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Original poster

Good, non-cringey icebreaker type games?

168 replies

Catnary · 30/01/2023 19:40

I’m involved in a work team “Away Day” soon. I’m not the organiser, but I was asked today for suggestions as to how we can get people into the right frame of mind to feel relaxed about contributing ideas to the various discussions.

The group is about 20 people, all levels from very junior to the Big Boss. Roughly even split male/female. Ages from mid twenties to mid fifties. Everyone does more or less the same job, just at different levels of experience/seniority.

It’s all in-person, no remote participants. A few people speak English as a second language but we all work in English.

The criteria are as follows:

Nothing that requires sharing of personal information or feelings.
No popular culture references (so no trivia based on TV, or things like making people guess the celebrity name on a post it on their head).
Possibly with scope to poke mild fun at our work (eg jokes about the bad canteen food or the IT system) but nothing that singles out individuals.
No singing or dancing.
No putting people on the spot (eg “do the next line of this funny story”).
Competition between teams is fine, but more in terms of pooling points than making people work together to do things like build structures or make up a story.

Does anyone have any bright ideas?

My only thoughts (partly after Googling) were:
Pictionary on a big white board, with clues being “things”, actions etc rather than films, songs etc
Everyone writes their name backwards and someone reads them out, team that correctly guesses the most wins.

Does anyone have any suggestions of things you have enjoyed? We really really don’t want to end up with a backlash against “enforced fun” but there needs to be something to make it more dynamic.

PS this is not “AIBU to want to do icebreaker games” inviting a hundred comments about how the whole idea of away days and team building is bollocks. It’s just a plea for ideas!

OP posts:
OriginalUsername2 · 31/01/2023 08:06

MeinKraft · 30/01/2023 22:10

Same. It all sounds like grade A The Apprentice style bollocks.

Show quote history

Why do grown adults in suits put themselves through this?! Building a spaghetti structure! 😫

Original poster
Catnary · 31/01/2023 08:14

OriginalUsername2 · 31/01/2023 08:06

Why do grown adults in suits put themselves through this?! Building a spaghetti structure! 😫

Show quote history

We don’t wear suits any more.

OP posts:
Original poster
Catnary · 31/01/2023 08:16

@FlipFlopBattle

Depending on your industry you have the potential to include relevant inventions?

This is very promising, as our industry has a long history of major technical milestones.

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Games
Newlychosencatservant · 31/01/2023 08:28

@PicaK i had to do this once in group work. I am usually a confident person but I can't throw or catch to save my life. It was excruciating and I just wanted the ground to swallow me up. Still shudder thinking about it!!

OP I'm in agreement with poster above. Put teas, coffees, juice and breakfast rolls etc out and let people mix themselves.

Original poster
Catnary · 31/01/2023 08:29

PicaK · 31/01/2023 07:55

OK so I used to hate icebreakers as they were all in the above style.
Then I experienced the best ever.

Stand in a circle. Organiser gets a large soft ball and throws it to someone close by and says their name as they do so. Reminds everyone they just need to remember who threw to them and who they threw to. And you can only catch throw/once.
Ball goes zig zagging across the circle til it's back to the organiser.
Then you do it faster and then again faster still.
It was silly but without anyone being made fun of, it made people smile. There was no pressure. There was no win. It was pointless apart from the fact it lifted the room.
I'd use it without hesitation.

I like this in some ways but does it not slightly disadvantage the types who were not good at sport and may find throwing and catching quite anxiety-inducing? (Or be an excuse to throw it “accidentally” really hard in the face of that colleague who pissed you off last week)?

OP posts:
Mardyface · 31/01/2023 08:36

People saying just have coffee and biscuits must be the people who haven't attended something like this as the one who started a year ago among those who have been working together for 15 years.

The alternative to the short pain of these types of exercises (and I agree getting people to line up chronologically in some way is the best, least exposing option) is having a group with the energy of an executive swamp all day. Way worse.

Original poster
Catnary · 31/01/2023 08:46

I should also add that the role that everyone does is one which requires a degree of social confidence, because there is quite a lot of presenting and explaining technical things to third parties. So we don’t have anyone who sits in a back room and never has to talk to anyone, though some are keener on the outward-facing side than others, and that is OK.

OP posts:
maddy68 · 31/01/2023 08:53

I honestly don't think there are any non cringe Ice breakers.

