What Is an Icebreaker?

An icebreaker is an activity or game designed to welcome attendees and

warm up the conversation among participants in a meeting, training class,
team building session, or other activity. Any event that requires people to
comfortably interact with each other and a facilitator is an opportunity to use
an icebreaker.
Icebreakers are helpful especially when participants don't know each other.
But they can also work very well for warming up the room even for employees
who are already familiar with each other. An icebreaker can get people talking,
generate laughter, and help participants start with an initial level of comfort,
especially if they work in different departments or at different levels in the
organization.

Key Takeaways

 Icebreakers warm up the conversation among the participants in a

training group or meeting.
 Icebreakers can help improve the efficiency of training or meetings by
strengthening bonds between participants and reducing tension.
 Icebreakers may stand alone, or they may serve as a segue into the
meeting or activity. The best icebreakers reinforce the reason for the
group coming together.

Here are some examples of fun, conversation-starting icebreakers:

 Ask fun and funny questions

 Facilitate speed meeting introductions
 Share your favorites
 Name 5 (of anything)
 Find 10 things in common
 Mix up members with numbered plates