These corporate event ice breakers are ideal for corporate away days, in-office training days, and any other time you need your team to prioritise bonding and effective communication.
Why bother with corporate event ice breakers if they’re all going to work together anyway?
If you’ve just brought in new employees, then starting your training day, corporate event or even regular Monday morning with a team building ice breaking activity is an effective way of cutting through the tension. Team Building ice breaking activities can ease the mood, provide a fun break from regular work conversations, and help kickstart major meetings or projects.
During these mini team building activities, new employees that haven’t had the chance to interact will be able to open up, and employees that are unfamiliar with each other will get to know each other behind the name tag. These varied interactions help staff develop connections and see their place in the functioning team.
As team building events organiser, we’ve seen this happen many times. One of the best parts of our job is seeing the difference in atmosphere between when we arrive to set up in the morning and when we leave much later than afternoon. It can be tricky to start a new job. Whether you’re joining a pre-existing team or a whole department of newbies, it comes with certain trials that may seem daunting at first.
That’s why it’s usually pretty easy for us to tell who the new people are. They tend to be standing an awkward distance from the rest of the group, listening with a glazed expression on their face, or perhaps even talking far too much to cover up their nerves.
We’re happy to say that by the time we leave, the newbies are no longer sticking out like a sore thumb, because they suddenly feel likethey are part of something bigger.
Even if you don’t have time for a full day of team building activities, introducing a few team building ice breaking activities to get everyone talking and connecting is an easy way to get that team buiding process started. Here are four of our favourite activities for breaking the ice and getting those connections started.
Truths and Lies Corporate Event Ice Breaker
In this game, participants tell two truths and one lie, while the others try to guess which is untrue.
When to use this activity
This is a useful option at larger events when many of the group are unfamiliar with each other or when you’ve just welcomed in some new recruits. The more life experience people have, the more outrageous the stories become.
How it works
This game is best played during a team lunch or break, when people have already spoken enough to remember a name or two but not enough to have dug that deep below the surface. Give everyone a few minutes to think of two things which are true about themselves, and one thing which is false. They then take turns to present these ‘facts’ while the other participants try to guess the lie.
What to expect
As everyone shares their guesses, stories about past life experiences and hobbies come out, encouraging an engaging and enjoyable conversation.
Switcheroo
In this game, participants must remember as much as possible about the person they just interviewed.
When to use this activity
This game is best for groups of people who hardly know each other and are still wearing a name tag. This game is ideal for small groups, so if you’re working with a large group of people, be sure to divide them up.
How it works
Once you’ve divided your name-tagged participants into smaller groups, they will then split into pairs to interview each other. They’ll be finding out basic life information, hobbies, families, or you can even think of a set list of questions that they have to find the answer to. When the pairs have finished interviewing each other, they must swap name tags, and the process begins again. However, this time they will be tested on how much they remember.
What they’ll learn
This game fosters good relations, but is also a very effective demonstration of the importance of listening and not just hearing.
Corporate Event Ice Breakers – Whodunit
A classic ‘whodunit’ game where participants have to guess who is responsible for the story on the card.
When to use this activity
This game works equally well with a group of people who know each other as it does with a group of complete strangers. It’s a particularly useful icebreaker when you have some new recruits and want them to see the work atmosphere.
How it works
Split a large group into smaller groups, and give each participant a piece of paper and a pen. Everyone must write down something silly, funny, interesting or outrageous that they have done, and then place it into a container with everyone else’s paper. Participants then take turns to read a story out loud and guess ‘whodunit’, explaining their choice.
What happens next
Laughter is good medicine, and this game calls for lots of it. As the group tries to guess who was responsible for the outrageous or hilarious story, other stories will emerge, and the group will bond over their most embarrassing or proudest moments.
Rock, Paper, Scissors Showdown
This game is the classic Rock, Paper, Scissors, taken to a new and exciting level which makes it a great corporate event ice breaker.
When to use this activity
For this game, the larger the group the better, although it does still work for smaller groups.
How it works
Start by splitting the group into pairs for the first round of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Whoever loses must become the cheerleader for the winner, following that player as they go from round to round. When a player with cheerleaders loses, they and their following must switch allegiances to the new winner. The game ends with a final showdown, with half of the group cheering for one player and the other half cheering for the other.
How they’ll react
This game is a great way to bring everyone’s spirits up, cheering on their champion. It also helps participants focus on turning the negative outcome of losing into a positive, as they ramp up the excitement on the way to the final showdown.
These team building icebreaking activities are easy enough for anyone to use without too much preparation. If you want to arrange an entire day of team building activities, call in the experts at White Rhino Events to make sure everything runs smoothly.