One I did that I found really interesting was we had a map of the world. And different coloured pens. We had to draw a line from where we were born , where we went to uni etc. Work and where we are now , and where we would like to retire to

That opened up all kinds of conversation

Foxywood · 31/01/2023 08:57

TheCatterall · 30/01/2023 21:13

We did one at a women’s networking event where we plotted the perfect murder. I have to say it went down well and if I didn’t already know that women can be wily and cunning creatures - I did after that.

also amazing the number of women who have connections with pig farms/breeders.

This gets my vote - and you can separate into as many teams as you want and then vote on the best solution.

CMOTDibbler · 31/01/2023 09:10

From the sounds of it, I think fact bingo is your best bet. I did one at a volunteer training thing, and we all had a sheet with things like 'a para athlete competing at the commonwealth games' 'name a member of the england athletics squad' 'someone who volunteered at London 2012' (obv this was themed for the CW) and you just had to find someone who knew this fact/ had that skill/ experience with no right/wrong answers, just that they said they knew.
No personal information exchanged (though most people offered more), no knowledge needed, but it got you up and moving around and seeing people not on your table

RockingMyFiftiesNot · 31/01/2023 09:12

I've seen this work well:
Split into groups. Give each a sheet of flip chart paper & pens. Only drawing pictures, no words at all, they have to say what they hope to learn about/achieve on the away day, to present to the other teams. They think they will be presenting their own but only after they've finished the chart, you pass the charts around so they have to present another team's. Hard to make it sound as fun as it is but getting people to try and work out what the other team meant can be hilarious .

How about you divide them into 4 teams and they have to come up with ideas for an icebreaker with your specified parameters.

Love this!, will look for a suitable opportunity to use it!

BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn · 31/01/2023 09:25

rainbowpony · 30/01/2023 23:15

I would avoid anything 'silly' - it will always embarrass someone, even something as innocuous as 'tell us a joke'.

Games that are meaningless are just cringey - avoid anything that is trivial as people just feel it's an utter waste of their time.

Don't make people move about the room, go into corners to answer questions etc, it pains most people to even stand up.

My favourite that works brilliantly every time for friendly discussion, meaningful topics and giving people a starting point - is this:

Get a load of coloured lolly sticks and right out random questions on them. People take a stick, and in turn, answer the question. You can do a few, and then pick the next few after the coffee break, and the next few after lunch. It injects a bit of human through the day.

Questions can be:

  1. Tell us about your most memorable job
  2. Proudest work moment
  3. Something unexpected that you learnt from
  4. Tell us what you studied - and if you would have picked something different what would it have been?
  5. What is the personal value that is most important to you?
  6. What's the toughest interview you've ever had?
  7. Tell us about a skill or talent you have
  8. What's your all time favourite movie?
  9. Can you recommend us a book?
10. What's your go to dish to cook?

Sounds like an interview. Horrendous.

we have had a lot of people saying they miss the social aspects of when everyone used to work in the office all the time

So just let them socialise. No need for warm ups - it's not the Olympics.

Original poster
Catnary · 31/01/2023 09:29

BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn · 31/01/2023 09:25

Sounds like an interview. Horrendous.

we have had a lot of people saying they miss the social aspects of when everyone used to work in the office all the time

So just let them socialise. No need for warm ups - it's not the Olympics.

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There is a full evening of socialising afterwards (as well as lunch). Perhaps I should have said “camaraderie” rather than “social aspects” i.e. working in a social way, not just socialising.

OP posts:
BloodAndFire · 31/01/2023 09:31

Catnary · 31/01/2023 09:29

There is a full evening of socialising afterwards (as well as lunch). Perhaps I should have said “camaraderie” rather than “social aspects” i.e. working in a social way, not just socialising.

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You're making them spend the whole day doing this AND THEN an entire evening of "socialising" as well?

Fuck me, this gets worse.

I have never been to an 'away day' like this where I wasn't counting down the minutes to 5pm.

Sparklingbrook · 31/01/2023 09:35

I don't think that there's any ice breakers that everyone will love. Catching a ball in front of people-I'd be the one dropping it.

When the facilitator says 'divide into groups' I'm immediately transported back to school dreading what task is to come. Especially when the bit where you have to 'elect a spokeperson' for the group.

I think the least worst I had to do was a quick round of 'tell us something surprising about yourself' or something. Quick and relatively painless, although I was so busy trying to think of something I didn''t really listen to anyone else's answers.

