12 Icebreaker Ideas for

Small Groups

The best icebreakers promote an inclusive

atmosphere, stimulate better brainstorming
sessions and strengthen relationships between
colleagues. When you are working on a new
team, small group icebreakers can help you get
to know your team member and set a strong
standard of collaboration and respect. Try these
small group icebreakers to better connect with
your new team and improve productivity.

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Best icebreakers for small groups

Icebreakers can be beneficial in a variety of
settings. For example, icebreakers can help
team members be more comfortable around
one another so that they can easily collaborate
in a conference, class, team, meeting or task
force. You might also use icebreakers before a
creative activity so people are better able to
generate and share ideas. When deciding
which icebreaker to use, consider how many
participants you will have and which
personalities will be involved. Everyone should
feel comfortable and encouraged to participate
for team building activities to be successful.

Read more: 6 Ideas for Team Building

Activities

1. Two truths and a lie

In this activity, every person says three things
about themselves, but two of the statements
must be true and one must be a lie. The goal of
the game is for the rest of the group to guess
which statement is false. For example, you
might say, "I play the guitar, I've never been on
a plane and I can't swim." The group must then
guess which of those statements is a lie. The
great thing about Two Truths and a Lie is that
everyone gets to learn something new about
each other while still having fun and building
problem-solving skills.

2. Most unique
This icebreaker works the same way as Two
Truths and a Lie, but it takes less time and can
be used to get a meeting started. Go around
the room, and ask each participant to share
something about themselves that they believe
makes them different from everyone else in the
room. You can provide an example to help get
everyone started, such as “I have 9 siblings” or
“I have never left my home state.” This activity
encourages openness and celebrates
individuality among the group.

3. Get-to-know-you questions
Not every icebreaker has to be complex.
Simply asking some insightful questions can
help everyone in the group get to know each
other better. Examples of questions you might
ask include:

What is your dream vacation?

What is your biggest pet peeve?
What is the most memorable activity you
ever did with your family as a kid?
What is one characteristic you received
from your family that you want to keep,
and which one do you wish you could
change?
What do you like to do for fun?
If you were stranded on a deserted island
and could only bring three items, what
would they be and why?
If you could have any famous person over
for dinner, who would it be and why?
What quality do you appreciate most in a
friend/boss/co-worker?

Read more: 30 Icebreaker Questions to Use

When Meeting New People

4. Going on a picnic
When you need to introduce several new
people who have yet to learn each other's
names, this fun game can help. Start by saying,
“My name is [X], I am going on a picnic and I
am taking . . .” and then say an item that starts
with the first letter of your name. For example,
you might say, “My name is Jesse, I am going
on a picnic and I am taking jam.”

The second person says their name and what

they are bringing, then repeats what the
previous person said: “My name is Michaela, I
am going on a picnic, and I am bringing milk.
Jesse is bringing jam.” Each person repeats
everyone's name and items that came before
them, making the game increasingly more
challenging.

5. Personality quiz
When your team has been working together for
a while but you want to promote deeper
relationship building, try a personality quiz.
Simply choose a short personality quiz online
and send the link to everyone or pull up the
written quiz on a projector.

Give everyone time to complete the

assessment, and then go around the room and
share the results. Have another participant
mention something about a colleague's results
they agree or disagree with. This icebreaker
provides the perfect opportunity for coworkers
to gain new perspectives on their peers and
start an interesting conversation about how
they can best work together.

6. Would you rather

This classic game is a quick workplace
icebreaker. Ask your small group a “would you
rather” question, and have them take turns
answering the question. Make sure each team
member explains their answer so the group can
better understand why they made that choice.
This game provides insight into each
teammate's personality and encourages
discussion on personal perspectives. Here are
a few questions to help you get started:

Would you rather see a movie or go on a

hike?
Would you rather have only summer or
winter for the rest of your life?
Would you rather have your lunch made for
you every single day but never get to
choose what the dish was, or be able to
choose your lunch every day but have to
make it yourself?
Would you rather never watch another TV
show or movie again or never use social
media again?
Would you rather have to commute a long
distance to your dream job or live close to
a mediocre job?
Would you rather be a famous celebrity or
be famous in your professional industry?

7. One word
This icebreaker game can help groups get in
the right mindset for an upcoming discussion
topic. The goal is for people to come up with a
single word that describes a prompt you have
provided. Divide participants into small groups
and give them a couple of minutes to
brainstorm ideas.

For example, if your meeting is about company

culture, have them come up with one word that
describes what office culture means to them.
Starting an important meeting with this activity
gives everyone time to think about a certain
topic, which can increase participation.

8. Marshmallow challenge
The Marshmallow Challenge is more of a team
building activity, but it works just as well as an
icebreaker when you can set aside enough
time.

To play, divide participants into groups of three

or four and give each group 20 sticks of dry
spaghetti, a long piece of string, some tape and
a marshmallow. The goal is to see which team
can build the tallest structure with the
marshmallow on top of the finished product.
This game gets individuals to collaborate and
quickly brainstorm potential solutions. The
most successful teams work together, do not
waste time competing for power and quickly
come up with an alternative solution if their
original idea fails.

9. Skills
Asking each person what talent or skill they
would like to improve or develop is a great way
to identify interests. Not only can you learn
more about your coworkers, but you can also
strategize how to help your team develop any
work-related skills that could benefit your
company.

10. 10 things in common

This game is a great way for team members to
discover shared traits and interests. To play,
ask people to find a partner—preferably people
will find a partner they have not had the chance
to connect with yet. Have each pair identify 10
things they have in common with one another.
Encourage team members to find deeper
commonalities, such as if they each have two
siblings or both studied English in college,
rather than the obvious qualities, such as
working at the same company.

11. Whodunit
Ask everyone to write down something
interesting they have experienced on a note
card. Examples can range from having gone
skydiving to winning the state spelling bee
championship in elementary school.

Put all the note cards in a container, shake

them up and have each person draw a note
card and read it aloud. The individual reading
the fact must then guess the person who had
that experience and why they think it is that
person. Anyone who draws their own note card
should put it back and try again without giving
it away.

To add an extra challenge to the game, break

the group into two teams and see which team
can win the most points from guessing
correctly.

12. Scavenger hunt

A scavenger hunt is one of the most exciting
small team icebreakers you can do after a
special event like a corporate lunch or picnic. It
does take some time to put together, but a
scavenger hunt encourages everyone to work
together and use problem-solving skills.
Consider adding a small prize for the first team
who finds all the hidden items.

Icebreakers and other team-building activities

can be an important part of company culture
and help boost morale and productivity.
Consider these fun icebreakers for small groups
and how you can incorporate them into your
weekly or monthly office routine.

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