Did you spend the first days of school frantically coming up with the most perfectly cool way to describe yourself as an animal?
Welcome to the club.
However, we'd encourage you to reframe how you think about these team building activities at work―after all, this information isn’t useless! It’s a way to get to know your coworkers and welcome new employees, and while it can be uncomfortable and just plain awkward, it’s a first layer you’ll have to break through in order to form lasting relationships on your team.
Plus, ice breakers are a key part of the employee engagement puzzle. Utilizing ice breakers impacts employee engagement because they help initiate team bonding and spark innovative thinking. And get this: employees that have the opportunity to innovate tend to be more engaged workers and committed to their company’s mission.
Considering the workplace has experienced a downturn in engagement, it pays to invest in the many ways we can reengage our employees.
-> Want more? Download the Free Guide: 3 Steps to Building Engaged, Resilient Teams
Why ice breakers matter: Breaking down barriers in the workplace
Icebreakers are great tools to help teammates start small conversations, have fun, and find common ground. They are especially helpful for distributed teams who lack face-to-face interactions.These activities can break down initial social barriers and foster an authentic sense of camaraderie among team members. They are also great tools for welcoming new employees.
If employees feel more connected, collaboration and productivity will naturally improve. A two- or three-minute icebreaker game is also simply a positive way to start the day. No matter the purpose of your icebreaker, choose something that’s funny and fun.
With how ubiquitous ice breakers can be—it’s natural to wonder, “okay, but do ice breakers actually break the ice?”
First off, let’s set some expectations. Ice breakers aren’t going to make everyone BFFs, and should just be considered a stepping stone to growing stronger relationships down the line.
You can trace this idea back to Tuckman’s Model, a theory that presents group formation as occurring in four stages:
- Forming: where the group meets, shares interests, and starts identifying common goals
- Storming: where problems and conflicts begin to arise
- Norming: where the group is able to come up with solutions and become closer in the process
- Performing: where the group efficiently and purposefully works toward a cohesive goal
The rhyming mechanism makes it especially easy to remember. 😉
For the purposes of this article, we’re going to focus on the Forming stage of Tuckman’s Model.
It’s exactly what it sounds like: a group of people is meeting, sometimes for the first time, and it’s generally a space where individuals feel each other and possibly, their “roles” in subsequent meetings.
Researchers in the organizational psychology space say that “icebreaker[s] can help to foster a sense of ‘psychological safety,’ or an atmosphere in which people feel free to speak up—to question, criticize, say something out-there—without fear of being ostracized.”
Now, it’s probably not the best idea to debate hot-button topics as an ice breaker. More commonly, establishing a psychologically-safe environment takes a much more low-stakes exercise: having fun together. Thus, the classic ice breaker is born.
You may hate every second of it, but you’re not the only one undergoing humiliation. If everyone in the room has to tell their life story in a silly voice, or mime their favorite thing to do on weekends, at least you all look stupid together.
–Cari Romm
How ice breakers boost employee engagement
An ice breaker game can boost employee engagement by encouraging new teammates to share random or funny tidbits about themselves. Ice breakers are also an effective tool for making people feel more valued and connected within the team. If employees feel engaged and part of a group, they will want to do good for their teammates and contribute toward common goals.
Icebreakers aren’t just great for the office, too. Any shop or classroom can help workers, students, and collaborators get to know each other better.
For example, if you are teaching a group of students as part of an internship at your business, consider kicking off the year by putting everyone into random groups. Don’t let them choose people from their school or organization; instead, encourage them to choose new teams. Use a funny game to help everyone get to know one another better, allowing them to form new bonds and broaden their horizons.
Tips for implementing ice breakers
Ready to start implementing icebreakers and team-building activities? Try these key tips:
Recruit your culture leaders
Have you ever looked around the room to see how other people react before responding to a question?
Truthfully, many people are too self-conscious to speak up first. All it takes is a few people to smooth the process, however, which is why it’s so important to pull aside some team members to guarantee their participation in your ice breaker.
Keep an eye out for and reach out to “culture leaders”—they may not be managers or supervisors, but they are often admired and well-liked within the company. They’ll be your culture evangelists. 👍
These team members wield the “ice pick,” so to speak. Simply having an enthusiastic participant will go a long way in warming up the others and getting the interpersonal results you want. When you have your culture evangelists in place, it’s time to pick an activity!
Create a safe and inclusive environment
Ice breakers can be great for company culture. However, it’s important that your activities are respectful and considerate of everyone’s backgrounds and comfort levels.
Encourage participation without forcing anyone to join in if they’re not comfortable. Be attentive to the feedback from your team and be willing to make adjustments to ensure everyone feels included. A safe environment allows team members to open up and engage more fully, leading to stronger relationships and a more supportive workplace culture.
Additionally, try not to use the same icebreakers from year to year. At the start of each fiscal year, read through your list of games and make sure the activities are still a good fit for your team. If something has become outdated or simply doesn’t align with your current culture, replace it.
