Webinar Icebreaker Ideas

Webinar icebreakers can engage and motivate participants.

Logged in at a computer and sitting at the other end of an Internet connection can be isolating. For the webinar host, trying to get the audience motivated, comfortable and not nodding off at the screen can be daunting. Start off with a few icebreakers to get people engaged and connected within the webinar's virtual space. Prepare some activities ahead of time and e-mail them to participants, or create a few on-the-spot anecdotes or questions for attendees to weigh in on.

The Sing-Along

Notify participants ahead of time that they will be introducing themselves in a creative way. Ask participants to come up with a way to identify themselves or their location by singing a line from a popular song---for example, "Sweet Home Alabama" or "Oh Susanna." At the start of the webinar, announce to participants that the entire presentation will be conducted as a musical. This should get a chuckle from the group and puts them at ease, as they realize you have a sense of humor.

Tell Me Something Unique

Instead of the run-of-the-mill "introduce yourself," mix it up by asking participants to share something unique about themselves---the crazier the better. As an example, "I love trying strange foods and have eaten kangaroo, buffalo and alligator." This gets the attendees thinking and creates some surprises and laughs, all the while allowing them to get to know something different about each other.

Where Are You From?

Rather than the typical "tell us where you are from" introductions, have participants provide their area code or ZIP code and have others guess the location. Participants can also describe in one sentence their location without saying the place name and have others guess the location. As an example, someone from Los Angeles might say, "The stars are out both day and night, especially when the earth quakes."

Getting On Topic

Pose an engaging question to participants about the topic at hand. Ask each to respond to the question with a one-word answer. This may sound simple, but if the question is complex enough, it may be more difficult than you think. To make this exercise more fun and interesting, tell participants they cannot repeat another respondent's answer; each must be unique.

Webinar Goals

One icebreaker that gets participants engaged and talking is to open the activity with one question---"What are we doing here?" As participants offer up what their individual goal of the webinar is, others with similar interests or goals will chime in and respond to that person. Inevitably someone will joke that she has no idea, or someone will state that he was required to attend by a boss, which should get the participants chuckling. Not only does this serve to break the ice, it gives the webinar host an idea what the participants are hoping to learn.

References

• "Elearn Magazine": Tips and Tools for Fostering a Creative e-Learning Class;Susan Doctoroff Landay; Sept. 10, 2009