QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

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QUICK

MEETING

OPENERS

FOR

BUSY MANAGERS

More Than 50 Icebreakers, Energizers, and Other Creative

Activities That Get Results BRIAN COLE MILLER

AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

New York | Atlanta | Brussels | Chicago | Mexico City | San Francisco

Shanghai | Tokyo | Toronto | Washington, D. C.

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the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other
professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is
required, the services of a competent professional person should be
sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miller, Brian

Cole, 1956-

Quick meeting openers for busy managers : more than 50

icebreakers, energizers, and other creative activities that get results /
Brian Cole Miller.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-8144-0933-6

1. Business meetings.

I. Title.

HF5734.5.M55 2008

658.4'56--dc22

2008001117

(c) 2008 Brian Cole Miller

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of
American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY
10019.
Printing number

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

ix

Introduction

CHAPTER 1. Activities That Are Super Quick and Easy 5

IF I WERE A _____________

QUESTIONS

CHAPTER 2. Activities for Grouping People 11

CHAPTER 3. Icebreakers for Introductions 23

BLANKET NAMES

24

BOUNCING BALLS

26

BUMPER CARS

28
BUMPITY-BUMP

30

CHAMPIONS

32

DO YOU KNOW ME?

34

HANDSHAKES

36

LOGOS

38

MIND READER

40

MY LETTER

42

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS

44

POLITE CATCH

46

RIP IT UP

48
SHARK!

50

SPEAKING IN TONGUES

52

SPEECHLESS

54

SURVIVOR

56

TWO CIRCLES

58

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 4. Activities Best for Small Groups (Under 20) 61

ARTIST

62

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

64

FANTASY ISLAND

66

FORTUNE COOKIES
68

FORTUNE TELLERS

70

FUN FACTS

72

HA!

74

QUOTES

76

RUMORS

78

SHOW AND TELL

80

SOUND AND MOVEMENT

82

BRAGGING RIGHTS

84

T-SHIRTS

86

TEN FINGERS
88

TIME CAPSULE

90

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

92

WHAT IF?

94

CHAPTER 5. Activities Best for Large Groups (12 to 40) 97

BEACH BALL

98

BIRTH ORDER

100

CHEERLEADERS

102

DRAG QUEEN NAMES

104

EDITOR

106

LINE

108
NEW HANDSHAKES

110

NEW WORDS

112

PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT

114

PORTRAITS

116

vi

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

SWAP

118

UNUSUAL COMMONALITIES

120

WHO ELSE?

122

CHAPTER 6. Activities Best for Huge Groups (Up to a Billion) 125

ALPHABET LETTERS

126

ALPHABET SEARCH
128

ALWAYS AND NEVER

130

AUTOGRAPH HOUND

132

BEST OF TIMES

134

BLACK JACK

136

BLUE RIBBONS

138

CUPS

140

DANCE CARDS

142

DELEGATION

144

DOMINOS

146

HITCHHIKER
148

HOT SEAT

150

INDEX CARD QUESTIONS

152

JEOPARDY

154

MAGNETS

156

MAP IT

158

OBJECTS

159

OPTIMISTS

161

PAPER, SCISSORS, ROCK

163

THAT'S LIFE

165

TOPICS
167

Index

169

About the Author

175

CONTENTS

vii

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Once again, I owe a lot of gratitude to my friends and colleagues

who shared their thoughts and ideas for this volume. Thank you.

Suzanne Famolare--You have so many great ideas, I wonder if you

should write a book yourself!

Franca Little--I hope we get to do some of these fun activities

together soon (in Sydney? London? Rio? Cape Town?)!

Carol Naylor--No one believes you when you say you're not good at
this stuff. (Seriously, Carol, no one!) Rick Ritacco--I'm sorry, but I
could only include your G-rated ideas.

Kiki Dreyer Burke--I miss working with you, Kik-ster!

Chris Lowe--I know that you only contribute so you can see your
name in print, so here it is again: CHRIS LOWE.

Sara Bonner--How do you find the time to help me on top of

everything else you have going on?
Adam Bryant--See? You did learn something valuable at all those
church youth group meetings.

Tony Lipscomb--Thanks for being my virtual sounding board on a lot

of this stuff.

Steven Haines--You have to come to Ohio to get your free copy of

this book, my friend!

Mark Hansen--I appreciate how freely you share stuff with me from
sparkspace.

Wayne Miller--OK, I used your ideas, now will you let me contribute
my ideas to your next textbook on biochemistry or exercise
physiology?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ix

My son Logan Miller--Who'd have thought all the money I'm dumping
into your college education would start paying back by way of good
ideas for my book?!

Thank you Christina Parisi and Adrienne Hickey at AMACOM. I

appreciate your confidence in me, as well as your patience!

Thanks to my ever-supportive and loving family--Gail, Lynn, Roger,

Theresa, Logan, Heidee, and Benjamin.

As always, thanks mostly to you, Tim. Where would I be--personally

or professionally--without your love, support, and encouragement?

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

INTRODUCTION
Meeting openers are structured activities designed to help group
members introduce themselves, energize (or relax!), and otherwise
get ready to participate in a meeting. The openers are not usually
connected to the topic of the meeting but rather serve as a vehicle
for getting people to open up and feel comfortable with each other
before getting to the actual meeting agenda. This is especially help-
ful when group members don't know each other very well, there are
one or more cliques in the group, or the subject will be particularly
demanding.

Some call these exercises icebreakers. The term refers to ships in

the artic regions. These ships are designed to break the ice, allowing
vessels behind them to pass more easily. In much the same way,
meeting openers, or icebreakers, pave the way for people to interact
and work together--easier and smoother. The icebreakers I've
included are not just for the purpose of introducing team members to
each other but also to break teams up into groups, get them
energized, and brainstorm.

Meeting openers, or icebreakers, are different from team-building

activities. Effective team-building activities have a customized, work-
related learning objective. Meeting openers, on the other hand,
always have the same, simple objective: to help people warm up for
an upcoming meeting, whatever the meeting is. Basic introductions
are sometimes a part of that warming up. (If you do need team-
building activities, see my other two collections, Quick Team-Building
Activities for Busy Managers and More Quick Team-Building
Activities for Busy Managers. )

INTRODUCTION

I've organized the meeting openers into six chapters. The first
chapter has two very quick and easy meeting openers with dozens
of variations. Use these when you are reviewing this book on your
way to the meeting and don't have time to prep for anything else!

Many openers require that you break the group into smaller groups.

Chapter 2 has almost 100 ideas for breaking groups in half, into
pairs, and into other smaller teams.

Chapter 3 has icebreakers for introductions. Of course, the activities

in the rest of the book may also be used for introductions, so don't
dismiss them if you need an introduction activity. It's just that the
ones in Chapter 3 are specifically designed for this purpose.

The rest of the openers are in Chapters 4, 5, and 6. They are

organized by group sizes.

Chapter 4 has activities geared for smaller groups when you have
enough time for all participants to speak, share, or introduce
themselves to the whole group. Small groups don't have more than
about 20 participants.

Groups that have 12 to 35 participants are the focus of Chapter 5.

Here, the meeting openers may keep the participants together for
limited full-group interaction or divide them up to allow for more
interaction within the smaller groups.

Chapter 6 has activities that are good for groups of over 35

participants. The group is either broken into smaller, more
manageable groups, or the participants mingle. If they mingle, there
is structure, and there are specific objectives that will encourage (or
even force) them to interact.

The outline for each meeting opener is easy to follow. Each one is
presented in the same easy-to-read, bulleted format: This is . . .
explains briefly what the activity is.
Use it to . . . tells what the purpose of the exercise is.

Best group size . . . indicates the ideal group size.

Materials you'll need . . . tells you everything you will need for the
activity. Most of the time it's nothing!

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Here's how . . . outlines, step by step, how to conduct the activity.

For example . . . illustrates how the activity may play out, so you get
a good sense of what to expect.

Tips for success . . . includes things that will help you run your
exercise more effectively.

Try these variations . . . offers variations on the activity that can be

used to spice it up, slow it down, or otherwise alter it for a slightly
different experience. I also indicate here how to adjust the activity for
other sized groups than the "ideal."

Relax, you won't find any of these types of activities here: NO

"touchy-feely" icebreakers in which participants have to touch
each other a lot or share intimate thoughts and feelings (activities
that push the manager into the role of psychologist rather than
activity leader).

NO outdoor activities requiring large areas, nice weather, and

physically fit participants.

NO handouts to prepare, copy, or distribute.

NO lengthy activities in which more time is spent warming up than

on the real work to be done in the meeting. All activities last less
than 15 minutes.
NO role-plays in which participants are given a fictitious role to act
out or pretend.

Meeting openers are fun! Use them at the start of your next meeting
and enjoy the benefits of a group that's more engaged and involved
and, ultimately, more productive.

INTRODUCTION

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CHAPTER 1

Activities That Are

Super Quick and Easy

All the activities in this book are quick and easy. But sometimes you
don't have even 5 minutes to prepare for an activity. In these cases,
use one of the following two meeting openers or one of the dozens
of variations listed. Both of these activities are the quickest and
easiest to facilitate ever!

What these two activities lack in terms of a "wow" factor, they make
up for with maximum flexibility for use with any group size, group
configuration, time frame, materials required (none), and prep time
(a few seconds).

ACTIVITIES THAT ARE SUPER QUICK AND EASY

IF I WERE A ______

This is . . .
An activity in which participants imagine they are someone or
something else and discuss it.

Use it to . . .

Warm up the group before a meeting.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants finish the statement, "If I were an how . . .

animal, I would be a _________ ."

2. Participants form pairs, small teams, or one large circle, or they

mingle about to discuss their answers.

For

"If I were an animal, I would be a cheetah.

example . . .

Cheetah's are fast and seem to always be focused on their

objective--just like me."
"If I were an animal, I would be an eagle. I've always wished I could
fly!"

Tips for

Don't give too many examples; let the participants success . . .

be creative.

Don't be too strict on the rules. For example, if someone says he or

she would be a bee, allow it, even though a bee is an insect, not an
animal.

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Try these

If I Were a _______________

variations . . . Fruit

Cartoon character

Automobile

Food

TV/movie character

Superhero

Piece of jewelry

Key on a computer keyboard

Color
Toy

Machine

Piece of sports equipment

Beverage

Monster

Musical instrument

Toiletry or grooming accessory

Piece of clothing

Dessert

Magazine

Item in a mail order catalog

Foreign country

Plant

Appliance

Piece of furniture

Item of footwear

ACTIVITIES THAT ARE SUPER QUICK AND EASY

QUESTIONS

This is . . .
An activity in which participants respond to a thought-provoking
question about themselves.

Use it to . . .

Help a group warm up and start talking.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants answer a question, such as, "What's how . . .

your middle name, and why did your parents give it to you?"

2. Have participants form pairs, small teams, or one large circle or

mingle about to discuss their answers.

For

"My middle name is Kay. I have no idea where it example . . .

came from. I think my parents just liked the way it went with my first
name."
"My middle name is John. My father wanted to honor some guy
named John who had been like a father to him when he was growing
up."

"My parents never gave me a middle name. They assumed I'd get
married, take my husband's name as my last name, and then use
my last name as my middle name. So far this hasn't worked out for
them!"

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

"My middle name is Geneal. My mother wanted to name me after her

favorite aunt, but my dad wouldn't let her, so they compromised and
made her name my middle name."

Tips for

Don't force people to go in order if you are seated success . . .

in a circle. Some may need more time to think of a response or get

the courage to share their response.

Try these

What kind of car do you drive and why?

variations . . . What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

What would you like to be famous for?

How do you like to celebrate your birthday?

What's the biggest mistake you've ever made?

Where would you live if you could live anywhere?

What's one thing you would like to change about your physical
appearance?

If you could travel in time, when would that be?

What did you want to be when you grew up?

What song makes you start to dance every time you hear it?

What's your best celebrity sighting?

What is your biggest fear?

What is one thing you want to be sure to do before you die?

What habit do you wish you could break?

Who would you love to have dinner with some evening (choose
anyone living or dead)?

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could have only one
thing with you, what would it be?

If you could have three wishes granted by a genie, what would they
be?

What was your first job?

ACTIVITIES THAT ARE SUPER QUICK AND EASY

What one charity would you give a million dollars to if you could?

What home improvement project would you love to have done?

What song always gets stuck in your head once you hear it?
10

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

CHAPTER 2

Activities for

Grouping People

Often activities work best when people are grouped together

somehow--in pair, trios, or small groups--or when the whole group is
split in half, into thirds, and so on. This chapter includes dozens of
ways to do both.

The first section has techniques for getting participants into a specific
size of team--pairs, trios, and foursomes, as well as any other size
group you may want.

The second section has methods for getting a group split into a
specific number of smaller groups, regardless of their size--two
groups, three groups, four groups, as well as any other number of
groups you may want from the whole.

When the activities in Chapters 3 through 6 call for the group to be

divided up somehow, use these ideas for a seamless experience.

Grouping People by the Size of Team

Regardless of the Number of Teams

Use these ideas and instructions for getting the group into pairs: 1.
Turn to the person immediately to your left (or right, or behind you, or
in front of you).

2. Find one other person with shoes similar to yours.

3. Find someone who lives in a different zip code than you.

4. Find one other person who is the same height as you.

ACTIVITIES FOR GROUPING PEOPLE

11

5. Line up tallest to shortest and pair the tallest with the shortest,
then the second tallest with the second shortest, and so forth.

6. Find one other person whose first (or last) name starts with the
same letter as yours.

7. Find one other person whose birthday is in the same month as

yours.

8. Find someone whose alma mater's colors (or at least one) are the
same as yours.

9. Find one other person with the same horoscope sign as you.

10. Hand out dominos randomly to all participants, and ask them to
find the person who has a matching domino.

11. Hand out playing cards randomly to all participants, and ask
them to find the person who has a matching playing card.

12. Cut pictures from a magazine in half. Hand out the half pictures
randomly to all participants, and ask them to find the person with the
other half of their picture.

13. Have participants mingle until a prearranged signal is given.

Then they pair up with the first person they can find, as quickly as
possible.

14. Write corporate slogans on slips of paper. Write the names of the
matching corporations on slips of paper. Hand all the slips of paper
out randomly, and ask participants to find the person with the slogan
or corporation that matches theirs.

15. Write common pairs on two slips of paper (Bonnie and Clyde,
salt and pepper, black and white, peanut butter and jelly, etc.).

Hand out all the slips of paper randomly, and ask participants to find
the person who has the same pair. Note: It's ok if you don't have a
different pairing for each pair of people. There can be many "salts"
looking for one of many "peppers."

16. Provide name tags made of several different shapes, and ask
participants to find someone who has a matching shape.

17. Everyone rolls a die. Those who throw an even number will pair
up with someone who throws an odd number.

12

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Use these ideas and instructions for getting the group into
trios:

1. Turn to the person immediately to your left and right.

2. Find two people with shoes similar to yours.

3. Find two people who are the same height as you.

4. Find two people who live in different zip codes than you.

5. Find two people whose first (or last) name starts with the same
letter as yours.

6. Find two people whose birthdays are in the same month as yours.
7. Find two people whose alma mater's colors (or at least one) are
the same as yours.

8. Find two people with the same horoscope sign as you.

9. Hand out dominos randomly to all participants, and ask them to

find two people with a matching domino.

10. Hand out playing cards randomly to all participants, and ask
them to find two people with a matching playing card.

11. Cut cartoon strips into frames (most cartoons have three).

Hand out a frame randomly to all participants, and ask them to find
people with frames that complete their cartoon strip.

12. Have participants mingle until a prearranged signal is given.

Then they get into a trio with the first two people they can find, as
quickly as possible.

13. Write common trios on two slips of paper (Snap, Crackle, and
Pop; do, re, and mi; Moe, Larry, and Curly; Big Mac, fries, and Coke,
etc.). Hand out all the slips of paper randomly, and ask participants
to find two people to complete their set. Note: It's ok if you don't have
a different pairing for each pair of people. There can be many
"Snaps" looking for one of many

"Crackles," and together they will seek one of many "Pops."

14. Write the lyrics of a popular song on three slips of paper (one line
per slip). Make enough duplicate slips of paper for everyone.
Randomly hand out the slips of paper, and ask participants to find
two other people to complete their song lyrics.

ACTIVITIES FOR GROUPING PEOPLE

13
Alternatively, instead of duplicating the song, use a different song for
each set of three slips of paper for every three participants.

15. Provide name tags made of several different shapes, and ask
participants to find two people who have the same shape as theirs.

Use these ideas and instructions for getting the group into
teams of four:

1. Use any of the activities above that will put people into pairs.

Then use it again (or another one) with the pairs so that the pairs
pair up.

