Icebreakers Breakout Session

Session Objectives: - To be familiar with basic icebreakers.- To be comfortable LEADING icebreakers.- To see different ways to lead an icebreaker.- To practice the explaining portion of icebreaker facilitation.

Additional Resources:- Fall Guidebook: pages 37 – 44.- Master Activity Guidebook: online, “Resources” page.

Points to Emphasize:- Model the energy you want from them.- PMA, All The Way!!- Invite them to be part of the process (explanations, etc).- Speak clearly, ask them questions to make sure they understand you.- Be confident! Have fun!

Potential Agenda: This is a SAMPLE of what you can do. This is very flexible. The intent of this document is to GUIDE you (in the event you need it). Feel free to make this your own!

Range Description Who Notes7-12 min - As people come in, set the tone somehow

- Start with 1-4 icebreakers (Maybe intentionally lead some poorly? Facilitate them with specific GOODS or BADS?)

- Debrief: What did we do right? Wrong? How to improve?3-5 min - Welcome them to session

- Describe objectives, etc7-12 min - Open up conversation (maybe use whiteboard?)

- Brainstorm what makes a facilitator GOOD or BAD?7-12 min - Practice? Be creative with group size because of TIMING.

- Perhaps just practice the beginning “explaining” portion. Focus more on tone and energy, versus content.

3-5 min - Tell them about additional resources.- Re emphasize takeaway points.- Thank you!!!

Facilitation TipsFacilitation is everything. Icebreakers, meetings, etc. all compose the STLF experience. You are facilitating the entire time, so be intentional about it! Whether it is during the ten minutes after a meeting or a few moments with a first-time STLFer… think of what you want to accomplish. How will you reach this goal?

Some things to think about, specifically for the Tour are:1. Act like a facilitator for the entire trip2. Consider four guidelines when trying to effectively facilitate3. Program intentionally4. Describe activities clearly

Act like a facilitator for the entire tripPlease keep in mind that you are all facilitators the entire bus trip—whether you are leading the actual activity or not, participants will be looking to you as an example. You are facilitating the entire time, so be intentional! Whether it is the 10-minute bus ride or a few moments after your project, be conscious of your actions. Consider this:

1. What do you want to accomplish? 2. How will you get them there?

Consider four guidelines when trying to effectively facilitateThere are four basic guidelines that transfer through all types of facilitation:

1. Engineer reflectively: Know what result you want. Understand and define exactly what you are trying to accomplish.

2. Be open to new ideas: Everything goes, so go with it! Get into a mindset that says, “No idea is bad.” Create an open environment and be confident!

3. Do yourself what you desire them to do: Your actions, energy, pace, and tone must exude what you are trying to evoke. If you want high energy before an active activity, then you, as a facilitator, should be excited! If you want them to go deeper, then speak slowly, use pauses, and change your tone/attitude. Exude the type of emotions that will get you the response you’re looking for.

4. Lead, don’t just do: Be up front and give the participants opportunities to respond. Remember that you are providing opportunities for people to participate. An invitation to be part of the experience is key. All participation is voluntary; don’t ‘force’ somebody to volunteer. Instead, make people want to volunteer.

Program intentionallyThere are some key factors that make programming/activities successful:

o Personal touch—hand games, chair games, human bridge

o Actively thinking—question games, visualizations, discussiono Face reality—identity questioned, questioning in general, inspiration,

etco Teamwork and equalityo Allowing others to lead and addo Mood of a room—no forcing, set the tone, camp mentalityo Evaluation of the situation—body language, people’s attitudes

Describe activities clearly o Be as clear as possible when explaining rules and directions before

beginning the activity. Ask if there are any questions. Confusion can lessen the effectiveness of the activity.

o Note the group energy level. Leave them wanting more. Wrap up before they tune out.

o Use volunteer demonstrations as much as possible.o Not every activity has to be processed or debriefed. This is only

necessary if you want the group to take something away from the activity, or if something came up that is worthwhile to discuss.

