Icebreakers—Presentation Skills & Games

Designing Your Own Icebreakers

Sometimes “canned” icebreakers or warm-ups just don't fit the need, and a trainer must either design his or her own—or not use the tool. Training consultant Marie Morgan provides the following guide on designing icebreakers for specific courses:

The central principle in designing content-related icebreakers is to make certain the icebreaker is integral to both the subject and the purpose of the day.

Once the importance of the icebreaker is established, trainers can ask “subquestions” such as “How high or low is the trust level of the group?” and “When in the sequence shall I plan to use this activity?” Answers to these questions also can indicate the size of the group each person will speak to—for example, a partner, ...