2. Hand out playing cards randomly to all participants, and ask

participants to team up with those who have the other three suits.
(The face value of the card is irrelevant.) 3. Write four ingredients for
tacos (tortilla, meat, salsa, cheese) on slips of paper (one ingredient
on each slip). Hand out all the slips of paper randomly, and ask
participants to find three other people who have the other ingredients
needed to make a taco.

4. Form a group of four whose alma mater's colors (or at least one)
are the same.

5. Cut cartoon strips into frames (use those with four frames).

Hand out a frame randomly to all participants, and ask them to find
people with frames that complete their cartoon strip.

6. Find three other people born in the three other seasons as the one
you were born in (spring, summer, autumn, winter).

7. Form a group of four people, none of whom has the same

horoscope sign. Alternatively, form a group of four people who all
share the same sign.
8. Find three other people who have the same number children as
you do.

9. Have the group mingle until a prearranged signal is given.

Then, participants are to team up as quickly as possible with the

three people closest to them.

14

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

10. Write the lyrics of a popular song on four slips of paper (one line
per slip). Make enough duplicate slips of paper for everyone.
Randomly hand out the slips of paper, and ask participants to find
three other people to complete their song lyrics.

Alternatively, use a different song for each set of four slips of paper
for every four participants.

11. Provide name tags made of several different shapes, and ask
participants to find three others with matching shapes.

12. Write the names of four animals that can be acted out (the
monkey scratching his armpits, the bull with horns, etc.) on slips of
paper. Randomly hand out the slips of paper. Ask participants to act
like their animals and then form groups of four animals with no
duplicates in each group. No speaking or noises are allowed.

Use these ideas for getting the group into teams with X number
of participants:

1. Write X ingredients for tacos (tortilla, meat, salsa, cheese, onions,

etc.) on slips of paper (one ingredient on each slip).

Hand out all the slips of paper randomly, and ask participants to find
X people who have the other ingredients needed to make a taco.
2. Form a group of X whose alma mater's colors (or at least one) are
the same.

3. Cut cartoon strips into frames (use those with X frames). Hand out
a frame randomly to all participants, and ask them to find X people
with frames that complete their cartoon strip.

4. Form a group of X people, none of whom has the same horoscope

sign. Alternatively, form a group of X people who all share the same
sign.

5. Form a group of X people, all of whom have the same number

children.

6. Have the group mingle until a prearranged signal is given.

Then they are to team up as quickly as possible to make a group of

X.

ACTIVITIES FOR GROUPING PEOPLE

15

7. Write the lyrics of a popular song on X slips of paper (one line per
slip). Make enough duplicate slips for everyone. Randomly hand out
the slips of paper, and ask participants to form groups of X people to
complete the song lyrics. Alternatively, use a different song for each
set of X slips of paper for every X participants.

8. Provide name tags made of several different shapes, and ask

participants to form groups of X with matching shapes.

9. Write X drinks (margarita, martini, screwdriver, mojito, etc.) on

slips of paper (one drink on each slip). Hand out all the slips of paper
randomly and ask participants to form groups of X with no duplicate
drinks.
10. Write the names of X animals that can be acted out (the monkey
scratching his armpits, the bull with horns, etc.) on slips of paper.
Randomly hand out the slips. Participants act like their animals and
form groups of X based on the animal motions. No speaking or
noises are allowed.

Grouping People by the Number of Teams Regardless of the

Size of Each Team

Use these ideas and instructions for splitting the group into two
teams: 1. Count off one, two, one, two, one, two, until everyone has
been counted. All ones are one team; all two are the other.

2. With smaller groups, have all participants close their eyes. You
walk among them, randomly tapping them on their shoulder.

Tap every other one on the left shoulder. All those tapped on their left
shoulder are one team; those tapped on their right shoulder are on
the other team.

3. Have the group line up tallest to shortest, by birthday (month and

day only), longest to shortest tenure with your organization, distance
traveled to come to the meeting, and so forth.

Find the middle of the line, and split the group in half there.

16

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

4. Have participants pair up with the person closest to them and

each pair plays Paper, Scissors, Rock. Winners are on one team;
losers are on the other.

5. Have participants pair up with the person closest to them and

compare the lengths of their names (number of letters). Those with
the longer name are on one team, and those with the shorter name
are on the other.

6. Give everyone a playing card. Those with a red card are on one
team, and those with a black card are on the other.

7. Split the group by birthdays. Participants with a birthday in

January through June are one team, and those with birthdays in July
through December are the other team. If the teams are uneven,
adjust the dates (weeks or one month at a time) until the teams even
out.

8. Split the group by first or last names. Participants with names that
start with A through L are one team, and those with names that start
with M through Z are the other team. If the teams are uneven, adjust
the letters one at a time until the teams even out.

Use these ideas and instructions for splitting the group into
three teams:

1. Count off one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three until
everyone has been counted. All ones are one team, all twos are
another team, and all threes are the last team.

2. Have the group line up tallest to shortest, by birthday (month and

day only), longest to shortest tenure with your organization, distance
traveled to come to the meeting, and so forth.

Divide the line into thirds to create three teams.

3. Give everyone a playing card. Remove one whole suit first.

Teams are based on the suits of the cards.

4. For smaller groups, have participants all close their eyes. You
walk around the group and randomly tap them on their shoulders.
Tap one, two, or three taps. All those tapped once are one
ACTIVITIES FOR GROUPING PEOPLE

17

team, those tapped twice are another team, and those tapped three
times are the last team.

5. Split the group by birthdays. January through April birthdays

comprise one team, May through August birthdays comprise another
team, and September through December birthdays comprise the
third team. If the teams are uneven, adjust the dates (weeks or one
month at a time) until the teams even out.

6. Split the groups by first or last names. Names that start with A
through I comprise one team, names that start with J through Q
comprise another team, and names that start with R through Z
comprise the third team. If the teams are uneven, adjust the letters
one at a time until the teams even out.

7. Write the names of three very common songs ("Row, Row, Row
Your Boat," "Happy Birthday," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,"

etc.) on slips of paper, and randomly hand them out. Participants

hum their song and form groups based on a common tune.

8. Write the names of three animals that make sounds (dog, bird,
cow, cat, pig, etc.) on slips of paper, and randomly hand them out.
Participants make the sound of their animal and form groups based
on the same animal sounds.

9. Write the names of three animals that can be acted out (the
monkey scratching his armpits, the bull with horns, etc.) on slips of
paper, and randomly hand them out. Participants make the motion of
their animal and form groups based on the same motions. No
speaking or noises are allowed.
10. Provide name tags made of three different shapes. Everyone
with the same shape is on the same team.

Use these ideas and instructions for splitting the group into
four teams:

1. Count off one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one, two,
three, four until everyone has been counted. All ones are a team, all
twos are a team, all threes are a team, and all fours are a team.

2. Have participants line up tallest to shortest, by birthday (month

and day only), longest to shortest tenure with your 18

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

organization, distance traveled to the meeting, and so forth.

Divide the line to create four teams.

3. Give everyone a playing card. Teams are based on the suits of the
cards.

4. Split the group by birthdays. January through March birthdays

comprise a team, April through June birthdays comprise a team, and
so forth. If the teams are uneven, adjust the dates (a few weeks or
one month at a time) until the teams even out.

5. Split the group according to first or last names. Names that start
with A through G comprise one team, names that start with H
through M comprise another team, and so forth. If the teams are
uneven, adjust the letters one at a time until the teams even out.

6. Write the names of four very common songs ("Row, Row, Row
Your Boat," "Happy Birthday," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,"

etc.) on slips of paper, and randomly hand them out. Participants

hum their song and form groups based on a common tune.
7. Write the names of four animals that make sounds (dog, bird, cow,
cat, pig, etc.) on slips of paper, and randomly hand them out.
Participants make the sound of their animal and form groups based
on the same animal sounds.

8. Write the names of four animals that can be acted out (the
monkey scratching his armpits, the bull with horns, etc.) on slips of
paper, and randomly hand them out. Participants make the motion of
their animal and form groups based on the same motions. No
speaking or noises are allowed.

9. Provide name tags made of four different shapes. Everyone with

the same shape is on the same team.

10. Write four ingredients for tacos (tortilla, meat, salsa, cheese) on
slips of paper (one ingredient on each slip). Hand out all the slips of
paper randomly. Everyone with the same ingredient is on the same
team.

11. Ask participants to go into one of the four corners of the room
based on their birth order: oldest, youngest, middle (anyone not
oldest or youngest), and only child.

ACTIVITIES FOR GROUPING PEOPLE

19

Use these ideas for splitting the group into X number of teams:

1. Count off one, two, three . . . X, one, two, three . . . X, and so

forth. All ones are on a team, all twos are on a team, all threes are
on a team . . . all Xs are on a team, and so forth.

2. Have participants line up tallest to shortest, by birthday (month

and day only), longest to shortest tenure with your organization,
distance traveled to come to the meeting, and so forth. Divide the
line to create X teams.
3. Split the group by first or last names. Divide the alphabet into X
groupings. Names that start with the first grouping are one team,
names that start with the second grouping are another team, and so
on. If the teams are uneven, adjust the letters one at a time until they
even out.

4. Prepare deck(s) of playing cards in advance. Use a different value

card for each team that will be created. Randomly give everyone a
playing card. All those with the same value card are on the same
team.

5. Write X ingredients for tacos (tortilla, meat, salsa, cheese, onions,

etc.) on slips of paper (one ingredient on each slip), and randomly
hand them out. Everyone with the same ingredient is on the same
team.

6. Mark ping pong balls with numbers 1 through X. Make one for
each person in the group. Have participants each pick a ball and
form a team with all the others who have matching numbers.

7. Write the names of X very common songs ("Row, Row, Row Your
Boat," "Happy Birthday," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,"

etc.) on slips of paper, and randomly hand them out. Participants

hum their song and form groups based on the same song.

8. Write the names of X animals that make sounds (dog, bird, cow,
cat, pig, etc.) on slips of paper, and randomly hand them out.
Participants make the sound of their animal and form groups based
on the same sounds.

20

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

9. Write the names of X animals that can be acted out (the monkey
scratching his armpits, the bull with horns, etc.) on slips of paper,
and randomly hand them out. Participants make the motion of their
animal and form groups based on the same motions. No speaking or
noises are allowed.

10. Provide name tags made of X different shapes. Everyone with

the same shape is on the same team.

11. Write X drinks (margarita, martini, screwdriver, mojito, etc.) on

slips of paper (one drink on each slip). Hand out all the slips of paper
randomly. Everyone with the same drink is on the same team.

ACTIVITIES FOR GROUPING PEOPLE

21

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CHAPTER 3

Icebreakers for

Introductions

Although most meeting starters can be used to help people

introduce themselves, the activities in this section are particularly
aimed at doing just this. And yes, although any of them could be
used with people who already know each other, you'll find them more
effective with people who don't. They also work well with two
separate groups that are coming together for the first time, when the
members of each group know their own group but not the other one--
like during a merger of two departments.

All the icebreakers in this section can work for any size group.

Some are better suited for larger groups, some for smaller.
Regardless of what ideal group size is listed for the activity, I've
included tips for adjusting for larger or smaller groups when
applicable.

The key to successful introductions in larger groups is to not plan for

everyone to meet everyone else. It's usually not practical, and
sometimes it's not even possible. Besides, the human brain can
learn only so many new names at once! So set your sights on
helping everyone meet a few new people, people with whom they
can network for the day. If there are future meetings, the realm of
people they know will grow each time and at a pace that they can
handle.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

23

BLANKET NAMES

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants learn each other's names

and then try to be the first to say each other's name when a blanket
between them is dropped.

Use it to . . .

Help participants remember each other's names.

Best group

Unlimited but best with fewer than 30 participants.

size . . .

Materials

One large sheet or blanket.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group in half.

how . . .

2. One participant from each team holds the blanket up between the
teams and is out of play for that round.

3. Each team then selects one player to stand behind the blanket
opposite each other.

4. The blanket is dropped.

5. The first person on either side of the blanket to call out the other
person's name wins that round.

6. The person whose name was called is recruited to the winning

team.

7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 for several rounds or until one team is

eliminated.

24

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

Use a large enough blanket that most of the team success . . .

members can be hidden behind it.

Sheets can work better because they are not as heavy, but be
careful that participants cannot easily see through them.

Have teams rotate the role of "blanket holder" so that no one's arms
get too tired and so that everyone gets a chance behind the blanket.

Try these

Rather than call out the person's name, have par-variations . . .

ticipants call out the person's location, job title, or other piece of
information that would be important for everyone to remember.

This icebreaker can work for much larger groups by first dividing
them into smaller teams. There must be one blanket for each two
teams. Alternatively, line up two to three people at the blanket each
time and have them call out the name of the person opposite them.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

25

BOUNCING BALLS

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants say each other's names

as they bounce a ball to each other.

Use it to . . .

Help participants learn each other's names.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .
Materials

One large ball that bounces well on the floor of you'll

the meeting room.

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants stand in a circle.

how . . .

2. Everyone announces his or her name.

3. The first person takes the ball and bounces it once to another
participant while saying that person's name. After bouncing the ball,
participants fold their arms to indicate they have already had the ball
(and not to throw it to them again).

4. The next participant catches the ball and immediately bounces it

to someone else, saying that person's name (and then folding his or
her arms).

5. If someone misses a name or the ball, start over, but the ball is
bounced to someone different this time.

6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 above until the ball has made it to

everyone in the group. Then play 26

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

another round, but instruct participants not to bounce it to the same

person they did before.

Tips for
The kind of ball used for Four Square is good for success . . .

this game too.

Try these

Add a second ball simultaneously to the game variations . . .

(this will make it very confusing!).

Make the game faster by using a soft handball and tossing it rather
than bouncing it.

After everyone has learned everyone's name, play the game again,
this time announcing their job, location, or other relevant information
that's important for everyone to know.

Speed things up and by playing the game more like Four Square.
Rather than catching the ball, merely tap it to bounce to the next
person. This will make the game quicker and much more
challenging.

This activity can work for much larger groups by first dividing them
into smaller teams. Be sure to have a ball for each group.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

27

BUMPER CARS

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants move around the space

as if they are driving bumper cars and then collide with others for
conversation.

Use it to . . .
Help participants in large groups meet each other.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

A whistle (or other noisemaker).

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have participants move around the space as if how . . .

they are driving bumper cars.

2. Blow the whistle in three short blasts.

3. Everyone must now "collide" (as with bumper cars) with two other
people to form an "accident"

of three. Tell participants to be gentle.

4. In the threesome, participants introduce themselves. They can

give their names, some work-related information and perhaps what
kind of car they drive.

5. After 60 seconds, blow the whistle once, and everyone starts

driving around again.

6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 several times.

28

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For

"Hi, my name is Kenji. I've been with the firm 4

example . . .

years and I work in Accounting. I drive a Honda Accord." "Hi, Kenji,

my name is Chris. I've been here 14 years. I work in Sales and I
drive a Beemer."

"Hi guys, I'm Keiko. I started here right out of college and . . . oops,
there goes the whistle!"

Tips for

Encourage them to have fun with the collisions!

success . . .

Encourage them to drive into new areas of the room to meet new
people.

Keep the time limits for introductions tight so they can meet as many
participants as possible.

Try these

Vary the number of whistle blasts. The number variations . . .

of whistle blasts indicates how many participants should collide to

form a conversation team. Three blasts means a team of three, four
blasts means a team of four, and so forth.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

29

BUMPITY-BUMP

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants have to say the names of

those on either side of them quickly.

Use it to . . .

Help participants learn each other's names.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have the group sit in a circle. You stand in the how . . .

middle.

2. Give participants a moment to learn the names of the persons on

both sides of them.

3. Approach someone, say his or her name, and then say, "bumpity-
bump-bump-bump."
4. While you are saying "bumpity-bump-bump-bump," the person
whose name you called must quickly say the names of the people on
both sides of him or her.

5. If you finish saying "bumpity-bump-bump-bump"

before the person says the names, trade places and he or she is
now in the center. Then repeat steps 3

and 4.

6. If he or she beats you, you repeat step 3 and 4

with someone else in the group.

30

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

7. After someone is in the center more than three turns, he or she

may say, "bumpity-bump-bump-bump" without a name. When this
happens, everyone switches seats and play resumes (repeat-ing
steps 2 through 6).

Tips for

Go slowly at first, giving participants a chance to success . . .

build their confidence and see how the game is played before ripping
off "bumpity-bump-bump-bump" more quickly.

You may have to remind them that they can say

"bumpity-bump-bump-bump" to mix the room up only after three

turns. Usually it gets easier for the person in the middle right after
that.

Try these
Give participants a bit longer to react by saying variations . . .

"bumpity-bumpity-bumpity-bump."

Make it more difficult by requiring first and last names to be said.

