The arrival of a new employee in a team is an important event that should not be taken too casually. That's what Ice Breakers are all about. In order to simplify a new employee's arrival in the company, here are 10 Ice Breakers that are easy to organize and highly efficient to ensure a successful onboarding. The best way is to do it as a whole team. But it is also possible to ask only the newcomer to do it.
Ice Breakers that facilitate exchanges
Here is a list of Ice Breakers that facilitate introductions within a team:
⭐️ The Superpower Presentation
In pairs, each person gets to know his or her partner by asking questions and defining him or her by a superpower. They will then have to present their partner to the group;
🍭 The pack of candy
A pack of colored candy is passed around among the participants. Each color corresponds to a specific question;
✊🏼 Something in common
You can do it with everybody (for small organizations) or in small groups. Each group will have a set amount of time to find as many common points as possible between its members. They will then have to be presented publicly;
👹 Who did what?
Each participant is given a piece of paper where it is written "One day I did...". Each person has to finish the sentence with a meaningful and personal experience. The papers are then shuffled and drawn, and the participants have to guess who did what;
Playful Ice Breakers
If you prefer presentations in the form of games, here is a list that might interest you:
The Marshmallow challenge
In teams, you will have to build a marshmallow structure. At the end, the group will vote for the best building, and share on the experience.
The creation of a toy character
The newcomer is given a Lego box (for example) and is asked to create his character before commenting on his choices. The character will then be placed next to those of other employees.
"Line up".
The facilitator announces an instruction (e.g., "Line up according to the distance you traveled to work") and the group will be asked to do so, paying attention to follow the different instructions.
The circle of names and gestures
In a circle, each participant must say his or her first name and associate it with a gesture. One person starts and then designates another who must do the same. The difficulty of the exercise: remembering how to repeat the first names and gestures of the employees who have introduced themselves previously.
Ice Breakers for remote onboarding
In the context of COVID, remote working has become a norm. Here are some interesting Ice Breakers for remote onboarding:
The image choice 🏙
The facilitator presents a slide with different images and each participant has to choose the one that corresponds the most to them (explaining their choice);
I present you... 💐
Each participant chooses something that is important to them (an animal, a plant, an object, etc.) and presents an associated anecdote to the group.
Please note: these Ice Breakers can be used in an onboarding situation as well as to start a meeting or seminar with people who do not know each other.
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