This is another icebreaker in the “Sure-fire Icebreaker” series. Below is a full script of an amazing icebreaker. I created such an extensive description because I've found that it can be difficult to do a great icebreaker from a three-sentence description. Being a professional speaker and student leader trainer, I’m on college campuses often doing leadership retreats and orientations. Over the past decade, working with tens of thousands of students, I've learned the hard way what works and what doesn't. Most icebreakers flop because the students don’t fully understand the directions or they feel corny or awkward doing it. It ends up being a lot of work and not a lot of play. Follow my script and you can skip the learning curve and move right into awesomeness! This is a very low … [Read more...]

This is another icebreaker in the “Sure-fire Icebreaker” series. Below is a full script of an amazing icebreaker. I created such an extensive description because I’ve found that it can be difficult to do a great icebreaker from a three-sentence description. Being a professional speaker and student leadership trainer, I’m on college campuses and at leadership retreats and orientations a lot. Over the past decade, working with tens of thousands of students, I’ve learned the hard way what works and what doesn’t. Most icebreakers flop because the students don’t fully understand the directions or they feel corny or awkward doing it. It ends up being a lot of work and not a lot of play. Follow my script and you can skip the learning curve I had to take and move right into … [Read more...]

[showtime] Here’s the next edition in the Sure-Fire Icebreaker series. This is a quick icebreaker that is very low gradient and an easy way to meet a lot of people you don’t know and learn random information about them. As a bonus, I often use this icebreaker to get large groups into smaller groups in the last round. Set up Have them stand up and get into a large bunched up group. “I’ll say a number and a category. I might say the number is 4, and the category is ‘people born in the same month as you.’ The music will come on and you will go find 3 other people to make a group of 4 who were born in the same month as you.” You might get people starting to talk and look around for people born in their same month. If that happens I say; “I might say that, but I’m not … [Read more...]

[showtime] To start this icebreaker, split everyone into two groups. Have them form two lines facing each other in the center of the room with their team standing shoulder to shoulder. Your instruction to the two teams goes as follows: “Welcome to a new planet! On this world there are only three creatures and they are at WAR. Let me introduce the creatures. First, there is the giant. It looks and sounds like this, ‘ROAR!’ Do this with me, 1,2,3, ‘ROAR!’ “Then there’s the wizard. It looks and sounds like this, ‘SSSSS!’ Do this with me, 1,2,3, ‘SSSSS!’ “And finally, there are the elves. They look and sound like this, ‘WeWeWeWe!’ [done with a high pitch] Do this with me, 1,2,3, ‘WeWeWeWe!’ “These creatures are at war! Here’s how it works- it’s … [Read more...]

[showtime] This activity is very high energy and is great to do when you want to get people up and moving. Make sure you have enough room so it can stay safe. I’ve facilitated this activity with eight people all the way to 800 with great success. To start the ice breaker off you’ll need to get people in to groups of exactly four. This can work with five but it’s just not quite the same. To get started, I might say something like this: “When I say go and the music comes on, you’ll form a group of exactly four - no more and no less. Preferably with people you don’t know. When you get this group of four, stand in a circle and get to know as much about each other as you can while the music is still going. Ready, Go.” Once they’ve formed groups and have had a few minutes to … [Read more...]

[showtime] Being a professional speaker and student leadership trainer, I'm on college campuses facilitating leadership retreats and orientations often. This icebreaker has never failed. I’ve used it successfully with groups as small as 10 people all the way to 800 people. This is great for adding some fun and energy to a meeting or helping new acquaintances feel more comfortable around each other. Just follow my script and it will work for you too. Create groups The first thing I do is get them into smaller groups- ideally no less then 4 and no more than 12. It’s best if the groups are the same numbers, but depending on the number of people, that can be a difficult thing. My favorite size ranges from 8-10. It’s important to get them into their groups in quick and succinct … [Read more...]

Step-by-step, this is an orientation ice-breaker that works every time. Every semester you're looking for a new icebreaker for student orientation. Asking around, you hear a lot of great ideas that either sound way too complicated or just aren't the right fit. You Google, 'icebreakers' and it gives you about 1,080,000 results in .19 seconds. After spending forever and a day searching, you find an icebreaker that sounds simple and seems fun. How hard could it be?  After all hey describe the whole thing in 3 sentences? Come orientation day, the icebreaker flops. This is an all too common story. Most icebreakers flop because the students don't fully understand the directions or they feel corny or awkward doing it. It ends up being a lot of work and not a lot of play. Follow these … [Read more...]