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Icebreaker activities help people get to know each other and ease into a group setting or team dynamic. They can prove especially useful for new teams where people may not feel comfortable interacting with one another yet. Icebreaker activities may call for participants to share personal information or engage in a fun game. This can help set a positive and friendly tone among participants and teach them about each other’s strengths, preferences, and working styles, which will make working together easier in the long run.

The purpose behind icebreakers has evolved over time. The idea of "breaking the ice" is rooted in ancient civilizations, who played social games to reduce tension between groups and foster communication. In the mid-20th century, icebreakers became a common way to help participants in meetings and group activities become comfortable with each other. Today, you can use icebreaker activities for a variety of purposes, but they’re most commonly used at the beginning of a meeting, in team-building sessions, during training sessions, in school, and at social or networking events.

Popular icebreaker activities include Two Truths and a Lie, Human Bingo, and Pictionary. The way icebreaker activities take place has shifted with technological advances. Modern icebreakers in business or school settings incorporate technology. Icebreaker apps and online icebreaker activities have become popular, reflecting the shift toward an online environment in both settings.

Why Host Icebreaker Team Building Activities?

Icebreakers can provide an easy start to creating a comfortable environment for team members to interact with one another. They help foster communication between team members as they encourage talking and sharing personal facts and anecdotes. This has proven to break down barriers and help teams more readily communicate with each other. In part, this is because icebreakers can help build trust. Fun and engaging activities help team members get to know one another on a professional and personal level, building rapport and trust among one another.

Icebreakers can help break down office hierarchies when hosting them between different roles and levels of seniority. Structured icebreaker activities give everyone the chance to contribute, regardless of their position within the company, ensuring that everyone hears from each other, and emphasizing the value of each member. They also push for everyone to participate in the same activity, regardless of position, which helps everyone engage with each other on a level playing field. Sharing personal facts and stories humanizes participants, which can help them see each other based on their commonalities, not their hierarchical differences.

Icebreakers provide a means of stress relief. They’re a nice and engaging break from routine work, which can reduce stress and make the workplace a more welcoming environment. Game-based icebreakers, in particular, encourage socialization and build a nice competitive environment.

What Are the Types of Icebreaker Activities?

The type of icebreaker activities you do with your team will depend on the purpose of the icebreaker and the size of your team. Activities range from basic to highly interactive. Small groups benefit from intimate and small-scale activities, whereas large groups depend on engaging in large-scale activities that can accommodate many people getting to know each other at once. Here are several types of icebreakers to consider when planning activities to encourage team building.

Introduction-based icebreakers. The purpose of introduction-based icebreakers is to get to know someone by sharing personal facts or stories. Examples include Two Truths and a Lie and Personal Object Sharing.
Activity-based icebreakers. Activity-based icebreakers involve fun and interactive activities that encourage teamwork and problem-solving, like the Marshmallow Challenge and Pictionary.
Question-based icebreakers. Would You Rather? is an example of a question-based icebreaker activity. Like other question-based activities, Would You Rather involves asking thought-provoking and sometimes humorous questions to encourage conversation and find common ground.
Game-based icebreakers. Games like Human Bingo and Speed Networking break the ice while encouraging participants to mingle in a fun and entertaining way.
Creative icebreakers. If your team members have active imaginations, consider utilizing creative icebreakers. This type of icebreaker draws off of storytelling and scenarios to foster creative and collaborative thinking.

Can I Organize an Icebreaker Team Building Activity on My Own?

You can organize an icebreaker activity to set a positive tone among your team members and help them get to know each other better. Icebreaker activities are typically simple while still encouraging participants to have fun. If you want to try out creating your own icebreaker activity to encourage team building, follow these steps.

Define your objective. What aspect of team building do you want to focus on with your activity? Some activities primarily encourage communication while others promote problem-solving. The objective you have in mind will influence the type of activity you choose.
Know your audience. Since you’re planning an icebreaker activity, there’s a good chance you don’t know too much about your audience. Think about the basics: what’s the size of your group? For a smaller group, you can consider small-scale intimate activities, whereas activities for large groups will need to be scaled up.
Choose the right activity. If your team members have never met, it’s good to start with an introduction game. Introduction games, like Two Truths and a Lie, help people get to know each other and build connections. Team-building exercises such as Human Knot and scavenger hunts push participants to work together and depend on each other’s strengths to achieve a goal or complete a task.
Plan logistics and set the tone. Make sure you have any materials required for the activity. Once it’s time to begin, start the activity with clear instructions and enthusiasm.
Facilitate and monitor. Guide the participants and make sure that they stay on track during the activity. Keep an eye out for anyone who appears uncomfortable participating and might prefer to observe instead.
Debrief and adjust. After the activity has ended, encourage discussion of what everyone learned from each other. Also, take the time to find out what people enjoyed about the activity and make adjustments for future use.

