Staff meetings needn’t always be long and boring. Starting off a meeting the right way can encourage positive interaction and improve overall effectiveness. One way to start a staff meeting is with icebreakers. Staff meeting icebreakers are a great form of introduction and can help everyone feel engaged and excited for the meeting.
While icebreakers might not be appropriate for every meeting, these are three ideas from Brian Cole Miller, author of Quick Meeting Openers for Busy Managers:
- If I Were A ______
An activity where participants imagine they are someone or something else and describe it.
- My Letter
For this activity, participants choose a letter and introduce themselves with words starting only with that letter.
- Best of Times
Participants share with the group the best thing that happened to them that week.
Watch: Can you demonstrate your value to your organization?
These icebreakers are for groups that are already familiar with each other:
- How Well Do You Know Me?
Staff members mention three fun facts about themselves. Two of the facts are true, one is fictional. Then, the others guess which is the fictional fact. The more crazy the fact, the better.
- BINGO
Create Bingo cards with 25 squares. In each square, write a true, personal statement (e.g., “eats oatmeal for breakfast”). Staff members then go around the room to find others who “match” the statement by asking each other indirect questions. For example, if you are trying to find out who also eats oatmeal for breakfast, you can ask “What do you eat for breakfast?” However, you cannot ask, “Do you eat oatmeal for breakfast?” Once you find a match, record it. The first to get five in a row wins!
- Office Taboo
A fun game where participants guess the name of an office object with the help of clues. Others describe that object while being careful to avoid a few “taboo” keywords.
For more insights and business strategies, sign up for our free newsletter.
The post Staff Meeting Icebreakers appeared first on AMA Playbook.
