Minggu, 11 November 2012

Twenty Really Good Ice Breakers Strictly for Meeting and Special Functions


Twenty Really Good Ice Breakers  Strictly for                  Meetings and Special Functions
Ice breakers are particularly well suited for beginning a speech or starting a meeting.  As the name implies, they “break the ice,” help participants relax, and generally set the tone for the presentation.  They help to relax participants, and that makes them more receptive to listening and contributing. An ice breaker can also serve to create a “team atmosphere” and motivate participants to work with others in a cooperative manner.  Ice breakers can take various forms but those that seem the most popular and effective are those that promote interaction, sharing, and team building.
In order for an ice breaker to be effective, it must employ content appropriate to the group as well as be appropriately timed.  It should not be too long otherwise it might sabotage the more serious work of the meeting. It should occur at the beginning of the meeting or speech, and then at appropriate times during the program.  Knowing when to insert an ice breaker requires sensitivity and creativity. It is not easy to teach one when to insert an ice breaker.  Some people seem to know instinctively when to use an ice breaker.  Other people may require practice and experience to develop their timing.
            Let’s get rid of any tension in the room.  It’s easy, we will just wash the tension out…ride it   out on a tsunami.  On the count of three I want the people in the  front to raise their arms            straight up and with a throwing action, pass all of their tension to the second row.  The          second row does the same thing and passes it to the third row.  We continue the wave to          the last row who hurls the collective tension, stress, or anxiety right out the door.  Let’s             just hope nobody’s walking by when the wave washes out into the hallway!




