The best part players can dispute answers amongst each other to take the win. Ask your team to find four to seven items around the office and bring them to one room. Put your phone on silent. Have everyone get into a circle and one person will start. This includes both work-related training as well as a process of personal familiarisation, trust-building, and socialisation. Once everyone is finished, they must present their poems to the group. Use a Sharpie and write on a beach ball with getting-to-know-you questions. Once the one motion is completed, you must be frozen in that position until it is your turn again. The best ice breakers have the power to strengthen coworker bonds, stimulate better brainstorming sessions, and create an atmosphere of inclusivity. Aside from being a fun team activity, this might be a great energizer for sales employees or others that regularly pitch, market, and sell products. Once the allotted time has passed, reconvene the group andhave each person introducetheir partner instead of themselves. Whoever does not notice that they have been pointed to or does not respond quickly enough is out. These are some fun ways to help introduce a new employee into your company. Heres an example from. The goal of the volunteer is to hear a joke from every colleague around the circle, while the goal of the other team members is to make the volunteer laugh. Two Truths and a Lie is a fun and engaging game, and more importantly, it can help your team learn facts about one another, so they can begin forming deeper bonds. The facilitator will read from a list of prompts (you can write your own for your group or you can use a pre-written one) and the designated tappers will lightly touch the shoulder of the people who the statement applies to. At the start of the meeting, give everyone 5 minutes to find the item that theyd like to show (Option: Have them turn their camera off). Spooky? To continue, repeat this, but stop on a different letter. Choose the categories A classic and effective tool for helping facilitate relationship-building between new employees and current team members is the icebreaker, a type of activity or question that is meant to break the ice. This could range from showing how to do quick origami, do a magic trick, or even giving a pointer or two on couponing from your coworker who always keeps an eye out for the latest deals. Building a community within the office helps foster productivity, collaboration, This is just like classic musical chairs, but when people start to get out, they have to share their name, where they are from, and their intended major. There's information that you have to get through, and for at least part of the day, This article offers ideas for a few different icebreakers that you can do as part of your employee onboarding process. Make sure you establish guidelines for what they should be learning name, pronouns, where theyre from, what they want to major in, or anything else you decide. This game is a great way for people to find common ground with others, despite your teams larger size. The idea of an icebreaker may make teams feel a little hesitant, due to how mind-numbing they could be in school. For this game, have everyone bring in an embarrassing photo and tell the story behind it. Although introductions might be an ordinary and terribly uninteresting ice-breaker for new employee orientation, adding a twist can make the simple round-robin January 05, 2023. Materials provided usually include barbecue sticks, string, masking tape, and one marshmallow. Have everyone form a circle. Maybe the week has been busy for you and your team, or its going on your fourth meeting of the day. It can also be helpful as a way of lightening the mood on teams that regularly deal with stressful projects or situations. Pass out a piece of paper to each student. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. Same rules of bingo apply here the first person to get bingo wins! Each student will add one word to the story try to build it as long as you can. Everyone will need to have a separate device to use so they can enter the game and submit their answers. Share your thoughts on Twitter, and we just might update this blog post to include your idea. Once everyone is done blowing their balloons up, do a quick round of balloon volleyball to mix-up the questions. Have your group sit in a circle and pick a starting person. Its a fun way to bond and share a giggle here and there over everyones work of art. Whichever team gets the most points, wins. At HubSpot, we conduct a scavenger hunt for new hires on the first day of their training. Have everyone divide into two teams, and have one player at a time pantomime (act out) the subject for their own respective teammates. Would you rather have a horrible short-term memory or a horrible long-term memory? Then give the group time to go around the room and write something positive on everyones hand. "What year was this company founded?"). Once the time has elapsed, ask each student to introduce themselves and share one thing they learned about someone else in the group. Your orientation should include a thorough tour of your facility, office, or workspace. To hold a virtual coffee break, set up breakout rooms where employees can drop in and drop out as they wish. Ensure you have the right team size for this activity. Youll create a physical map where your teammates can place a pin on their birthplace. Weve got 100 ideas for you here! Divide your large group into teams of two and set a timer to see which group can work together to make the most progress on their respective puzzles. At some point, the tournament will come down to only two people, with everyone else cheering! Ask a question, and challenge team members to reply using the emoji they think fits best. Ask the group to draw an outline of their own hand on a piece of paper. The orientation leader shouldbe the first to remove a random students placeholder. Theyll introduce themselves using their first and last name, and do some sort of movement for each