1. What's Different, Partner?

- partners (5 minutes) Ask everyone to team up with a partner (someone they haven't met or who has the same color eyes). Ask them to turn back-to-back and change 5 things about their appearance, one which is very silly. Partners turn around when ready and try to guess the 5 things that have been changed. This ice-breaker gets people to interact with one new person and helps everyone feel comfortable and part of the session. It also shows how observant we really are. 2. 4 Facts - -! people per team ("#-"5 minutes) $ach person writes down %acts about themselves, " o% which is a lie. $ach person takes turns reading their list aloud and the rest o% the team writes down the one they think is a lie. &hen all are done reading the lists aloud, the %irst person reads their list again and identi%ies the lie. 'he team sees how well they did. This ice-breaker gets people to know one another very quickly and find things in common. Some of the truths and lies are so outrageous! This icebreaker can show how right or wrong our perceptions can be. 3. 4 C's - -! people per team ("#-"5 minutes) $ach person writes down on an inde( card his)her %avorite* Color, Cuisine, Country to visit and Closet Dream. 'he cards are shu%%led and redistributed. $ach person reads aloud the card they picked up and each person guesses in writing who wrote it. At the end, see who guessed the most correct responses. This ice-breaker also is an easy way to get people talking and mingling more with each other. It allows the team members to see what they have in common. 4. Let's Make a Deal - -+ people per team ("# minutes) ,ake up a worksheet with !-+ items listed that the team members would likely have with them. ,ake " or - items, more uncommon things. Assign a recorder based on some criteria (i.e., person with the oldest car, whose birthday is ne(t, who has the longest last name, etc.). 'he team gets points %or each person who has these items. .nly " o% each item per person can be counted and the team with the most points wins. /our list could include* a photograph, a calculator, a pencil, more than 0 credit cards, an unusual keychain, something red, etc. This ice-breaker helps give a team a sense of identity. Be sure to award a pri e! 5. irth !rder - all participants ("#-"5 minutes) Put one o% the %ollowing signs in each room corner* !nly Child, !ldest Child, "oun#est Child, Middle Child. 1ave participants go to the appropriate corner o% the room based on their own birth order position.

&hen everyone is assembled, ask them to discuss what special characteristics their birth order has and how it is re%lected in their choice o% 2ob. Assign a recorder based on some criteria (i.e., person who was born the %arthest %rom the meeting site, person who has been with their company the longest)shortest, person who is the tallest, etc.). 1ave groups report back. This ice-breaker gets people moving and interacting with a larger group. 6. $he Min#le %ame - works well with large groups (%rom "5--## people) ("5--# minutes) 3reate a worksheet with space %or "--"5 blanks. Ask participants to walk around the room collecting signatures %rom people who meet the criteria. A person can only sign the sheet once. 4% people %inish early, have them help others %inish their sheets. 3ollect completed sheets. 5elect 0 to win pri6es. 'he criteria you list can be easily adapted to any group. 1ere are some ideas. 78ind someone who* is wearing contact lenses, has brown socks, saw 99999 movie, has gone to $urope, has grandchildren, plays a musical instrument, has an unusual hobby, etc.7 This ice-breaker also gets people moving and interacting with a larger group. 7. Word Pu&&les - -! people per team (5-"# minutes) :se word pu66les to list 5-+ common phrases. ;ive a pri6e to the team who gets the most correct. 'he &u66le <ook is a great source %or these (+##-0+0-=-"#). 1ere are some e(amples (answers are listed below in italics!* Cycle Wear Dice Stand MCE MCE MCE Cycle Long Dice I 3 Blind Mice Bicycle Long Underwear Paradise I understand These pu les are fun "brain-teasers." Be sure to include easy ones to build confidence! 8. $eam rainstormin# - -! per group ("#-"5 minutes) Ask teams to list* things that are round, things associated with a holiday, things that are red, things you can make out o% tires or coat hangers, e(cuses %or speeding, etc. >o discussion, 2ust list items? Assign a recorder (see criteria in activity @ or 5). 'he team with the most wins. This activity helps everyone feel equal and sets the stage for activities on the course topics. 9. each all rainstormin# - entire group (5-"# minutes) Announce a topic (things associated with a season, a holiday, the