Adapt icebreakers for different team sizes and cultures
The best icebreakers can be a useful tool for any organization. However, that doesn’t mean you can just play the game or complete the activity as-is. It’s important to adapt icebreakers based on your team size and company culture to ensure they deliver meaningful results.
If you’ve got a smaller team, choose activities that allow for more in-depth interaction. Larger teams may benefit from activities that can be conducted in small groups.
For instance, suppose that you want to play a company policy trivia game. If you’ve got a team of 10 people, you might want to put everyone in pairs. On the other hand, if your workforce consists of 50 people, the pairing method would leave you with 25 teams, which could become unmanageable. Instead, you could group workers into teams of 5.
Team size isn’t the only factor impacting the structure of your icebreakers, though. Cultural nuances should also be considered to be sensitive to the various ways people communicate. Everyone should feel respected during these games.
Adapt icebreakers for virtual teams
Remote teams can use icebreakers, too. You’ll need to be savvy with the way you use technology to promote collaboration and interaction among your virtual workforce. Choose activities that are easy to complete over video calls, such as virtual tours or quick quizzes. You could also encourage participants to share fun facts about one another.
For virtual teams, it’s important to be mindful of the different time zones in which your team members are based. Try to choose times that are convenient for everyone so that your whole workforce can participate. You don’t want anyone to miss out on the fun.
15 team-building activities to break the ice 🔨
1. Marshmallow challenge
There’s a reason why this classic challenge is so popular. Check out this enlightening TED Talk about the surprising insights this exercise can uncover:
Building the tower is fun enough as it is (the sugar high from clandestinely eating some of those marshmallows may be part of that). But what’s really important are the takeaways. Afterward, ask your team: Did you have a leader? Did you come up with a plan? Was it a person you expected? Did you test out a bunch of small structures, or did you stake your success on a single idea?
2. Team wins
Start meetings on a high note by taking a moment to recognize your team members. If you don’t have Bonusly implemented, take just 10 minutes to appreciate the hard-working individuals around the room. Switch it up—go around and appreciate someone to the left one day, and the next, ask people to appreciate someone on a different team.
3. Company timeline
We love this idea from our friends at When I Work!
Give your team members four slips of paper, and ask them to mark down four important moments in their life. Let them pin them to the timeline.
[...] This exercise helps show, in a visual way, the different generations and experiences of your team. It leads well into talking about cultural and generational differences and the effects that has on how people work and communicate. It is also an opportunity for team members to learn more about each other.
Date-based activities always bring up interesting tidbits. When one team member was born, another could have been wearing bell bottoms and traveling around the United States in an RV. You never know!
4. Guess who
This one is easy. Write down a fact about yourself—the sillier the better—and toss it in with everybody else’s answers. Mix them up, and read each one aloud. Whoever matches a fact to a team member gets a (very coveted) piece of candy!
This is a great way to learn tidbits and trivia about your team that may not come up in typical workplace conversations.
💡Tip: You can use a tool like Quizbreaker to automate this process!
5. Meet your match
There are a few things in life that just go together—peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, Taylor Swift and cats, etcetera, etcetera. Write down these pairs and tape one-half of each on someone’s back or forehead. The goal is to get everyone to find their other half, but here’s the catch—you don’t know your own descriptor, and you can only ask yes-or-no answers of others.
Once you do work out your pairing, take a moment and get to know each other!
Learn everything you need to know about creating more resilient, engaged teams today:
-> Download the Free Guide: 3 Steps to Building Engaged, Resilient Teams
6. One-word icebreaker
This one has applications in a number of settings. For a larger, all-hands type meeting, split your employees into teams and ask them to come up with one word to describe, say, your company culture. Give them ten minutes to discuss amongst themselves. Then let all the teams present their word and their reasoning, and facilitate a conversation about your company values.
Similarly, this can also be done quickly in the first few minutes of a meeting. Prompts like, “describe this project with one word,” or “In this meeting, I hope to come away with [word],” can reveal some surprising answers, with enlightening or comforting discussion to follow.
7. Trading cards
Ever imagined yourself on a collectible? Now’s your chance! We love this idea from Gamestorming, where each participant creates their own trading card, including a hometown, nickname, and a bit of trivia about themselves. Pass around the cards and ask follow-up questions, allowing time for the player—er, participant—to elaborate.
Hard mode: Have everyone create a trading card for someone else on the team. 😝
8. Mindfulness check-in
It’s so often that we bounce from one meeting to the next—one workday to the next, even! Encourage employee wellness by taking a quiet moment to let each person breathe. With guided prompts like, “What is the purpose of this meeting?” and “What is the thing you’re hoping to accomplish today?” you’re allowing team members to ground themselves, focus, and open up.
Better yet, check out our fun, gratitude bingo activity that encourages mindfulness at work.
9. Donut chats
There’s only so much you can bond with someone over quick prompts, so take it a step further and implement Donut at your company! Donut pairs up two employees for coffee (or donuts! Or beer!), allowing for one-on-one time between team members who might not be able to interact or collaborate as often.
