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Breaking the Ice
Tips for starting meetings |
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| Question: I’m responsible for conducting meetings and training sessions with our field sales staff and independent representatives. Even though most know each other, they are hesitatnt to participate at first. Is there anything I can do to engage them quicker and make the most of my training time with them? Answer: Conducting a short icebreaker is an excellent way to start a training session or group meeting. Icebreakers provide an excellent opportunity to set the tone of the meeting and get participants thinking and learning in a non-threatening manner. They can also be used as an introduction method for groups that don't know each other well, or simply to energize the group. They are generally fun and nearly always well received by the learners. Keep it light and make sure that you don't conduct an exercise in which someone could fail. Listed are several which have been "time tested” and will work well for nearly any training program or group meeting. The Hat Trick This is an icebreaker for groups that know each other well. Ask each participant to write his or her name on a small piece of paper. Collect all the names in a hat. Ask each person to pick a name out of the hat. Give each person a turn to stand behind the person whose name he or she drew and give the following information: • A hidden talent of the person • The person's expectations for the meeting • The person's secret vice Are You Alert? This is a fun and quick activity to stress the importance of being alert and observant. Before the meeting, prepare a tray or table with twenty unrelated items. Cover with a cloth. Tell each participant that they will have one minute to look at the objects on the tray or table. They will then be asked to write down as many things as they can remember. Explain that there will be a prize for the person who remembers the most items. Uncover the tray or table and give the group exactly one minute before covering it again. Instruct them to write down as many items as they can remember. Ask for volunteers to read their list. |
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| New and Good Ask participants to share something “new and good” that happened to them within the last week. This is a quick and energizing icebreaker which can help the facilitator stress the positive aspects of new experiences. Keyboard This is an excellent exercise to develop and/or stress synergism and the power of a collective team or group. First, ask individuals to write down the keyboard of a standard PC or typewriter from memory. Then, allow groups of four to compare keyboards. When individuals or groups feel they have the perfect keyboard, they should turn their paper over and wait. If the group of four is not certain they are correct, they can merge with another group, and so on. Display a sample keyboard for them to compare. Stress the concept that none of us is as smart as all of us combined. Draw the conclusion that we must share information to be totally correct as a group or team. Can You Guess? Give each participant a piece of paper. Ask participants to:
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