This activity can work for much larger groups by first dividing them
into smaller teams.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

31

CHAMPIONS

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants introduce each other so

that others see what strengths they have.

Use it to . . .

Introduce participants to each other in a positive, upbeat way that

emphasizes each participant's value to the group.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .
Here's

1. Have participants pair up.

how . . .

2. Allow 5 minutes for participants to interview each other and learn

more about each other.

3. Each participant then introduces his or her partner to the group.

4. The introduction should "sell" the person on how great he or she is

and on how he or she will significantly contribute to the meeting or
the task at hand.

For

"This is Heidee. She's been with the company for example . . .

only a short time. She brings a different perspec-tive, yes. But more
importantly, she's very good at helping people work together. She
helps find 32

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

bridges and commonalities among differing opin-ions, and she can

do this without making anyone feel like they 'won' or 'lost.' "

Tips for

Make sure participants understand that the goal is success . . .

not just to introduce their partner. The goal is to champion them, to

show the rest of the group what a great asset their partner is to the
meeting, team, or work group.

Try these
Have participants work in teams of three. Two variations . . .

people introduce and champion the third one.

If time is limited, or if you want to reinforce self-confidence, don't

have participants pair up.

Rather, each participant introduces himself or herself. During their

introduction, participants champion themselves, explaining what
value they bring to the group.

This activity can work for much larger groups by first dividing them
into smaller teams.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

33

DO YOU KNOW ME?

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants ask questions of each

other about one other person in the group.

Use it to . . .

Help large groups mingle a bit and better get to know at least one
other person in the group.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials
Index cards with a different participant's name on you'll

each one.

need . . .

Here's

1. Distribute the cards to the participants, making how . . .

sure no one gets his or her own name.

2. Have the group mingle while holding their cards out and asking,
"Do you know me?"

3. When someone answers "yes," the participant will ask a few

questions about the name he or she has and can jot down notes on
the card.

4. Then the two move on and gather more information.

5. After several minutes, have participants find the person whose

name they have and introduce themselves briefly.

34

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For

"Do you know me?"

example . . .

"Yes."

"Great, so which region do I work in?"

"Region 4."

"Okay, and how long have I worked for this company?"

"Oh, I'd say about 5 years, I think."

Tips for

This activity works best with large groups in which success . . .

everyone knows only a few participants well.

Try these

For smaller groups: after step 4, have each partici-variations . . .

pant introduce the person whose name they re-searched.

This activity also works well when two groups that know themselves
but not each other are coming together. In this case, make sure they
all get each other's names.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

35

HANDSHAKES

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants mingle and shake hands

with each other several different ways.

Use it to . . .

Loosen the group up, meet several other participants, and get
physically active.
Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. All participants mingle with each other.

how . . .

2. Participants shake hands with the first three people they meet and
then introduce themselves.

3. Participants give a "high five" greeting to the next five people they
meet and then introduce themselves.

4. Participants "hit the rock" (butt fists together) with the next three
people they meet and then introduce themselves.

5. Participants create their own unique greeting (different from a

handshake, high five, or fist butting) and use it with the next three
people they meet and then introduce themselves.

36

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For
Amanda has met three people. Adam has met only example . . .

two. When Adam and Amanda meet, Adam will shake hands with
Amanda before introducing himself. Amanda will then give Adam a
high five before she introduces herself.

Tips for

Always follow the protocol. It may help to post success . . .

the order for all to see.

Try these

Have participants go in order of the greetings for variations . . .

three rounds. Rather than greet the first three people with a
handshake, greet the first with a handshake, the second with a high
five, and so on. After all four greetings have been used, go back to
the first one (the handshake) again, and so on.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

37

LOGOS

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants put a logo on their name

tag that they most identify with.

Use it to . . .

Help large groups start to learn each other's names and get to know
each other better.

Best group
Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

A name tag for each participant.

you'll

A pen for each participant.

need . . .

Here's

1. Have participants write their name on their name how . . .

tag.

2. Next to their name, participants are to put a corporate logo that

they identify with strongly.

3. Have the participants mingle, sharing with each other why they
chose the logo they did.

For

"My name is Rosie, and this logo is the Nike example . . .

swoosh. I chose it because I tend to be impulsive and 'just do it'

when faced with a situation. I also like sports."

"My name is Kiki, and this logo is from a bed and breakfast I stayed
at in Portland, Maine. I identify with it because it just feels calm and
even keeled, 38

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

which is what everyone says I am: calm and even keeled."

Tips for

Allow the group to use logos that are famous or success . . .

create their own. Beware that creating their own will take most
participants much more time, though.

Try these

Rather than logos, have participants use a famous variations . . .

tag line or marketing slogan.

Break the group into small teams of four to six members. Have the
team choose a logo that best represents them. Alternatively, choose
a logo that best represents the project or the whole work group they
belong to.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

39

MIND READER

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants ask each other yes/no

questions in an effort to guess what is on the other's mind.

Use it to . . .

Help large groups start meeting each other.

Best group

Unlimited.
size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants mingle freely.

how . . .

2. Each participant tries to read someone else's mind by coming up

with an idea and then testing it by asking yes/no questions.

3. As long as the response is "yes," participants keep asking more

questions. Once a response is "no," it is the other person's turn to
ask questions.

4. When a "no response" is given, both move on to other people.

For

"Do you love chocolate?"

example . . .

"Yes."

"I knew it! And do you eat chocolate at least every day?"

"Yes."

"And is your favorite chocolate dark chocolate?" "

40

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

"No."

"Hmm, okay, your turn."

"Okay, do you wish you were somewhere else than here?"

"Yes."

"Do you wish you could be at the beach relaxing with a Margarita in
one hand and a good book in the other?"

"No."

Both participants find a new partner to mind read.

Tips for

Don't limit the topics. Half the fun is the way dif-success . . .

ferent people will ask about bizarrely different topics.

Encourage them to not try too hard--it's supposed to be more fun

than accurate!

Try these

Have the group form trios to ask the questions, variations . . .

two on one.

Provide focus by giving the group a topic to learn about. For

example, the goal could be to mind read others' favorite food, so the
participants ask questions only about food.
ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

41

MY LETTER

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants introduce themselves

with words that all begin with the same letter--a letter they chose for
themselves.

Use it to . . .

Help groups get to know each other better than just their names.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have everyone select a letter from the alphabet how . . .

and announce it to the group or at least to a neighbor.

2. Give participants 2 minutes to think of as many words as they can

to describe themselves. All words must begin with their chosen letter.
3. Have each participant share the words with the group.

For

"My name is Amin, and my letter is K. The K

example . . .

words that describe me are kind, knuckleheaded, kisser, and king-

like."

"My name is Greta. My letter is P. My words are patient, practical,

(o)pinionated, and pretty creative!"

42

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

When sharing the words, participants do not success . . .

elaborate or embellish, just say the words.

It's okay if several people choose the same letter.

Try these

Have participants write their words down and variations . . .

mingle with others, showing their words but not talking. They are
encouraged to later follow up with people they found intriguing.

Have participants post their words with their names on the walls for
everyone to view throughout the day.

This activity can work for much larger groups by first dividing the
group into smaller teams.
ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

43

PHYSICAL

DESCRIPTIONS

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants write a physical

description of themselves and then others try to match the
descriptions with the right person.

Use it to . . .

Help the participants meet each other quickly.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

An index card for each participant.

you'll

A pen for each participant.

need . . .

Here's

1. Give participants 3 minutes to write a physical how . . .

description of themselves on their cards.

2. Shuffle the cards and redistribute them, one to each participant.

3. Participants read the description on their card, find the person who
wrote it, and introduce themselves to that person.

For

"I'm average height for a man. I shave my head example . . .

bald and have a goatee. I have blue eyes and a fair complexion."

44

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

"I'm short, fat, and old! Actually, I just look old. I got this gray hair
long before I should have. Also, I'm only a little fat. I need to lose
about 25

pounds."

Tips for

Encourage participants to write legibly so that success . . .

others can easily read the description.

Make sure no one gets his or her own card.

Instruct participants not to include a description of the clothes they

are wearing (this makes it too easy).

Help participants who are having trouble finding the person

described on the card.

Try these

For smaller groups, after step 2, participants try to variations . . .

guess who their card belongs to (without asking anyone) and write
that person's name on the back.

Then, participants swap cards and do the same with the next card.
After several rounds, continue with step 3.

This activity can work for much larger groups by first dividing them
into smaller teams.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

45

POLITE CATCH

This is . . .

A ball game in which participants use each other's names as they

toss and catch the ball.

Use it to . . .

Help participants learn and remember each other's names.

Best group

Up to aabout 40.

size . . .

Materials

One soft ball.

you'll

need . . .
Here's

1. Have participants stand in a circle.

how . . .

2. Give the ball to one person.

3. This person tosses the ball to anyone in the circle.

4. Upon catching the ball, the participant is to thank the person who
threw it to them using his or her name.

5. The thrower of the ball responds by saying

"you're welcome" and using the catcher's name.

6. The thrower folds his or her arms to indicate he or she is out of the
game now.

7. The catcher throws the ball to someone else.

8. Repeat steps 4 through 7 until everyone has had the ball once.

9. Then repeat the game again, requiring that participants throw the
ball to someone else this round.

46

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For

"Thank you, Dean."

example . . .

"You're welcome, Antonio."

"Thank you, Antonio."

"You're welcome, Rick."

Tips for

Set a time limit (5 to 10 seconds) for someone to success . . .

remember the other person's name before getting help from the
group.

People who need help remembering someone's name shouldn't fold

their arms and take themselves out of the game yet.

Try these

Speed things up. See how fast the group can go variations . . .

through a round.

Eliminate the arms folding part. Instead, have the game go quickly
and see how many times the ball can be tossed around the group.

If someone can't remember a name, have everyone unfold their

arms and play starts again for the whole group.

This activity can work for much larger groups by first dividing them
into smaller teams. Make sure you have a ball for each team.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

47

RIP IT UP

This is . . .
An icebreaker activity in which participants make personal name
tags by tearing a shape from a piece of construction paper.

Use it to . . .

Give large groups conversation starters as they wait for the meeting
to begin.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

One piece of construction paper per person.

you'll

A straight pin, tape, or some other method for need . . .

attaching the name tag to each participant.

Plenty of markers.

Here's

1. Give each participant a piece of paper, a marker, how . . .

and a pin.

2. Each participant tears his or her paper into a shape that is

symbolic for him or her.

3. Each participant writes his or her name on the shape and pins it
on.
4. Participants mingle with each other using the shapes as a
conversation starter.

For

"Hi. My name is Jamal. This shape is supposed to example . . .

be the happy and sad facemasks that represent drama. I love to be

on stage and entertain as an actor. I only wish I could do it more
often!"

48

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

"Hello. I'm Rachel. No, this isn't a boot; it's a map of Italy. It's my
favorite place on earth. I've lived there twice and always welcome a
chance to go back. Oh, and yes, I speak fluent Italian, too!"

Tips for

Use only dark-colored markers (avoid red, yellow, success . . .

orange, pink, etc.) so that the names are easy to read from a foot or
two away.

You don't need one marker for every participant, but have plenty
available so that waiting for the marker doesn't delay the activity
unnecessarily.

Have plenty of colors of construction paper available. You don't want

the last participants arriving to be "stuck" with a color they don't like
or even resent having to use.

The mingling should be fast. Encourage participants to spend no

more than 60 seconds with each other before moving on.

Try these
Rather than mingle, have the group sit in a circle.

variations . . .

Taking turns, each participant introduces himself or herself by

explaining their shape briefly to the rest of the group.

Later in the day, have the participants turn their tags around (so the
shape still shows but the name is hidden). Who can remember the
most names?

How did the shapes help?

Structure the mingling by having everyone pair up. Give the pairs 30
seconds to introduce themselves using their shapes. Blow a whistle
to indicate it's time to switch partners.

Encourage participants to keep their name tags on all day. They can
mingle at breaks and during lunch.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

49

SHARK!

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants mingle and introduce

themselves in smaller groups to avoid falling victim to a shark.

Use it to . . .

Help large groups mingle and network.

Best group

Unlimited.
size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have the participants start walking around. They how . . .

are not to talk to anyone at this point, just keep

"swimming."

2. Give a signal. Participants must then find two others to team up

with to avoid being eaten by the shark.

3. Whoever doesn't have a trio to join falls victim to the shark. After
briefly introducing himself or herself to the whole group, he or she
fakes a horrible death and is out of play.

4. Then all trios spend exactly 1 minute introducing themselves to

each other.

5. Give the signal again, and all trios break up and start "swimming"
again.

50

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

6. On the third signal, participants must find only one other

participant to pair up with to avoid falling victim to the shark.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6.

Tips for

You may want a whistle, bell, or other noisemaker success . . .

to signal when the shark is spotted and when swimming is to begin.

For each round either keep changing the number of participants that
must group together to avoid the shark or limit the time (10 seconds)
they have to do it. Otherwise, the group evens out and the shark
takes no one down.

Try these

For smaller groups, play the activity until there is variations . . .

only one survivor.

Have the victims of the shark become sharks after they are killed off.
At step 2, the shark(s) swarm and latch onto their victims before than
can form a trio of safety.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

51

SPEAKING IN

TONGUES

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants introduce themselves in a

made up language, interpreted by their partner.

Use it to . . .
Help groups warm up together and have a laugh.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have participants pair up.

how . . .

2. Each participant introduces himself or herself by speaking only in

a made up language.

3. As the participant speaks in this language, his or her partner will

act as interpreter and translate for the group.

4. The interpreter is guessing at what is being said (based on facial

expressions, length of statements, gestures, etc.), because the
language is truly being made up on the spot.

5. Participants should not discuss this ahead of time.

The interpreter will be winging it, based solely on length of

statements made, facial expressions, gestures, and so forth.

52
QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For

"Sdjk fn wnf fnewqN."

example . . .

"Gail."

"Jfewiqf fniewq."

"Yes, my partner says her name is fnewqN, but in English that's

Gail."

"Wivmnw aqv qffewi vnoz qpfw qfo dsox losgss."

"She says she's been a teacher for 3 years."

"HH!! Wfokf!!" (with hand signals).

"Oh, sorry, she says that's 30 years, not 3."

"Xove sof iwppw ww apoxos cpps f ff ao."

"She says she loves teaching even more than chocolate chip
cookies."

Tips for

The made up language does not have to be consis-success . . .

tent or logical. Just spewing gobbledygook is usually best (and

funniest!).

Giving a format for the introductions may help participants feel more
confident--name, number of years at the organization, and so forth.
Participants should not use a real foreign language.

Limit the introduction time to 1 minute per participant.

Reassure the interpreters that this is for fun and laughs. No one
expects anyone to get things right!

Try these

Pair up people who know each other well, and see variations . . .

how close the translation is to the original message.

In truly bilingual groups, have participants introduce themselves in

one language and their interpreter translate into the other.

Don't give participants time to correct the translation until later in the
meeting, perhaps spreading it out throughout the entire meeting.

This activity can work for much larger groups by first dividing them
into smaller teams.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

53

SPEECHLESS

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants introduce themselves to

each other without speaking.

Use it to . . .

Help groups learn more about each other and get physically active.

Best group
Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have participants pair up.

how . . .

2. Give one person of the pair 60 seconds to com-municate as much

as possible about himself or herself without speaking.

3. Give a signal, and then the other person has 60

seconds to do the same.

4. Give a signal, and have everyone find a new partner.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4.

Tips for

Declare up front if drawing or writing is allowed.

success . . .

The person "listening" may speak to seek clarification or encourage

his or her partner to provide more information.

54
QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Try these

Do only one round. Afterward, have the pairs in-variations . . .

troduce each other to the rest of the group by speaking. The one
being introduced may correct any misunderstandings presented by
his or her partner.

Rather than pairs, have participants form trios.

The two listening can help each other understand the nonverbal one.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

55

SURVIVOR

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants mingle with a team and

then vote two members off of the team.

Use it to . . .

Warm up the group and have some fun.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have the group divide into teams of five to seven how . . .

members.

2. Allow 5 minutes for team members to introduce themselves and

get to know each other a little bit.

3. Tell the teams they must now vote two people off of their team by
choosing the two who "fit in with the group a little bit too well" (leave
this am-biguous!).

4. Those voted off now go join other teams. Each team can take only
two new members in, and they can't both be from the same prior
team.

5. Give the teams 5 more minutes to get acquainted with their new
members.

56

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

Don't give any more information about how the success . . .

teams are to vote people off. Let them create their own criteria.

Try these

Have teams vote people off who would make the variations . . .
best leader or the best communicator or some other complimentary
attribute.

Play another round. This time the team members who were voted off
during the first round are im-mune to the next voting. Alternatively,
they are the only ones who vote this time.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

57

TWO CIRCLES

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants form two circles and

introduce themselves to each other in the circles.