These things take up so much time and you could be getting on with the learning bit and go home sooner.

Original poster
Catnary · 31/01/2023 09:35

BloodAndFire · 31/01/2023 09:31

You're making them spend the whole day doing this AND THEN an entire evening of "socialising" as well?

Fuck me, this gets worse.

I have never been to an 'away day' like this where I wasn't counting down the minutes to 5pm.

Show quote history

The evening is optional. And believe it or not, everyone gets paid for the day 😀

OP posts:
Original poster
Catnary · 31/01/2023 09:36

Sparklingbrook · 31/01/2023 09:35

I don't think that there's any ice breakers that everyone will love. Catching a ball in front of people-I'd be the one dropping it.

When the facilitator says 'divide into groups' I'm immediately transported back to school dreading what task is to come. Especially when the bit where you have to 'elect a spokeperson' for the group.

I think the least worst I had to do was a quick round of 'tell us something surprising about yourself' or something. Quick and relatively painless, although I was so busy trying to think of something I didn''t really listen to anyone else's answers.

These things take up so much time and you could be getting on with the learning bit and go home sooner.

Thing is though. @Sparklingbrook, it’s nit a “learning” day. We run training separately, which is completely different. This is about discussion and joint planning.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 31/01/2023 09:37

And believe it or not, everyone gets paid for the day

I should hope so, time and a half at least for that.

Sparklingbrook · 31/01/2023 09:38

Catnary · 31/01/2023 09:36

Thing is though. @Sparklingbrook, it’s nit a “learning” day. We run training separately, which is completely different. This is about discussion and joint planning.

Show quote history

So you could be getting on with discussion and joint planning instead of playing games.

PithyUsername · 31/01/2023 09:43

In an established team its a little different to complete strangers.

If in advance you get them to submit the interesting fact (So they're not put on the spot) and then pull them randomly out of a hat and get them to guess who it is. We did this, it was a lot less cringe, and it was fun speculating who was each one.

It was interesting to see how many people thought that "Janet" had a pink feather mumu or was a published author, or hated the texture of peaches.

In the end it didn't matter about the fact, the wrong answers got people engaged and chatting.

follyfoot37 · 31/01/2023 09:47

No-one in the history of the world likes 'ice-breakers'. If adults, particularly from the same company/environment cannot talk to each other without such nonsense, they shouldn't be in a job.
Having said that, If it was quiet, I would sometimes drop a 'discuss' bomb before the day began - something lightly contentious such as 'should nurses go back to wearing 'proper' uniforms'?
Never failed

Sparklingbrook · 31/01/2023 09:47

PithyUsername · 31/01/2023 09:43

In an established team its a little different to complete strangers.

If in advance you get them to submit the interesting fact (So they're not put on the spot) and then pull them randomly out of a hat and get them to guess who it is. We did this, it was a lot less cringe, and it was fun speculating who was each one.

It was interesting to see how many people thought that "Janet" had a pink feather mumu or was a published author, or hated the texture of peaches.

In the end it didn't matter about the fact, the wrong answers got people engaged and chatting.

I think I could get on board with that one it sounds nice and quick at least.

WeWereInParis · 31/01/2023 09:47

Sparklingbrook · 31/01/2023 09:37

And believe it or not, everyone gets paid for the day

I should hope so, time and a half at least for that.

Why would you get paid time and a half? It sounds like it's very close to the office and in normal work hours. Except for the optional evening stuff. Just because it's no one's favourite thing to do doesn't mean you need extra pay.

BloodAndFire · 31/01/2023 09:50

Catnary · 31/01/2023 09:35

The evening is optional. And believe it or not, everyone gets paid for the day 😀

Show quote history

You described it as a full evening of socialising. Why would anyone want to spend the whole evening 'socialising' with the same people they've just spent the whole day with?

Are they getting paid for the evening too?

And I'm sure there won't be any pressure to carry on with the totally optional 'full evening'...

Sparklingbrook · 31/01/2023 09:51

WeWereInParis · 31/01/2023 09:47

Why would you get paid time and a half? It sounds like it's very close to the office and in normal work hours. Except for the optional evening stuff. Just because it's no one's favourite thing to do doesn't mean you need extra pay.

Show quote history

I wasn't entirely serious just thinking about some reward for being made to feel uncomfortable as part of the working day.
When I attended these things we had all expenses/food travel paid at least.