course content, the company, etc.). 'hen pass around an in%latable beach ball. 1ave everyone stand and pass the ball. &hen someone catches the ball, they shout out something related to the topic and then toss the ball to someone else. 4% the group is small, they can pass the ball in a circle chain. This activity gets people up and moving# and is a fun one to do in the afternoon to break up a long session. It$s guaranteed to wake everyone up! 10. Mind 'eadin# (ttention %etter - entire group. 1elps stress listening A taking directions. (5mins.) 'ell the group, you have $5P and can read their minds. 'o prove it, ") ask each person to mentally think o% a number %rom " up to "#. 5tep -* take that number and multiply by =. 5tep 0* 'ake the result and add the number together (i.e. B- C BD-, = C #D=). 5tep * take that number and subtract 5. 5tep 5* take that result and eEuate it to a letter o% the alphabet (i.e., C F). 5tep !* think o% a country beginning with that letter. 5tep B* Ask them to think o% an animal that begins with the second letter o% the country name. 'hen ask the group* "%ow many people are thinking of elephants in &enmark'" 'his e(ercise works because any number they think o% %or step ", will result in the answer o% = %or step 0. 8rom that point on, the country will begin with F (Fenmark is one o% the %ew) and $lephants is typically used %or $.

$)enty 'eally %ood *ce reakers +trictly for Meetin#s and +,ecial Functions
Ice breakers are particularly well suited for beginning a speech or starting a meeting. s the name implies! they "break the ice!# help participants rela$! and generally set the tone for the presentation. %hey help to rela$ participants! and that makes them more recepti&e to listening and contributing. n ice breaker can also ser&e to create a "team atmosphere# and moti&ate participants to work with others in a cooperati&e manner. Ice breakers can take &arious forms but those that seem the most popular and effecti&e are those that promote interaction! sharing! and team building. In order for an ice breaker to be effecti&e! 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. 'nowing when to insert an ice breaker re(uires sensiti&ity and creati&ity. It is not easy to teach one when to insert an ice breaker. Some people seem to know instincti&ely when to use an ice breaker. )ther people may re(uire practice and e$perience to de&elop their timing.
Lets get rid of any tension in the room. Its easy, we will just wash the tension outride 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 an iety right out the door. Lets just hope no!odys wal"ing !y when the wave washes out into the hallway#

Following are twenty proven ice breakers:

s note above! it is not "#st t$e content o% t$e ice breaker t$at is i&portant. 'i&ing is critical. ll o% t$e %ollowing are very goo( ice breakers! b#t any ice breaker can be a (#( i% inserte( at t$e wrong ti&e in a progra&. )are%#lly consi(er $ow yo# inten( to #se t$e ice breakers yo# c$oose. *. *e(#ction+ ,a&e e&eryone write on a piece of paper their answers to such (uestions as+ What is your fa&orite month! animal! food! %- show! hobby! and color. Each person is to sign his name! and to make certain no one else sees the answers. %he leader then reads the answers to the whole group! and members try to guess to whom each set of answers belongs. ward one point for each right guess. %he person with the most points wins a goofy pri/e. 'r#e or False: ,a&e participants say three things about themsel&es 1 two true and one false. )ther participants guess what the lie is. %he correct guesser goes ne$t.

0.

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C. D. *E.

