Ice Breakers Are a Great Way to Warm Up

When we facilitate events the first thing we do is break the ice to warm up the team. When we arrive we often find groups who are unsure of what they’re about to experience. Sometimes they have spent an entire day sitting around creating vision boards. Sometimes they’ve just had lunch and are ready for a nap. So we like to get everyone on their feet with their brains engaged and ready to think and act on the same page.

Below are some of our favourite icebreakers to get our groups ready for a Banana Life experience.

1. Storytime

Duration: 5 minutes

Capacity: 2 – 200PAX

Difficulty: Easy

Type: Creative

• Split the group into pairs. 
• Assign an A and B. 
• A begins by reciting a story. 
• B provides random buzzwords that A must then incorporate into their story. 
• Swap roles – repeat.

This game is perfect for groups of strangers or shy, awkward groups because it allows them to fumble, stuff up, and be creative in a safe and playful space. If you are about to do some brainstorming work then it also helps facilitate out-of-the-box as well as improvisational thinking. 

2. Thumbs Up and Point

Duration: 2 minutes

Capacity: 6 – 200PAX

Difficulty: Moderate

Type: Hand-Mind coordination

• Have teams assemble into a circle/circles (no fewer than six).
• Have each player point to another play across the circle with their left hand.
• Have each player then give the thumbs up to that person with their right hand.
• Instruct them to swap hand gestures on your command. 
• “Right I want you to swap hands when I say change, meaning your left hand will be doing the thumbs up and your right hand will be pointing. Now change”
• Repeat “Change” with increasing speed.
• Debrief on the difficulty of accomplishing the “simple” task.

This game is harder than it looks! It requires information to pass across the corpus callosum rapidly which can often delay the message to the hands. Players will struggle to effectively swap between pointing and thumbs up often resulting in hilarity. This simple game shows how easily we can become overwhelmed when being presented with a seemingly simple task. A great game to get minds warmed up for fast, improvisational thinking. 

3. Psychic Alphabet

Duration: 5 minutes

Capacity: 5-30PAX

Difficulty: Difficult

Type: Focus and Group Awareness

• Have teams stand in a circle (no fewer than 5).
• Everyone takes a deep breath and fixes their eyes at a point on the floor
• The aim is for the group to say the alphabet, one person at a time.
• If more than one person speaks at once, you start again.
• Players cannot employ “silence” as a strategy.
• Debrief on why the group was or was/not successful and why.

This is a great exercise for focus and awareness. If you are looking to calm a high energy group down (especially after a lunch or activity) this can be a great one to get everyone listening, conscientious, and group aware. The debrief is important especially if after five minutes you have not gotten very far. Ask what factors may have contributed? And if the game were to be played again, would anyone change their strategy or behaviour?

4. Love You Hate You

Duration: 5 minutes

Capacity: 5-20PAX

Difficulty: Easy

Type: Social Awareness

• Stand in a circle
• The facilitator turns to the person on their left and says “I love you”
• The person on their left replies with “I hate you”
• Then that person turns to their left and says “I love you” and continues the pattern.
• This vocal call and response moves around to the circle and ends at the faciliator.
• Now the facilitator can “neutralise” the emotional imbalance by turning to the person on their right and saying “I love you” and sending the action back in the other direction.
• Debrief on whether players used eye contact and how many enjoyed saying “hate” vs saying “love” more. 

This game highlights the power of words. They are simple 3 words phrases and due to the gamified space created, they are vacuous, yet people still struggle and this game will have people cracking up. In an office setting this language is rarely used so it can be an easy way to facilitate bonding. The simple act of saying these two phrases is an act of safe vulnerability so use this game if you would like to facilitate connection and group cohesion.

Final Points

Ice Breakers are a great way to warm up groups and individuals and prime them to think creatively, work together, feel safe, and have fun. Choose which one will be appropriate to your event and let us know how it goes!