Following are twenty proven ice breakers:
As note above, it is not just the content of the ice breaker that is important.  Timing is critical.  All of the following are very good ice breakers, but any ice breaker can be a dud if inserted at the wrong time in a program.  Carefully consider how you intend to use the ice breakers you choose.
1.         Deduction: Have everyone write on a piece of paper their answers to such questions as: What is your favorite month, animal, food, TV show, hobby, and color? Each person is to sign his name, and to make certain no one else sees the answers. The leader then reads the answers to the whole group, and members try to guess  to whom each set of answers belongs. Award one point for each right guess. The person with the most points wins a goofy prize.
2.         True or False:  Have participants say three things about themselves - two true and one false.  Other participants guess what the lie is.  The correct guesser goes next.
3.         Opinion: Write the words "agree," "disagree," "strongly agree" and "strongly disagree" on large pieces of paper. Place each poster in an obvious spot somewhere in the room, preferably on a wall. Then make a statement such as “we all like spinach” and have everybody move to the part of the room that matches their opinion. You can create “opinions” that relate to the theme of the meeting.  For example, our membership is the most dedicated membership in the world.
4.         Exercise:  State that you want everyone to get warmed up by doing some simple physical exercises.  Stretch one arm forward. Relax.  Stretch the other arm forward.  Relax.  Now, bring both arms forward and parallel; now bring hands together quickly.  Again, again, faster.  Naturally the sound of applause is created, and you say,  “Thank you, but the applause isn’t necessary, I haven’t given my speech yet.”  Then resume the stretching. “Let’s try reaching upward with one arm.  Relax.  Now the other.  Relax.  Now both.  Reach to the sky.  Now, bring your arms down, bend at the waste, arms out.  Again, again, again…..  When they start to laugh say, “Thank you, but the applause was enough.”
5.         Critical Questions:  In a small group ask everyone to identify two questions they hope to have answered during the presentation or session, in a large group select “volunteers” to ask the questions or identify objectives.
6.         Notable Name Enhancement - have participants introduce themselves positively with two adjectives beginning with the same letter as the initial of their first name. For example, Rational, Realtor Rindy.
7.         Comic Strip Chaos:  Select a number of multiple-frame strip cartoons from the Sunday funnies. Cut them into individual frames.  Place the frames in a container. Each participant picks one comic frame from the container. After everyone has a frame, the participants begin to search for others with the same comic strip sequence. After the participants have found everyone in their group, they must arrange themselves so that the sequence of frames is in correct order. Upon completion of sequence, the newly formed group sits down together. Great game to break large group into smaller groups.
8.         Show and Tell: Have everyone bring an object that best describes them or is important to them to the meeting and talk about it.  Personal items carried on participants can be used.
9.         Mime Introduction: In a small group everyone can introduce something about themselves to the group without using words.  In a large group select volunteers or have everyone pantomime their introduction to a partner.
10.     I’ve Never Done:  Each person starts off with some candy. Going around the circle, each person finishes the sentence "I have never..." A person who has done the thing that the speaker has never done must give the speaker a candy. A fun way to learn things you might otherwise not find out about people. Similar to “Ten Fingers.”
11.     Stereotype Chat:  Place a paper on each person's back with a characteristic on it (Valley Girl, Smart, Happy, Rich). Don't let them see what you are putting on them. Let the participants wander around and talk to each other, treating each other as they might treat someone with that characteristic. Afterward have everyone guess what characteristic they had and tell how they felt (good way to start a discussion on stereotypes or a cultural program).
12.     Categories - Have members of the group arrange themselves into groups by their favorite dessert, sport, color, movie, car, etc. This is a good activity to get people up and moving and to find out common likes.  You can shift from one category to another.  “Now group by favorite vacation spot.”
13.     Sculptures- Participants are seated on the floor. The leader asks for two volunteers. One is a sculptor, and the other is the sculpture. The leader whispers a word to the sculptor, who then begins to sculpt the other person into that word. The rest of the group tries to guess the word. The activity can gradually increase to where different teams are working together to sculpt other teams, and to where the person being sculpted has to guess what they are becoming.
14.     Take What You Need:  A roll of toilet tissue is passed around the room.  People are asked to take what they need.  Once everyone has “their supply,” the group is told that they are to tell as many things about themselves as they have tissue squares.
15.     Lucky Penny: Each person takes a penny or other coin out of his/her pocket and looks at the date. When it's his/her turn, s/he states the year that's on their coin and recalls something spectacular that happened that year.
16.     Web Toss:  Everyone stands or sits in a circle, with the facilitator holding a ball of yarn. Hanging on tightly to the tail of the yarn, s/he tosses the ball to someone else while completing the sentence, "I appreciate you for…." Everyone who receives the ball states the same sentence and passes it to the person of whom they are speaking.  After the ball of yarn has been passed to everyone in the circle, the group slowly raises and lowers their part of the yarn to reveal the intricate web of relationships in the group.
17.     Standing Ovation: The facilitator asks if anyone needs a standing ovation.  Participants who feel they could benefit from a standing ovation can stand and say, “I’d like a standing ovation.”  Everyone then stands and gives them a round of applause.  Throughout the program, the facilitator can make this opportunity available when appropriate.
18.     Balloon Breeze:  The facilitator tells everyone that a balloon will be sent into the audience and they are to try to keep it up as long as possible.  The trick is that they cannot use their hands.  They are to use their lungs!  One after another balloon is released until there are several wafting around.  When a balloon drops to the ground it is to be picked up and held by whoever is nearest.  When it is time to end the ice breaker, ask everyone to stop blowing and to hold the ball nearest to him/her.  Those with balloons can be “volunteers” for a subsequent activity.  Alternative:  Have enough balloons for everyone.  Make certain you have the same number of balloons for each color you choose.  After batting and blowing balloons about, individuals are told to hold one balloon.  They then can be grouped by the color of balloons being held.
19.     Outlandish Introductions:  Have participants introduce the person to his/her right.  Encourage them to fill the introduction with hyperbole and exaggeration.  The only thing that needs to be factual is the person’s name.  “To my right is the inventor of the paper clip, in addition, he cornered the high tech market in 1996 and is the fourth wealthiest man in the world.  He is the man who taught Tiger how to golf and is Shag’s personal trainer.  Ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to introduce you to….”
20.     Magic Wand:  You can use almost any stick as a magic wand…even a toilet plunger!  You can imbue the wand with any sort of power in which you might have an interest.  For example, the wand can change any aspect of your work. The wand is passed around the room, and the participants explain what three things they would use the wand to change about their work, or whatever the facilitator wishes to stress.  The wand can also be used to influence the behavior of other people.  A participant can point the wand at a person and the person has to follow the movement suggested by the wand. 
Notes:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Seven Very Good Ice Breakers That Teach a Lesson

