Compendium of Icebreakers Volume 2 Connections: 125 Activities for Faultless Training

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4. Conduct several rounds using these sentence stems:

“At work, I am a…”

“In my community, I am a…”

“In this group, I will be a…”

5. Invite participants to suggest additional sentence stems.

Variation

Have everyone stand in a circle. Explain that as you name categories of roles, participants

move into the inner circle if they fit that role and briefly discuss what they have in common.

Examples are: all men, all women, all leaders, all talkers, all good listeners, all parents. See

more examples in Activity 3.26: Potpourri, a regrouping activity in Connecting Point 3:

Making Transitions.

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Self-Sort

2.41

Objective

To identify commonalities among participants

Uses

This activity works well as a warm-up activity as well as for team building.

Group Size

Any

Time

20 minutes

Supplies and Equipment

• Moveable chairs

• Small tables

Handouts and Materials

Several 3" x 5" sticky note pads (four sheets per participant)

Room Setup

Open space for mingling

Procedure for Conducting the Activity

1. Give each participant four sticky notes and ask them to write an important personal

characteristic on each one. Note that these should be no more than a few words and

should be printed in large block letters.

2. The sticky notes are now “pasted” on the participants’ clothing.

3. Have participants mingle around, reading one anothers’ sticky notes. Allow 5 minutes.

4. Ask participants to form groups of three or four people, based on something they share

in common.

5. Take 10 minutes in the small groups to discuss group members’ similarities and

differences and to develop a group name that reflects what they have learned about

one another.

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6. Each small group briefly reports to the total group its group name and explains what it

is that the group members originally thought they shared. That is, they should explain

why they formed and what they finally concluded they really did share.

Cross-Reference

If team building is your goal, see the Building Your Team activities (3.18 through 3.25) in

Connecting Point 3: Making Transitions.

Source

Dr. Marshall Sashkin

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What's Your Sign?

2.42

Objectives

• To learn more about one another in a lighthearted way

• To regroup participants

Uses

Some people think that astrology is all bunk, and others will be enthusiastic believers, so

gauge your group before using this activity. Use this activity as a lighthearted way for

participants to learn more about one another.

Group Size

Works with up to 50 people

Time

15 to 30 minutes

Supplies and Equipment

None

Handouts and Materials

Prepare 12 table tents using heavy paper. Label each with the name of an astrological sign.

The astrological symbol could also be used. Cut out today’s horoscope from the newspaper

and tape each sign’s information unobtrusively inside the appropriate table tent.

Room Setup

12 tables

Procedure for Conducting the Activity

1. Ask if anyone has had a birthday recently. Make a statement about the belief held by

many people that the date we were born determines who we are and how we respond

to life.

2. Lay the 12 tents out on a table. Ask the participants to find all others in the group who

have their same astrological sign, pick up their tent, and regroup at a table accordingly.

If there are large numbers of a particular sign, divide that group so that there are no

more than eight in a group. If there is only one person for a sign, place him or her with

the sign closest in date.