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+pinion: Write the words 3agree!3 3disagree!3 3strongly agree3 and 3strongly disagree3 on large pieces of paper. 4lace each poster in an ob&ious spot somewhere in the room! preferably on a wall. %hen make a statement such as "we all like spinach# and ha&e e&erybody mo&e to the part of the room that matches their opinion. 5ou can create "opinions# that relate to the theme of the meeting. 6or e$ample! our membership is the most dedicated membership in the world. ,-ercise: State that you want e&eryone to get warmed up by doing some simple physical e$ercises. Stretch one arm forward. 8ela$. Stretch the other arm forward. 8ela$. 9ow! bring both arms forward and parallel: now bring hands together (uickly. gain! again! faster. 9aturally the sound of applause is created! and you say! "%hank you! but the applause isn;t necessary! I ha&en;t gi&en my speech yet.# %hen resume the stretching. "Let;s try reaching upward with one arm. 8ela$. 9ow the other. 8ela$. 9ow both. 8each to the sky. 9ow! bring your arms down! bend at the waste! arms out. gain! again! again<.. When they start to laugh say! "%hank you! but the applause was enough.# )ritical .#estions+ In a small group ask e&eryone to identify two (uestions they hope to ha&e answered during the presentation or session! in a large group select "&olunteers# to ask the (uestions or identify ob>ecti&es. /otable /a&e ,n$ance&ent 1 ha&e participants introduce themsel&es positi&ely with two ad>ecti&es beginning with the same letter as the initial of their first name. 6or e$ample! Rational, Realtor Rindy. )o&ic 0trip )$aos+ Select a number of multiple1frame strip cartoons from the Sunday funnies. Cut them into indi&idual frames. 4lace the frames in a container. Each participant picks one comic frame from the container. fter e&eryone has a frame! the participants begin to search for others with the same comic strip se(uence. fter the participants ha&e found e&eryone in their group! they must arrange themsel&es so that the se(uence of frames is in correct order. Apon completion of se(uence! the newly formed group sits down together. Breat game to break large group into smaller groups. 0$ow an( 'ell: ,a&e e&eryone bring an ob>ect that best describes them or is important to them to the meeting and talk about it. 4ersonal items carried on participants can be used. 1i&e 2ntro(#ction: In a small group e&eryone can introduce something about themsel&es to the group without using words. In a large group select &olunteers or ha&e e&eryone pantomime their introduction to a partner. 23ve /ever *one+ Each person starts off with some candy. Boing around the circle! each person finishes the sentence 3I ha&e ne&er...3 person who has done the thing that the speaker has ne&er done must gi&e the speaker a candy. fun way to learn things you might otherwise not find out about people. Similar to "%en 6ingers.# 0tereotype )$at: 4lace a paper on each personFs back with a characteristic on it G-alley Birl! Smart! ,appy! 8ichH. DonFt 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. fterward ha&e e&eryone guess what characteristic they had and tell how they felt Ggood way to start a discussion on stereotypes or a cultural programH. )ategories 1 ,a&e members of the group arrange themsel&es into groups by their fa&orite dessert! sport! color! mo&ie! car! etc. %his is a good acti&ity to get people up and mo&ing and to find out common likes. 5ou can shift from one category to another. "9ow group by fa&orite &acation spot.# 0c#lpt#res1 4articipants are seated on the floor. %he leader asks for two &olunteers. )ne is a sculptor! and the other is the sculpture. %he leader whispers a word to the sculptor! who then begins to sculpt the other person into that word. %he rest of the group tries to

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guess the word. %he acti&ity 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. 'ake 4$at 5o# /ee(: roll of toilet tissue is passed around the room. 4eople are asked to take what they need. )nce e&eryone has "their supply!# the group is told that they are to tell as many things about themsel&es as they ha&e tissue s(uares. 6#cky 7enny+ Each person takes a penny or other coin out of hisIher pocket and looks at the date. When itFs hisIher turn! sIhe states the year thatFs on their coin and recalls something spectacular that happened that year. 4eb 'oss+ E&eryone stands or sits in a circle! with the facilitator holding a ball of yarn. ,anging on tightly to the tail of the yarn! sIhe tosses the ball to someone else while completing the sentence! 3I appreciate you for<.3 E&eryone who recei&es the ball states the same sentence and passes it to the person of whom they are speaking. fter the ball of yarn has been passed to e&eryone in the circle! the group slowly raises and lowers their part of the yarn to re&eal the intricate web of relationships in the group. 0tan(ing +vation: %he facilitator asks if anyone needs a standing o&ation. 4articipants who feel they could benefit from a standing o&ation can stand and say! "I;d like a standing o&ation.# E&eryone then stands and gi&es them a round of applause. %hroughout the program! the facilitator can make this opportunity a&ailable when appropriate. 8alloon 8ree9e: %he facilitator tells e&eryone that a balloon will be sent into the audience and they are to try to keep it up as long as possible. %he trick is that they cannot use their hands. %hey are to use their lungsJ )ne after another balloon is released until there are se&eral wafting around. When a balloon drops to the ground it is to be picked up and held by whoe&er is nearest. When it is time to end the ice breaker! ask e&eryone to stop blowing and to hold the ball nearest to himIher. %hose with balloons can be "&olunteers# for a subse(uent acti&ity. lternati&e+ ,a&e enough balloons for e&eryone. Make certain you ha&e the same number of balloons for each color you choose. fter batting and blowing balloons about! indi&iduals are told to hold one balloon. %hey then can be grouped by the color of balloons being held. +#tlan(is$ 2ntro(#ctions: ,a&e participants introduce the person to hisIher right. Encourage them to fill the introduction with hyperbole and e$aggeration. %he only thing that needs to be factual is the person;s name. "%o my right is the in&entor of the paper clip! in addition! he cornered the high tech market in *DD? and is the fourth wealthiest man in the world. ,e is the man who taught %iger how to golf and is Shag;s personal trainer. Ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to introduce you to<.# 1agic 4an(+ 5ou can use almost any stick as a magic wand<e&en a toilet plungerJ 5ou can imbue the wand with any sort of power in which you might ha&e an interest. 6or e$ample! the wand can change any aspect of your work. %he wand is passed around the room! and the participants e$plain what three things they would use the wand to change about their work! or whate&er the facilitator wishes to stress. %he wand can also be used to influence the beha&ior of other people. participant can point the wand at a person and the person has to follow the mo&ement suggested by the wand.