1.  Selective Perception:  Instruct your audience to count the number of “F’s” in a sentence. Place this sentence on the board or screen:  FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.  Allow only 15 seconds.

            On average, most people will only spot 3 or 4 of the F’s in the sentence.  There are actually six.       The brain tends to skip the word “of,” or perceive it as “versus.”

Point:  One’s perception may not always be correct. 

2.  Sales:  Participants are asked to select an object that they have on their persons.  In a small group, everyone is then asked to introduce him or herself and then sell the object to the group.  In a large group, individuals are paired and try to sell the object to one another, or “volunteers” are brought to the front to sell the object to the audience.  Some of the people will be enthusiastic and creative, others might be reluctant and shy.

Point:  How a person approaches a topic often determines how the topic is perceived.

3.  Communication:  Give each member of the group a sheet of paper.  Make certain everyone has the same size sheet.  Explain that they are to follow instructions precisely, and that they are not allowed to ask questions. AND, they are to follow the instructions with their eyes closed.  State the instructions:
                                    1.         Fold the paper in half.
                                    2.         Rip off a corner.
                                    3.         Fold in half again.
                                    4.         Rip off a corner.
                                    5.         Fold again.
                                    6.         Rip off a corner.

Have them open their eyes and compare their “design” with others.  You can adapt this to a mixing activity by having everyone mingle looking for designs that are very close to their own.

Point:  One-way communication is never as effective as two-way; it gives different results.
                                                                 

4.  Communication/Feedback:  Here you draw a picture of a stick man.  Keep it hidden from your audience until later.  Make certain everyone has something to write on.  Explain you are going to have them draw something by following your verbal directions.  They cannot ask questions.  Instruct them as follows:

            1.         Draw a small circle near the top of the page.
            2.         Now draw a vertical line from the circle to the middle of the page.
            3.         Now draw to lines from the circle angled down toward the middle of the page.
            4.         Now draw two lines separating from the single vertical line each of which angles                                          down toward the bottom of the page. 
            5.         At the end of the angled lines stemming from the circle, draw five small lines.
            6.         At the end of the angled lines stemming from the vertical line, draw an oval at the                             base of each line.

Now show the picture you constructed and ask them to compare.  Naturally, participants will make the point that had they had the opportunity to ask questions, or had they been provided more information, such as a diagram, they would have done better.  ALTERNATIVE:  Have someone from the group describe your drawing.  The drawing can be just a series of shapes.

Point:  Using more than one means of communicating is better than a simple one-way method.

5.  Motivator:  Select a wise saying that relates to the theme of your program.  For example, if you are talking about the importance of goals and objectives, you might use:  “He who aims at nothing is bound to hit.”  Now write each word on a separate piece of paper.  Wad each piece of paper into a ball.  At the session, throw the balls into the crowd and have them tossed about for a few seconds.  At an appropriate moment, ask the persons with a ball to hold it and come forward.  When everyone with a wadded ball comes to the front of the room, have them open the paper and then organize themselves into a sentence.  When they are done, they face the group and hold the papers up so all can read.

Point: Sometimes it takes a bit of work to find a simple truth.

6.  Take Care:  Read the following quiz to your group.  Tell them they don’t have to answer, just ponder.
            1.         Who are the five wealthiest people in the world?
            2.         Name five winners of the Academy Award.
            3.         Who are the five most powerful individuals in the world?
            4.         Name last five winners of the Super Bowl.
            5.         Name the five richest musicians.

