In the same way that all great workshops and meetings begin with an icebreaker, every project kickoff meeting should too. Putting a bunch of people together and expecting them to be creative and work together is tricky, so helping them warm up first makes sense.
Icebreakers are short tasks designed to get people talking. They do not need to be work-related (in fact, it’s usually better if they have nothing to do with the project at hand). They just need to make people relax among new team members. Let’s look at some of the icebreakers you may want to consider, together with information on how to implement them. The good news is that because so many teams are now hybrid, these icebreakers can easily be adapted for use with a team based in different locations.
Why are icebreakers important?
The purpose of the activity is in the name; it will help people feel comfortable and allow them to move past any initial awkwardness that can often occur in new situations with new people.
An icebreaker should be a fun, quick activity that is used at the start of your kickoff meeting to help relax your team members. It should require little effort but offer maximum reward.
Icebreaker 1: My First Job
A very simple yet effective icebreaker that requires no time or effort to set up. Ask all of your team to write their name, their first job and something they learned from that job on a card. Then you just go round the group, and everyone reads out what they have written.
This allows the group to learn something new about the other team members without getting into details that are too personal. It is a really great warm-up that requires little thinking.
If you want to add a little mystery to this icebreaker, have everyone write down the first job and what they learned, leaving out the name. Place the cards in a “hat,” and then have everyone guess which job belongs to which team member.
Icebreaker 2: One Word
This next icebreaker will warm your team members up but set some context for your kickoff. The One Word game aims to ease everyone into the project in a low-pressure, light-hearted way.
Divide the group into small teams or pairs if you don’t have many people. This can be a little tricky if you have remote attendees, but it isn’t impossible. Ask each group or pair to think of a word that describes your chosen topic.
For example, in a kickoff meeting, you could ask them to come up with a word to describe the project’s goal. Set a 2-minute timer and then ask them to share their words, writing them on a whiteboard. The idea behind this icebreaker isn’t to come up with actionable plans but to get people thinking about the project in hand. I know I said icebreakers unrelated to the project are often preferable – but not always!
Icebreaker 3: Trivia Questions
For this icebreaker, the questions and answers should definitely not be related to the project. When you ask fun questions that are not work-related, you can ease your team into a more natural conversation and get them thinking creatively.
You will need to prepare some questions before the meeting, and then all you need to do is go around the room and get people to answer them. There’s no right or wrong answer!
Ensure your questions are inclusive and light-hearted, and steer clear of anything too niche (such as TV shows or music genres). Thinking of questions can be tricky, but here are a few to give you an idea of what works:
- If you could invite a celebrity for dinner, who would it be and why?
- What is your most prized possession and why?
- You can have an unlimited supply of just one thing for the rest of your life. What will you choose?
Icebreaker 4: Guess Who?
Another getting-to-know-each-other icebreaker that can help to stimulate natural conversation, and hopefully raise a few laughs. You just need a pen and paper for each team member or, if you’re holding the meeting remotely, digital sticky notes and a virtual whiteboard.
Each member of the team needs to write down a random fact about themselves, something others are unlikely to know. All the facts are then collected in a “hat” and each one is read out loud. The team must then decide which fact belongs to which team member. As an extension to this you could consider asking people to step forward and reveal more about their fact – but only if they feel comfortable doing so.
Icebreaker 5: Pictionary
I love a game of Pictionary; it’s a really great way to break the ice. You. All you need is a pencil and paper for each participant. If you’re holding a remote workshop, ask them to have their own to hand, or use an online game – there are plenty of free options available.
Pick a name out of a hat to determine who will be drawing the clue. Give them a Pictionary prompt (you can use an online Pictionary generator). They have one minute to draw the word. Then, it’s up to the rest of the group to guess the word based on the drawing.
Done well, a good ice breaker will really help to start your project kickoff meeting and ensure that all of the members of your team, both old and new, are relaxed and feel more comfortable with each other. Where possible do include those who are part of the team but working in other countries or from home. It’s not so easy but most of these ice breakers will accommodate remote project teams. I’ve kept it simple here but there are also plenty more ideas on the internet, many of which can certainly be adapted to hybrid teams so nobody in your new team will feel left out.
