3 Icebreakers for People Who Hate Icebreakers

December 20, 2024

Icebreakers are a great way to get people loosened up and interacting at the start of a meeting, and yet everyone seems to hate them. Here are three icebreakers that even the haters may tolerate.

Icebreakers are one of those things most people tend to love to hate. Just mention that you’re going to kick off with a quick icebreaker and you most likely will get those deer-in-the-highlights looks from your participants, along with some groans and moans about “do we have to?”

Before we get into some specifics, remember that, just as with every other aspect of the meeting, the icebreaker should have a goal. It could be building trust, enhancing communication, or fostering collaboration among team members.

While there are no guarantees your group will love these icebreakers, they should be effective at getting people loosened up and interacting with minimal cringing.

Lead with a corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity. While the level of buy in you get will depend on the group and the activity, working together on a project that will bring comfort, help or even joy to others can be a great way to get individuals interacting. There are as many options as there are people and organizations in need of support — talk to your local convention and visitors bureau and your meeting venue to see what options are available for groups who want to give back to the local community.

Try two truths and a lie. Hey, if it’s good enough for a Geico commercial, it may work for your participants too. The premise is simple: Each participant shares two true things about themselves and one thing that isn’t true. Then others have to guess which one is the lie. Depending on the size of the group, you may need to break participants into smaller groups to keep it moving. Or you can have a few organizational leaders give their two truths and a lie from the stage and have the audience discuss amongst themselves and then vote on what they think each leader’s lie might be.

Play Buzzword Bingo. Popular with everyone from groups of friends watching political speeches on the couch to meeting attendees surreptitiously tracking jargon while the boss gives the company update at the annual meeting, it can be fun to bring Buzzword Bingo out into the open and make it an official icebreaker. Plus, it shows that leadership isn’t afraid to have a little fun with the audience at their own expense, which can help build bonds. Bringing the leader who will be doing the opening speech into the process, brainstorm with the team some of the catchphrases and buzzwords people will anticipate hearing during the speech — and throw in a few no one would expect, just for fun. Print up and hand out the Bingo cards (or make them available virtually in the event app) and let the fun begin as people tick them off as the speech goes on. Whoever gets the predetermined number of buzzwords in a row first yells Bingo (IRL or virtually) and wins a small prize.

No matter how targeted the icebreaker is to your meeting’s goals and how closely you tried to ensure it would be minimally cringe-inducing, be sure to take note of participants’ engagement levels and interactions to make sure it’s doing what you wanted it to do. Observing how participants respond — such as their enthusiasm, willingness to participate and overall demeanor — can provide valuable insights. You also can gather feedback from participants after the activity through surveys or informal discussions to find out if the icebreaker truly did what you hoped it would do and did add actual value toward meeting your goals.