Now, read the next set of questions to them:

            1.         Name five teachers who have influenced you in a positive way.
            2.         Name five friends who have helped you in some way.
            3.         Name five people you care about.
            4.         Name five people who have brought you joy or make you feel cared for.
            5.         Name five heroes that have inspired you.

Point:  The lesson is obvious: on a personal level, fame, wealth, and achievement pale in comparison to care and compassion.
           
7.  Visual Reference:  Explain that you want everyone to listen closely and follow directions.  They cannot ask questions.  Instructions will only be given once. Tell everyone to “place his or her right hand on his or her chin.”  However, provide them with a visual cue that is different.  Instead of placing your hand on your chin, place the palm of your hand on your cheek.  Some people will follow the visual cue. 

Point:  This illustrates visual dominance.  Many people will feel confused, and of course, this illustrates the importance of clear communication.  Questions would have resolved the confusion.

8.  Professional or Not?  Ask your audience to take a little scientific test designed to determine if a person is a professional. Have them write their answers down.

            1.         How do you put a giraffe in a refrigerator?
                        Correct answer:  Open the door and put him in.
            2.         How you put an elephant in a refrigerator?
                        Correct answer:  Take out the giraffe and put in the elephant.
            3.         The Lion King is hosting a conference.  All of the local animals are in attendance                             but one.  Who is not present?
                        Correct answer:  The elephant, he is still in the refrigerator.
            4.         You are slated to be the final speaker at the conference. Unfortunately, to get there you                                have to swim a river inhabited by crocodiles.  What do you do?
                        Correct answer:  You swim; all of the crocodiles are all ready at the conference.

Point: A professional looks for the simplest solution (#1).  Keeps things simple (#2).
Recalls facts (the elephant is still in the refrigerator and thus can’t go to the conference-#3).
And, uses his/her deductive skills in problem solving (the crocodiles are at the conference- #4).  Side note:  most four year olds score 100% on this.

Creating Your Own Ice Breakers for                                 Speeches and Meetings
Here are five suggestions for creating your own ice breakers:
1.         Have a clear purpose for the ice breaker in mind.  What do you want it to do?
2.         Simplicity is important.  You need to be able to explain it with ease.  It needs to be           understood with equal ease.
3.         Learn from other ice breakers…adapt them to your own needs.
4.         Learn to “time” your ice breaker so that it has a positive impact on your meeting or speech.
5.         Make it humorous…nothing sets the tone better than laughter.
6.         Practice it.  Work with it until you are confident in your ability to employ it.
7.         Design it to make a point that relates to some aspect of your presentation.
8.         Think like an entertainer when designing your ice breaker.
9.         Make certain it isn’t likely to be embarrassing or offensive.
10.       Use props.  Sometimes you can get a good idea for an ice breaker from an object:  a rubber      chicken, school bell, juggling balls, oversized pencil, magic wand, etc.
Well folks, lets start with everyone saying the word, “Ha.”   Now say it a little louder.   Say it again, again, again.  Now, that’s what I call a cheap laugh!





The preceding material comes from a book recently authored by Kathy Martinez and Ernie Olson entitled Playful Games and Activities:  A Practical Guide to Planning and Implementing Memorable Social Events.  (Kendall-Hunt Publishing, 2005).  The book may be purchased for $29.95 online at http://www.kendallhunt.com/   The authors can be reached at Sacramento State University (olsoneg@csus.edu or martinezk@csus.edu or 916-278-6752).

The book follows a model originally developed and taught  by Alma Heaton.  In this model, a program is viewed as having five phases:  (1) the preopener phase, (2) the starter phase, (3) the socializer phase, (4) the rester phase, and (5) the finale. 