Use it to . . .

Help people meet and get to know each other quickly.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's
1. Divide the group in half.

how . . .

2. Form two circles, one inside the other.

3. The participants in the inside circle face the participants in the

outside circle.

4. All participants have 30 seconds to introduce themselves to the

person opposite them in the other circle.

5. After 30 seconds, everyone takes a large step to the right, faces

another person in the other circle, and again introduces himself or
herself to the person opposite.

Tips for

It helps to give participants one or two topics to success . . .

discuss as they introduce themselves (favorite animal, number of

years in their field, birthplace, etc.).

58

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Try these

Rather than taking one step to the right, have the variations . . .

circles walk in opposite directions until you give the signal to stop,
meet, and greet.

After several rounds, have participants turn to the people on either

side of them within their own circle to introduce themselves.

ICEBREAKERS FOR INTRODUCTIONS

59

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CHAPTER 4

Activities Best for

Small Groups

(Under 20)

Almost all of the activities in Chapter 4 require participants to say

something that the rest of the group will listen to. For this reason,
these activities work well only with smaller groups, less than 20
members. If you have the time, you can make them work for larger
groups, but be careful. People can easily tire of listening to too many
people taking turns. For larger groups, either split them up for these
activities or find a more suitable one in Chapter 5 or 6.

Although designed primarily for larger groups, most of the activities

in Chapters 5 and 6 are quite appropriate for smaller groups.

Don't limit yourself to this chapter if you're working with a smaller

group.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 61

ARTIST

This is . . .

An activity in which participants draw a picture and their partner

"interprets" it for them.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up and have fun being creative on two levels.
Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

Paper and markers for each participant.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Independently, participants draw a picture that how . . .

tells something about themselves.

2. Have participants put their name on their picture and pass them all
to you.

3. Shuffle the pictures and distribute them randomly back to the

group.

4. Participants take turns introducing the person whose picture they

got.

5. The person doing the introduction will stand up, ask the person to
be introduced to stand up, and then make the introduction by
interpreting the picture.

For

"This is Darryl. Let's see, this picture of a pen example . . .

means that he likes to write and doodle a lot. Um, whenever he's in a
meeting that gets boring, I 62

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

think he takes out his pen and doodles away the time. Now this
football next to the pen says he likes to play football, I think, or
maybe he just likes to write about football?"

Tips for

Discourage participants from chatting while draw-success . . .

ing. If they do talk, restrict them from discussing the pictures they are
drawing.

Do not let participants include words in the drawings.

You may or may not allow the person being introduced to correct any
errors in the introduction. (If corrections are not given at this time,
allow time durnig the break for people to mingle and provide
clarification.)

Try these

Have the group break into pairs. Pairs interview variations . . .

each other for 5 minutes and then draw a picture about their partner.
Participants then introduce their partner using the picture they drew
or asking the partner to interpret the picture drawn of them.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 6 to 12

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 63

DRESS
FOR SUCCESS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants share something about themselves

based on one thing that they are wearing.

Use it to . . .

Help groups warm up by talking about something they may not have
given much thought to or something that has great meaning to them.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants sit in a circle.

how . . .

2. Participants take turns telling a short story about something they

are currently wearing--why they chose it to wear, or where they got it,
and so forth.

For
"I'm wearing these cool earrings that I got from example . . .

my mother before she died. My dad says that ap-parently she wore
them a lot and they're his favorites . . . and now they're my favorites,
too!"

64

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

"I got these pants when I was in Puerto Rico! I was there on
business, and my luggage got lost so I had nothing to wear but what
I had on. I went right out and picked these up. I'm surprised they're
so comfortable up here, even in this weather."

Tips for

Go first to show how much detail you want success . . .

participants to go into.

Try these

This can be used as an icebreaker activity as well.

variations . . .

Have them preface their story with a self-introduction.

Limit the topic to jewelry only or to clothing only.

Add an element of silliness by allowing participants to model their

item. You may even create an area in the room to serve as the
runway.

Have participants select one thing they are wearing and tell what
they would love to replace it with if they could.
Divide larger groups into smaller groups of up to 12 members to use
this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 65

FANTASY ISLAND

This is . . .

An activity in which participants draw an island together on a large

piece of paper.

Use it to . . .

Help groups warm up and become better acquainted while being

creative together.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

One large piece of flip chart or butcher paper.

you'll

At least one marker per participant.

need . . .

Here's

1. Seat everyone around the large piece of paper. The how . . .

group is going to collectively draw an island on this piece of paper.

2. Participants begin by drawing part of the coastline near the edge
of the paper in front of them. They can include any features they like.

3. Participants work together to join coastlines.

4. Participants then work inland, adding features to the island they

feel are necessary.

5. Encourage everyone to work with their neighbors to coordinate or

accommodate their inland features as well.

Tips for

Have lots of colored markers for the group.

success . . .

Provide some with fine points and some with wide points for
variation.

66

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Refrain from refereeing any disputes over the island construction.

Let the group handle disagree-ments (and maybe discuss after the
activity).

Try these

Give more structure to the island's purpose: a variations . . .

vacation spot for your group, an ideal island for your organization's
relocation, and so forth.

For larger groups, use an even larger piece of paper or divide the
group into smaller teams. Have each team create an island. All the
islands are part of an archipelago, and thus the teams will want to
coordinate their efforts.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 67

FORTUNE COOKIES

This is . . .

An activity in which participants create fortunes for each other.

Use it to . . .

Get a group energized and warmed up to each other before

beginning the meeting.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

A pen for each participant.

you'll

A 4'' x 4'' square piece of paper for each need . . .

participant.

Here's

1. Distribute a pen and paper to every participant.

how . . .

2. Each participant writes a fun fortune on his or her paper.

3. Participants fold the fortune up, and everyone swaps fortunes
several times (the goal is to redistribute the fortunes so that no one
knows who wrote the fortune he or she is holding).

4. Have fun reading the fortunes and discussing briefly.

For

You will have one great idea during this meeting.

example . . .

Someone will forget your name today.

Avoid the donuts this morning; pastries are okay though.

The notes you take today will serve you well later on.

68

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

You will meet someone with whom you will feel an instant
connection.

Tips for

Give several examples at the beginning rather success . . .

than just a few. This will help participants broaden their interpretation
of what a "good"

fortune could include.

Remind them to write legibly.

Try these
For groups that know each other somewhat, have variations . . .

participants write fortunes specifically for each other. Give each

participant as many papers as there are other participants.
Participants write a fortune for each other participant. Instruct
participants not to include their names; the fortunes will be
anonymous.

After everyone has read his or her fortune, "recy-cle" the fortunes
once or twice. Have participants fold the fortune back up and swap
again several times. Participants read their second fortune and
discuss briefly.

Rather than fortunes, have the participants write challenges to each

other. For example, "I challenge you to listen better than usual." "You
are challenged to speak up when you would normally stay quiet." "I
challenge you to help someone else participate better." After the
meeting, ask participants about the success of meeting their
challenges.

Rather than giving fortunes to others, have participants predict

something in their own future--perhaps just the future of the meeting
ahead of them.

At the end of the meeting, share the predictions and discuss the
outcomes briefly.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 8 to 20

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 69

FORTUNE TELLERS

This is . . .
An activity in which participants anticipate or fantasize about their
future.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up as well as get to know each other better.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Give participants 3 minutes to consider what they how . . .

will be doing 5, 10, or 20 years from now.

2. Have each participant share his or her vision of the future with the
rest of the group.

For

"Five years from now, I suspect I'll be doing the example . . .

same thing I am now. I'm not very ambitious. I love this kind of work.
Of course, the way things are going here, I'm sure technology will
have changed the way I do it!"
"Twenty years from now I'll be retired and sipping margaritas on the
beach brought to me by my own personal cabana boy!"

70

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

Allow the group to ask up to two questions of success . . .

each speaker (especially if the speaker doesn't ini-tially offer much

insight into his or her thinking).

For example, "Really? How do you think technology may change the
way you do your job in the future?"

Make sure the group doesn't judge or critique others. It's not about
being right or wrong, it's about sharing vision and opening up about
dreams.

Try these

Frame the scope of the future differently. For ex-variations . . .

ample, if a project has just been started, ask the group to anticipate
the finished product or how much will be accomplished by a certain
date.

For groups that know each other well, have participants pair up and
tell the fortune for their partner.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 6 to 12

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 71

FUN FACTS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants disclose something interesting about

themselves and others try to guess who said what.

Use it to . . .

Help the group get to know each other better and open dialogue.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

An index card for each participant.

you'll

A pen for each participant.

need . . .

Here's

1. Distribute an index card and a pen to each how . . .

participant.

2. Give participants 3 minutes to write (legibly!) one interesting and

little known fact about themselves on their cards.

3. Collect the cards, shuffle them, and distribute one to each

participant.
4. Participants take turns reading the card they were given and
guessing who wrote it. After one to two guesses, the rest of the
group can take a guess or two.

For

"I have been to 49 of the 50 states. I can't believe example . . .

the last one I have yet to visit is right in the middle of the country, but
it is!"

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

Make sure no one gets his or her own card.

success . . .

Give an example of something to write on the cards only if

participants get stuck (and then write something different on your
own card).

Try these

Give some parameters to what should be written.

variations . . .

For example, have everyone share their most em-barrassing

moment, their ideal vacation, or how they would spend a million
dollars.

For groups that don't know each other at all, use this as an
icebreaker activity. After a card is read, the owner of that card
stands, introduces himself or herself and briefly, elaborates on what
is written.

Divide larger groups up into smaller teams of 8 to 20 members to

use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 73

HA!

This is . . .

A quick activity in which participants try not to laugh while saying

"ha" repeatedly.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up and get members laughing together.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants sit in a circle.

how . . .
2. Announce that one person will say one word to the person on his
or her right.

3. That person will repeat it twice to the person on his or her right.

4. That next person will repeat the same word three times to the
person on his or her right, and so on.

5. Tell the group to treat this seriously and not to laugh.

6. Then tell the first person the word: ha.

For

Ha.

example . . .

Ha, ha.

Ha, ha, ha.

Ha, ha, ha, ha.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

74

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

Be serious as you set this up.

success . . .

Encourage participants to make eye contact as they play (this makes

it even more difficult to not laugh).
Try these

Have the group start over if anyone starts laugh-variations . . .

ing; see if the group can get around the circle without any laughter.

Use other funny words instead of "ha" (tee hee, har, etc.).

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 8 to 20

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 75

QUOTES

This is . . .

A meeting starter in which participants share their favorite quotes

with the group.

Use it to . . .

Help the group warm up as well as get to know each other better.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .
Here's

1. Before the meeting, tell participants to bring how . . .

their favorite quote (either written down or memorized).

2. In the meeting, have participants share their quote and then

explain why it is important to them.

For

" 'To thine own self be true' is my favorite quote.

example . . .

When I was in my early 20s I realized that I was trying to be what

others expected or wanted of me. I wasn't happy. When I came to
terms with who I am, and then lived true to that, I found great joy as
well as inner peace."

76

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

You go first to demonstrate how much detail you success . . .

want them to go into.

It doesn't have to be an actual quote, it could be a

"saying" or "words they live by."

Try these

Make this more difficult by not giving participants variations . . .

advance warning. Allow them to paraphrase their favorite quote if
they can't remember it word for word.

Rather than a quote, have participants share their favorite saying or

lesson learned from their parents while growing up.

Divide larger groups up into smaller teams of 8 to 20 members to

use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 77

RUMORS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants build rumors together.

Use it to . . .

Warm a group up and get them laughing together.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants sit in a circle.

how . . .

2. The first person points to someone else and says,

"Did you hear about ______ ?"

3. The other participant must respond by saying,

"Yes, I heard ______ ," and complete the sentence by elaborating

(wildly).

4. That participant then points to someone else and says, "Did you
hear about ______ ?" and starting a new topic.

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4.

For

"Did you hear about the soup today?"

example . . .

"Yes, I heard it was made with monkey brains and marbles!"

"Did you hear about the boy who could speak 24

languages but couldn't remember his own name on the college

entrance exams last year?"

78

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

"Yes, I heard he got into Stanford but only if he agreed to teach

Armenian to the football team there."

"Did you hear about the UFO that landed on my roof last night?"
"Yes, I heard. . . ."

Tips for

Give an example or two before play.

success . . .

Discourage participants from "helping" each other.

Let them think a moment and be creative on their own. The goal is to
be wild, silly, and just have a laugh together.

Try these

Reinforce names with a newer group by requiring variations . . .

participants to start their questions with the other person's name.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 6 to 12

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 79

SHOW AND TELL

This is . . .

An activity in which participants bring something to the meeting from

their workspace and share its significance with the group.

Use it to . . .

Help participants get to know each other a little better and warm
them up for later.

Best group
Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

Participants bring one thing from their workspace you'll

for this activity.

need . . .

Here's

1. Before the meeting, advise all participants to bring how . . .

something from their office to the meeting (or send them back to
their workspace to grab something now).

2. Participants take turns showing what they brought from their

workspace and what it means to them.

For

"Well, I brought this bobblehead figurine of the example . . .

guy from the TV show "The Office." My kids gave this to me because
they say I laugh too hard when I watch that show. Maybe that's
because it's so close to how things run around here sometimes!"

"This is a picture of my fiancee. I love him so much, and I keep his

picture close because he's in 80

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Iraq right now. We're hoping to get married in 3

months when he gets home, but until I see him and feel him in my
arms, I won't be sure."

Tips for

Share your item with the group to demonstrate.

success . . .

Keep your explanation quick (unless you have enough time for
everyone to take several minutes).

Try these

Put all the items in the center, and have partici-variations . . .

pants guess which item belongs to who.

Ban all pictures, so the items they bring must be some kind of object
(the conversations can be more fun or challenging this way).

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 8 to 20

members to use this activity. Alternatively, have all participants

mingle with each other, holding what they brought. As they make
self-introductions, they explain about their item.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 81

SOUND AND

MOVEMENT

This is . . .

An activity in which participants make sounds and movements in a

circle and try to remember the sound and movement the others
made before them.
Use it to . . .

Get the group energized with physical activity.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants stand in a circle.

how . . .

2. You start by making a movement with any part of your body.

3. The person to your right now must mimic this movement and add
a movement of his or her own.

4. The next person must mimic the two movements and then add his
or her own movement.

5. Continue around the circle until it's your turn again.

82

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

6. On your next turn, repeat all the movements, but add a sound to
the movement you put into play.

7. Play continues around the circle, with each participant adding a

sound to the movement he or she had contributed.

For

You wave to everyone.

example . . .

The person on your right, Alejandro, waves to everyone and then

blinks his eyes.

The person on Alejandro's right, Ava waves, blinks, and then takes
one step backward.

When it's your turn again, you do all the movements that have
accumulated, but when you wave, you also say "hello."

Next, Alejandro says "hello" while waving, and then sniffs loudly
while he blinks.

Then, Ava says "hello" while waving, sniffs while blinking, and then
stomps her foot loudly when she steps backward.

Tips for

Encourage participants to keep the movements success . . .

and sounds simple.

No movement or sound may be used a second time. (This puts more

pressure on people near the end of the circle.)

Try these
Make it more difficult by prohibiting the use of variations . . .

actual words.

Play with just movements, or play with just sounds.

Challenge the group to make the movements flow from person to

person.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 6 to 12

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 83

BRAGGING RIGHTS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants guess something about themselves

that may give them bragging rights within the group, and then they
test their theory.

Use it to . . .

Help participants get to know each other better and warm them up
for a meeting.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

Optional: several small prizes.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Give participants a few minutes to think of somehow . . .

thing that they can assert is a bragging right for themselves.

2. Each participant will state his or her bragging right.

3. Test the bragging right with the rest of the group.

For

Chuck submits that he's been to more states (48) example . . .

than anyone else in the group. A quick show of hands indicates that
the next highest is 41.

Mark claims that he has the largest shoe size (13.5) in the group. A
quick comparison shows that he is correct.

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Caroline claims she can speak more languages (four) than anyone.
Upon review, it is found that David speaks six. But then it is revealed
that Caroline can speak more non-European languages than anyone
and that she has more languages (three) spoken regularly in her
home than anyone else.

Tips for

If someone fails to identify a bragging right, have success . . .

the group coax and encourage until he or she thinks of one.

Try these

Give small prizes for each participant who variations . . .

correctly identifies a bragging right.

Have participants write their bragging rights down. Gather the written
statements, and then read them to the group anonymously. Have the
group try to guess who made the claim before determining if it's valid
or not.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 8 to 12

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 85

T-SHIRTS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants wear their favorite T-shirt to work

and explain, briefly, why it's their favorite.

Use it to . . .