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5even Gery ;ood 4ce <reakers 'hat 'each a Hesson

1. 0elective 7erception+ Instruct your audience to count the number of "6;s# in a sentence. 4lace this sentence on the board or screen+ 6I9IS,ED 6ILES 8E %,E 8ESAL% )6 5E 8S )6 SCIE9%I6IC S%AD5 C)MKI9ED WI%, %,E EL4E8IE9CE )6 5E 8S. llow only *= seconds. )n a&erage! most people will only spot 2 or 7 of the 6;s in the sentence. %here are actually si$. %he brain tends to skip the word "of!# or percei&e it as "&ersus.# 4oint+ )ne;s perception may not always be correct. 2. 0ales+ 4articipants are asked to select an ob>ect that they ha&e on their persons. In a small group! e&eryone is then asked to introduce him or herself and then sell the ob>ect to the group. In a large group! indi&iduals are paired and try to sell the ob>ect to one another! or "&olunteers# are brought to the front to sell the ob>ect to the audience. Some of the people will be enthusiastic and creati&e! others might be reluctant and shy. 4oint+ ,ow a person approaches a topic often determines how the topic is percei&ed. 3. )o&&#nication: Bi&e each member of the group a sheet of paper. Make certain e&eryone has the same si/e sheet. E$plain that they are to follow instructions precisely! and that they are not allowed to ask (uestions. 9D! they are to follow the instructions with their eyes closed. State the instructions+ *. 6old the paper in half. 0. 8ip off a corner. 2. 6old in half again. 7. 8ip off a corner. =. 6old again. ?. 8ip off a corner. ,a&e them open their eyes and compare their "design# with others. 5ou can adapt this to a mi$ing acti&ity by ha&ing e&eryone mingle looking for designs that are &ery close to their own. 4oint+ )ne1way communication is ne&er as effecti&e as two1way: it gi&es different results. 4. )o&&#nication;Fee(back: ,ere you draw a picture of a stick man. 'eep it hidden from your audience until later. Make certain e&eryone has something to write on. E$plain you are going to ha&e them draw something by following your &erbal directions. %hey cannot ask (uestions. Instruct them as follows+ *. 0. 2. 7. =. ?. Draw a small circle near the top of the page. 9ow draw a &ertical line from the circle to the middle of the page. 9ow draw to lines from the circle angled down toward the middle of the page. 9ow draw two lines separating from the single &ertical line each of which angles down toward the bottom of the page. t the end of the angled lines stemming from the circle! draw fi&e small lines. t the end of the angled lines stemming from the &ertical line! draw an o&al at the base of each line.

9ow show the picture you constructed and ask them to compare. 9aturally! participants will make the point that had they had the opportunity to ask (uestions! or had they been pro&ided more information! such as a diagram! they would ha&e done better. L%E89 %I-E+ ,a&e someone from the group describe your drawing. %he drawing can be >ust a series of shapes. 4oint+ Asing more than one means of communicating is better than a simple one1way method. 5. 1otivator+ Select a wise saying that relates to the theme of your program. 6or e$ample! if you are talking about the importance of goals and ob>ecti&es! you might use+ ",e who aims at nothing is bound to hit.# 9ow write each word on a separate piece of paper. Wad each piece of paper into a ball. t the session! throw the balls into the crowd and ha&e them tossed about for a few seconds. t an appropriate moment! ask the persons with a ball to hold it and come forward. When e&eryone with a wadded ball comes to the front of the room! ha&e them open the paper and then organi/e themsel&es into a sentence. When they are done! they face the group and hold the papers up so all can read. 4oint+ Sometimes it takes a bit of work to find a simple truth. 6. 'ake )are: *. 0. 2. 7. =. 8ead the following (ui/ to your group. %ell them they don;t ha&e to answer! >ust ponder. Who are the fi&e wealthiest people in the world. 9ame fi&e winners of the cademy ward. Who are the fi&e most powerful indi&iduals in the world. 9ame last fi&e winners of the Super Kowl. 9ame the fi&e richest musicians.

