I've used this successful team building icebreaker for so many years that I don't remember where it originated. It's fast, easy, and fun. Try out this always successful, laughter-generating, team building icebreaker. It’s a good icebreaker for a meeting because it takes so little time
- 1. Divide the meeting participants into groups of four or five people by having them number off. (You do this because people generally begin a meeting by sitting with the people they already know best.)
- Tell the newly formed groups that their assignment is to find ten things they have in common, with every other person in the group, that have nothing to do with work. (I tell people no body parts (we all have legs; we all have arms) and no clothing (we all wear shoes, we all wear pants). This helps the group explore shared interests more broadly.
- Tell the groups that one person must take notes and be ready to read their list to the whole group upon completion of the assignment.
- Ask for a volunteer to read their whole list of things in common first. Then, ask each group to share their whole list with the whole group. Because people are your best source for laughter and fun, the reading of the lists always generates a lot of laughter and discussion. You can also catch the drift of the conversation in the small groups based on the transitions
I recommend you develop your own team building exercises where possible. No outside consulting company knows your company culture as well as you do. You can do a variety of exercises or play a variety of sports. I have built successful team building exercises around golf (for non golfers) and bowling. Another currently popular team building exercise is Paintball. About's Paintball Guide explains the basics with these articles
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