o Always provide an alternative or option to the activity in case somebody is uncomfortable.

o Scan the group. Try to maintain eye contact with the whole group. o The only person you can volunteer is yourself!o When leading the processing of the activity, don’t volunteer your own

opinion. Stay objective and let the group carry out the discussion. Minimize outward objection or agreement to any points or comments. You can add your piece at the end when you wrap up.

o Try your best to have groups (large or small) be on the same physical level. This means that everyone should be sitting in chairs, on the floor, etc. We know it is tough, especially with the large group, but try!

o Remember that not every activity will be perfect. If a group doesn’t respond well, it does not mean you did anything wrong. Keep a positive attitude!

Facilitation Quickies

All of this facilitation stuff is most pertinent on the Tour itself, but practice makes perfect! The more you are able to carry out and use these skills in your everyday life and other organizations, the better you will be able to perform them on the Tour. In addition, these are great tools that you will be able to transfer to a number of situations.

APPLEo A: Assess your audienceo P: Plan your activities (and a back up just in case)o P: Prepare your supplies and practice the initiativeso L: Lead your group through the activityo E: Evaluate your group’s process throughout the activity and at the end

Full value contract (hand)o “I suck” – don’t put yourself downo “You suck” – don’t put others downo “We suck” – don’t put the group downo “This stuff sucks” – don’t put what we are doing downo “This place sucks” – don’t put where we are down

Challenge by choiceo Inner circle = Comfort zoneo Middle circle = Stretch zoneo Outer circle = Panic zoneo Always in comfort zone = No challenge

o Always out of comfort zone = Fear, AnxietyDescribe, demonstrate, ask questions, do!

o Lead by exampleo The best facilitators are those who go unnoticedo Do not judge motivation or behavioro Do not take it personallyo Do your best to do what you can do to help!

Debriefing/processing/reflection/discussiono Ask yourself and the group what occurred, what this meant, and where to go

from here.o Ask open-ended questions, avoiding yes/no responses. Say, “What did the

group do well?” vs. “Did the group do well?”o Activities without debriefing are just activities. You need to make a

connection and have a purpose.

GoTo

Classic IcebreakersThe following is a list and brief descriptions of some basic icebreakers you can use throughout this first semester—at meetings, events, etc. This is targeted specifically for the fall, and more activities and facilitation techniques will be covered at the Winter Retreat.

Remember, there are countless variations to every activity. Feel free to customize these, add your own twists, and really make it your own!

The HovdaEach number between 2 and 6 corresponds with a different activity (described below). Have one facilitator call out the numbers. After each round, eliminate the last person/people to complete the activity or get into the correct formation. Emphasize that people must get into different groups each time.

o 2 = birdie on a perch, carrying like a baby OR sitting on one knee.

o 3 = teeter totter, one person in the middle with the others teeter tottering on each side going up and down.

o 4 = train, person in front must CHOO CHOO with caboose bending over.o 5 = merry go round, one in the middle hands up, four others circling like a

merry go round.o 6 = mini cab, this is complicated. Driver and navigator (with map) in the

front. Two annoying kids fighting in the middle. The last two are sleeping on the road trip.

Electricityo Find a partner and face each other, while forming two lines. o Hold hands to your side and so actually, your ‘partner’ is on the other

team. o Facilitator is on one end with a coin. o The two people by the facilitator have their eyes open, everyone else’s are

closed. o The facilitator will flip the coin continuously until it lands on ‘heads’. o In silence, the person at the end must squeeze the hands of the person

next to him/her. This generates and ‘electric current’ of sorts all the way through to the end of the line. The people at the end then race to an object (like water bottle) to gain a point.

o In the event of a faulty squeeze (they do happen), team loses a point.

o This is a quick enough game that you can have everyone filter through and can play both roles.

Person-Lifto Concentrate and get in groups of

5. o Have someone volunteer to sit in

a char. o The four others have to carry the

person in the middle only using two fingers.

o They may get frustrated and laugh, but there is a trick. Put

your hands together in the form of a gun, and carry under each armpit and kneecap—it works!

