to add this as a rule until everyone has had a go. Continue connecting until you have had enough. You will surely now be in a mess with strands of wool or string  going all over the circle.

End the ice breaker game by explaining that we all have things in common with other people, but they are often hidden. Look at all the ways we are interconnected with each other… look at all the strands of string. Building relationships and rapport can be speeded up by finding and sharing similarities. 

Sharon Naylor is passionate about ice breaker games for work, play, parties, meetings, groups and clubs. In fact anywhere people are connecting to others whether it be for the first time or even when familiar with each other. Ice breaker games inject a sense of fun into proceedings, speed up that getting to know you stage and gets people ready to face the rest of the event with energy and enthusiasm. For more brilliant ice breaker ideas that you can use with your own groups and teams visit the ice breaker ideas web-site.

Ice breaker games are powerful allies for getting groups and teams to gel and work together quickly.

Many trainers, group leaders, teachers, charity workers, committee leaders, church, youth and team leaders to professional consultants and managers employ ice breakers to break down barriers and accelerate the getting to know you phase of learning and engagement.

This ice breaker game is ideal for newish teams and  ideal group size is 7 -15.

• So, give each person an envelope and enough strips of paper for every person in the group. So, if there are 12 people in the group give each person an envelope and 12 strips of paper.
• Get everyone to write their name on the envelop and then pass the envelope to the person on their left.
• Instruct every receiver of the envelope to write a positive first impression about the person with their name on the envelope they hold. Then place the strip of paper in the enveope and pass to the left again. Repeat the process for every person in the group.

Eventually the envelope will return to the owner and will contain 12 strips of paper, each with a positive first impression. Ask each person in turn to dip into their envelope and read aloud a positive attribute.

How powerful is this! Each person will have an envelope full of positive messages and will feel warm towards the group, even though they barely know each other. This is a fantastic platform to build on!

Get more fantastic and brilliant ice breaker games and ideas for your groups and teams at ice-breaker-ideas.com