Icebreaker: This Reminds Me of…

Purpose

This exercise helps with creative storytelling and impromptu delivery. It can also be used as an icebreaker to help delegates learn about each other. The choice of objects dictates what kinds of areas would be covered. Choose the object based on the background of delegates as well as their age. You can also use it for an exercise on creative writing or public speaking.

Objective

• Tell a story about a given random object.

What You Need

• A collection of small objects such as:
  • A stapler
  • A hair ribbon
  • A lip balm
  • A toy train
  • An old mobile phone
  • A can of shaving foam
  • An old calculator
• You need more objects than you have delegates.
• An opaque bag so objects can be taken from without being seen.
• Place all objects in the bag.

Setup

• Place the bag of objects where everyone can access.
• Explain that each delegate should tell a story based on the object picked from the bag.
• Ask a volunteer to start.
• Ask the volunteer to pick an object from the bag without looking at objects or exposing the contents of the bag to others.
• Once the object is picked up, the delegate should tell a story about it in following manner (replace {this object} with the true name of the object):
  • “When I see {this object}, it reminds me of…”
  • “I once gave {this object} to a friend and would you believe how he reacted…”
  • “I collect {this object}. I have a large variety of them…”
  • “The strangest thing happened to me when I first got {this object}…”
• Each delegate has about 3 minutes to tell a story.
• Continue until all delegates have picked an object and presented a story about it.

Timing

Explaining the Exercise: 2 minutes

Activity: 3 min * N = 24 minutes for 8 delegates

Group Feedback: 0 minutes

Discussion

N/A