Teambuilding Icebreaker Activities for Meetings

A ball of string is all you need for a teambuilding icebreaker.

According to Patrick Lencioni, author of "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team," building trust between groups requires regular shared experiences over time. Teambuilding icebreakers can accelerate the base of shared experiences. Icebreakers don't have to be silly, but don't shy away from the opportunity to laugh together. High functioning teams know how to have fun. Open your next meeting with an icebreaker activity.

To Tell the Truth

Have one team member, the "deceiver," share three things about himself that his team is unlikely to know. For example, he might tell the team that he is an accomplished pianist, once worked as a lifeguard and has a baseball signed by Hank Aaron. The team then has three minutes to ask questions to determine which one is deceptive. For a longer meeting or a smaller team, extend the icebreaker so that everyone plays the role of deceiver. Otherwise, rotate the role in your next meeting.

Animal Instincts

Distribute small pieces of paper to your team. Ask team members to write the name of the animal they most resemble on a piece of paper in large block letters. Collect the folded papers in a basket and then have each team member select one. Go around the table and have each read the paper aloud and tell the team who they think is most like this animal and why. Make sure they keep the icebreaker a positive activity. For example, "Bob is like a snake because he moves quickly and seemingly out of nowhere," not because "he is slimy and can't be trusted." After all of the attempts to match animal with teammate are completed, go around the table and let the actual owners identify themselves.

Meet and Greet

Team members sometimes enter a team meeting and take a seat, with no more than a cursory nod to their peers. If your team is guilty of this, ask everyone to stand and greet at least three others in the room. They must also ask the people they greet at least one non-intrusive question---and the question can't be "how are you?" Post suggestions on a flip chart in case someone gets stuck. For example, spouse's name, favorite food or what they did this weekend. Allow this activity to run long enough to raise the energy level in the room.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Hand one person in the group a ball of string. Have her take the end of the string and toss the ball to the person in the group they rely upon for work-related information. That person, in turn, grasps the string and tosses the ball to someone in their communication network. Continue the exercise for a few minutes until everyone---or almost everyone---has been tossed the ball. By now, there should be a web of string crisscrossing the table. Ask the group to debrief the icebreaker activity by discussing the communication network. What do they observe? How can it be improved?

References

• "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team"; Patrick Lencioni; 2002