November 21, 2014
Every manager or team leader who wants to maximize profits and flourish in business need a communicative and happy team. Team building is especially apparent in today’s turbulent economic times. Ice breaker games are short activities aimed at breaking down team-related barriers so as to get everyone working together. Ice breakers are not only fun, but are high tempo and energizing activities too. They are a great way to get every team member thinking in the right direction. They help employees get to know each other much quicker, and places teams into immediate situations that stimulate different personalities into action. Discussed below are four proven ice breakers that can help create bonds between employees, create a happy work atmosphere and spark successful working partnerships among team members.
The Hot Seat
When all the staff enters the workplace for a meeting try and get each team member to enter the hot seat. The occupant of the hot seat is then asked a string of questions, which he must answer. The questions may involve work, but a few more non-work related questions can be thrown in to relax the group and make the game more interesting and enjoyable. Questions that get the team laughing and enjoying themselves will surely break the ice.
Life Highlights Game
The life highlights game is an excellent ice breaker game for both small and large groups alike. Start by asking each member to close their eyes for half a minute. While doing so ask them to think about the best moments of their lives, such as moments pertaining to professional successes, or moments shared with friends or family, or those that pertain to exciting adventures or personal revelations. Then, inform each participant, while their eyes are still closed that a part of their lives is about to be narrowed. They must decide what 30 seconds of their lives they would want to relive if they only had that time left in their lives. Each participant will then explain to the other members why they prefer to relive that particular part of their life. This will enable all the members get to feel their colleagues’ likes, personalities and passions.
Personal Best
This is a magical ice breaker game that somehow resembles the Life Highlights game, but only encompasses career moments everything was operating in high gear. It’s likely that such moments will be the first thoughts that come to mind immediately they hear the instructions. The team members will then be required to share about such moments of personal best. It’s actually fun and motivating hearing answers from colleagues as they list their best career moments.
I Guess That’s You
Ask each member to write down a specific task they often carry out in their positions. Put all the pieces of paper with each member’s task into a container – could be a box, or even a hat. Each participant then picks out a paper, opens it up and guess who from the other members performs that task and what their positions in the organization is. This is a very effective ice breaker that helps employees, especially new comers get to know of who’s who and who does what.
The ice breaker games discussed above can be made to be more effective if a professional coach is involved. An executive coach will help give the event a professional feel and will be able to draw out the smaller nuances that help to facilitate communication.
So make the call and bring in a professional coach to help you develop your team.