9ow! read the ne$t set of (uestions to them+ *. 0. 2. 7. =. 9ame fi&e teachers who ha&e influenced you in a positi&e way. 9ame fi&e friends who ha&e helped you in some way. 9ame fi&e people you care about. 9ame fi&e people who ha&e brought you >oy or make you feel cared for. 9ame fi&e heroes that ha&e inspired you.

4oint+ %he lesson is ob&ious+ on a personal le&el! fame! wealth! and achie&ement pale in comparison to care and compassion. 7. <is#al =e%erence: E$plain that you want e&eryone to listen closely and follow directions. %hey cannot ask (uestions. Instructions will only be gi&en once. %ell e&eryone to "place his or her right hand on his or her chin.# ,owe&er! pro&ide them with a &isual 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 &isual cue. 4oint+ %his illustrates &isual dominance. Many people will feel confused! and of course! this illustrates the importance of clear communication. Muestions would ha&e resol&ed the confusion. 8. 7ro%essional or /ot> sk your audience to take a little scientific test designed to determine if a person is a professional. ,a&e them write their answers down. *. 0. ,ow do you put a giraffe in a refrigerator. Correct answer+ )pen the door and put him in. ,ow you put an elephant in a refrigerator. Correct answer+ %ake out the giraffe and put in the elephant.

2. 7.

%he Lion 'ing is hosting a conference. ll of the local animals are in attendance but one. Who is not present. Correct answer+ %he elephant! he is still in the refrigerator. 5ou are slated to be the final speaker at the conference. Anfortunately! to get there you ha&e to swim a ri&er inhabited by crocodiles. What do you do. Correct answer+ 5ou swim: all of the crocodiles are all ready at the conference.

4oint+ professional looks for the simplest solution GN*H. 'eeps things simple GN0H. 8ecalls facts Gthe elephant is still in the refrigerator and thus can;t go to the conference1N2H. nd! uses hisIher deducti&e skills in problem sol&ing Gthe crocodiles are at the conference1 N7H. Side note+ most four year olds score *EEO on this.

Creatin# "our !)n *ce reakers for +,eeches and Meetin#s

?ere are %ive s#ggestions %or creating yo#r own ice breakers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. ?ave a clear p#rpose %or t$e ice breaker in &in(. 4$at (o yo# want it to (o> 0i&plicity is i&portant. 5o# nee( to be able to e-plain it wit$ ease. 2t nee(s to be #n(erstoo( wit$ e@#al ease. 6earn %ro& ot$er ice breakersAa(apt t$e& to yo#r own nee(s. 6earn to Bti&eC yo#r ice breaker so t$at it $as a positive i&pact on yo#r &eeting or speec$. 1ake it $#&oro#sAnot$ing sets t$e tone better t$an la#g$ter. 7ractice it. 4ork wit$ it #ntil yo# are con%i(ent in yo#r ability to e&ploy it. *esign it to &ake a point t$at relates to so&e aspect o% yo#r presentation. '$ink like an entertainer w$en (esigning yo#r ice breaker. 1ake certain it isn3t likely to be e&barrassing or o%%ensive. Dse props. 0o&eti&es yo# can get a goo( i(ea %or an ice breaker %ro& an ob"ect: a r#bber c$icken! sc$ool bell! "#ggling balls! oversi9e( pencil! &agic wan(! etc.

Well folks, lets start with everyone saying the word, Ha. Now say it a little louder. Say it again, again, again. Now, thats what I call a cheap laugh

