September 9, 2010

Categorie – A Sure-Fire Icebreaker

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Here’s the next edition in the Sure-Fire Icebreaker series. This is a quick icebreaker that is very low gradient and an easy way to meet a lot of people you don’t know and learn random information about them. As a bonus, I often use this icebreaker to get large groups into smaller groups in the last round. This is great for orientation, leadership retreats, new students and returning students. What’s the point? Everyone has a blast! When a group has fun together, magic happens. And at the same time it creates connections and strengthens your campus community!

Giants, Wizards & Elves – A Sure-Fire Icebreaker

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“Welcome to a new planet! On this world there are only three creatures and they are at WAR. Let me introduce the creatures. First, there is the giant. It looks and sounds like this, ‘ROAR!’ Do this with me, 1,2,3, ‘ROAR!’ Then there’s the wizard. It looks and sounds like this, ‘SSSSS!’ Do this with me, 1,2,3, ‘SSSSS!’ And finally, there are the elves. They look and sound like this, ‘WeWeWeWe!’ [done with a high pitch] Do this with me, 1,2,3, ‘WeWeWeWe!’”

Fox & the Hound – A Sure-Fire Icebreaker

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This activity is very high energy and is great to do when you want to get people up and moving. Everyone is pretty exhausted at the end of the game. People are sweating and breathing hard, but smiling and laughing too. Some of those foxes and hounds end up being friends for life. It’s just another sure-fire way to break the ice.

Bring It To Me – A Sure-Fire Icebreaker

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This icebreaker has never failed. It’s great for adding some fun and energy to a campus meeting or helping new acquaintances feel more comfortable around each other. Just follow my script and it will work for you too.

Tummy HA HA… Laugh your way to team building

Dave ‘Gonzo’ Kelly took this video in Orlando in July, 2009 during a leadership retreat for the SGA leaders of four of Valencia Community College’s campuses. This is a team building exercise called “Tummy HA HA”. It is a fun activity that helps with a number of the steps or “building blocks” in team building.

Diversity Programs Gone Wrong

Advice from Troy Stende, Experiential Leadership Trainer: “Diversity activities can be very powerful and life changing. But they can also be damaging to the individual and the group. Most of the success or failure rides on the shoulders of the facilitator.”

“Get the focus back” at Student Orientation

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I was facilitating a full-day orientation leader training recently and an orientation leader asked me how to get a group’s focus back without yelling at them. That is an excellent question and one that comes into play often- whether you’re doing an icebreaker with 500 new students or you’re running a committee meeting of 8.

Gotcha – A Sure-Fire Icebreaker

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I’ve used this hundreds of times over six years with thousands of students. Being a professional speaker and student leadership trainer I’m on college campuses, and at leadership retreats and orientations a lot. This icebreaker has never failed me – no matter the situation or size of the group.