Great Ice Breaker Activity – First Impressions
I love “feel good” types of ice breaker activities. Here is a wonderful one for new teams and/or small or large training classes.
Use this ice breaker activity to start your meeting, presentation or training. You might consider ending the day with another one of my other favorite ice breaker/team builder activities – “Say Something Positive!”
Purpose: To start a meeting, training or presentation on a positive note and to quickly break the ice.
When: This ice breaker activity can be used with groups of six to one hundred or more. It is especially effective with groups or teams that don’t know each other.
Materials: Provide large index cards (or card stock), pen and pieces of masking tape to each participant.
How:
- Provide a large index card (or piece of card stock), pen and piece of masking tape to each participant.
- Have participants tape the index card to each others backs with masking tape and make sure it is secure.
- Have participants find someone and introduce themselves and mingle for a few minutes. When done ask them to write on each others back their first impression of that person in one or two words max. Instruct the group that only positive impressions can be written. After the pairs have written on each others backs have them move onto someone else.
- Once participants have written on each others backs (depending on the size of the group and how long you want the activity to go) ask them to remove the index cards and provide them a few silent minutes to review what others have written.
- Once participants have had time to read the responses on their index cards ask them what they are thinking? Ask how they might feel if they always thought others first impressions of them were so positive? Ask what they might be able to learn from this ice breaker activity? Responses might include the need for us to form good first impressions of others, the need to share the good we see in others and the way we feel when others say positive things about us.
Things to note: If you are going to use this ice breaker activity with larger groups, you might consider breaking into smaller groups of 8-12 depending on how long you want the activity to go.
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