Icebreakers
Training Exercises and Resources

This exercise helps delegates realise what values they are impressed with the most, so that they can then relate these values back to themselves.

This is an icebreaker that helps delegates to become more familiar with each other.

The aim is to systematically share information with a partner to maximise information transfer in a given time.

This fun activity is suitable as an ice breaker. This is a simple randomisation exercise that you can use to get a group of people answer a number of random questions. You will need to write these questions on a football before the course. As each delegate receives the ball he should randomly answer a question based on the setup described here.

Since you have total control over the questions, you can bias the exercise based on your needs. You can use it as an icebreaker with generic questions about delegates. You can also use this for recap to cover what has been discussed in a particular session by asking delegates to answer related questions. You can also use this method as a test.

This exercise helps delegates work together to create a sculpture out of clay. It is ideal for classes on ceramics hand building with clay but it can also be used for a fun team building activity.

This is also a very useful exercise for creativity as it is relatively fast paced. Delegates have little time to get carried away with too much detail on any specific work and so are forced to express their creativity in a focused and meaningful way.

You can use this at the beginning of a multi-day class on making sculptures to break the ice and get people to become more comfortable with each other.

In this exercise, delegates contribute to each other’s design sequentially and everyone participates in the creation of all sculptures.

This exercise is ideal for teams with new additions to them. Sometimes it takes a while for teams to get used to their new members and the same is true for the new addition. Joining an already existing team of people can be intimidating. This exercise helps bringing all team members, old and new together by providing them with a shared experience.

Ask the delegates a question related to the content of the course that generates a number of options. Write these suggested options on a flipchart and number them from 1 to N. Next, state that you want to demonstrate your telepathic skills.

Expect disbelief…

This is a very effective yet simple icebreaker. Delegates get to choose a contemporary or historical figure and share their choice with the class. These choices will help everyone to get to know each other better. In addition, it also helps the trainer to know the delegates better and use this knowledge during the course to tailor the training.

This exercise can be used both as an icebreaker when you intend to get people to know each better or as a storytelling exercise. You can bias the exercise based on your chosen topics. This exercise is also ideal for team building.

This is a fun activity that requires concentration and focus. It is ideal as a team building exercise or as an icebreaker to make people feel more comfortable with each other.

In this icebreaker, your aim is to help the delegates get to know each other more by answering a set of preselected questions. You have total control over the questions which allows you to customise the icebreaker based on your needs and your course. For example, you can bias the questions for a course on goal setting or self-esteem to get to know the delegates better and understand how they think. This can be useful later when you go through the course.

In this icebreaker, delegates get to know each other better by learning about their first jobs. The question is not too intrusive and most people are happy and sometimes excited to talk about their first job as it reminds them of how far they have come. It also allows the delegates to engage in a conversation with each other using the first job as an initial point in order to get to know each other better.