The Renewed Value Of Icebreakers

Key takeaways from group exercises in a post-pandemic world

By Jim Cain

“We live in a time when things valued in the past, like socializing,

playing games together, hugging, shaking hands, and even physical proximity

have become a source of anxiety and fear for some people. We need to

reintroduce these skills and experiences (lest they be lost)

in the safest framework that we can!”

--Martin Williams, U.K.-based author

© Rawpixelimages | Dreamstime.com

I was invited to facilitate a series of workshops for a statewide, high-school leadership program. The participants included teachers, advisors, staff members, community volunteers, and students. It was the first time the group had gathered since the coronavirus pandemic, and after three years none of the students had attended in person before.

One of the first outdoor workshops was intended to help students get to know each other, but it was apparent they were uncomfortable mingling with other students outside their regional bubbles. Suddenly, the icebreakers and opening activities I typically share at the beginning of a program were in danger of being ineffective and perhaps even worse inappropriate for a group that, less than a month earlier, had still been masking, self-isolating, and social-distancing.

Fortunately, during the pandemic, I had reviewed my playlist and identified activities that created social connection while maintaining physical distancing.

I engaged the students by switching gears and inviting them to participate at whatever level they felt most comfortable. I substituted activities that typically bring participants into close contact (shaking hands, linking elbows, forming small groups, and social dancing) for activities that allowed greater distance between participants.

My take-away from this experience was that icebreakers and other opening activities are now even more important in a post-pandemic world as we re-build, re-connect, and re-engage members of a community. But, to do so, we must be intentional in how we share our favorite activities.

Connection Before Content

Prior to the pandemic and especially within the camp community, I seldom had difficulty engaging campers and staff in these activities. If anything, they seemed eager to participate. Over the years I worked hard to find a wide variety of high-quality activities, some with music, singing, and dancing, others with partners, trios, and small groups, and some with equipment, some without.            

Fast-forward to the present day, and participants have had a substantially different life-experience post-pandemic. Bobbi Beale, a licensed clinical psychologist, suggests the pandemic is the largest universal trauma event in the history of the world, and as an observer of group dynamics, I have seen many things change in how individuals behave in large groups.

The good news is there is still a need, perhaps now more than ever, to create environments where participants in programs can connect with each other. 

Some of the most recent innovations in community-building came about in the virtual world. In-person facilitators and group leaders learned how to take their real-world activities and present them to virtual audiences. And one of the first recommendations emerging from virtual facilitation was the concept of connection before content. Before sharing whatever content was planned for an event, members were allowed an opportunity to connect with each other. 

Connection before content is not a passing fad, created in a rapidly expanding universe of online and virtual possibilities, but rather a simple, practical, and powerful insight to increasing engagement and the success of future programs. In the real world, the concept of connection before content suggests something equally powerful—connection before contact. That is, begin with intentional activities that build connection without physical proximity, and note the reactions of the members before introducing activities with greater levels of contact.

Photo: Jim Cain

Time To Regroup

After a half-century of working and playing with groups, I felt confident in my ability to create a connection with participants. During a recent program, however, I learned a valuable lesson. 

I was invited to work with staff members of a community after-school program. That morning, about 80 professionals arrived. The program began with energy and enthusiasm since it was the first in-person training the group had experienced in more than two years.           

While most of the members were engaged, two individuals stood away from the group, chatting and observing, but not really interacting with the others. My pre-pandemic experience in working with groups kicked in, and I looked for a way to encourage these two to join in the fun. As I chatted with them, however, it became clear they were not comfortable in interacting with the group nor did they feel comfortable telling me why.

I learned later that one of the individuals had a medical condition and didn’t feel comfortable in close-proximity activities, and the other individual simply joined that person so he wouldn’t be alone.           

I took three things away from that experience. First, some participants in programs may not feel comfortable interacting with others. This not only includes physical proximity, but also the sharing of community resources, singing, eating, and other forms of community interaction. Second, some participants may not be comfortable saying why they choose to distance themselves. In a non-verbal way, their behavior communicates their comfort level. Third, we professionals need to be aware of such behaviors, prepare for them in advance, and provide opportunities for individuals to make choices about their level of engagement.

Knowing of such possibilities and intentionally programming with these in mind will make future programs better, emotionally safer, and more likely to build the kind of unity, community, and connection that is desired.

Tips And Tricks

So, what’s the best way to organize a collection of icebreakers and get-acquainted activities and make them accessible to campers and staff? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Be intentional. Begin with activities that build connection between participants without requiring close proximity or contact. Note the comfort level of the participants before moving onto other activities with greater levels of contact.

2. Be aware that some members may have spent significant time in the past three years wearing masks, socialdistancing, and self-isolating, so their interactions may have been limited to their immediate family. They may be uncomfortable in large groups.

3. Begin activities that only require a single partner, trio, or groups of five people or less. Observe the interactions of the group, especially their comfort level before moving onto activities with larger groups.

4. Scan a list of favorite opening activities and choose the ones most likely to engage every member of the audience. It’s also a good time to look for some new icebreakers and get-acquainted activities at a local library or bookstore, especially those likely to engage participants without requiring close proximity or contact.

5. Build connections in stages with small, organized groups—cabins, cohorts, or teams—before attempting the same thing on a camp-wide level.

6. Select activities that allow participants to choose their level of proximity and engagement and respect those choices.

Camp professionals are ideally positioned to do more good in this coming year than ever before. Icebreakers and get-acquainted activities are no longer a convenient way to help participants learn each other’s names, but an invaluable way to create real and lasting connections. For many people, connection has been sorely lacking during the pandemic. The activities you’ve collected over the years suddenly have renewed value. It’s time to dust them off and put them to good use.

During the pandemic, Jim Cain of Teamwork & Teamplay wrote nine books filled with activities and ideas for re-building, re-connecting, and re-engaging the members of a community. All of these books are available at Amazon.com. For even more information, visit: www.teamworkandteamplay.com.