%he preceding material comes from a book recently authored by 'athy Martine/ and Ernie )lson entitled 4layful Bames and cti&ities+ 4ractical Buide to 4lanning and Implementing Memorable Social E&ents. G'endall1,unt 4ublishing! 0EE=H. %he book may be purchased for P0D.D= online at http+IIwww.kendallhunt.comI %he authors can be reached at Sacramento State Ani&ersity GolsonegQcsus.edu or martine/kQcsus.edu or D*?10@C1?@=0H. %he book follows a model originally de&eloped and taught by lma ,eaton. In this model! a program is &iewed as ha&ing fi&e phases+ G*H the preopener phase! G0H the starter phase! G2H the sociali/er phase! G7H the rester phase! and G=H the finale. %he preopener phase is the earliest part of a social recreation e&ent. It begins with the first person to arri&e and continues until there are sufficient numbers to mo&e onto the ne$t phase. %he preopener is generally an acti&ity that can be done with as few as one or two people! promotes interaction and getting ac(uainted! and re(uires &ery little in terms of direction. It gets people in&ol&ed right at the onset and sets the stage for the entire e&ent.
4reopeners typically in&ol&e acti&ities that one person! a small group of people! or a large group of people can do. %hey typically are of a paper and pencil &ariety. %hey don;t necessarily lead to a winner! although they can. %hey re(uire &ery little instruction and can easily be followed by most people. %hey generally bring people together in such a manner as to stimulate con&ersation. %hey can be used to lead into subse(uent acti&ities. %hey begin with the first guestIparticipant to enter the room and end when a ma>ority has arri&ed.

%he starter is the first acti&ity that in&ol&es the program leader speaking to the entire group.
Starters are characteri/ed by two things! formation and focus. %he formation is usually such that the focus is on the leader. %his is a leader centered acti&ity. Conse(uently! leader stunts! or group acti&ities that in&ol&e the entire group responding to the leader! are typical of the starter acti&ity. %his is a critical phase of any program! because it answers the (uestions! "Is this acti&ity well planned! and am I willing to gi&e my time and attention to the planned acti&ities.# 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! sociali/ers tend to be dynamic and group oriented. %he acti&ities tend to last longer and achie&e greater arousal than starters. %his is the heart of the e&ent. %his is the most e$citing and energetic part of the e&ent. cti&ities can occur in any formation! and the nature of the acti&ities can be (uite &aried. ,owe&er! all of the acti&ities will ha&e the following characteristics in common+ %hey will be oriented toward acti&ity and in&ol&ement. %hey will typically be of higher energy than either the starter that precedes or the rester that follows. %hey may be competiti&e. %hey are likely to in&ol&e teams or groups. %hey may be strictly for fun or they may ha&e training or growth and de&elopment ob>ecti&es. )ften starters or resters can be adapted to ser&e as sociali/ers.

Benerally 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 ha&e modified it to use forfeitures instead of elimination. forfeiture re(uires an indi&idual to do a stunt that is neither embarrassing nor offensi&e! but has some entertainment &alue. s the name implies! resters lower the arousal le&el of an e&ent. %hey help calm participants following the high1energy sociali/ers. In many cases! resters and sociali/ers will be &ery similar. ,owe&er! there is one important difference! resters don;t necessarily ha&e to focus attention on the leader. %heir primary &alue comes in their ability to calm and group and prepare them for the finale. 9ote! >ust as in the case of starters! resters don;t ha&e to be of long duration. %ypically! this phase of a program is relati&ely short. 6urthermore! resters can take >ust about any form! but regardless of their form! they must ser&e to calm the guestsIparticipants and prepare them for the finale. finale is the culminating acti&ity in a social recreation party or similar social e&ent. In theatre it would be the clima$ of the action. In parties it is the ending note! the final acti&ity. nd! like the clima$ of a good mo&ie! it should lea&e the participants feeling satisfied. Anlike the clima$ of a mo&ie! it should be somewhat calming and allow the participants to lea&e without undue e$cess energy. 4ositi&e! satisfied! and calm is the goal. It is >ust as important to ha&e well planned closing as opening. %he pre1openers ser&e the opening function. finale acti&ity clearly defines the conclusion of an e&ent. %he principle criteria for a finale are as follows+ It follows the theme of the e&ent. It is easily done. It is calming! not arousing. It ends the acti&ity on positi&e note. It is entertaining. %ypically the formation for a culminating acti&ity is any formation where the leader can be seen by e&eryone in attendance. It sends participants away with critical information or reminders of upcoming acti&ities. It allows the leader to e$press appreciation to participants and others.

If the finale is well done! people will lea&e feeling satisfied! smiling and happy. If the finale is not well done! people will begin to feel an$ious or bored. )f course! if the earlier parts of the program ha&en;t gone well! e&en the best planned and e$ecuted finale may not send participants off on a good note. )n the other hand! a marginal program might >ust be sa&ed by a well e$ecuted finale.