Better Meetings Day #16: Ice Breakers Are Meant to Break the Ice
Grab a bag of Skittles. Pass them around and have everyone in your meeting take a few. Then, it’s time to break the ice.
When was the last time someone kicked off a meeting with an icebreaker? Probably back in high school or college, right?
An icebreaker is a great activity to create a positive and collaborative dynamic before meetings. It helps participants get to know one another, which sets an inclusive environment later in the meeting and for future interactions. Often times, icebreakers are perceived as a waste of time, because they have no connection to the agenda or topic at hand; however, icebreakers are great communication tools.
For this exercise, the amount of Skittles determine how many random facts people should share about themselves. So, how many Skittles did you take? I took three. Here are three random facts about myself, and maybe one day it will help us connect if we ever get a chance to work together.
- English is not my first language (Korean is!)
- I grew up in Hawai’i
- Math was my favorite subject in high school
For more icebreaker ideas, check out the Icebreaker Bible below.
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