Help participants get to know each other a little better as well as be

comfortable at the meeting.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials
Participants must agree to wear (or bring) their you'll

favorite T-shirt to the meeting.

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants sit in a circle.

how . . .

2. Participants take turns telling the group why the T-shirt they are
wearing is their favorite.

For

"I'm Logan. My dad got me this Guinness T-shirt example . . .

when he was in Ireland. It's my favorite because it's the first time he
ever got me something with beer on it, and I guess it represents to
me that he was finally acknowledging that I'm a real adult now!"

Tips for

Tell about your T-shirt first so that participants get success . . .

a sense for how much time or detail you want from them when it's
their turn.

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For some groups, you may have to specify up front any moral or
decency guidelines that must be followed regarding the content of
the T-shirts.
Try these

Participants just bring the T-shirts, not wear them.

variations . . .

When it's their turn, they tell about the T-shirt first and then show it.

Use this for an icebreaker activity by having participants introduce

themselves before sharing information about their T-shirts.

For larger groups, have participants mingle and use the T-shirts as
conversation starters.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 87

TEN FINGERS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants stop holding up fingers as they agree

with statements being made.

Use it to . . .

Help a large group get to know each other better.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll
need . . .

Here's

1. Have everyone sit or stand in a circle and hold up how . . .

10 fingers.

2. Each participant will take a turn making a statement that is true of

himself or herself.

3. After the statement is made, all who cannot say that the same is
true for themselves must lower one finger.

4. Continue play until a participant has lost all of his or her fingers.

For

"I have a dog."

example . . .

"I exercise at least three times a week."

"I read a novel last year."

"I did not watch TV last night."

88

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

Encourage broader rather than narrower state-success . . .

ments. For example, "I can speak a foreign language" rather than "I
can speak Japanese."
Try these

Allow participants to put their thumb back up variations . . .

when they do share something in common with the others. This will
give them two or more chances to stay in the game longer.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 8 to 20

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 89

TIME CAPSULE

This is . . .

A two-part activity in which participants place items in a box to be

opened a year later.

Use it to . . .

Help participants get to know each other as well as to provide

reflection a year later.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

One large box.

you'll

Items that participants bring.

need . . .

Here's

1. Before the meeting, instruct participants to bring how . . .

one piece of memorabilia that is significant to them at this point in

their career (or life). It must be something that they can part with (at
least for a year!).

2. In the meeting, have participants explain why they brought what

they brought.

3. Place all the items into a box.

4. A year later, gather the same participants and open the box.

5. Reflect on what the items meant then and on what they mean
now.

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For

"I brought this business card for Lauryn Bonner.

example . . .

She's my most promising lead right now, and, if I get an account with
her firm, we'll all be celebrating."

"I want to put in this picture of us at the company picnic last month. I
couldn't believe how connected I felt (and do feel!) to all of you."

Tips for
Announce this activity well in advance, perhaps at success . . .

the meeting that happens before this one.

Try these

Use this activity as a team forms to start a project variations . . .

with defined beginning and end dates. Fill the box at the beginning of
the project, including a note written by participants about their hopes,
aspira-tions, projections, and so forth for the project. At the end of
the project, open the box and reflect on what transpired compared
with the notes.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 6 to12

members. After each smaller team has filled its time capsule, put all
the time capsules into a larger one for the whole group.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 91

WHAT ARE

YOU DOING?

This is . . .

An activity in which participants perform simple acts while saying

they are doing something else.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up, laugh, and get physically active.

Best group

Up to about 20.
size . . .

Materials

Optional: a small prize for the winning team.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group in half. Stand in lines facing how . . .

each other.

2. The first participants in each line step forward to face each other.

3. One participant starts by performing a simple act.

4. The second person asks, "What are you doing?" to which the first
person says anything except what he or she is actually doing.

5. He or she then goes to the end of his or her line and the next
person from that line steps forward and asks, "What are you doing?"

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

6. The second person, having stayed where he or she was, is now

performing the action the first person said that he or she was doing.
But he or she responds by saying they are doing anything except
what they are actually doing and goes to the end of his or her line.

7. Continue until everyone has had a turn.

8. See how fast the group can put all participants through one round.
For

Adam faces Ruth and acts like he's drinking some-example . . .

thing. Ruth asks, "What are you doing?" Adam responds, "I'm
vacuuming." He then goes to the end of his line, and the next person
in his line, Kent, steps forward. Ruth is now vacuuming when Kent
asks, "What are you doing?" to which she replies,

"I'm playing a video game." She goes to the end of her line, and the
next person, Maria, steps forward to ask Kent what he's doing. He is
playing a video game but responds otherwise, and so on.

Tips for

Walk the teams through a couple of rounds before success . . .

keeping score. Tips on scoring are below.

Don't let any activity be repeated.

Try these

Keep score and award a prize to the winning team.

variations . . .

Each team starts with 10 points. A point is lost if anyone hesitates

more than 3 to 4 seconds or if anyone says what he or she is
actually doing. The team that has points remaining after the other
one goes to 0 is the winner.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 8 to 20

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 93

WHAT IF?

This is . . .

A meeting opener in which participants think about, ask, and then

answer hypothetical "what if" questions.

Use it to . . .

Help a group warm up and have a laugh together.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

An index card for each participant.

you'll

A pen for each participant.

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants write a question that begins with how . . .

"what if" on their card.

2. Everyone passes his or her card to the right.

3. Participants then write their own answer to the question they now
have in front of them (the one that was written by the person on their
left).
4. Choose a participant to read only the question on his or her card.

5. Next, the person sitting to his or her right reads only the answer
on his or her card.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 above.

For

Lynn wrote the question, "What if we all had a example . . .

second head?" She passes her card to Patrick, on her right. Patrick
answers this question with, "I'd 94

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

have a lot of trouble deciding what to eat every day!"

Later, Lynn reads the question in front of her, which was written by
someone on her left. It says,

"What if money grew on trees?" Patrick, who is to Lynn's right, reads

his response to the question in front of him, "I'd have a lot of trouble
deciding what to eat every day!"

Tips for

Realize that the answers read will not match the success . . .

questions read, but that's half the fun!

Try these

After step 2, have participants read the question variations . . .

they received and give their answer aloud to the group. This is not as
silly, but it allows participants to get to know each other a little better.
Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 8 to 20

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR SMALL GROUPS (UNDER 20) 95

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CHAPTER 5

Activities Best

for Large Groups

(12 to 40)

The activities in this chapter are designed for larger groups. With
larger groups, the challenge is for all the participants to feel engaged
and involved without spending too much time doing this during the
activity. Therefore, most activities that have participants share or
explain something to the rest of the group, like those in Chapter 4,
don't work well for these larger groups (unless you break the group
up first). The meeting openers in this chapter either have everyone
stay in the group together for very brief interactions or require the
group to be broken up into pairs, trios, or small teams. Chapter 2 has
dozens of ideas on how to divide a group up for these activities.

Although designed primarily for huge groups, most of the meeting

openers in Chapters 6 work quite well with medium to large groups.
Also, the activities in Chapter 4, although targeted to smaller groups,
can also work well with large groups. Just break the group up first.
So don't limit yourself to this chapter if you're working with a medium
to larger group.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 97

BEACH BALL
This is . . .

An activity in which participants toss a beach ball and answer

questions written on the ball when they catch it.

Use it to . . .

Warm a group up and get them moving physically.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

A beach ball with provocative questions written all you'll

over it.

need . . .

Here's

1. Have participants stand in a circle.

how . . .

2. Toss the beach ball to someone.

3. That participant answers the question closest to his or her right

thumb on the ball after catching it.

4. After answering the question, he or she tosses the beach ball to

someone else in the circle.

For
What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

example . . .

Who is your hero?

What's the last book you read?

Where did you go to high school?

When did you get your first job?

Where do you keep your bread at home?

Who last saw your bare feet?

When is your next vacation?

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Tips for

Write the questions legibly on the blown up beach success . . .

ball with a permanent marker, and let the ink dry completely.

Put one question in each panel or segment of the ball. The question
answered is determined by which segment the right thumb is
touching at the time of the catch.

It's okay if participants get the ball more than once, as it is unlikely
they will get the same question they already answered. If they do,
they pass and just toss the ball on to someone else.

Try these
If the group knows each other well, have partici-variations . . .

pants answer the question they get on behalf of the person to their
left (or right).

Make the questions only a choice between two op-tions. For

example, Coke or Pepsi, chocolate or vanilla, day or night, beer or
wine, book or movie, run or walk, classical or country, play or watch,
beach or mountains, and so forth.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 12 to 20

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 99

BIRTH ORDER

This is . . .

An activity in which participants split into groups depending on their

birth order and discuss the pros and cons of their own birth order.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up and help participants start bonding.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll
need . . .

Here's

1. Have the group divide up based on their birth how . . .

order: oldest child, youngest child, middle child (any not oldest or
youngest), or only child.

2. Give the teams 5 to 10 minutes to discuss the pros and cons of

having their position in their family.

3. Have each team report to the rest of the group what was the best
thing about their birth order and what was the worst thing about their
birth order.

For

"The best thing about being in the middle was example . . .

that we could learn from the mistakes our older siblings made with
our parents and adjust. The worst thing was that we often felt
invisible as our 100

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parents focused on the oldest and the youngest more."

Tips for

Don't worry if the team sizes are lopsided. As long success . . .

as each team has more than one member, it can do the activity.

If any team is very large, split it in half and have both teams report
out.

Try these
Have participants (especially smaller groups) variations . . .

divide themselves by gender and report on the best and worst thing
about growing up male or female.

Have participants divide themselves by number of children they

have--one, many, or none--and report on the best and worst thing
about having that many children.

Have participants divide themselves by marital status--married,

widowed, divorced, not married, partnered--and report on the best
and worst thing about each status.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 101

CHEERLEADERS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants create a short cheer to relate to the

meeting's topic.

Use it to . . .

Help participants warm up, relax, and let go of inhibitions.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

Optional: a small prize for the winning team.

you'll
need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group into teams of four to eight how . . .

members.

2. Give each team 5 minutes to create and practice a cheer. The

cheer should be related to the organization, the meeting issue(s), or
some other relevant topic declared up front. The cheer should last
only 1 minute (or less).

3. Have each of the teams perform its cheer for the rest of the group.

For

The cheerleaders take turns saying "boom" 21

example . . .

times for a 21 gun salute. Then they shout together: "Give me an I!

Give me a T! Give me a 2!

Give me a 1! What's that spell? IT21! Let's hear it for the IT-21st
Century Project!"

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Tips for

Encourage teams to be creative and include all success . . .

members when doing the cheer.

Supply some pom-poms to be used in the cheers.

Try these

Use the cheers to celebrate success. The cheers can variations . . .

be about something that is going well in the organization, or

something that went well on a project, or even someone who did an
exceptional job.

Have a cheer contest. Participants can vote, inde-pendent of their

team members, for any cheering team except their own. Award a
prize to the best cheering squad.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 103

DRAG QUEEN NAMES

This is . . .

An activity in which participants make up new names for themselves

following a general rule of thumb that drag queens sometimes use.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up in a silly way.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .
Here's

1. Have the group sit in a circle.

how . . .

2. Explain that a way to rename oneself is to take the name of one's

first pet and pair it with the name of the street one lived on as a kid.

3. Give the group a few minutes to create their new names

4. Go around the circle sharing names (and stories that go with

them!).

For

"Well, I guess my name would be Greta Belfield.

example . . .

My first pet was a beautiful dog Greta. We got her when I was in
middle school. I used to sleep with her every night! Anyway, we also
lived on Belfield Drive, where I grew up in Ohio."

"My new name would be Ernie Farwell. Hmm, that doesn't sound
very fun! Anyway, Ernie was 104

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

our pet mouse. I don't even remember our house on Farwell, but it
was in Chicago, before we moved out to the suburbs when I was
very young."

Tips for

Be prepared to share your name first, to show how success . . .

it's done.
If participants have never had a pet, perhaps they can use the name
of their favorite stuffed animal, their first car, or anything else they
gave a name to when they were younger. Alternatively, maybe their
street name is good for a single name (like RuPaul!).

Try these

Use current pet's names and current street names.

variations . . . Have participants think of screen names they'd use if

they were movie stars. Give them freedom to choose any name, and
then have them tell how they chose the one they did.

Divide larger groups into smaller teams of 8 to 20

members to use this activity.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 105

EDITOR

This is . . .

An activity in which participants modify a newspaper article to create

a completely different story.

Use it to . . .

Warm up a group and get the team working together.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials
A very short newspaper article for each team.

you'll

A pen for each team.

need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group into small teams of two to four how . . .

members.

2. Give each team a newspaper article.

3. Teams have 5 minutes to edit the article to create a different story

altogether.

4. Share the stories with the rest of the group for a good laugh.

For

Columbus, October 29--The Mexican vacation example . . .

was supposed to be free for dozens of Columbus-area residents. But

they paid the price when they went to prison for smuggling drugs
home in their sneakers.

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Most were in their early 20s, recruited by members of an

international drug ring that shipped cocaine from the Central
American country of Belize to Columbus by way of Houston.
The lure was an all-expenses-paid vacation to Chetumal, Mexico,
and $1, 000 cash when they returned home.

Tips for

Use short newspaper articles of three to five para-success . . .

graphs (longer articles would make the activity drag out too long).

Editing consists of only deleting words--no words may be altered,

added, or rearranged (see the example above).

Try these

For smaller groups, give all the teams the same variations . . .

article and have them compete for the most clever edit. For this
variation, a slightly longer article works better.

Allow up to a certain number of additional words to be included in the

edits.

For larger groups, conduct the activity as above but either skip step
4 or limit step 4 to include only two to three neighboring teams.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 107

LINE

This is . . .

An activity in which participants in small groups try to guess the

length of a line.

Use it to . . .

Warm up a group, get members talking, and provide some fun.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

A long piece of rope or some masking tape to you'll

make a long line on the floor or a wall.

need . . .

One pen and one piece of paper for each team.

A small prize.

Here's

1. Before the activity begins, lay a long piece of rope how . . .

on the floor. Alternatively, make a long line on the floor using

masking tape.

2. Divide the group into smaller teams of four to eight members.

3. Give the teams 5 minutes to guess exactly how long the line is.

4. Award a prize for the closest guess.

Tips for

Make the line long (30 to 50 feet), but make it an success . . .

uneven length (e.g., 32 feet and 4.5 inches).

Announce that the line may not be touched or moved by anyone.

108

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Have the teams write down their guess before the sharing begins (to
prevent any overly competitive people from changing their guess
after hearing other teams).

Short of using a ruler or other exact measuring de-vise, the teams

may use any means to determine the length.

Try these

Have the rope curvy rather than pulled in a variations . . .

straight line.

Rather than a rope, use beans in a jar (but be sure to count them
first!). The teams try to guess how many beans.

For large groups, have several ropes, and see which team guesses
closest for any or all of them.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 109

NEW HANDSHAKES

This is . . .

An activity in which participants work in teams to create handshakes

or greetings for the group.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up and give them something that will continue to
pay off throughout the meeting.

This is especially good for meetings that will last all day or longer.
Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group into three teams of roughly how . . .

equal size.

2. Team 1 will create a unique handshake or greeting to use when

meeting others. All group members will use this when meeting each
other for the first time. The message should be, "Welcome. I'm
happy to make your acquaintance, and I look forward to working with
you."

3. Team 2 will create a handshake or greeting for congratulating

others. All group members will use this to acknowledge and
recognize when someone does something well (much like the "high
five" is used by many now).

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

4. Team 3 will create a handshake or greeting for encouraging

others. All group members will use this to support or strengthen
another member.
5. After 5 minutes, have each team teach the new handshake or
greeting to the rest of the group.

6. Encourage the group to use the new handshakes and greetings

whenever appropriate throughout the meeting.

Tips for

The teams do not have to be exactly equal size, so success . . .

don't spend too much time or energy splitting them up.

Depending on the group, you may have to explic-itly remind

participants to keep their handshakes or greetings business-
appropriate.

Try these

Don't give the groups time to teach the new hand-variations . . .

shake/greeting. Tell them to just start using the one they created
whenever appropriate. Others will learn as they see it used.

Rather than having each team teach their new handshake/greeting

to the whole group, have the teams disperse and mingle among
themselves, teaching each other one on one.

Delete or add handshakes/greetings to meet the needs of your

group. Consider a handshake/greeting for thanking, for energizing,
for reconnecting after conflict, and so forth.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 111

NEW WORDS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants create a useful new word together.

Use it to . . .

Help the group warm up, especially if smaller teams will be used
later in the meeting.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

Optional: a small prize for the winning team.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group into teams of four to six how . . .

members.

2. Give the teams 5 minutes to each create a new word (including

spelling) that would be a useful addition to the English language,
especially at your organization.

