An icebreaker is a game, activity or event which is often used to welcome new people into a group or to help start group work and conversation. The idea is that the icebreaker will help everyone involved feel as comfortable as possible with one another especially when participants do not know each other. It should be used as a way of introducing yourself if this is the case.

 



You may decide to use an icebreaker for a few different reasons. One of which may be to just have some fun however it may also be used as a way to introduce the topic or subject that the meeting will be about. Depending on the reason the icebreaker should be tailored to meet the requirements.

If participants do not know each other, the icebreaker can typically simply be stating your name and a little fact about yourself. This is a good way to break the “ice” and get to know who you will be working with.

If the group are all familiar and know each other well, good ideas for icebreakers could be to set a challenge or a problem which must be solved. Remember that these must be short as the objective of the meeting is not to spend hours problem solving these things. They are simply a “warm up”.

Motivation is also another key reason behind doing these types of activities. If morale is low within a group these kinds of activities can bring people together. It can therefore be used as a way to increase teamwork.

 



A typical ESL icebreaker could be to play the game “Two truths one lie”.

In this game students must think of two true facts or stories about themselves and one lie. Once they have told the rest of the group the other participants must ask questions about these stories to work out which is the false statement.

 

Learn more about icebreakers here:

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