Sometimes, performance pressure may make it tough for your newbies or employees to survive in meetings that are important for their careers. Meetings and training sessions can be complex if the purpose and the right attitude are not inculcated in the atmosphere of the meeting room. A cheerful meeting atmosphere requires ice-breakers that can bring down the coldness of the room and make the members comfortable with each other.
In the past, ice-breakers were considered a waste of time, but nowadays, they have proved to be of use to ease the tension and build good communication between the team members. Sometimes, one ice-breaker may work with some people but may not work with others. Hence, the real challenge is to find the best activity that would unite everyone.
Every team is different in its own way, and so, you may need to come up with different ice-breakers for each team depending upon the nature of the meeting as well as the team. These activities should not be complicated and should be quick so that you get the desired result. Putting together ice-breakers and practicing them with a small group of friends can make your next meetings smooth and even productive.
Following are a few ice-breaker activities that can be implemented and be an asset in your upcoming meetings -
2. Constructive Criticism
3. Developing Trust
Workspace isn’t always about an extremely formal set-up. Hence, you must ensure that you try to throw in random humor in the middle of work. Laughter is the best medicine, and through laughter, you'll be able to win the trust of your team because they'll feel more comfortable with you.
4. A Dream Scenario
Gather the team members and have them answer this question – “What would you do if you had an unlimited budget and could spend one month away from all responsibilities?” Share your own ideas and ask your team to comment on it. Not only this helps you to know more about your colleagues, but also, you may find yourself introspecting, as most of us don’t have time to indulge in these thoughts in our daily lives.
5. Common Things
This activity endeavors to find common interests between the team members. Every member has to tell their favorite things under a general theme. For instance, you can ask each member to tell you about their favorite series. The most popular one can be discussed for five-ten minutes at the beginning of the meeting. This helps in exploring common interests and helps ease the tension in the stressful environment.
6. Getting to Know Each Other Personally
This activity requires every person of the team to share something about themselves that the other members of the team and their colleagues don’t know. This can be a personality trait or something they’re good at. The fact shared should be one that no one could guess about you. For example, you might be very good at singing, but you don’t do it actively, and hence, no one knows about your latent skill. This helps the team members be more open to each other and is a great ice-breaker.
These simple, but effective ice-breakers are great for giving a great start for your next meeting and can ensure the smooth functioning of the meeting and better relations between your team members. Just keep in mind that not all activities will resonate with every group and the challenge is to find the activity that matches the mood and personality of your group.
Written by - Somya Deepta Sarkar
Edited by - Kashish Chadha
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