Ice breakers

Icebreakers are techniques used at the beginning of a session to help participants relax and get to know each other.

Activity examples (general):

 

Introduce Myself

Participants introduce themselves and tell why they are attending the training course. Variations: Participants tell where they first heard about the course, how they became interested in the subject of hepatitis C, their occupation, favourite television program, the best book they have read in the last year or which football team they follow.

Name Game

Participants introduce themselves and explain what they know about their name and why they were give their name (e.g. I was named after my Dad’s favourite actress). It could be the first, middle or nickname.

Introduce Another

Divide the group into pairs. Each person talks about him/herself to the other, sometimes with specific instructions to share a certain piece of information. For example, "The one thing I am particularly proud of is..." After five minutes, the participants introduce the other person to the rest of the class.

Character Descriptions

Each participant writes one or two adjectives describing themselves. Put these on a stick-on badge. Participants need to find someone with similar or opposite adjectives and talk for five minutes with the other person.

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Introductory “Surprise”

Each participant introduces themselves by name and/or organisation and says one thing about themselves which they think others might be surprised to hear. The facilitator has to go first to set the level of disclosure appropriate. You expect things like strange hobbies or funny events in their lives. People love talking about themselves.

I've Done Something You Haven't Done

Each participant introduces themselves and then states something they have done that they think no one else in the group would have done. If someone else has also done it, the student must think of something else until he/she finds something that no one else has done.

Find Someone

Each participant writes on a blank index card one to three statements, such as favourite colour, interest or holiday destination. Pass out the cards so everyone has someone else's card. Have that person find the person with their card and introduce themselves.

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Famous Person

Participant writes a famous name on a piece of paper and pins it on someone else's back. Person tries to guess what name is pinned on his/her by asking others around the room yes or no questions. Variation: Use famous place instead of famous person.

Questions Ice Breaker

Prepare a question sheet before the session, which will involve writing 5 questions on a sheet of paper such as:

  1. Someone who has had a broken arm.
  2. Someone who has been overseas.
  3. Someone who is wearing green.
  4. Someone who has a brother.
  5. Someone who likes Chinese food.

Ask participants to go around the room and fill in the names of people who fit the questions.

The Piece Of Rope

Lie a piece of rope on the floor, at one end have a piece of paper with “agree” written and the other end with “disagree” written. Ask the group particular questions or statements and get them to stand somewhere on the rope that represents their opinion in response to the question/statement. They can stand in the middle or anywhere on the line. After each question get some of the group to talk about why they stood where they did on the line.

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Activity examples (hepatitis C or health related):

Stigma Line

This activity is not really an icebreaker but good to do after lunch prior to a session on discrimination.

  1. Each person picks a slip of paper with the description of a person with hepatitis C.
  2. They then have to arrange themselves in a line from “angel” at one end to “scum bag” at the other.
  3. They need to discuss with their neighbours whether they are more or less
    angelic than them and so there is a fair bit of moving along the line
    and animated debate. It is based on what the ordinary person might feel about their character, not what the participants feel themselves.
  4. Once all participants are happy with their positions they read out their character and a discussion ensues on how that person might experience stigma. The facilitator has to be a bit confrontational for example calling the man whose slip says "No risk factors - don't know how I caught it" a liar, and the nurse who caught it through a work related needle stick "incompetent" and would you want to be cared for by her now she's infectious.
  5. There are about 30 character slips and select them for each session based on the make up of my audience and the learning outcomes I want from the session.

Brainstorming

This is a group activity that helps to establish the level of knowledge of the group and also allows exploration of the myths and facts around hepatitis C. Ask participants to brainstorm the words they associate with hepatitis C and the words they think people in the general community associate with hepatitis C. Write the words on the whiteboard or butchers paper.

An extension of this exercise includes participants listing their questions about hepatitis C: what they want to know about hepatitis C. This is good for exploring the myths that surround hepatitis C and establish the facts.

Sexual Health Ice Breaker

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This ice breaker should only be used with mature young students and in a sexual health context.

  1. Walk around the group and hand out about 1 condom to 5 students randomly (make sure other students aren't aware of what you are doing).
  2. Ask all the students to walk around the room and shake hands. (The exercise of shaking hands represents having sex).
  3. After the students have walked around the room "introducing themselves", ask them to sit down.
  4. Ask one person to stand up. You can now ask anyone who shook hands (slept with) this person to stand up. Once they have stood up you can mention that this person actually had an STI and that it has been passed on to each person that shook hands with this person.
  5. Obviously anyone who was given a condom at the start of the lesson will not have caught the STI. Then you will find that nearly the whole room has stood up because most people would have shaken hands with someone who slept with first person and so on.
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Other resources:

There are thousands of books and websites dedicated to ice breaker activities and games. Conducting a search on www.google.com.au and/or www.amazon.com is a good starting point.

http://wilderdom.com/games/Icebreakers.html
http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/classmanagement/icebreakers.html