You may find it fun to come up with an icebreaker activity on your own that you can customize based on the participants or situation. Creating your own icebreaker activity gives you full control over its operation and delivery. However, you may find this difficult to manage, especially if you want to engage in the activity yourself. If you don’t want to plan an icebreaker activity on your own, you can look at icebreaker team-building activity events hosted by CourseHorse and other training centers.

What Will You Learn in an Icebreaker Team Building Activity?

The purpose of icebreaker team-building activities is to strengthen teamwork and foster a welcoming environment. Depending on the activity, you’ll find yourself walking away with new insights about yourself and your team members.

You can expect to learn the personal interests and backgrounds of your team members during an icebreaker activity. Most games require you to share personal anecdotes or facts, including hobbies. Some games attempt to help participants find others with common interests and experiences so they can connect. Icebreakers will also provide you with insights into participants’ personality traits, like their level of humor and openness. Some participants may feel comfortable sharing a lot about themselves, while others may only feel comfortable sharing surface-level information.

An icebreaker activity will teach you about your team members’ communication styles. You’ll see how they respond during activities which may reflect in how they communicate in the workplace. You can often gauge how someone interacts during an icebreaker with how they approach teamwork. In addition to how they speak to others, you’ll notice how they listen to others.

Icebreakers provide a quick and engaging way to get to know one another. However, not everyone enjoys icebreakers. Some people find them tedious and others find the idea of sharing information about themselves to others nerve-wracking. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a group of participants ready to engage and full of enthusiasm. Either way, icebreaker activities will show you someone’s enthusiasm toward socializing with team members, which can help you to determine group dynamics. You can use those observations when approaching future meetings and activities.

How Long Will Icebreaker Team Building Activities Take?

It’s relatively easy and quick to learn icebreaker activities and games. Most icebreaker activities have straightforward and easy-to-follow instructions that require minimal materials and you can adapt across settings. They’re usually low in complexity, requiring participants to share facts and stories or to draw. Because they’re usually entertainment-based, most participants can easily overcome any learning curve quickly. The more icebreaker activities you participate in, the better you’ll become at them.

What Are the Advantages of Holding an Icebreaker Team Building Activity?

If you’re looking to encourage team-building among your employees and want to book a simple and engaging icebreaker event, you can find some on CourseHorse. Signing up for an icebreaker team-building class offers the benefit of having everything set up for you. Instead of having to come up with the mechanics of the activity or game you’re playing or buying the materials necessary for your event, someone else takes care of all that. You and your team can simply show up and get started. Most of the events offered through CourseHorse include a live professional host, so nobody on your team has to sit out the activity to facilitate. The host will guide you through any necessary instructions and make sure your team progresses smoothly through the chosen icebreaker activity.

Icebreaker team-building activities simplify the hosting process, which can also make it easier to get people to attend. You can opt for an event hosted at your location, whether it’s an office or a rented space, or you can book a virtual event for your team. Having decisions like location, materials, and the host decided on or supplied can make it easier for people to attend. Not having to worry about contributing, hosting, or making decisions about the event sometimes makes people more likely to commit to participating because all they need to do is show up and have fun.

Best Icebreaker Team Building Activities

CourseHorse provides a wide range of icebreaker team-building classes on its website. From here, you can check out a variety of icebreaker team-building activities available for instant booking. Don’t see a class hosted in your city? Explore the range of virtual classes hosted by CourseHorse that may appeal to you and your team. Each event page also outlines the price of the event, how many people the event accommodates, materials included in the booking fee, and details of the company’s cancellation policy.

Discover new facts about your team members in CourseHorse’s class, Icebreaker—Get to Know Your Teammates. CourseHorse offers this icebreaker activity in several cities, including Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City. For one hour, participants will spend time learning about their colleagues. Everyone will have their own “prompt” list full of fun and interesting facts about their team members. The group will split up into small teams of 2–3 people and then interview each other in an attempt to complete as many of the items on their list as they can. After interviewing, the group will reconvene and discuss what they found out about each other to help create a stronger team bond. This activity benefits both newly formed teams and established teams integrating new employees. The class accommodates up to 80 people and takes place at your location. The cost is $550 for up to 15 people with an additional $20 due per person thereafter.

Enjoy creativity and team bonding in a CourseHorse Pictionary class. A live professional host will facilitate the game. Up to 50 people can make up the larger group, which will then split off into teams. Each team has one drawer who will draw a prompt while the rest of the team guesses what they’re drawing. Whichever team finishes with the most correct answers wins the game. Even though smaller teams will work together for this activity, the full group will consistently engage with each other and have the chance to socialize. Contact CourseHorse to find out how you can customize this icebreaker activity for an additional fee.

Looking for a fun and silly way to encourage team building and have your employees get to know each other? Book CourseHorse’s Office Olympics event. Participants will go through a series of competitions and compete for gold. Challenges include type-racing, Family Feud-style challenges, marshmallow tower building, harmonica playing, and spoon races. The event lasts one hour and costs $750 for the first 10 people and $75 per person thereafter. You can expect CourseHorse to ship all materials to participants in advance.