Song Wars o Get into small groups. o Say a word and each group must sing a line of a song with the word in it. o You can have a couple practice rounds before eliminating people.

Two Truths and a Lie

o Get into groups of three people. o Have them talk amongst themselves for a bit. o Each person tells the entire group a statement about him or herself—two

of the people telling the truth, and the third a lie.

Question game via Concentric Circles—inner and outer circleso Come up with a list of questions, nothing too tougho Go from surface/odd facts to personal questions to goals.

Another fun variation is to have your participants come up with questions that they would love to know the answer to from their peers. Hand out note cards and markers on the bus, have them write down a question, collect them, and then use them later in the week during this activity.

GoTo

Chair Lean Backo Place chairs in a circle, and have everyone sit sideways in chairs. o Have them lean back on the lap of the person behind them. o Have a few people (including the facilitator) pull out the chairs and

eventually have the group supporting itself. o It is important to ask permission before touching the people. o Be considerate and spread out the chairs you pull out.

Finger-Fencingo Find partners. o Stand at a good distance apart and grasp

hands with your finger fences out. o The objective is to touch your fencing

sword on your opponent’s thigh (above knee, below hip).

o You are not to move your feet. o Make it tournament style and involve as

many people as possible.

All My Friendso Circle up. You can use chairs, or use people’s shoes to keep track of

spots. o Take out one set of shoes or one chair. o One person starts in the middle. o After introducing him/herself, finish the statement “All my friends…” with

something in the room. (examples: “…are wearing jackets” or “…have gone skydiving” or “…enjoy snowboarding).

o Whoever this applies to in the circle, he/she runs around and finds an open spot in the circle.

o The odd person out is now in the middle.

People to peopleo You can do it either as a mingling

game (like the Hovda) or with concentric circles. The point is-mix them up.

Evolution paper, rock, scissors (PRS)

o Clarify the regular rules of paper rock scissors, do you shoot on three or is it 1-2-3 shoot?.

o Have everyone spread out within a certain area in no particular order. o The purpose of this game is to evolve from an egg to a king/queen, the

first one to do this is the winner. o You evolve by winning a paper rock scissors game. o Everyone starts out as an egg then you evolve into a chicken-> dinosaur->

prince/princess-> king/queen (winner). o Each evolution has a specific action associated with it which is described

below, but you can also create your own actions/evolutions. o If you loose a PRS game then you de-evolve, unless you’re an egg then you

can’t de-evolve any further. o Each stage of evolution can only play with others of the same stage,

dinosaurs with dinosaurs, etc. o You can have people introduce themselves before they play to use it as a

name game too. Egg- fetal position but standing Chicken- think funky chicken style (funny to make them make

sounds for this one) Dinosaur- they can choose their own favorite dinosaur and noise it

will make Prince/princess- you can choose how you think a prince should act King/queen

Monstero Divide the group up into equal parts. o The goal is to create a monster which moves and has a unique noise.o The only rule is that you have restrictions/guidelines on what body parts

are allowed to touch the floor. o Example for a group of five people there must be 3 hands, 4 feet, 2 knees,

1 head, 4 elbows, etc. the more body parts you require the harder it gets.o Also keep in mind the ratio of body parts to group members.

General ActivitiesMost know these or they are pretty self explanatory:

o Name gameso Human knoto Relay gameso Tournament style regular

games (rock paper scissors, etc)

o Have people line up by some sort of classification (height, birthday, age, shoe size, etc) without talking, eyes closed, etc

o Take away senses/abilities in generalo Group charadeso Bring back the middle school games

Telephone Hide and seek Elbow tag Freeze tag Duck duck goose (not gray duck); I prefer Yeah yeah Buddy (haha) Heads up 7 up

o Try to fit a group into the smallest space possibleo Entwine elbows and stand up—increase group size