Over the course of my professional career in both finance and leadership consulting, I have acquired several icebreaker activities that worked particularly well in getting professionals from diverse backgrounds comfortable enough with one another where meaningful interpersonal work could then begin.  These icebreakers have been used consistently in different organizations and with a variety of teams; moreover, when I moved out of the finance industry and began using use these same icebreakers with youth and adolescents, I saw strikingly similar results.  

As an organizational development maven, I love using icebreakers with groups.  In my experience, there’s no better way to get a team focused on accomplishing an often silly task, sharpen communication skills, or get to know one another through this creative exercise.  What is often even more magical is the level of robust conversation that is able to take place after an effective team icebreaker activity.  The icebreaker activities listed here will include descriptions of the activity, illustrations of use, and personal anecdotes.  As a result of many of these being collected over a period of about 20 years, the original source is not always clear, but as much as possible, a link to an online source will be provided.