Using Icebreakers

How often have you attended training sessions where all the housekeeping details and introductions took up the first half-hour? Too often. Many sessions begin with a standard “Why don't you give us your name and tell us a little bit about yourself?” After such introductions, however, participants may still feel isolated and may not remember the other participants' names. These sessions start off slowly and then challenge the trainer to pick up the tempo.

One way to get people involved immediately is with an icebreaker. Julius Eitington in The Winning Trainer defines icebreakers as “start-up activities that help participants ease into the program.” Sue Forbess-Greene, author of The Encyclopedia of Icebreakers, defines icebreakers as “tools that enable the group leader to foster interaction, stimulate creative thinking, challenge basic assumptions, illustrate new concepts, and introduce specific materials.”

Whatever the definition, icebreakers make participants participatory and give them a strong message that they must be involved in their own learning. While it is certainly possible that some trainees have not been involved and do not want to be, the trainer must establish the norm of active engagement up front.

There are several different kinds of icebreakers. This Info-line will focus on openers, acquainters, games, and brainstorming. It will provide examples of the favorite activities of several practitioners as well as tips for conducting successful icebreakers and information on designing your own activities.

In The Encyclopedia of Icebreakers, Forbess-Greene divides icebreakers into several different categories. Each type of icebreaker serves a different purpose.