Energisers and Icebreakers
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18 & under
This is an engaging way to get to know your teammates better and share funny or interesting stories with each other. Simply take turns and share one accomplishment each that you had before you turned 18. You might learn that “I bought a Playstation when I was 10” or “I won the school football championship”. Maybe you will discover some hidden skills in your colleagues that you never expected.
The Magic Wand
If you had a magic wand, what would you change in the world? Tell your team and then have them tell you.
A One Word Icebreaker
The one word icebreaker can be used without a lot of preparation, and moves quickly. Break the team into small groups and ask them to brainstorm ideas in the form of one word that describes “x”. An online tool for mind mapping would work well. Or, they can use an online whiteboard solution or even a shared Google document.
For teams without a lot of time, this icebreaker does double duty. It acts as a fun and interactive icebreaker but it also kicks off the brainstorming session. Choose a word aligned with the meeting goals, such as the product itself, or the solution it is trying to provide. Ask the team to reconvene and share their answers. The variety of one word answers will be enlightening.
Basic pairing exercises
Learning name and some interesting info (hobby, etc.) about other person (but probably more exciting things you can do!). We also organised into groups of 6 or 7 volunteers (could use Zoom breakout rooms) to talk about things we were looking forward to and challenges we expected over the next few months.
The Item
Everyone finds an item that is unusual, interesting or important to them to show, and talks about it for 20-30 seconds. It is a nice way to get to know each other a little better and quick and easy, as well as being something that we wouldn’t necessarily be able to do otherwise!
First person you looked up to
This is a good way to get people to think about who influenced them most and what values are important to them. It can be a personal acquaintance, family member or famous person. A lot of positive emotion comes out as people talk about the wonderful people in their life or inspiring famous figures. This can be a particularly useful exercise in advance of a discussion around values, dreams or life goals. Online Energisers - using Google Jamboard for Pictionary