Improv games offer teams a chance to engage with each other in a playful environment while expressing their creativity. Their spontaneous nature helps break down social barriers and make people more relaxed around each other. If you think your team would find improv games fun, book CourseHorse’s Improv Team-Building Workshop in LA. For up to two hours, your group will work through improv exercises to enhance team bonding, communication, and collaboration. Participants will learn more about listening, empathy, flexibility, and creative thinking as they engage in exercises and then partake in reflection and discussion. You can opt to take this workshop at your office or a partner venue. Pricing is $1,100 for up to 6 people and $15 per person thereafter.

Many of the trivia events offered by CourseHorse are available in several major cities, including NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston. If you don’t see a class offered in your city, contact CourseHorse to see if they can offer the class in your location or virtually.

Live Online Icebreaker Team Building Activities

With CourseHorse, you can book a virtual or live online icebreaker team-building activity. Teams with members who can’t commute to an in-person event, who live in a location where CourseHorse does not offer in-person events, or who work from home and find themselves spread out across the country, can choose the option of booking a virtual or live online icebreaker team-building activity.

Book CourseHorse’s virtual 2 Truths and a Lie class for up to 200 people. Participants will share two facts and one false statement about themselves. It’s up to the rest of the group to determine which of the three statements is a lie. For ease of engagement, the group will split into smaller teams of 2–3 people using the Zoom breakout room function. After sharing among small teams, the group will reconvene to reveal the truths and lies. This activity aims to build stronger connections and bring teams closer together. Whether your team is unfamiliar with each other or has worked together for years, all types of groups are welcome. Pricing for this class is $400 for up to 15 people and $15 per person thereafter.

For a fast-paced getting-to-know-you session, book Get To Know Your Teammates, a four-part series. Over Zoom, you and your team members will work through several themed challenges. The first will focus on introducing yourselves to each other, the second will focus on shared passions that connect you with your colleagues, the third will dive into your differences and how they serve as strengths, and the final series will show how your team can collaborate with one another. Each round lasts about 20 minutes and the group will break into smaller teams of 2–3 people. Participants will rotate between breakout rooms so they have the chance to chat with other team members. At the end of the class, the group will spend about 10 minutes discussing what they learned about each other.

Can’t book an in-person Team Olympics event? You can instead book a Virtual Team Olympics. This 75-minute event will take place over Zoom. Participants will engage in a variety of lighthearted challenges such as type racing, Family Feud-style challenges, marshmallow tower building, harmonica playing, and spoon races. You’ll spend half the time in mini-teams of 4–5 and the other half with the whole group. CourseHorse will ship all materials to participants, including marshmallows, toothpicks, medals (Bronze, Silver, Gold), harmonicas, and tape measures. Expect a $250 booking fee for up to 8 people and a $65 fee per additional person. If you’re interested in customizing the event, reach out to CourseHorse to discuss how they can tailor the event to your team’s needs.

Want to shake things up among your team members? CourseHorse’s Virtual Corporate Improv Workshop guides participants through a series of games and exercises designed to help them collaborate better, make quick decisions, and have fun. Throughout the class, everyone will practice listening, collaboration, problem-solving, communication, and not taking themselves too seriously. The all-inclusive price for 10 people is $500 with a $25 charge per additional participant. CourseHorse also offers an in-person version of this workshop that your team can attend if it’s offered in your location.

Interested in an icebreaker team-building activity not mentioned in this article? You can explore icebreaker classes available to you on the CourseHorse website, including classes offered in the past. CourseHorse provides an extensive list of team-building activities, from icebreakers to trivia to escape rooms. You can explore classes offered in your area and live online with CourseHorse.

Elizabeth Gleesing

Elizabeth Gleesing is a university instructor and content writer at Noble Desktop. She earned her PhD in English from Syracuse University in 2023 with research focusing on how documentaries incorporate digital and new media technologies. Her research into artificial intelligence, data analysis, and emerging technologies informs her content writing as she frequently works on articles related to careers in data science, data analytics, AI, and related software.Elizabeth also has over ten years of experience teaching undergraduates in universities and colleges in New York and Washington state and won the Syracuse University English department’s Elson Teaching Award in 2019. Her experience in instruction allows her to coherently explain difficult topics to a variety of audiences.

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Learn More About Icebreaker Team Building Activities Courses

Why Host Icebreaker Team Building Activities?

What Are the Types of Icebreaker Activities?

Can I Organize an Icebreaker Team Building Activity on My Own?

What Will You Learn in an Icebreaker Team Building Activity?

How Long Will Icebreaker Team Building Activities Take?

What Are the Advantages of Holding an Icebreaker Team Building Activity?

Best Icebreaker Team Building Activities

Live Online Icebreaker Team Building Activities

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