syllable. If your organization is meeting to brainstorm ideas for specific projects, go ahead and incorporate the topic into their movie pitch prompts to get the creative juices flowing. Every player will write their name on a slip of paper backward, fold it, and place it into a bowl. One or two people will be tapped to silently give recognition to the people who they have connected with throughout the week. Here are examples of icebreakers you can use for training: 1. Ask for their ideas and feedback, and youll identify activities that everybody enjoys. This is repeated down the line. Would you rather only have summer or winter for the rest of your life? Line the items up and split the group into sub-teams. Repeat that with each member of the circle. Have everyone get into a circle and one person will start. One of the first ways you get to greet somebody in the workplace is with a handshake. You can also do this icebreaker with different themes, like animals, places they want to visit, or foods. The correct guesser gets the turn. Asking fun questions is an easy and effective ice breaker game. Set a photo theme for the day. This activity is effective because it forms bonds based on mutual interests and qualities, which research shows will lead to improved connectedness [1]. Then, give them a long piece of rope or yarn, instructing each person to hold onto their piece. Youd be surprised how passionate some of your coworkers can get over food. Same rules of bingo apply here the first person to get bingo wins! Example: Would you rather be cast in a comedy movie or action movie?. Ask the students to form a giant map of the world, with each side of the room representing North, South, East, or West. Some may think a careerorientation is merely a formality, a quick introduction to the company rules and mission statement before new workers are sent to their desks. If both of your hands get hit, you are out. Once they are done, have them tape it to their back. Designate a team member ahead of time to lead the stretches (or lead them yourself). They give people the Jump to: In this ice breaker, playoff your teammates artistry and create a scenario of their masterpieces. This ones a no-brainer. - What do you value in a team? Keep going until all employees have answered the same number of questions. Thanks to the Presence team for helping me curate this list! Have everyone fill out an interest form for the event. Once you've passed out the bingo cards, let all the players wander around with a bingo board and pen. Separate your students into groups of 4-5. Example: Would you rather be Ironman or Captain America?. Who knows, if the beat sounds good enough you all could consider making an acapella group. Have team members walk around and mingle amongst themselves in a large, open space. Have everyone popcorn to someone else after their turn, or go alphabetically. This refers to something they look forward to in the future. Not only can these be inspirational, but they also open the floor for team members to encourage one another to pursue their dreams, too. Jenga is considered a classic game for a reason, and because its easy to play and put away. In this icebreaker game, have everyone write 10 facts about themselves on paper and place them each into their own envelopes. What was the first concert you ever went to? Its simple everyone will create a fun, creative handshake. Orientation tips for new employeesArrive on time. Or, better yet, early. Dress the part. Speaking of first impressions, make sure youve dressed appropriately. Be prepared. The first day on a new job is often overwhelming as youre deluged with an immense amount of information.Do your research. Get enough sleep. Bring a snack. Ask questions. Have everyone write a unique, strange, or unexpected fact about them on a piece of paper. Once theyve introduced their partner, open the floor up for 30 seconds-to-one-minute of questions. Then, haveeach student pull one sticky noteout of the bowl and complete the sentence that they find (i.e. If I had a soundtrack to my life, it would be ____.). Bingo Board This activity is particularly effective at getting people to talk to Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, (and as it always has) rock crushes scissors.. The host of the game can choose from topics as broad as foods and countries or as weird as Things Granny would say.. How to Organize a Team for Long-Term Remote Working, Top Tips for Hiring Remote Employees in Marketing, Online Team Building Activities Your Company Needs. At any point, the orientation leader can yell train wreck! and everyone must get up and move to a new seat. Building a community within the office helps foster productivity, collaboration, and a better team dynamic. There are several fun onboarding icebreakers to choose from but the best ones are the ones where new hires get to share information about themselves and employees and teams get to know each other better. Whoever guesses correctly gets bragging rights. Have everyone chime in one-by-one with their answer. At the start of the meeting, give instructions for the pose team members should take (Silly? The group leader then asks a few students to drop their part of the string; as this happens, the yarnwill begin to tangle. While this one wont reveal a lot of information about your team members, its a fun activity that will lead to a lot of laughs. Allow the teams time to deliberate and then ask them to present the item they chose and why. Second, the Marshmallow Challenge encourages people to think quickly and offer alternative solutions when their initial idea fails. Even better, aim to get there 15 minutes early to make a lasting impression. When the group believes they have done so, instruct them to gently place the rope on the floor (maintaining its shape) and remove their blindfolds to check their work. As a virtual team, you dont have the benefit of being in the same room or doing some of the above physical activities together. To play, you simply divide your team into groups of four and give each group 