COURSE OVERVIEW:
As the name suggests, icebreakers are designed to “warm up” the training session or the workshop. It is important to note that people need to be receptive to learning before they can start to learn. An icebreaker helps to warm up the participants and prepare them for more learning activities.
Icebreakers are effectively a tool in your trainer’s toolbox. Of course, like any tool, you need to master the skill of using them to get the most out of them. Playing icebreakers tend to open people up. It gets them interacting and learning. It helps shatter the preconceived notions that most adults have developed over the years.
Icebreakers can be an effective way of starting a training session, team-building event. etc. As interactive and often fun sessions run before the main proceedings, they help people get to know each other and buy into the purpose of the event.
If such a session is well-designed and well-facilitated, it can really help get things off to a great start. By getting to know each other, getting to know the trainers, and learning about the objectives of the event, people can become more engaged in the proceedings and so contribute more effectively towards a successful outcome.
Icebreakers can be a powerful tool for keeping your target audience energised, focused and receptive to learning. They help you and your participants cope with the natural stresses of getting to know, and accept, one another as team members, as well as deal with the pressure of absorbing information in a finite timeline.
Icebreakers can be a powerful aid for effective learning and retention of information. People learn better when they’re engaged and having fun, and an icebreaker should be FUN!
This course provides many icebreaker activities for trainers/facilitators to connect with participants at the beginning of the workshop. These activities have been tested in various settings including training programs, conferences, team and staff meetings and classes.
The first group of activities serve the purpose of introducing the trainer, facilitator, or group leader to the participants. These activities set the stage for participants to interact with the trainer.
The second group of activities will help the participants in several ways: help them clarify the expectations they have about the upcoming learning experience, help them identify their feelings about being in the workshop and help them identify their specific needs. In many of the activities, you, as the trainer, will clarify your own expectations, your workshop’s goals and objectives, and the ground rules you will use during the workshop.
The third group of activities are used to reveal information about the participants’ own uniqueness, values, ideas, interests, and experiences. This information can be used by them to determine what they need to obtain from this learning experience and from others in the group. These activities also help the trainer know the participants better so that the presentation can be adapted to fit their needs.
The fourth group of activities will help the trainer and the participants identify what they have in common and how they are different from one another. In these activities, the participants will learn one another’s names, their commonalities, and the various roles they hold in life. These activities can be used to help develop a sense of group teamwork and unity.
The fifth group of activities will help participants move quickly into the content of the workshop while you are getting them warmed up or acquainted at the same time. These activities can also be used for your workshops that run several days. Use a different one at the beginning of each day or to introduce each new component of your design.
All icebreaker activities in this course are formatted for easy use with clearly marked objectives, best occasion to use them, group size, estimated time, equipment and supplies needed, handouts and materials, room setup, and step-by-step procedures for conducting the activity. Many activities have ready-to-use handouts and include creative variations.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:
· The benefits of using icebreakers?
· What can icebreakers do?
· When to use icebreakers?
· The “Hello! My Name Is...” Activity
· The “Interview” Activity
· The “Ask Me” Activity
· The “Goals, Objectives, and Guidelines” Activity
· The “Around the Circle” Activity
· The “Why Are You Here?” Activity
· The “Magic Box” Activity
· The “Where Would You Rather Be?” Activity
· The “You Ought To Be in Pictures!” Activity
· The “My Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words” Activity
· The “Anchors” Activity
· The “Three Truths, One Lie” Activity
· The “What's in Your Wallet or Purse?” Activity
· The “Where Are You From?” Activity
· The “What's in a Name?” Activity
· The “Name Your Uniqueness” Activity
· The “You Can't Tell a Book by Its Cover” Activity
· The “Sticky Characteristics” Activity
· The “Meet My Orange” Activity
· The “20 Questions” Activity
· The “My Name Is...” Activity
· The “I'd Like You to Meet” Activity
· The “Tell Us More!” Activity
· The “How Many Hats Do We Wear?” Activity
· The “Self-Sort” Activity
· The “Pre-Test” Activity
· The “I Know... I Don't Know...” Activity
· The “Best/Worst” Activity
· The “Make It Rhyme” Activity
· The “Meet My Leader” Activity
· The “Add to the Story” Activity
· The “Four Corners” Activity
· The “Line Up and Be Counted” Activity
· The “Getting to Know You” Activity
COURSE DURATION:
The typical duration of this course is approximately 3-4 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.
COURSE DELIVERY:
Purchase and download course content.
ASSESSMENT:
A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.
CERTIFICATION:
Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.