3. Have the teams share their new words with the rest of the group.

For

"Our new word is superdupe. This is the word used example . . .

to describe how duped you feel when you go to the cafeteria and get
all excited about their soup of the day, only to get to the front of the
line and find that they ran out . . . again . . . already! So, you might
say, 'I was superduped at the cafeteria 112

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

today' or 'That client superduped me when he led me on like that for

so long.' "

Tips for

Don't give teams too much help or too many success . . .

suggestions, or they may feel bound to follow your lead rather than
be creative together.

Try these

Vote on the best new word, and award a prize to variations . . .

the winning team. Participants can vote independently for any new
word except the one their team created (otherwise everyone may
vote for their own and create a huge tie!).

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 113

PHOTO

SCAVENGER HUNT

This is . . .

An activity in which participants collect a few pictures on a cell

phone.

Use it to . . .

Get smaller teams working together and moving around physically.

Best group

Up to about 20.

size . . .

Materials

A short list of items to be photographed.

you'll

Several members of the group must have cell need . . .

phones that can take pictures.

A small prize for the winning team.

Here's

1. Divide the group into teams of four to six how . . .

members.

2. Make sure each team has at least one cell phone that can take
pictures.

3. Allow 5 minutes to take pictures of the items on their list.

4. The first team to take all the pictures wins a small prize.

For

A picture of someone jumping.

example . . .

A picture of a chair balancing some way other than on its four legs.
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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

A picture of water.

A picture of three items that begin with the letter B.

Tips for

None of a team's pictures can be of its own team-success . . .

mates or items that it owns.

Keep the list short (four to eight items) for a quick activity.

Post the list on a flip chart rather than making copies to distribute.

Try these

Make the list include people's names in the group.

variations . . . Make it more difficult by requiring the pictures be

taken in order.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 115

PORTRAITS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants draw a picture of their partner and

then try to guess who is who in all the portraits.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up and have some creative fun.

Best group
Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

One piece of paper for each participant.

you'll

Enough markers, crayons, and/or pens for each need . . .

participant to have several.

Here's

1. Participants pair up.

how . . .

2. Give them each a piece of paper and some markers.

3. Allow 5 minutes for them to draw a portrait of their partner. Do not

allow portraits to be shown to anyone yet.

4. Gather the drawings.

5. With the group back together, hold up the portraits one by one,
and have participants try to guess who is in each one.

Tips for

Give the artist only a very short time to explain or success . . .

elaborate on his or her drawing.

Encourage those who claim they can't draw. The picture doesn't
have to be like a photo. Remind 116
QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

them of Picasso and other artists who drew interpretations of their

subjects, not exact replicas.

Try these

After step 4, shuffle the portraits and randomly variations . . .

hand them out to everyone. Make sure no one gets the portrait that
he or she drew. Then have everyone mingle and try to find the
person who fits the portrait he or she has.

Give the portraits to their subjects and allow the subjects to add to
(or take away from) the portrait.

In the group, subjects show their portrait and explain why they
altered it (or not).

Have all participants draw the same subject (you?

your organization's leader?).

Divide larger groups into smaller groups of 12 to 24 members, and

have each of the smaller groups follow steps 1 through 5.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 117

SWAP

This is . . .

An activity in which people call out names and swap places in a

circle.

Use it to . . .
Energize the group before a difficult meeting or midway through a
long meeting.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Participants stand in a circle. You stand in the how . . .

middle as "it."

2. All participants bow their heads.

3. On your signal, participants look up and then look at someone

else in the circle.

4. If they do not make eye contact with the person they look at (he or
she is looking at someone else), they do nothing.

5. When two people do make eye contact, they scream and quickly
swap places.

6. While they are swapping places you, "it," try to capture one of their
vacancies.

7. Whoever is left without a spot in the circle is "it"

for the next round.

8. Repeat several times.

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For

Lynn looked up and saw Derrick, but he was not example . . .

looking at her, so she stayed put.

When Derrick looked up, however, he made eye contact with Julio.
They both scream and swap places.

Meanwhile, Nikki and Bill also made eye contact and are also racing
across the circle to swap places.

Tips for

Participants should not swap with the same person success . . .

more than once.

Try these

For new groups, this would be a good activity to variations . . .

play after an introduction activity. Have the pairs who make eye
contact scream each other's names before they swap.

Require that all participants not touch each other (no bumping into
others) as they are swapping places. This will make it much more
difficult to swap places.

For a larger group, make two or more circles of 20

to 30 participants each.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 119

UNUSUAL

COMMONALITIES

This is . . .

A meeting opener in which participants discover what they have in

common with each other.

Use it to . . .

Get participants warmed up and connecting with each other.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

Optional: two small prizes for the winning pair.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have participants pair up.

how . . .

2. Give them 2 minutes to find things they have in common.

3. Give them 1 more minute to determine the most unusual thing
they have in common.

4. Have the pairs share their unusual commonalities with the group.

For

"Of all the things Jessie and I have in common, example . . .

the most unusual is that at our age, neither of us has ever tasted one
drop of alcohol in our lives!"

"This is not a happy thing, but both Jose and I were widowed before
we were 40 years old."

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"Not only have Chris and I both been to Japan, but we were actually
there at the same time without knowing it!"

Tips for

Encourage participants to pair up with someone success . . .

they don't know.

Try these

Make the task more difficult by putting partici-variations . . .

pants in groups of three or four members rather than in pairs.

Award small prizes for the pair with the most unusual commonality.

With small groups, see if the entire group can find one unusual thing
they all have in common.
After the pairs have found the most unusual commonality, have them
find another pair to work with, and repeat the process in their new
group of four.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 121

WHO ELSE?

This is . . .

An activity in which participants change places with each other in the

circle based on information that is true of themselves.

Use it to . . .

Warm participants up and get them energized by some physical

activity.

Best group

Up to about 40.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Select one person to be "it" first.

how . . .
2. Everyone else sits in a circle.

3. "It" stands in the middle and states something that is true of

himself or herself and then asks,

"Who else?"

4. Immediately, anyone in the group for whom the statement is also

true must jump up and find a new seat. "It" also tries to occupy one
of the vacated seats.

5. The person left without a seat is the new "it."

6. Repeat steps 3 through 5.

For

"I love to make chocolate chip cookies at home."

example . . .

"I have been to Canada."

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"I know all the words to the national anthem."

"I watch at least a little TV everyday."

Tips for

You be the first "it" to show how the game is success . . .

played.
If the person who was "it" doesn't secure a seat, he or she is "it"
again for the next round.

Be sure the playing area is free of obstructions or hazards.

Make adjustments if a participant has a physical condition that would

inhibit his or her participa-tion.

Try these

It's tempting to make vague, general statements variations . . .

true of everyone to encourage more empty seats.

Give a prize to the "it" who makes fewer than X

number of people move and still gets a seat for himself or herself.

For smaller groups that don't want the physical activity, play around a
large table. All participants have one ball, spoon, or other small item.
When a statement is true of them, participants place their item on the
table and then pick up a different item. Simultaneously, the person
who's "it" also attempts to claim an item.

Allow "it" to call out "Well, who else? " without first making a
statement. When "it" does this, everyone in the circle must change
seats.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR LARGE GROUPS (12 TO 40) 123

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CHAPTER 6

Activities Best

for Huge Groups

(Up to a Billion)

The activities in this chapter are best for huge groups: over 40
people.

Think company-wide meetings, large hotel ballrooms, you get the

picture. It's impractical to try to get everyone to know each other well
or even to get everyone introduced to each other. A realistic
objective is to get everyone to meet or get to know a few people
better. These activities do just that. Most of them require people to
either mingle (with definite structure to the mingling) or be divided up
into smaller teams. Chapter 2 has dozens of ideas on how to divide
a group up for these activities.

The activities in Chapters 4 and 5 are designed for smaller groups,

but don't count all of them out for a huge group. Most of them can
work for a huge group as long as you break the group up into smaller
teams first.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 125

ALPHABET LETTERS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants form letters in small teams as they

are called out.

Use it to . . .

Get a group warmed up and physically active.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .
Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have the group form teams of four to six how . . .

participants.

2. Call out any letter from the alphabet.

3. Teams must form the letter with their bodies.

4. Repeat steps 2 through 4.

For

The letter A was called. Chris forms one side of the example . . .

A; Terry forms the other. Cary and Jim together form the cross line.

Marianna and Laura form the top part of the A, Iona and Ishita form
the lower legs and bend at their waist to form the cross line.

Tips for

All members of the team must be part of the letter.

success . . .

Even the letter I will have more than one person involved.

126
QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Start with easier letters first (A, E, T, and other letters with straight
lines only) until they get the hang of it.

Try these

Include numbers and other symbols on a standard variations . . .

keyboard (@, $, %, &, etc.).

With smaller groups, have them do it in pairs.

This will make it more difficult.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 127

ALPHABET SEARCH

This is . . .

An activity in which participants try to identify 26

things among themselves, each item beginning with a different letter

of the alphabet.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up and get smaller teams working together.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group into teams of four to six how . . .

members.

2. Each team needs to find among themselves 26

items that start with all 26 letters of the alphabet A through Z.

For

The team has among them an A rizona driver example . . .

license, a b allpoint pen, a c redit card, a d ollar, an e nvelope, a f

ive-dollar bill, and so forth.

Tips for

The winning team is the one that gets its 26 items success . . .

first or the one that gets closest to 26.

Decide how creative the teams can be with their letters. For
example, can Benjamin's sock be used for B?

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Decide if items can be used twice. For example, can a VISA credit
card be used for the V as well as the C?

Try these
Send the teams on a scavenger hunt to gather the variations . . .

26 items. Nothing presented can be anything that they had between

them to start.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 129

ALWAYS AND NEVER

This is . . .

An activity in which participants make absolute statements to each

other based on topics given to them.

Use it to . . .

Warm a group up and help participants get to know each other

better.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have the group wander around in a large space.

how . . .
2. When you give the signal, participants stop and pair up with the
person closest to them.

3. You announce a topic.

4. The first person in the pair must make a statement about the topic
that is always true for himself or herself.

5. The second person then makes a statement about the same topic
that is never true for himself or herself.

6. After 30 seconds, give the signal for the group to resume

wandering around.

7. Repeat steps 1 through 6.

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For

Topics may include weather, entertainment, example . . .

sports, food, current events, travel, animals, education, family,

competitors of your organization's, health, and so forth.

Weather: I always bring an umbrella when it looks like rain.

Weather: I never drive in the snow if I don't have to.

Tips for

Pick a topic at random, and give examples of both success . . .

statements so that participants can see how easy it is to think them

up.
It's okay to use the same topic more than once (the participants will
be with different partners if you use the topic again).

Try these

Rather than taking turns with always and never, variations . . .

announce to the group which statements both participants will make

as you announce the topic.

Have participants decide at the beginning whether all their

statements will be always or never and then stick to that throughout
the activity.

Have both partners say an always statement and then both say a
never statement.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 131

AUTOGRAPH HOUND

This is . . .

An activity in which participants mingle about signing each other's T-

shirts as if they were high school yearbooks.

Use it to . . .

Help the group warm up or even to close out a project or other

significant piece of work participants just accomplished.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials
One oversized, white T-shirt for each participant.

you'll

A marker for each participant.

need . . .

Here's

1. Give everyone a T-shirt and ask them to put it on.

how . . .

They can go change, or they can put it on over their clothing.

2. Give everyone a marker.

3. The participants mingle. They both autograph other participants'

shirts and gather autographs on their own.

For

Great job with the cost analysis!--Benjamin.

example . . .

BYOC (bring your own chocolate) next time we work a weekend

together!--Miriam.

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Tips for

If participants opt to wear the T-shirt over their success . . .

clothing, be sure to use water-based markers. If the ink bleeds
through, their clothing will not likely be ruined.

Make sure you have T-shirts that will fit everyone, even the larger
participants. Too big is always better than too small.

Encourage the participants to write a few words beyond just their

name.

Rather than supplying T-shirts, you may want to have everyone bring
an old one of their own that they won't mind getting "messed up."

Try these

Make the activity an icebreaker, and collect only variations . . .

signatures. See who can collect the most in a limited amount of time.

Make the activity an icebreaker, and collect only signatures. Keep

going until every participant has collected a signature from everyone
in the group.

Use T-shirts that mean something; for example, they have the
organization's logo or the project's slogan.

Give different colored T-shirts to different teams within the group.

Have them gather signatures either from their own team members
only or from all group participants.

Use small pads of paper instead of the T-shirts, as if they were high
school yearbooks.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 133

BEST OF TIMES

This is . . .
An activity in which participants share the best thing that's happened
to them in the past week.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up and get participants connecting with others.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have the participants each think (silently) of the how . . .

best thing that has happened to them within the past week.

2. Have the group mingle. As participants meet each other, they

introduce themselves and then share their best thing from the past
week.

For

"My name is Nikki. Just 2 days ago my brother example . . .

came home for a short visit and brought his 3-year-old daughter with
him. I just love playing with that little cutie!"
"My name is Alejandro. Last night my daughter made homemade
chocolate chip cookies.

Mmmmm!"

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Tips for

As the participants mingle, it's okay if they form success . . .

pairs or trios to share their stories. The goal is to be discussing

rather than looking for someone to talk with.

Share your story with the group first to demonstrate how quick and
easy it is and that the stories don't have to be terribly significant.

Have participants limit their story exchanges to 90

seconds. It's about quantity over quality at this point. (Encourage

them to get into more depth with those they want to during the break
or some other time.)

Try these

Have the participants also share "worst" stories.

variations . . .

Use this to help them to get some gripes off their mind before diving
into the meeting at hand.

Expand (a month? a year?) the time frame, or shrink it (24 hours?

since waking up today?).
Limit the scope. Rather than the best thing in life, limit it to the best
thing at work, to the best thing on the project so far, and so forth.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 135

BLACK JACK

This is . . .

An activity in which participants swap playing cards in an effort to

collect exactly 21 points.

Use it to . . .

Help participants break the ice, solve problems, and have fun
together competitively.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

Enough playing cards so that there are some extras you'll

left after each participant is given three cards.

need . . .

Optional: a small prize.

Here's

1. Shuffle all the cards, and give three cards to each how . . .

participant.
2. Participants look at their cards (and can show others, if they
choose).

3. The object is for participants to trade their cards to form a hand in

which the points add up to exactly 21.

4. Participants may not refuse to trade with anyone, but they can
decide which card(s) to trade.

5. Once a participant gets 21 points, he or she may exit play and sit
down.

For

Tim's hand is a Jack, Queen, and 5. He needs to example . . .

eliminate four points. He could trade the Queen for a 6, or the Jack
for a 2 and a 4, or the 5 for an Ace.

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

The Ace can be 1 point or 11 points depending on success . . .

what value helps the holder of that card.

Players can trade one card for two or more cards if the other party is
willing.

If players get stuck, allow them to discard one card and draw another
one from the extra cards you hold.

You may want to give a prize to the first person to get 21 points.
Require that everyone must make at least one trade before sitting
down. This way, those who might be dealt 21 points won't be left out
of the interaction.

Try these

Make the activity last longer. Give participants variations . . .

seven cards. The object is for each participant to collect exactly 40

points.

Award a special prize for anyone who makes their 21 points with two
Black Jacks and an Ace.

Make this an introduction activity by requiring trading partners to

introduce themselves to each other before the trade and then shake
hands afterward.

Make it more difficult by requiring the participants to trade blindly.

Rather than negotiating what the trade is, both parties choose the
card they want to get rid of and swap with each other.

Alternatively, have participants draw from the other person's hand

any card, hoping it will help them.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 137

BLUE RIBBONS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants predict their contribution to the

meeting's success.

Use it to . . .

Get the group warmed up and the participants prepared to contribute

to the meeting's success.
Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

A blue ribbon for each participant.

you'll

A safety pin for each participant (or a roll of tape).

need . . .

Plenty of dark-colored markers.

Here's

1. As participants arrive, give them a blue ribbon how . . .

and a marker.

2. Have participants write their name on their ribbon. Then ask them
to also write on the ribbon one contribution they plan to make toward
the good of the meeting, for which they will deserve a blue ribbon.

3. Participants then pin on their blue ribbon and mingle with the
others, encouraging everyone to

"earn" the blue ribbon they are wearing.

For

For outstanding questions to challenge the status example . . .

quo.
For restraint in dominating the discussion.

For building bridges among conflicting parties.

138

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

If you can't find blue ribbons to purchase, you can success . . .

make them easily out of blue construction paper.

Paper ribbons can be "pinned on" with tape.

Encourage participants to think for themselves and not copy others'

contribution ideas.

Try these

For participants who know each other well, have variations . . .

them pair up and write contributions for their partners. The

contribution becomes a challenge to the partner to fulfill during the
meeting.