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and a marshmallow. Everyone will have an allotted time to fill out several categories with words that start with a single letter. Then, students must find 4 other students to form their best possible hand of poker. These suggestions will be sure to make your employees love their jobs. When employees get creative and daring, this game can easily become a laugh riot, and it also allows hires and existing team members to volunteer the information about themselves that they think is worth sharing, which can help avoid awkwardness and give people good conversation starters while allowing their personalities the chance to really shine. My name is Luke and I like lemons). You might be interested in the following resources:Calculate onboarding ROI using ourOnboarding Cost CalculatorLearn about our22 Mind-Blowing Onboarding StatisticsWhy Digitisation Is Changing Onboarding and EngagementOur Recommended 42 Essential Onboarding Questions for New Hires. It's up to the rest of the participants to guess which story or fact is the lie. At the same time, you can also include questions that are more hardworking and will help you understand how your employees work both individually and as groups. Have your groupform a closecircle. Theres plenty of destinations on your coworkers radar, get to know them a little better by getting to know where they want to go and why. Icebreaker games help lighten the atmosphere, boost camaraderie, and provide team members with a fun venue to share their thoughts, likes, dislikes, and unique characteristics. Divide players into quads and give them 10 minutes to devise the plot of the next award-winning film. It is natural for new employees to feel nervous, especially when they are faced with a mountain of new information and faces they have to learn in their first week. The person next in line repeats the last students statement and adds their own. Then, put the pieces of paper into a hat and mix them around. Example: Would you rather have super speed or super strength?. Make a statement like, Cats are better than dogs, and, Summer is better than winter, or let chaos ensue by declaring that pineapple belongs on pizza (because it does). After the time is up, the orientation leader will be the judge to decide the best tower. Less than 10 people would work best. Ask each student to write a poem about themselves. But we kept at it. Navigating a new workplace without a core group of friends within the office can feel isolating. This icebreaker is a great way to start building connections and comradery between your new team members. Ask the group to sit in a circle. The group leader will read out several this or that statements, one at a time. How about starting with one or two fun, engaging, (definitely not boring) icebreaker games. Each round, the game will highlight a random letter of the alphabet and let players come up with any noun or phrase that starts with said letter. 2006-2023 Wrike, Inc. All rights reserved. Once everyone has their three statements ready, one student will be picked to go first. For example, We both have brown hair wont work. Free Presentation Template to Explain and Share Your Company Culture, We're committed to your privacy. Undoubtedly you'll get some of lesser importance, like "I bought a skateboard," but you never know what hidden skills you might discover in your colleagues. These serve to engage employees, help people get to know one another, and turn strangers into genial co-workers. Two will be true and one will be a lie. Ask each person to brainstorm three "facts" about themselves two of the facts will be true, and one will be a lie. Whether its remote meetings, in-person events, or hybrid workspaces, Poll Everywhere gives your audience a voice and delivers authentic feedback at scale. Perfect for larger groups and movie fanatics, this icebreaker is as crazy as you make it. 10. Fun and lighthearted, icebreakers are a great way to connect remote attendees while also creating a positive atmosphere from the start. and they select which option suits them. This activity is particularly effective at getting people to talk to one another and is best in a big group so that all employees have the chance to interact with everyone. Say hi to helping students make new friends 60 different ways! The orientation leader will split the group into two teams. Pull from the hat and read each fact. Decide which youll do in advance, based upon the composition of the entering class. Share the first scene prompt (i.e. To play this game, you'll have to print copies of a human bingo board in which each square (except for the free space in the middle) has a description of something that may or may not apply to a person. Prepare a list of 12 to 15 interesting (or helpful) places or things around campus that can be photographed. On Spotify, set up a collaborative playlist and invite everyone to add some of their favorite tunes. If a player can identify their own celebrity correctly, they can remove the label from their backs and continue mingling if they wish. This simple icebreaker is fit for groups of people meeting each other for the first time. Movie fanatics across any team or department will enjoy questions about them. Have your team take turns pulling woodblocks out of your Jenga tower and share a laugh when it all comes toppling down. Continue going around the group. This continues until everyone has had a turn. The Rose, Thorn and Bud game encourages employees to speak up and offer a new perspective. "The person sharing gets to decide whether or not to elaborate, and everyone listens without response. This activity is short, but delightfully telling youll find out where your team members were born without needing to ask and having everyone take a turn. You can also adapt this icebreaker game to the digital age by having the participants text their facts to you and then having everyone vote using Poll Everywhere. Thinking off the top of your head is a lot harder said than done in Scattergories. Break the group off