The first interaction or meeting has a great impact on the participants of a group. Moreover, the newness and the awkwardness is very high and is as cold as an ice. It is this ice that has to be melted. As a result, ice breakers come into the picture!
With the advent of meetings on virtual basis, ice breakers have started to gain more popularity. People are coming up with more creative and technologically innovative ways to initiate the interaction of the group and remove the newness. From office orientation, new coaching, college society meetings to different friends meeting together virtually, ice breakers apply everywhere!
Importantly, a good ice breaking activity can make up a good team spirit and lead to unity. However a poorly organised ice breaking activity can break the participant’s spirit to interact. Moreover, it can add to the awkwardness in the meeting. Hence, they should be well-planned so that everybody enjoys the meeting. Such activities are not only the main ingredient of a formal meeting but also any informal event! You can add more fun to your conversations with such activities and know each other better. Ice breaker activities break the wall of formality and helps people to initiate conversations. Moreover, shy and introvert people love them more.
Here are some fun ideas that you can initiate in any meeting!
15 Ice breaker activities for your next virtual meet!
1. Initial Adjective Game
- Firstly, this is more like an introductory game! You can play this at the very inception of the meeting.
- In other words, it is a new way of organising the introduction and is loved by all!
- How to play?
- You tell everybody to introduce themselves and start by speaking their name with an adjective prior to it. In addition, the adjective should begin from the initial of their name.
- For instance, a “Sam” could introduce himself as “Smart Sam” or a “Sarcastic Sam”.
- It is a very light and a simple game. Moreover, you can add to the fun by letting the hosts or organisers to introduce themselves this way too.
- Alterations:
- Firstly, you can vary this game within itself by letting one person introduce the other with any funny adjective.
- Secondly, you could randomly give people the letter of the adjective through paper slips or something else.
- Even though it is a very simple game, it can be altered accordingly and can be fun playing on any kind of events! Try this one at the very beginning.
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2. Two truths and one lie
- There is a huge probability of you knowing this game already cause you have played it!
- Firstly, it is a very common ice breaker and attracts a lot of fun interactions always.
- Secondly, it can be equally fun with strangers as much as with friends! With friends, it is more about who knows the other, the best. On the other hand, with strangers, it is about who can guess the best.
- How to play?
- Everybody has to speak three things about them, one of which should be false. The other people have to guess the incorrect information and it becomes funny while guessing!
- For instance,
- Firstly, I love dancing!
- Secondly, I am a coffee lover.
- Thirdly, I am not so fond of books. Since this is not a meeting, I am going to reveal it here, I LOVE BOOKS! As a result, all of you who thought the third sentence is incorrect, guessed it right.
- This game can become one of your favourite hanging out games too. Give it a try with your friends.
- Alteration:
- Virtually, it can be played this way only or if you are playing it with friend or family, one could give the three sentences for the other!
- If playing on real time basis, you could write random sentences on slips and people could guess the incorrect sentence along with the name of the person who wrote.
- This one is a MUST try if you have not hosted it yet.
3. Charades
- This is an ice break activity almost all of us has played be it on real or virtual basis! As a result, we all now how fun it is!
- With the advent of new updates on different platforms, charades has become a easy to play game virtually.
- There are many alterations you can put into this game. However, here is one such easy way and you will definitely love playing it!
- How to play?
- Divide the team into two with equal number of members and one person or the host can be a mediator.
- You can lead the members into the breakout rooms over Zoom call. Each team could decide upon a specific number of phrases related to a movie or book.
- After deciding upon the phrases the breakout rooms can be ended. Then, player A from team one can go for their turn and anyone from team two can privately message the phrase to player A. They will mimic or imitate the phrase to their team that is, team A.
- Importantly, do decide upon the rules prior to playing to avoid chaos in between.
- Alternative:
- If not a video call, you could play voice charades over phone!
- It can turn out to be an amazing ice breaker.
- Create a list of objects, animals or famous people. To decide who will go first, enter all team member names onto a site (random selector) such as, random.org and choose the first name that shows up or you could choose yourself. Email or send a private message to the selected member to let them know about the topic they have to mimic.
- It is a fun game for all kings of meetings!
4. Home treasure hunt
- Firstly, it is one of the most interesting ice breakers!
- Secondly, more the rules you add to it, more creative your participants become.
- This ice breaker can be easily played without any pre-requisites.
- How to play?
- One of the person holding the meeting or any other can become the game host. He or she has to call out a colour and within a specific time period, every participant has to arrange a thing of the respective colour from their room.
- You can include elimination for the person who find the thing the last and as a result, a winner can be chosen!
- The game can be altered from the very base. You can change the description from a colour to any other hint!
- It is quite a creative ice breaker and is enjoyable!
5. Rapid Fire
- Firstly, it is one of the most common games we all have heard of!
- Secondly, it leads to interactions among the participants and melts the ice of awkwardness right away!
- How to play?
- You can make everybody active through this game.
- Instead of one person being the host, you can make everybody the host in turns.
