Essential Characteristics of Great Ice Breaker Games
As described in Serious Fun, the latest book by Mark Collard, all successful ice-breakers reflect most, but hopefully ALL, of the following five characteristics:
- Fun and laughter as a major component;
- Non-threatening invitations to play;
- Highly-interactive experiences;
- Simple & easy to understand instructions; and
- Success-oriented activity.
So, if an activity or experience you are considering does not tick off 3, 4 or (hopefully) all 5 of these attributes and you’re still calling it an ‘ice-breaker,’ don’t do it!
Ice-breakers and get-to-know-you games aim to break the ‘ice’ that typically limits or inhibits the interactions of a group of people who may or may not know each other very well. Common occurrences of ‘ice’ may include little or no talking, poor eye contact, reluctance to make physical contact, lots of standing around, lack of initiative, absence of trust, arriving late or leaving early, etc.
A good ice-breaker acknowledges these facts, and intervenes. When presented appropriately, with full regard to the needs of the group, an ice-breaker will reduce, minimise (and hopefully eliminate) the impact of the ‘ice’ and invite the group to create a more productive atmosphere, one that is conducive to working together or achieving whatever the purpose of the group is.
In essence, an ice-breaker prepares your group for its purpose. Without this necessary preparation – or priming – your group is less likely to be as ‘successful’ as it could.
For further discussion about this topic, take a look at this short article.