Use blue ribbons at the end of the meeting to recognize participants

for their contributions. Have participants make blue ribbons for each
other or for themselves.

Have participants create the blue ribbons at the beginning of the

meeting and then keep them pri-vate. After the meeting, have
participants reveal their blue ribbon and comment briefly on their
success.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 139

CUPS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants use a paper cup to indicate how they

feel about the meeting, project, task, or other similar topic.

Use it to . . .

Surface concerns about the project or meeting and have some fun.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

One paper cup for each participant.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Distribute one cup to each participant.

how . . .

2. Allow 3 minutes for participants to do something to the paper cup

that represents how they feel about the assigned topic (meeting,
project, etc.).

3. Participants mingle and show their cups to each other.

For
"Sometimes it feels like we pour so much energy example . . .

and effort into meetings, but then we come out with very little. That's
why I poked this hole in the bottom of the cup. It's like we lose so
much unnecessarily."

Tips for

Don't give them too many ideas about what to do success . . .

to the cup. Let them be creative on their own.

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Discourage anyone from disagreeing or arguing with a participant as

he or she explains his or her cup.

Have a few extra cups on hand (sometimes participants may get out
of hand with their frustra-tions!).

Try these

For smaller groups, have participants sit in a circle variations . . .

and take turns explaining their cup to the whole group.

Allow other props to be used with the paper cup (pencil, string, tape,
etc.).

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 141

DANCE CARDS

This is . . .

A mingling activity in which participants make

"dates" with each other for when they will chat later.

Use it to . . .

Help participants get to know each other better.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

An index card for each participant.

you'll

A pen for each participant.

need . . .

Here's

1. Have participants write numbers 1 through 5 on how . . .

their card.

2. Participants mingle to fill their card with a name for each number.

3. Upon meeting, participants find a matching open number on their

cards and then write each other's name next to the number.

4. Continue until everyone has a name next to each number.

Everyone's name will also be on each of those people's cards.

5. After everyone's card is full, call out a number on the card.

6. Participants find the person whose name is at that number on their
card and have 1 minute to chat and get to know that person.

7. Call another number on the card and repeat.

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For

Tim's card is empty, but John already has someone example . . .

on his card at space number 1, so Tim will write John's name in his
number 2 spot. John will write Tim's name in his number 2 spot. Now
John still needs names for numbers 3 through 5, and Tim still needs
to find someone for 1 and 3 through 5.

Later, when the number 2 is called, Tim and John will find each other
again and talk.

Tips for

Remind participants that they might not fill their success . . .

dance card in order, because the number they write for the other
person must be the same number that he or she writes for them(see
the example above).

Encourage participants to fill their dance cards quickly. They will

have time to visit and get to know each other later.

Try these

Rather than performing the activity all at once, variations . . .

have the participants fill their dance cards and then start the
meeting. At a good stopping point in the meeting, call out a number.
After a minute or two of discussion, go back to the meeting. Later,
call out another number, and so on.

For longer meetings and/or with larger groups, use a paper plate.
Divide the plate to look like a clock with 12 numbers. Have
participants gather 12

names.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 143

DELEGATION

This is . . .

An activity in which participants are sent off to accomplish tasks

delegated to them by their team leader.

Use it to . . .

Get the group interacting and thinking of others positively.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's
1. Divide the group into teams of four to six how . . .

members. Teams don't have to be exactly the same size.

2. Choose one person on each team to be the Delegator. The rest of

the team members are Delegatees.

3. The Delegator then assigns one task to each Delegatee. Tasks

are things the Delegatee must do for someone else in the group, not
within his or her own team.

4. After a few minutes, the Delegatees go do the Delegator's bidding.

For

Greet and shake hands with 16 people.

example . . .

Give two people a 30-second shoulder rub.

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Make eye contact with and smile at everyone in the room.

Tell four people you hope they win the lottery this week.

Give two people a note expressing your confidence in them.

Tips for

Tasks should be positive and promote happiness, success . . .

laughter, peace, calm, reassurance, confidence, or some other

positive feeling in the group.
Offer a few, varied examples of ideas for the Delegators but not too
many. Otherwise, they will get too locked into your suggestions and
not be creative themselves.

Challenge the Delegatees to deliver their service as cheerfully and

eagerly as possible.

Try these

Do another round with someone else on the team variations . . .

as the Delegator. Encourage even more creativity with the second

round.

Have participants pair up. One is Delegator; one is Delegatee. After

the Delegatee has performed his or her task, return to the Delegator
and switch roles.

Rather than Delegation, play Consensus. Each team comes to a

consensus on what they all (there is no Delegator now) will do to
promote a positive environment at the start of the meeting.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 145

DOMINOS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants use dominos to form themselves into

groups for seating at tables.

Use it to . . .

Divide especially larger groups into smaller groups.

Best group

Unlimited.
size . . .

Materials

One domino for each participant.

you'll

A bag to hold the dominos.

need . . .

Here's

1. Each participant randomly picks a domino out of how . . .

the bag.

2. Have participants form groups of eight (or however many you

want seated at a table).

3. All members of the group formed must be connected with one

another via the number of dots on one or both ends of their dominos.

4. Once they have made the links, they may be seated at a table
(together) for the rest of the meeting.

For

Each domino has two halves with a set of dots example . . .

(sometimes both are the same number) on each end. Participants

can connect to each other with either number.

A person with a 1/4 domino can connect with someone who has a
4/3 domino (the 4's match).

146
QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

They can then connect with someone with a 4/4

domino. This person goes in the middle (so the 4's all match). Then
they look for someone who has a 1 (to match the first person's 1/4
domino) or a 3

(to match the second person's 4/3 domino), or a 4

(branching off the third person's 4/4 domino).

Tips for

Put a time limit on the activity to push people to success . . .

group themselves quickly.

Before the activity begins, review the possibilities for connecting

dots. Especially point out that some dominos have the same number
of dots at both ends, making it harder for them to connect with
others.

Try these

After everyone has grouped once, repeat the activ-variations . . .

ity. Have them keep their domino but form another group (the same
size or not, as you direct) with different people.

After everyone has formed the group size you directed, have them
use an icebreaker activity to facilitate introductions with each other at
their table.

Give everyone two dominos, and direct that both dominos must be
used in the connecting. Alternatively, only one domino is used for the
first round, and the other is used in a second round later on.
ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 147

HITCHHIKER

This is . . .

An activity in which participants sit in fours and mimic their hitchhiker.

Use it to . . .

Get group members to intermix and become physically involved.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group into teams of four members.

how . . .

2. Have teams seat themselves together as if they were in a car (two

rows of two). One person is designated "driver."

3. Give the signal, and the driver leaves the vehicle.

The remaining passengers move up in their chairs (with someone

new becoming the driver).
4. The ex-drivers now join a new vehicle and sit in the vacated back
seat. They have become the hitchhiker.

5. The hitchhiker starts doing some action and/or sound.

6. The others in the vehicle must copy him or her exactly.

7. After a moment, give another signal.

8. Repeat steps 3 through 7 several times.

148

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For

Kelly joins the vehicle and starts whistling. Every-example . . .

one in the vehicle whistles with her. The signal is given, and the
driver leaves. The passengers all move up, and now Jasper is the
driver. Jaime has joined as the hitchhiker and starts tapping his foot.
All the passengers tap their foot with Jaime.

The signal is given again, and Jasper leaves the vehicle to join
another one. As Jasper sits down in the new vehicle, he starts
yawning. Everyone in Jasper's vehicle starts yawning with him.

Tips for

Walk two vehicles through the process once so success . . .

everyone can see how it works.

Don't wait too long to stop the action again after the hitchhikers get
into place. Keep things moving quickly.

Try these
Have the passengers continue doing what the last variations . . .

hitchhiker started when the next one joins them.

Each hitchhiker builds on what the last one created so that soon the
vehicle has its riders performing many things simultaneously.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 149

HOT SEAT

This is . . .

An activity in which participants ask each other questions to reveal

more about themselves.

Use it to . . .

Warm the group up, especially if smaller teams will be working

together.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

Three index cards for each participant.

you'll

A pen for each participant.

need . . .

One die for each team.

Here's

1. Divide the group into teams of five to eight how . . .

members.

2. Give participants 3 minutes to write a different question on each of

their three index cards.

3. Each team collects their own question cards and shuffles them.

4. The first participant picks a card and rolls the die.

5. Team members count the number on the die left or right of the
roller (roller's choice), and that person is in the hot seat. He or she
must answer the question posed by the roller, who reads it off the
card he or she picked up.

6. Pass the die to the left and repeat steps 4 and 5.

150

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

For

Questions should be open-ended and may or may example . . .

not have to do with work (you should declare up front if there are
parameters). Why do you like working here? What is your favorite
breakfast?

Who's you're hero here at work? What's the best product or service
we offer to our clients? What will you do when you retire?

Tips for

It's okay if participants ask their own question or success . . .

are asked the question they wrote.

Try these

Have teams swap their stacks of question cards for variations . . .

another round.

Give each participant one token that can be used at any time to
bounce the question back to the roller. For example, if the roller asks
a question Susan doesn't want to answer, she plays her token.

She doesn't have to answer the question, but the roller who posed
the question to her does. The token can be used only once, so
participants should choose carefully when they use it!

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 151

INDEX CARD

QUESTIONS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants create one question to pose to

others to find out more about them.

Use it to . . .

Stimulate interesting discussion between members who may already

know each other well already or as a way to start conversations
among perfect strangers.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .
Materials

An index card for each participant.

you'll

A pen for each participant.

need . . .

Optional: a small prize for each team.

Here's

1. Distribute an index card and a pen to each how . . .

participant.

2. Participants write one question on their index card that they would
like to have answered by the others.

3. Have the participants quickly form teams of three members.

152

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

4. In their trios, participants ask each other the questions from the
index cards. Even the person asking the question answers it for the
other two.

5. After 3 minutes, signal for participants to regroup into a new trio

with two new people.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5.

For
What's your ultimate career goal?

example . . .

What's your favorite TV show?

How do you like to spend a day off from work?

Do you have any pets?

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Tips for

Encourage participants to share as much (or as success . . .

little) as they are comfortable with when answering the question.

Try these

After the first round, have the trios combine into variations . . .

teams of six members. After everyone answers each question, have

each team choose the best question. Have small prizes ready for the
participants who had the best question.

For the first round, have participants pair up. For subsequent rounds,
have them form trios, then groups of four, five, and so on.

For smaller groups, have each trio record their answers on a flip
chart. Have the other groups see if they can guess what the question
was based on only the answers recorded.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 153

JEOPARDY

This is . . .
An icebreaker activity in which participants have an "answer" on their
name tag and seek others to determine the appropriate "question."

Use it to . . .

Warm participants up and help them start to get to know each other.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

A name tag for each participant.

you'll

A pen for each participant.

need . . .

Optional: tokens and small prizes.

Here's

1. Participants put their name on their name tag.

how . . .

2. Below their name, participants write an answer to a question

about themselves.

3. Participants mingle. As they read the name tags, they try to guess
what the question is that leads to the answer given.

For
Maria. 23.

example . . .

"How old you are? How many years have you been married? How
many grandchildren do you have?"

"No, the correct question is, 'How many more days till I go on
vacation to Ireland?' "

154

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

Responses must be in the form of a question.

success . . .

Allow three questions before the correct questions are revealed and
the pairs mingle again.

Try these

Declare up front a category for the answers on the variations . . .

name tags (family, leisure, work, etc.).

Have participants collect tokens for each right question they guess,
and give prizes to winners.

Leave the names off. Names are given after the participant correctly
guesses the question.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 155

MAGNETS
This is . . .

An activity in which participants quickly try to stand next to one

participant while avoiding another one.

Use it to . . .

Get the group moving and energized.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Have each participant secretly identify two other how . . .

people in the room and designate one as "A" and one as "R." It
doesn't matter who they choose as long as they don't tell anyone
their choice.

2. Everyone gathers in a central space.

3. On your signal, challenge everyone to get as close as possible to

the person they identified as A (attract). At the same time, they are to
stay as far away as possible from the person they identified as R
(repel).
4. After 60 to 90 seconds, call time.

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Tips for

Make sure there is plenty of space for the chaos.

success . . .

Prompt more movement by asking loudly, "So are you really as far
as you can be from your R?" Or

"So are you really as close to your A as you can be?"

Try these

Play in rounds. In round 1, participants get as variations . . .

close as they can to their A (without regard to their R). In round 2,

participants get as far as possible from their R. In round 3,
participants get as close to their A and as far from their R as
possible.

See if everyone can somehow be touching their A while staying a

certain distance (5 feet?) from their R.

Use this as an icebreaker activity. Participants' A will be someone

they don't know and their R will be someone they know quite well.
Participants will introduce themselves to their A.

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 157

MAP IT

This is . . .
An activity in which participants form a human map based on where
they live.

Use it to . . .

Help groups visualize their proximity to each other outside of work.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

No materials are necessary for this activity.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Gather the group in a large, open space.

how . . .

2. Have participants create a map by standing relative to one

another based on where their homes are.

Tips for

Place something in the middle of the space to rep-success . . .

resent where they are now. All points will be relative to that point.

Beyond that, don't help or guide anyone; let the group figure it all
out. Don't be surprised if someone else steps up and starts to lead,
though.

Try these

Have participants map where they were born, variations . . .

where they last went on vacation, where they plan to retire, or where
their favorite restaurant is.

Have participants map where their work locations are. Afterward,

discuss what impact their geo-graphic diversity has on the work they
are about to do, if any.

158

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OBJECTS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants in smaller teams find the connection

between themselves based on an object they are given.

Use it to . . .

Warm participants up who will be working together later.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

An object for each team.

you'll

need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group into teams of four to seven how . . .

members.

2. Give each team one object.

3. The teams have 5 minutes to come up with some way that each of
them is similar to the object.

For

"Okay, I think that I'm like that stapler because I example . . .

can get 'jammed' pretty easily. When you try to staple too fast, it
jams and stops working. I'm the same, if you rush me too much, I
also 'jam' and basically shut down, unable to work."

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 159

Tips for

The objects can all be the same (each team gets a success . . .

stapler, for example). Alternatively, each team can work with a

different object (one team gets a stapler, one gets a mug, one gets a
balloon, etc.).

Try these

Rather than relating to the object individually, variations . . .

have the teams make a simile about their object that relates to the
topic, the organization, and so forth. For example, "Implementing this
project will be like this deck of cards. There will be all sorts of
possible combinations of components, which could be confusing. But
if we keep our wits about us, we'll be able to sort and organize things
brilliantly!"

After doing this once, have the teams swap items and do it again for
another round.

Rather than supply them with an object, have someone from each
team provide the object (something from their pocket or purse?).

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

OPTIMISTS

This is . . .

An activity in which participants think of the positive side of a

negative comment.

Use it to . . .

Get the group thinking positively before beginning a potentially

negative meeting.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

An index card for each participant.

you'll

A pen for each participant.

need . . .

Here's

1. Give each participant a card and a pen.

how . . .

2. Give the group 2 minutes to write down one negative or

pessimistic thought about the day, the work, the group, or some
other related concept.

3. Have them mingle and pair up immediately.

4. One of the pair reads his or her card to the other.

5. The person read to must then state at least three optimistic,

possible outcomes related to the negative thought.

6. The pairs switch roles and repeat steps 4 and 5.

For

"These meetings always seem to run late!"

example . . .

"One, this means we'll have to spend less time on the same topics at
our next meeting. Two, we'll have less traffic to fight with on our way
home, ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A
BILLION) 161

won't we? Three, well, more time here means less time out on the
floor working."
Tips for

The goal is not to fix any issues, argue about success . . .

them, or even discuss them. The goal is merely to think of

possibilities.

Give participants an example before they start.

The best would be to have someone read his or her card to you, and
then you offer three optimistic, possible outcomes.

Try these

Have the group break into trios for each round.

variations . . .

After the card is read, each person (including the one who read the
card) must think of one optimistic possible outcome to share with the
others.

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QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

PAPER, SCISSORS,

ROCK

This is . . .

An activity in which participants compete with each other to earn

tokens.

Use it to . . .

Warm participants up and get them active physically.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

Five tokens for each participant.

you'll

Optional: a small prize.

need . . .

Here's

1. Give each participant five tokens.

how . . .

2. Have everyone pair up.

3. Explain the rules of Paper, Scissors, Rock.

4. Have the pairs play Paper, Scissors, Rock. Whoever wins gets a
token from his or her partner.

5. Immediately find another partner and play again.

6. Continue playing until participants either have no more tokens or

they have collected 10 tokens.

