Using Icebreakers

I LOVE icebreakers!

That’s a bold statement for an introvert but it is true.

I love to be a participant in icebreakers because it gives an introvert like me an equal space to contribute. As a trainer, I love using them because they give me a chance to engage with each student.

To be successful for the trainer and the participant, icebreakers need to align to the audience, be engaging, and serve a purpose (sound familiar, interpreters?!).

Just like when we plan our interpretive programs, the audience IS the reason for the program. To be a part of that program, the icebreaker must meet the wants, needs, and expectations of our audience. Children may enjoy a short burst of activity to awaken their enthusiasm. Sports teams may bond further with a cooperative challenge. Perfect strangers may simply want a simple social moment to hear what the other participants do for a living. Either way, the expectation of any audience is that the icebreaker is efficient, engaging, and easy—what I call, the “Expectation E’s”.

But the icebreaker also needs to align with the mission of the agency and the theme of the learning, otherwise it’s just wasted time. Your audience has chosen to be at your facility to learn a particular content. So use your icebreakers to a purpose. It’s easy for us interpreters to see that an energetic icebeaker when a school group arrives allows the children to let out some of the wiggles, gets them excited about the content to be learned, and gives the interpreter a chance to see how much the kids already know so the program can be adapted at the last minute. But considering an icebreaker’s purpose for a group of adult learners, such as your interpretative staff or volunteers, might not be so obvious.

Go back to those Expectation E’s: efficient, engaging, and easy.

Efficient: One minute per person is plenty of time—directly say the time parameter and model it yourself.  

Engaging: Engage everyone, not just the speaker, with something everyone else will want to hear. Examples can be what their favorite feature is at the agency, what content-related activity do they like to do in their spare time, or what their learning style is.

Easy: And just as importantly, make it easy for them to do. Use an open-ended question--that’s a question in which any answer is acceptable because it comes from the speaker’s personal experience.

But don’t freeze up there! (Did you notice that icebreaker pun?!)

Consider using icebreakers more often. How about every time the group reconvenes for the next class session? Maybe with a little more efficiency, engagement, and ease of use, you will come to love icebreakers too!