An icebreaker is an activity or game used to welcome attendees and generate conversation. They are a great way to reduce or eliminate certain barriers to conversation between guests and facilitators who are unfamiliar with one another.
Ask quick questions related to the current state of working from home, such as:
For a complete list of icebreakers, download the Icebreaker Sheet.
Start your virtual huddle or meeting by having everyone share their rose (any positive thing that makes you feel grateful, happy, etc.) and their thorn (a challenge). A rose can be work or non-work related along with their thorn.
For a complete list of icebreakers, download the Icebreakers Sheet.
Have the team take a photo of an object, or objects, in their workspace. These can be things like a fidget toy, a coffee mug, a family photo, cool art, a certificate, anything. The team can email you (whoever is leading the meeting) their photo (or upload to our group chat on teams when we start the video call) with little descriptions so that you can share them during the meeting. This could spark some interesting and fun dialogue in what everyone is like. Do they have kids? Are they super organized? Do they work on their couch? (hopefully not if they read our working remote tips).
For a complete list of icebreakers, download the Icebreaker Sheet.
A creative and numerical strategy to get to know people.
Step by step instructions:
For a complete list of icebreakers, download the Icebreakers Sheet.
Tiny Campfire
For a complete list of icebreakers, download the Icebreaker Sheet.
Myers Briggs is a self-report inventory designed to identify an individual's personality type. This assessment is useful for increasing self-awareness and understanding others that can be applied to team building and improved communication.
Use these team resources to facilitate a discussion or supplement a team meeting.
Creative problem solving and tackling the big challenges is in our Heritage DNA. Explore some of our favorite tools and frameworks to overcome barriers to creativity, innovative thinking, brainstorming, and more!
The most important element of feedback is that it is constructive with the goal of improving behavior or advancing a shared objective. Understanding how to best receive feedback and to apply constructive tools when delivering feedback is vital to team success
It's important that everyone feels like they can freely share ideas in meetings and conversations as an environment of comfort and trust allows for more innovative solutions to problems.