For

Players face each other with one fist clenched.

example . . .
They count 1, 2, and 3 together. On each count, they raise and lower
their fists slightly (to get into a rhythm). On the third count, they each
display ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A
BILLION) 163

a flat hand (paper), or a fist with the index finger and middle finger
out straight (scissors), or a still-clenched fist (rock). Paper covers
(beats) rock.

Rock smashes (beats) scissors. Scissors cuts (beats) paper. Ties

call for another round(s) until there is a winner.

Tips for

The tokens can be pennies, toothpicks, poker success . . .

chips, straws from the cafeteria, playing cards, a product your

organization makes, and so forth.

Demonstrate a few rounds of Paper, Scissors, Rock with another

participant to be sure everyone knows how the game is played.

Try these

Award a prize to the first participant who gets 10

variations . . .

tokens or to the first one who runs out of tokens.

Don't limit the token accumulation to 10. Play for a certain time, and
the winner is whoever has the most tokens. Any ties can be
determined by a playoff.

Eliminate the tokens and prizes. Play the activity just for fun and as a
way to force some quick interaction.

164
QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

"Life Is . . . "

THAT'S LIFE

This is . . .

An activity in which participants take turns responding to two

thought-provoking questions.

Use it to . . .

Get a group warmed up and talking--especially with participants who

know each other fairly well already.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

Optional: a pen and piece of paper for each you'll

participant.

need . . .

Here's

1. Have participants pair up.

how . . .

2. In pairs, participants take turns finishing the statement "Life is too

short to . . ."
3. Participants respond as many times as possible (quick answers
are best and often lead to humor-ous responses).

4. After 60 seconds, have the participants find a new partner and

repeat steps 2 and 3.

5. After another 60 seconds, have the participants find yet another

new partner and repeat steps 2

through 4. This time, however use the statement,

"Life is too short not to . . ."

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 165

For

Life is too short to . . . iron sheets; open junk mail; example . . .

waste it jogging; talk to telemarketers; read the whole newspaper.

Life is too short not to . . . take a cruise somewhere; color with a

child; eat as much chocolate as possible; get a massage; watch the
sunset.

Tips for

Give several examples for each statement to get success . . .

everyone thinking.

Encourage participants to give quick answers rather than thinking

too long and hard. Emphasize quantity over quality.

It sometimes helps to have the prompting partner repeat the phrase

"Life is too short to . . ." before each response is given.

Try these
Use different statements: Use "Something I've done variations . . .

that everyone should try is . . ." with "Something I still want to try is . .
." Alternatively, use "One of life's great lessons is . . ." with "One of
life's great mysteries is . . ."

Have participants form teams of three, four, or even five instead of

pairs.

Have participants write their answers down for 2

minutes, and then share with their partner or the rest of the group.

166

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

TOPICS

This is . . .

An icebreaker activity in which participants discuss a topic randomly

given to them.

Use it to . . .

Help small groups of participants who will work together to warm up

to one another.

Best group

Unlimited.

size . . .

Materials

An index card with a topic on it for each team of you'll

four to six participants.

need . . .

Here's

1. Divide the group into teams of four to six how . . .

participants.

2. Give one topic card to each team.

3. Allow 5 minutes for teams to share with each other as much as

they can about their given topic.

For

Topics may be the weather, entertainment, sports, example . . .

food, current events, travel, animals, education, family, competitors

of your organization's, health, and so forth.

Tips for

Create the topic cards in advance. Make more success . . .

than you think you will need (just in case!).

ACTIVITIES BEST FOR HUGE GROUPS (UP TO A BILLION) 167

Try these

Have the teams swap cards and enjoy another variations . . .

round.

Give one blank index card to each team. Have them create a topic
card for another team to use.
Tell the teams they can't ask their members any questions; they can
only make statements about the topic.

Have the members in each team take turns making comments. No

one can make a second comment until everyone else has made at
least one comment about the topic.

Prepare several topic cards for each team. After allowing 1-2
minutes for the teams to discuss their first topic, call time. Teams
stop, pick the next topic card, and discuss that new topic. Repeat.

168

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

INDEX

Construction paper-based activity,

ABCD Alphabet Search, 128-129

48-49

Alphabet Letters, 126-127

Creative/artistic activities

Always and Never, 130-131

Artist, 62-63

Artist, 62-63

Cups, 140-141

Artistic/creative activities
Fantasy Island, 66-67

Artist, 62-63

Logos, 38-39

Cups, 140-141

Portraits, 116-117

Fantasy Island, 66-67

Cups, 140-141

Logos, 38-39

Portraits, 116-117

Autograph Hound, 132-133

Dance Cards, 142-143

Delegation, 144-145

Dominos, 146-147

Ball-playing activities

Do You Know Me?, 34-35

Beach Ball, 98-99

Drag Queen Names, 104-105

Bouncing Balls, 26-27

Drawing-related activities

Polite Catch, 46-47

Artist, 62-63

Beach Ball, 98-99

Fantasy Island, 66-67

Best of Times, 134-135

Logos, 38-39

Birth Order, 100-101

Portraits, 116-117

Black Jack, 136-137

Dress for Success, 64-65

Blanket Names, 24-25

Blue Ribbons, 138-139

Bouncing Balls, 26-27

Editor, 106-107

Bumper Cars, 28-29

Energizing activities

Bumpity-Bump, 30-31

Alphabet Letters, 126-127

Beach Ball, 98-99

Fortune Cookies, 68-69

Champions, 32-33

Handshakes, 36-37

Cheerleaders, 102-103

Hitchhiker, 148-149

INDEX

169

Energizing activities ( continued ) Map It, 158

Magnets, 156-157

Objects, 159-160

Paper, Scissors, Rock, 163-164

Optimists, 161-162

Photo Scavenger Hunt, 114-115

Paper, Scissors, Rock, 163-164

Sound and Movement, 82-83

That's Life, 165-166

Speechless, 54-55

Topics, 167-168
Swap, 118-119

for large groups, 97-123

What Are You Doing?, 92-93

Beach Ball, 98-99

Who Else?, 122-123

Bumper Cars, 28-29

Mind Reader, 40-41

for small groups, 61-95

Fantasy Island, 66-67

Artist, 62-63

Fortune Cookies, 68-69

Dress for Success, 64-65

Fortune Tellers, 70-71

Fantasy Island, 66-67

Four person-based activities, 14-15

Fortune Cookies, 68-69

ABCD Alphabet Search, 128-129

Fun Facts, 72-73

Alphabet Letters, 126-127

Ha!, 74-75

Delegation, 144-145

Quotes, 76-77

Hitchhiker, 148-149

Rumors, 78-79

Four Square, 27

Show and Tell, 80-81

Four team-based activities, 18-19

Sound and Movement, 82-83

Fun Facts, 72-73

Superlatives, 84-85

Future, anticipating or fantasizing

Ten Fingers, 88-89

about, 70-71

Time Capsule, 90-91

Topics, 167-168

T-Shirts, 86-87

Group-based activities. See also

What Are You Doing?, 92-93

Team-based activities

What If?, 94-95

for huge groups

Grouping activities, 11-21

ABCD Alphabet Search, 128-129

Dominos, 146-147

Alphabet Letters, 126-127

by number of teams, 16-21

Always and Never, 130-131

four teams, 18-19

Autograph Hound, 132-133

three teams, 17-18

Best of Times, 134-135

X number of teams, 20-21

Black Jack, 136-137

by team size, 11-16

Blue Ribbons, 138-139

fours, 14-15

Cups, 140-141

pairs, 11-13
Dance Cards, 142-143

trios, 13-14

Delegation, 144-145

Dominos, 146-147

Hitchhiker, 148-149

Ha!, 74-75

Hot Seat, 150-151

Handshakes, 36-37

Index Card Questions, 152-153

Handshakes, New, 110-111

Jeopardy, 154-155

Hitchhiker, 148-149

Magnets, 156-157

Hot Seat, 150-151

170

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Huge group-based activities, Handshakes, 36-37

126-168

Jeopardy, 154-155
ABCD Alphabet Search, 128-129

Logos, 38-39

Alphabet Letters, 126-127

Magnets, 157

Always and Never, 130-131

Mind Reader, 40-41

Autograph Hound, 132-133

My Letter, 42-43

Best of Times, 134-135

Physical Descriptions, 44-45

Black Jack, 136-137

Polite Catch, 46-47

Blue Ribbons, 138-139

Rip It Up, 48-49

Cups, 140-141

Shark!, 50-51

Dance Cards, 142-143

Speaking in Tongues, 52-53

Delegation, 144-145

Speechless, 54-55
Dominos, 146-147

Survivor, 56-57

Hitchhiker, 148-149

Topics, 167-168

Hot Seat, 150-151

T-Shirts, 87

Index Card Questions, 152-153

Two Circles, 58-59

Jeopardy, 154-155

Index Card Questions, 152-153

Magnets, 156-157

Interviewing-based activities. See also Map It, 158

Question-asking-based activities

Objects, 159-160

Champions, 32-33

Optimists, 161-162

Introductions, icebreakers for, 2,

Paper, Scissors, Rock, 163-164

23-59

That's Life, 165-166

Blanket Names, 24-25

Topics, 167-168

Bouncing Balls, 26-27

Humorous activities

Bumper Cars, 28-29

Drag Queen Names, 104-105

Bumpity-Bump, 30-31

Ha!, 74-75

Champions, 32-33

Line, 108-109

definition of, 1

Rumors, 78-79

Do You Know Me?, 34-35

Speaking in Tongues, 52053

Fortune Tellers, 70-71

What Are You Doing?, 92-93

Handshakes, 36-37

What If?, 94-95

Logos, 38-39

Mind Reader, 40-41

I

My Letter, 42-43

Icebreakers, for introductions, 2,

Physical Descriptions, 44-45

23-59. See also Warm-up

Polite Catch, 46-47

activities

Rip It Up, 48-49

Black Jack, 136-137

Shark!, 50-51

Blanket Names, 24-25

Speaking in Tongues, 52-53

Bouncing Balls, 26-27

Speechless, 54-55

Bumper Cars, 28-29

Survivor, 56-57

Bumpity-Bump, 30-31

Two Circles, 58-59

Champions, 32-33

definition of, 1
J

Do You Know Me?, 34-35

Jeopardy, 154-155

INDEX

171

Languages, "made up," 52-53

Pair-based activities

Large-group activities, 97-123

Artist, 62

Beach Ball, 98-99

Champions, 32-33

Birth Order, 100-101

Shark!, 50-51

Bumper Cars, 28-29

Speaking in Tongues, 52-53

Cheerleaders, 102-103

Speechless, 54-55

Drag Queen Names, 104-105

team-based, 11-13

Editor, 106-107

That's Life, 165-166

Line, 108-109

Paper, Scissors, Rock, 163-164

Mind Reader, 40-41

Photo Scavenger Hunt, 114-115

New Handshakes, 110-111

Physical Descriptions, 44-45

New Words, 112-113

Physically-active activities. See

Photo Scavenger Hunt, 114-115

Energizing activities

Portraits, 116-117

Polite Catch, 46-47

Swap, 118-119

Portraits, 116-117

Unusual Commonalties,

120-121

Q
Who Else?, 122-123

Question-asking activities

Line, 108-109

Beach Ball, 98-99

Logos, 38-39

Do You Know Me?, 34-35

Hot Seat, 150-151

Index Card Questions, 152-153

Magnets, 156-157

Jeopardy, 154-155

Map It, 158

Mind Reader, 40-41

Meeting openers, definition and

Questions, 8-10

purpose of, 1

Rumors, 78-79

Mind Reader, 40-41

That's Life, 165-166

More Quick Team-Building Activities What Are You Doing?, 92-93

for Busy Managers (Miller), 1

What If?, 94-95

My Letter, 42-43

Quick Team-Building Activities for

Busy Managers (Miller), 1

Quotes, 76-77

Name tag-based activities

Jeopardy, 154-155

Logos, 38-39

Rip It Up, 48-49

Rip It Up, 48-49

Rumors, 78-79

Negative comments, 161-162

Networking activity, 50-51

New Words, 112-113

Scavenger Hunt, Photo, 114-115

Seating arrangements, activity for,

O

146-147

Optimists, 161-162

Show and Tell, 80-81

172

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

Small-group activities, 61-95

Team-building activities,

Artist, 62-63

differentiated from meeting

Dress for Success, 64-65

openers, 1

Fantasy Island, 66-67

Ten Fingers, 88-89

Fortune Cookies, 68-69

That's Life, 165-166

Fun Facts, 72-73

Three-person activities, 13-14

Ha!, 74-75

Champions, 32-33
Quotes, 76-77

Shark!, 50-51

Rumors, 78-79

Three team-based activities, 17-18

Show and Tell, 80-81

Time Capsule, 90-91

Sound and Movement, 82-83

Topics, 167-168

Superlatives, 84-85

T-shirts, use in Autograph Hound

Ten Fingers, 88-89

activity, 132-133

Time Capsule, 90-91

T-Shirts activity, 86-87

Topics, 167-168

T-Shirts, 86-87

What Are You Doing?, 92-93

Unusual Commonalities, 120-121

What If?, 94-95

Sound and Movement, 82-83

Superlatives, 84-85

Warm-up activities

"Super Quick and Easy" activities,

ABCD Alphabet Search, 128-129

5-10

Alphabet Letters, 126-127

If I Were A...., 6-7

Always and Never, 130-131

Questions, 8-10

Artist, 62-63

Swap, 118-119

Autograph Hound, 132-133

Beach Ball, 98-99

Best of Times, 134-135

Team-based activities

Birth Order, 100-101

ABCD Alphabet Search,

Blue Ribbons, 138-139

128-129

Cheerleaders, 102-103

Alphabet Letters, 126-127

Drag Queen Names, 104-105

Delegation, 144-145

Dress for Success, 64-65

Hitchhiker, 148-149

Editor, 106-107

Hot Seat, 150-151

Fortune Cookies, 68-69

by number of teams

Fortune Tellers, 70-71

four teams, 18-19

Ha!, 74-75

three teams, 17-18

Hot Seat, 150-151

X number of teams, 20-21

If I Were A..., 6-7

Survivor, 56-57
Jeopardy, 154-155

by team size

Line, 108-109

fours, 14-15

New Handshakes, 110-111

pairs, 11-13

New Words, 112-113

trios, 13-14

Paper, Scissors, Rock, 163-164

INDEX

173

Warm-up activities ( continued ) What Are You Doing?, 92-93

Questions, 8-10

What If?, 94-95

Show and Tell, 80-81

What Are You Doing?, 92-93

Superlatives, 84-85

What If?, 94-95

Survivor, 56-57

Who Else?, 122-123

That's Life, 165-166

Workspace-based activities,

Unusual Commonalities, 120-121

80-81

174

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brian Cole Miller is the founder of Working Solutions in Dublin, Ohio.

A sought-after speaker and trainer, he specializes in two areas:
developing stronger leaders and building more effective teams. He
provides training, coaching, and consulting to busy managers and
their teams in companies worldwide, including Anthem Blue Cross
Blue Shield, VISA, DuPont, and Nationwide Insurance.

If you have a quick icebreaker or team-building activity that you

would like to share with Brian for his next volume, or if you would like
to ask questions about this work, please contact Brian Miller at
[Link].

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

175

This page intentionally left blank

More Useful Books by Brain Cole Miller!

Build a Productive Team with his Easy-to-Use Team-Building

Books!

An AMACOM Best Seller! Over 60,000 copies sold!

Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers 50 Exercises
That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes $17.95

"Recommended for managers and supervisors, as well as training

and development professionals, it doesn't get much more
comfortable than this! Activities are organized by areas of need:
Communication, Connecting, Cooperation, Coping, Creativity, and
Teamwork, to bring people together to achieve results."

--Roger E. Herman, The Midwest Book Review Every group can

benefit from team-building exercises. But sometimes it's not practical
to embark on a full-scale training initiative. Now, supervisors,
managers, and team leaders have 50 team-building activities to
choose from, all of which can be implemented with no special
facilities, big expense, or previous training experience.

More Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers 50 New

Exercises That Get Results in Just 15 Minutes $17.95

50 all-new exercises that can be conducted in 15 minutes or less.

Miller also includes special guidance for "virtual teams," whose
members are in different locations but must work as a unit. For
anyone charged with the task of bring-ing teams together, this book
is the answer.

Keeping Employees Accountable for Results Quick Tips for Busy

Managers

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"Miller presents his advice in a design that's easy to grasp. You will
gain a consider-able amount of worthwhile knowledge, technique,
and advice reading this book from cover to cover. However, the
strongest benefit will come over time as you use this volume as a
reference book, a handbook to return to for refreshers and
reinforcement."
--Roger E. Herman, Certified Management Consultant Now busy
managers have the resource that provides step-by-step advice on
managing employee performance on an ongoing basis.

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E-mail: SpecialSls@[Link]
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Table of Contents
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