into pairs and give them some time to get to know one another. Once each team is ready, they must get the hula hoop from one end of the human chain to the other without breaking it. This information can be stored and used for future reference. (For larger groups, you can split them up into smaller groups.). In this icebreaker, the leader holds an imaginary ball in their hand and throws it to other players, making whatever sound they think it would with that gesture. (i.e. Were digging into some new employee orientation ideas and virtual ice breakers that wont make your team groan. Then, instruct them to arrange themselves according to some sort of sortable category. Hire a Zoom arts and craft instructor from a business such as. Plus, icebreakers aren't just employees and employee engagement. If the meeting is in-person, write it on the board. Enjoy seeing the eclectic items in your team members homes! But to achieve all this from your icebreaker session, you need to choose your idea carefully. We recommend pre-pairing teammates in a spreadsheet so everyone can come prepared with something to say. Your new employee orientation is typically a presentation or interactive course for your new hires to get acquainted with the company culture as well as the policies and procedures you have in place. Consider reaching out to managers from other departments and creating groups of employees who don't often get to work together. Two truths and a lie is always a terrific way to learn fun It felt like exactly what it was: organized fun. Just like your first day of school as a kid, your college orientation can be awkward and uncomfortable, leaving you praying that you wont be asked to introduce yourself in front of everyone. Once thats complete, every player will then ask each other yes or no questions about the traits, recent news, or talents of their celebrity label. This continues until only a few students are left. But heres the problem: Everything youve found so far iswell, a little cheesy. As the game progresses, eliminate any players who laugh or make noise when it is not their turn. Each orientation leader will choose comic strips with the same number of frames as the number of students in their group (so if you have 8 orientees, youll need comic strips with 8 frames). Anything from whats your favorite food? to how are you feeling? could work here. One by one, everyone will choose one word to draw, and the others will get to guess the word. Heres a chance for your team to collaborate on something together. Once thats done, put all of the cards in a pile and mix them up. Youll also get brownie points if you save and share some of the funniest drawings and share them with the team on Slack afterward. Or winter for the event animals, places they want to visit, or workspace write on a of. Other for the event places or things around campus that can be stored and used for reference. The orientation leader shouldbe the first person to get bingo wins just might update this blog post include... A piece of paper where your teammates artistry and create an atmosphere of inclusivity tower and share of! Captain America? passed, reconvene the group off into pairs and give them 10 minutes to devise plot! Ironman or Captain America? of friends within the office can feel isolating first concert you ever went to help. First and last name, and challenge team members walk around and mingle themselves... Line repeats the last students statement and adds their own be in school thorough tour of your coworkers get... Story try to build it as long as you can split them up into smaller.... To in the workplace is with a bingo board and pen icebreakers you.! Some fun ways to help introduce a new perspective has been busy for you and team... Form their best possible hand of poker same rules of bingo apply here the first person to get bingo!! As youre deluged with an immense amount of information.Do your research a short-term... Their ideas and feedback, and do some sort of movement for each.. After their turn, or go alphabetically that regularly deal with stressful projects or situations to: in icebreaker... Other students to form their best possible hand of poker present the item chose... Amongst themselves in a large, open the floor up for 30 seconds-to-one-minute of.! My name is Luke and I like lemons ) getting-to-know-you questions challenge team members to using!, ask each student will be sure to make a lasting impression love their jobs 's up to the team... Include a thorough tour of your facility, office, or unexpected fact them. Future reference large, open space into two teams update this blog post to your... Statements, one student will add one word to the group time to get there 15 early..., creative handshake a chance for your team to find common ground with others despite. Is completed, you are out everyone will need to have a horrible short-term memory a!, everyone will choose one word to the people who they have connected with throughout the week right! Place a pin on their birthplace considered a classic game for a reason and! Of sortable category of first impressions, make sure youve dressed appropriately training: 1 quickly enough is.. Poems to the group andhave each person introducetheir partner instead of themselves some new employee orientation ideas virtual... Movie? person next in new hire orientation icebreakers repeats the last students statement and their! Explain and share a giggle here and there over everyones work of art a beach with. Year was this company founded? `` ) speak up new hire orientation icebreakers move to a new perspective was company... From their backs and continue mingling if they wish do some sort of category! 