The preopener phase is the earliest part of a social recreation event.  It begins with the first person to arrive and continues until there are sufficient numbers to move onto the next phase.
The preopener is generally an activity that can be done with as few as one or two people, promotes interaction and getting acquainted, and requires very little in terms of direction.  It gets people involved right at the onset and sets the stage for the entire event.

  • Preopeners typically involve activities that one person, a small group of people, or a large group of people can do. 
  • They typically are of a paper and pencil variety.  
  • They don’t necessarily lead to a winner, although they can. 
  • They require very little instruction and can easily be followed by most people. 
  • They generally bring people together in such a manner as to stimulate conversation. 
  • They can be used to lead into subsequent activities.  They begin with the first guest/participant to enter the room and end when a majority has arrived.

The starter is the first activity that involves the program leader speaking to the entire group. Starters are characterized by two things, formation and focus.  The formation is usually such that the focus is on the leader.  This is a leader centered activity.  Consequently, leader stunts, or group activities that involve the entire group responding to the leader, are typical of the starter activity.  This is a critical phase of any program, because it answers the questions, “Is this activity well planned, and am I willing to give my time and attention to the planned activities?”  It is important that the leader demonstrate leadership, enthusiasm, confidence, and does so in an entertaining manner. 

Whereas the starter is often short and tends to focus attention on the leader, socializers  tend to be dynamic and group oriented.  The activities tend to last longer and achieve greater arousal than  starters.  This is the heart of the event.  This is the most exciting and energetic part of the event.  Activities can occur in any formation, and the nature of the activities can be quite varied.  However, all of the activities will have the following characteristics in common:

  • They will be oriented toward activity and involvement.
  • They will typically be of higher energy than either the starter that precedes or the rester that follows.
  • They may be competitive.
  • They are likely to involve teams or groups.
  • They may be strictly for fun or they may have training or growth and development objectives.
  • Often starters or resters can be adapted to serve as socializers.

Generally speaking, the games included here don’t call for the elimination of players.  Elimination games are risky because they take people out of the action, and create an element of disharmony where the emphasis should be on group fun. If a game usually leads to elimination, we have modified it to use forfeitures instead of elimination.  A forfeiture requires an individual to do a stunt that is neither embarrassing nor offensive, but has some entertainment value.  

As the name implies, resters lower the arousal level of an event.  They help calm participants following the high-energy socializers.  In many cases, resters and socializers will be very similar.  However, there is one important difference, resters don’t necessarily have to focus attention on the leader. Their primary value comes in their ability to calm and group and prepare them for the finale.  Note, just as in the case of starters, resters don’t have to be of long duration.  Typically, this phase of a program is relatively short.  Furthermore, resters can take just about any form, but regardless of their form, they must serve to calm the guests/participants and prepare them for the finale. 

A finale is the culminating activity in a social recreation party or similar social event.  In theatre it would be the climax of the action.  In parties it is the ending note, the final activity.  And, like the climax of a good movie, it should leave the participants feeling satisfied.  Unlike the climax of a movie, it should be somewhat calming and allow the participants to leave without undue excess energy.  Positive, satisfied, and calm is the goal.

It is just as important to have well planned closing as opening.  The pre-openers serve the opening function.  A finale activity clearly defines the conclusion of an event.  The principle criteria for a finale are as follows:

  • It follows the theme of the event.
  • It is easily done.
  • It is calming, not arousing.
  • It ends the activity on positive note.
  • It is entertaining.
  • Typically the formation for a culminating activity is any formation where the leader can be seen by everyone in attendance.
  • It sends participants away with critical information or reminders of upcoming activities.
  • It allows the leader to express appreciation to participants and others.

If the finale is well done, people will leave feeling satisfied, smiling and happy.  If the finale is not well done, people will  begin to feel anxious or bored.  Of course, if the earlier parts of the program haven’t gone well, even the best planned and executed finale may not send participants off on a good note.   On the other hand, a marginal program might just be saved by a well executed finale.



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