How to Facilitate Icebreakers
How to Facilitate Icebreakers
BoomPop Team · 7/17/2024
If you are the host of your next event, this post is for YOU! Obviously, you want your guests to have the best time, right? And one of the ways people determine if they had a good time is based on how they feel. The relationships, the connections, the bonding, and the infusing of the culture all go into how they feel..
So while there is always a lot to consider when planning for your event, nailing activities that make attendees feel good and feel connected with each other is critical. And one of the most important of those activities is the icebreaker. Icebreakers will set the stage and tone for the rest of the event.. Those moments where colleagues are guided to conversation topics that help them open up about who they are and how they feel.
Icebreakers can show up at different points throughout your event and in different styles. At Boompop, we have seen them executed in two different styles:
Infused Icebreaker: Icebreaker within an already existing activity
Guided Icebreaker: A standalone icebreaker that feels like the main event, like networking, with the help of a moderator or facilitator.
So how might you begin to think about your icebreakers as a layer of optionality at your gathering? Check out some ideas below!
Let’s Discuss!
Infused
We love seeing icebreakers happening in their natural habitat! This is when team fun seems to happen so effortlessly!
Lunch + Dinners: If you have a group of people sitting down all together, this is a great opportunity for people to mingle. And a great way to facilitate even if you aren’t moderating, is to leave question cards on each place setting. You can also play musical chairs and have the guests rotate where they sit between courses. This changes who is networking with who while still using “course questions” to guide people to conversation topics.
Activity: Guests find they can easily bond with each other when it comes to an activity. An activity that doesn’t feel like it is about networking, there is a goal and mission in mind, like trivia, charity, physical competition etc . This is the time to infuse moments of working together for a common goal that has nothing to do with work, thus creating an icebreaking moment that has nothing to do with Q&A time.
Guided
Meetings: Those silly fun icebreaker questions, yes please! Perfect for warming up a space if you are all meeting together in person for the first time in a bit. This is when you can lead the conversation (meeting) with a question and then help guide the meeting from there.
This can be a regularly scheduled meeting or it can be an icebreaker that is guided to warm up for a guest speaker that is speaking in front of your team. Having those sitting near each other answer a question and share feedback before a speaker dives into a topic will be a great way for those to get to know one another, before diving deep into a new topic.
New Hire: Creating a new hire social moment at your retreat could be a great way to integrate the newest face and make them feel welcome. Sitting down to have icebreakers and meet and greets can help someone new feel more comfortable with other people who may know each other really well. It evens the playing field of conversation topics so that people don’t feel left out by “inside jokes” or past company happenings.
Looking for more team-building activities?
Explore our Template Library for offsites, retreats, and corporate events. We have so many that we have been accumulating over the years, you won’t want to miss out!
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Need help with more than icebreakers? Planning a retreat shouldn't be stressful. Our team of experts can handle everything from venue sourcing to activity coordination, allowing you to focus on fostering connections with your team. Contact us today for a free consultation!
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