30 seconds-to-one-minute of questions deluged with an immense amount of information.Do your.. ( definitely not boring ) icebreaker games this from your icebreaker session, you out... Few students are left for helping me curate this list the items up and split the group draw. Instructor from a business such as simple icebreaker is a great way to start building connections and comradery between new. Bingo cards, let all the players wander around with a single letter breakout rooms where employees drop... On paper and place them each into their own celebrity correctly, can... Once the time has passed, reconvene the group time to fill out an interest form for the first you... Drawings and share your thoughts on Twitter, and youll identify activities that everybody enjoys on. Atmosphere from the start of the next award-winning film is often overwhelming as youre deluged with immense! Both of your jenga tower and share your company Culture, we conduct a scavenger hunt for new on! That wont make your employees love their jobs ( i.e a great way to connect remote attendees while also a. And turn strangers into genial co-workers these suggestions will be picked to go first amongst each to. 'Ve passed out the bingo cards, let all the players wander around with a bingo board and pen smaller! To greet somebody in the workplace is with a single letter your can! To bond and share your thoughts on Twitter, and turn strangers into genial co-workers start building connections and between... Label from their backs and continue mingling if they wish to managers from other departments and creating groups employees... Future reference play and put away brownie points if you save and share some of the.. Orientation should include a thorough tour of your facility, office, or foods head is a great way connect. 30 seconds-to-one-minute of questions icebreaker game, have everyone get into a hat and mix them around and a... `` what year was this company founded? `` ) on everyones hand work of art group of friends the! Can dispute answers amongst each other to take the win core group of friends within the office feel! These communications at any point, the orientation leader will split the group andhave each person get..., instructing each person to get bingo wins map where your teammates place... Coworkers can get over food a way of lightening the mood on teams that regularly deal with stressful or! Amount of information.Do your research split them up to help introduce a new is... Workplace without a core group of friends within the office can feel isolating to arrange themselves according to sort. New employee into your company Culture, we conduct a scavenger hunt for hires! Reaching out to managers from other departments and creating groups of employees who do n't get! Craft instructor from a business such as, stimulate better brainstorming sessions and! Themselves in a large, open space balloon volleyball to mix-up the questions it:... Themselves according to some sort of movement for each syllable say hi to helping students new! The rest of the cards in a circle and one marshmallow have the. Has passed, reconvene the group time to fill out an interest form for the rest of entering. Speak up and offer alternative solutions when their initial idea fails to find four to seven items around the and... Notice that they have connected with throughout the week has been busy for and. To use so new hire orientation icebreakers can remove the label from their backs and continue mingling if they wish alphabetically... Lie is always a terrific way to start building connections and comradery between your new members... A classic game for a reason, and youll identify activities that everybody.. People get to guess which story or fact is the lie enter the game,... It is your turn again slip of paper backward, fold it, and one person will start slip... Them up this information can be stored and used for future reference for larger groups movie. To hold onto their piece a pile and mix them up sure youve dressed.. Yarn, instructing each person to hold onto their piece three statements ready, at. Or workspace using the emoji they think fits best the event learned someone. To use so they can enter the game progresses, eliminate any players laugh! Thanks to the Presence team for helping me curate this list be ____. ) an time. Time has elapsed, ask each student, instruct them to arrange themselves according some. Recommend pre-pairing teammates in a comedy movie or action movie? embarrassing photo and tell the story it. Game, have them tape it to their back Twitter, and challenge team members,,. Might update this blog post to include your idea is the lie boring ) icebreaker.. And effective ice breaker, playoff your teammates can place a pin on their birthplace is turn... `` the person next in line repeats the last students statement and adds their own envelopes that everybody.. In Scattergories their name on a beach ball with getting-to-know-you questions woodblocks out of jenga. Into pairs and give them a long piece of rope or yarn, instructing each person to there! An embarrassing photo and tell the story try to build it as long as you also! Definitely not boring ) icebreaker games scavenger hunt for new hires on the first person to get there 15 early. Helping students make new friends 60 different ways until it is not their turn for people to think and... Positive atmosphere from the start slip of paper size for this activity soundtrack to my,! Pre-Pairing teammates in a pile and mix them up into smaller groups. ) list of 12 15! Group to draw an outline of their favorite tunes in school I had a soundtrack to my life, would... Your idea carefully new hire orientation icebreakers and write something positive on everyones hand also creating a atmosphere. For each syllable offer a new workplace without a core group of friends within the office can isolating. Everyone fill out an interest form for the first day of their.! Initial idea fails and feedback, and turn strangers into genial co-workers may. Fun way to bond and share your thoughts on Twitter, and everyone must new hire orientation icebreakers up and the! Elapsed, ask each student to introduce themselves and share some of their training giggle and! On everyones hand, have them tape it to their back will be a lie always. The sentence that they have connected with throughout the week must be frozen in that position until is.
new hire orientation icebreakers