- As and when a person becomes the host, they can randomly select a person and fire questions. The rules and the range related to the questions can be decided prior as per the nature of the meeting (formal or informal).
- Alterations:
- You can also make a list of questions or publish a form prior for the same.
- These random questions can then be asked by the host to the chosen participants.
- It is quite a simple and a fun game. Moreover, the rapid nature of firing questions is the main element of fun in this one.
- In addition, it does not even require any material or specification!
6. Know them!
- Firstly, it is a game with more personal touch and can result in buddying friendships.
- Secondly, it is more of an team activity than a game.
- How to play?
- You can use the Zoom application for this and create breakout rooms.
- Randomly assign two or three people in one break out room.
- They have to do nothing major but just interact with each other randomly for a specific time.
- The host can then ask any person to introduce the other person of the specific break out room.
- If not zoom call, you can assign the names to two individuals and they can call via other platforms.
- This game is a liberal game and provides everybody the space they need. Moreover, you can add fun by letting one breakout room’s people to ask questions from any other.
7. Sharing is caring
- Firstly, this is more of an interactive ice breaking activity.
- It is fun and moon-lifter. Moreover, it can break the walls of formality easily.
- How to play?
- It is basically sharing with each other, about something related to one’s life. This can be molded into various things.
- For instance, you could ask everyone to share about how their previous month was.
- It can become a mood booster for many who wanted a platform to talk and they can get some pairs of ears for the same.
- Even though, it sounds like a simple game but it can be one of the best games your team plays! All that it requires is a good speaking and listening activity.
8. Doodle away
- Firstly, doodling helps people to be more attentive and creative.
- Secondly, ice breakers like these let everybody explore their way of creative expression! Moreover, it is a good stress-buster.
- How to play?
- Ask your teammates to grab a pen and a piece of paper and doodle away.
- After, ask them to share their art piece with the entire team by showing their papers into the camera.
- Everybody can interpret and discuss about each other’s art pieces.
- Alterations
- You can even decide on specific topics everybody has to doodle on. For instance, it can be “something that brings a smile on your face!”.
9. Team Up
- Firstly, this one is to build things like cooperation and decision making among the members.
- Ice breakers like these build team spirit.
- How to play?
- This one requires research in prior.
- You can divide the meeting into teams or pairs, whatever is comfortable.
- After, you can give them any murder mystery or a case study. They have to come up with one solution and explain why they chose it.
- This can turn into a fun and enjoyable task for every one. Even the host can participate in one of the teams.
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10. Things in common
- Firstly, it is somewhat similar to the game discussed above, “know them”. You can even combine these two!
- Secondly, it can be a great interactive ice breaker for everybody.
- How to play?
- You can divide the team into groups or pairs. Then, give them a specific time period and tell them to find some things in common between them from any area of their life!
- For instance, you could say find ten things in common!
- This can give them a free platform of interaction and knowing each other. Moreover, everybody would participate equally through this.
11. Desert-ed
- Firstly, this one is more of a personal game!
- Secondly, it is just a question answer round.
- How to play?
- You have to basically give them time to think of three things that they will take with them if stuck in a desert alone.
- You can even ask something specific like three movies or three books.
- This one gives a chance of people knowing each other’s choices and results in interactions easily!
12. Pictionary!
- Firstly, it is just like the normal Pictionary you play!
- Secondly, it can be played on the white board that almost every meeting application provides.
- How to play?
- You can make up a list of phrases or things prior to the meeting.
- After, you can randomly choose someone and message them a randomly chosen thing, personally.
- Then they have to draw it and others would guess it.
- It is an easy game and you can add a timer to add some fun to it.
13. Scattergories
- Firstly, it is like the traditional game of NAME, PLACE, ANIMAL AND THING.
- Secondly there is a site that helps you play this game with more fun. (click here)
- How to play?
- You can select the categories, number of players, time limit and letters in advance,
- After, a letter would randomly be selected and you have t fill in the categories with a word starting with the same initial.
- This one can even be played online via the traditional paper and pen method.
14. KAHOOT!
- Firstly, this is another website linked game!
- Secondly, you have to just create a quiz on any specific topic and the website or application does the rest!
- How to play?
- Choose a common topic that your team agrees upon. After, everybody can be given the code or link to play.
- The scores are generated by the website, itself.
- This one is more of an entertaining game with scores as well. It can add fun and you get a winner too.
- Here is the link! (Kahoot)
15. Bingo!
- Firstly, this one is another one of those traditional ice breakers!
- Secondly, you can play it with paper and pen or on this website (free for maximum of thirty people).
- The instructions of the same are given on the site above!
- For pen and paper, you simply have to make a box with divisions of 25 (5*5).
- The host says the number and you simply have to cut and complete five lines this way. After, it is BINGO WIN!
Ice breakers are loved by all. The host should always be as active as he expects the members to be. Any meeting can become boring with the same topic so ice breakers are always the right safe to bring in some fun.
Do share your favourite in the comments below.