Breaking the Ice

Sheron Anderson, CPM, Guest Author
Sanderson@mississippi.org

As I walked into the strange room, I noticed 22 other people looking around with that “What am I doing here?” look on their faces. A few people were chatting, but most were sitting, paper and pen in hand, or looking for a seat that would allow them free access to the exit. We had come together to create a plan of work for our county district. We had never met or worked together before that day. After several uncomfortable minutes someone came to the lectern and handed out index cards. Each index card contained the following instructions:

1. Find at least one person who has the same birth month as you do.
2. Find at least one person who drives the same make of car that you do.
3. Find at least one person who buys groceries at the same store you do.
4. Find at least one person who is wearing your favorite color.
5. Find at least one person who shares your favorite vacation place.

Participants were then told that they had 10 minutes to find at least one person that matched each of above phrases. Write down their names and then go to the next item on the list. The person with the most matches won a prize.

Immediately 23 people began to talk and interact; meeting one person after another until the room was filled with conversation and laughter. This is the way a successful ice breaker should work.

In new circumstances, people are naturally guarded and trust is something that takes time to build. Exercises like the one above help people overcome the awkwardness of an initial encounter with a group. They help the participants relax and increase interaction and enthusiasm within the group. Meetings and conferences are most fruitful when there is ample input from all the participants, but in every group situation there is always a forming or introduction stage. These fun activities make the process pass quicker and more comfortably.

When choosing an ice breaker, one important factor to keep in mind is timing. It should not be too long or the serious purpose for the meeting will not get done. It should not be so short that it makes the participants feel as if there was not enough time to process the exercise. A meeting lasting an entire day may benefit from a 30- to 45-minute ice breaker, while a meeting of less than 2 hours should limit an ice breaker to about 5 minutes.

Another important factor to remember is the expected outcome of the meeting. Be sure to remember the purpose and choose your ice breaker so that a transition from the ice breaker to the next phase of the meeting will be smooth. The size of the group and the level of decorum among the participants are two other important factors when choosing an ice breaker. Any activity that requires interaction from the participants will take longer in large groups. The level of the decorum is set by the reason for the meeting and the expected outcome.

Left to their own devices, people will follow a predictable pattern of creating a team, 1) forming, 2) storming, 3) norming, and 4) performing. This, however, may take an unacceptable amount of time to take place. When time is limited, ice breakers, energizers, and team builders help to facilitate the process.

© Copyright 2010, American Academy of Certified Public Managers®