Icebreakers – games at the begin of workshops and events to warm up

You never really know your friends from your enemies until the ice beaks.
Eskimo Proverb

Icebreaker are games for breaking the ice, for warming up your audience, and to familiarize participants with each other.

Flashlight

You freeze a current moment of the workshop by doing a quick round of all the participant to know the current emotion or opinion.

Newspaper Interview is an ice-breaker activity to familiarize your participants with each other. Create teams of two participants who interview each other. It’s advisable to mix gender, organisation, and age groups.

Wanted Poster

This is an ice-breaker activity to familiarize participants with each other. The form of the wanted poster reduces information to the relevant and the time needed.Make teams of two who interview each other and draw a Wanted Poster. It’s recommended to mix gender, organisation, and age groups.

Facts of My Life

Often so-called facts are presented to us, which we accept without further questioning. This excellent game teaches people to question further.

Animal

Participants will learn and remember the other participants’ name. It’s also very energising and great fun.Present yourself with name plus animal name, e.g. I am Anita and I am a cat because I love the independence and self-reliance of cats.

Icon – I can

Icons are visual symbols, which are very important in our everyday lives. We are all familiar with symbols for toilets, exits, or restaurant logos etc. But have you ever thought of symbolising yourself in a single sign? Icon - I can!

Invisible Friend

Write the name of each participant on the back of the cards and let each participant pick one. Now, they have to find their ‘invisible friend’, i.e. ask around which person belongs to the name of the card.

Remember my name

There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth...

Alliteration

Alliteration means using the same starting letter of words as a rhetorical tool. Here, we use alliterative epithets together with participants’ names, e.g. Ali the Attractive, Laila the Lunatic, or Jim the Jealous.

Treasure Hunt

There is a treasure in each workshop participant. Find it and let find the participants in each other. This game sets a positive atmosphere when everybody is new - and perhaps a little insecure - in the workshop. It builds confidence and relationships.