Icebreakers
These are exercises that provide participants with the opportunity to learn more about one another in a relaxed, fun manner and are ideal for quickly improving group dynamics. The purpose of icebreakers is to get to know each other better and are especially important during the beginning of the training.
Some examples of icebreakers are:
Name guess exercise
· Divide the group into two and ask them to take their place on two different sides of a bed sheet, so that both groups can not see each other.
· Each group places one volunteer near the sheet.
· The facilitators drop the sheet at the count of three.
· The two volunteers who all of a sudden face each other have to call out the name of the other. The loser will join the group of the winner.
· Repeat this procedure until most people get the chance to guess once.
Ball game exercise
· Ask everybody to stand in a circle and throw the ball to some one else saying your own name, the name of the person you throw the ball to and the name of the person the ball should be thrown to next.
· The person who receives the ball says his/her name, the name of the person they have to throw the ball to, and the name of the person they want the ball receiver to throw to.
This exercise can be done first with the name cards still on, and repeated with the cards removed.
Name train exercise
· Ask everybody to stand in a circle. Say your name, adding the name of the neighbor to your right.
· Ask this neighbor to say your name, his/her own name, and the name of the neighbor to their right.
· Continue so that everybody in the circle has a turn, ending with the last person who must repeat all the names.
· Ask people to changes places in the circles and challenge a volunteer to repeat all names.
Adapted from The ART of Building Training Capacities manual by Lydia Braakman, RECOFTC, pages 230-231.
Download this tip in PDF format.