10. Speed meeting
Just like speed dating, but SFW. 😉
This is a great way to meet a lot of employees in a short time, and, if you're in person, gets people up and moving, too! Arrange participants in two lines, and just shuffle everyone down the line once the timer goes off. Along with the typical name and occupation questions, arm each team member with an interesting question to ask. Check out this in-depth explanation from The Balance Careers, with great variations and a list of prompts!
If your team is virtual, you can use Zoom or Google breakout rooms to randomly pair your employees together.
11. Ask Me Anythings
An Ask Me Anything, or AMA, is exactly what it sounds like—you get to ask someone anything you want! Whether it's a speed round where you ask many people questions or a dedicated time to get to know a specific person, it's a fun and easy way to quickly learn about your team members.
12. Daily questions and prompts
At Bonusly, we have a Slack channel dedicated to sparking conversations and chatting! We use Donut Watercooler's prompts, but it's easy to manually write your own questions and automate them to post at a certain time.
You can probably find lists upon lists of "get to know you" questions on the internet, but here are a few unique conversation starters:
- If you were a brand, what brand colors would you be, and why?
- You're now on House Hunters—what are your three requirements for a home?
- If you were a Thanksgiving side, which one would you be, and why?
- What's the recipe for your go-to, super-easy favorite comfort food?
- Write an acrostic poem with your name. Here's an example:
- What were you doing five years ago? Would past-you be surprised at where you are today?
- Share a photo from your weekend.
- What's your favorite way to eat a potato?
- Post your favorite or go-to GIF!
- What's the best thing you've ever eaten? What's the worst?
- If a zoo were to exhibit you, how would they design your habitat?
- What's your favorite emoji (or custom emoji)?
13. Show off your drawing skills
Having a short drawing prompt is a great way to ease into a long meeting! It's a great moment for everyone to use a different part of their brain than usual and can lead to some hilarious results. Example A: ⬇️
Can you draw your company's logo from memory? The Bonusly Bunch gave it a shot. 🤣💚 #Bonusly #DrawingDay #NationalDrawingDay pic.twitter.com/N7C6roQjeR
— Bonusly from Home (@bonusly) May 19, 2018
14. Start a friendly debate
There are definitely a few hot takes that spark furious debates among Bonuslians (all friendly, of course...). Running a few polls or strategically dropping a loaded question is a great way to spark conversation and break the ice.
- Tater tots vs. waffle fries?
- Chocolate candy vs. sour candy?
- Should hot dogs be considered sandwiches?
- How do you feel about the Oxford comma?
- Pizza cut into triangles or squares?
- Is cereal soup?
15. Play games
Sometimes, the best way to get to know each other is by focusing on something else entirely! Why not set up a Jackbox Games party?
Measuring the impact: from ice breakers to team success
So how do you tell if icebreakers are actually helping your team work together more effectively? Admittedly, the benefits of icebreakers can be tough to measure. However, there are a few telltale signs that your games and fun activities are benefiting company culture and workforce morale in a tangible way.
Conduct regular feedback sessions, and gather input from your employees about the effectiveness of your ice breakers. Look for improvements in productivity, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. By tracking these metrics, you can access the long-term benefits of incorporating ice breakers into your team-building strategy and adjust your approach as needed.
Do your best to implement the feedback from your staff. If a game seems too silly or just isn’t catching on with your employees, replace or modify it. A few minor tweaks can make most icebreakers more impactful and enjoyable. However, there are some instances where a particular activity just doesn’t resonate with your staff.
Long-term benefits of regular icebreaker activities
Regular icebreaker activities can lead to long-term benefits, such as stronger team cohesion and improved communication. Games can also boost morale and break up the monotony of daily work responsibilities.
Over time, better morale and increased feelings of belonging can lead to less turnover and fewer call-ins. Regular ice breakers also provide ongoing opportunities for team members to build relationships and trust. These activities can be great for making new hires feel welcome while also helping them fully integrate into the existing team.
Go forth
As we mentioned, ice breakers aren’t meant to make everyone BFFs right away! In fact, it may even make everyone comfortable right away. But sometimes, that discomfort is valuable in a group environment. It demonstrates that it’s okay to be vulnerable at your workplace, which is an important building block to developing a company culture of respect.
How can HR teams, managers, and leaders inspire employees to be stronger and more flexible in times of ongoing change?
Building more engaged, resilient teams is the answer. 👇
FAQs
What are some good icebreakers?
Good icebreakers are games that are easy to facilitate and inclusive for all participants. The classic game “Two Truths and a Lie” can be a fun activity for everyone. Team members will share two true facts and one false statement about themselves, and the rest of the group will guess which is which. Whoever makes the most right guesses at the end of the game wins.
Keep in mind that you’ll want to set some ground rules for these types of games. The truths and lie should always be suitable for work. For example, a person could say that they know karate, play the guitar, and can do a handstand walk.
Another great game is “Human Bingo,” where participants have to find others who match descriptions on a bingo card. The cards should contain fun facts about the subject’s hobbies.
What is a fun icebreaker for a large group?
A fun icebreaker for a large group is “Speed Networking.” Players will pair up for a brief chat and then rotate to the next person. This allows everyone to interact with multiple team members in a short amount of time.
