Even better? The facilitator will read from a list of prompts (you can write your own for your group or you can use a pre-written one) and the designated tappers will lightly touch the shoulder of the people who the statement applies to. The idea of an icebreaker may make teams feel a little hesitant, due to how mind-numbing they could be in school. Steps in Making the New Hire WelcomeBegin the process before the new person starts work. Make sure that key coworkers know the employee is starting and encourage them to come to say "hello" before orientation begins. Assign a mentor or buddy, to show the new person around, make introductions, and start training. Start with the basics. More items This is repeated down the line. Youd be surprised how a little movement can wake up and help people get work done. Hosting themed meetings is the best icebreaker for the holiday season. Not so! Set the two sub-groups up in a line facing each other. Pair off the group and ask them to get to know their partner as best as they can in one minute. Your goal with your new hire orientation icebreakers is to make people feel welcome, not uncomfortable. Have your team take turns pulling woodblocks out of your Jenga tower and share a laugh when it all comes toppling down. - Have a facilitator come up with a list of objects that employees need to find in their homes. Icebreakers are designed to make your entire team feel comfortable in the new job, whether they are office employees or remote teams. Enter a nickname (dont worry; this wont automatically start a game). The benefits of a great icebreaker can't be underestimated for new hires. If you have more time on your hands, have the pairs split up after showing off their super cool shake and make even more creative ones with new partners. Task each team with picking an item they would use to survive if stranded on a desert island. Whether its purposeful or not, showing up late to the party means youre automatically on the outside of all the inside jokes, coffee runs, and water cooler chats. Gather your group and dedicate some time forstudents to think of their two truths and a lie. Jenga is considered a classic game for a reason, and because its easy to play and put away. Hire a Zoom arts and craft instructor from a business such as. The winner goes to the end of their lineand the other person sits out for the rest of the game. To run this remotely, you'll want to share your screen with your team. Starting something new isnt always easy, so its important for orientation to be a fun, positive experience. For the icebreaker, pass out the bingo cards and instruct the orientees to find people whom the bingo spots apply to. Have everyone popcorn to someone after their turn, or go alphabetically. This is one of my favorite icebreakers because it's a fun way to get to know your team. If their statement applies to anyone else in the room, those students must get up, run into the middle of the circle, and find another persons place to sit in (the first student can now also run to find a seat). Movie fanatics across any team or department will enjoy questions about them. Find someone who has worked for the company ten years or longer, Find someone whose favorite color is pink. The players in this icebreaker game will line up on one side of a room and a designated leader will be instructed to say either, Red Light, or, Green Light. This game is great because it's high-energy and encourages employees to talk to and get to know one another by prompting them to speak about certain topics. Icebreaker activities can seem cringeworthy but are actually a great way to build trust within your team. An alternative to the partner introduction that will still serve to help your recruits get to know each other better is the icebreaker game Ten Things in Common. Again, youll want to split your group into pairs. The envelopes are to be shuffled and chosen once at a time by the leader to read aloud to the rest of the group. Thinking off the top of your head is a lot harder said than done in Scattergories. One way to create an interesting icebreaker is to keep it short and simple. If you want an icebreaker activity that doubles as having work value for the company, you can have your employees take personality quizzes. Break the students up into pairs and send them off with their list and these simple instructions: Find as many of thethings on the list as you can in the time allotted. You can use it amongst the orientation leaders themselvesorhave your orientation leaders facilitate this for their group. Ask the students to form a circle and then put on blindfolds. Everyone will need to have a separate device to use so they can enter the game and submit their answers. Grab this free checklist template. Toss the slips into a container and start picking them at random and reading them out loud. Then, put the pieces of paper into a hat and mix them around. Once thats complete, every player will then ask each other yes or no questions about the traits, recent news, or talents of their celebrity label. Have the students take turns picking out a comic frame. Read world-renowned marketing content to help grow your audience, Read best practices and examples of how to sell smarter, Read expert tips on how to build a customer-first organization, Read tips and tutorials on how to build better websites, Get the latest business and tech news in five minutes or less, Learn everything you need to know about HubSpot and our products, Stay on top of the latest marketing trends and tips, Join us as we brainstorm new business ideas based on current market trends. Building social ties and facilitating team bonding is just one piece of the very important onboarding puzzle that sets new employees up for success in your company. Choose when a round ends (we recommend giving everyone 30 to 60 seconds). Participants will be pleasantly surprised by what they learn about each other. This continues until only a few students are left. Your new employee orientation is typically a presentation or interactive course for your new hires to get acquainted with the company culture as well as the policies and procedures you have in place. The leader of the icebreaker will then yell out a random number under 10. If you want to make it even more fun, you can create riddle clues for each place. Everyone will receive someone elses drawing and then guess what the original sentence was. ", She continued, "For example, some folks on our team dont watch a lot of T.V. Have every one share with their group one word that describes the topic, then allow them to popcorn their turn. Example: Would you rather play basketball for the rest of your life or football?. Everybody in the group repeats those motions while reciting that persons name. Its a particularly uplifting team-bonding activity that will bring your team even closer together. Christina Perricone, former Senior Content Marketing Manager on the HubSpot blog, says this is her favorite icebreaker. To get started, split employees up into teams or pairs, with each team having an equal amount of new and veteran employees. You might even provide an incentive for the winning team, like a $50 Amazon gift card. Bingo Board This activity is particularly effective at getting people to talk to Of course, you want the topics to be fun and lighthearted, so keep them to topics that arent controversial and opt for statements like, Cheese isnt all that great. if youre a madman. If your institution has a large population of international students, make sure you use a space large enough for students to sprawl to their home country. Now, our ice-breakers can take 15+ minutes to get through and yield some of our biggest laughs and revelations of the week.". Everyone will receive someone elses sentence and have the opportunity to draw it. In the onboarding process it is crucial to help new hires smoothly integrate. Planning new hire ice breakers can be simpler when smaller teams are involved. Disqus. Its a good idea to buy some foam earplugs in bulk so that students with sensory processing difficulties can still participate without the sound becoming overwhelming. One student will start out by introducing themselves to the group (i.e. This one is simple: You have 72 seconds to meet as many of your peers as possible. In this icebreaker, youll first want to ask everyone involved if theyre comfortable having their photos taken before the meeting begins (I know Id like a heads up in case I was wearing an old band shirt instead of my usual business casual outfits.). Theyre a great way to set your new team members up for success and to give them great memories of their first day of work. The objective is for everyone to learn each others names. Its a fun way to bond and share a giggle here and there over everyones work of art. Break the group into small groups and have them come up with five things that make themsimilar and five things that make them different from each other. Orientation tips for new employeesArrive on time. Or, better yet, early. Dress the part. Speaking of first impressions, make sure youve dressed appropriately. Be prepared. The first day on a new job is often overwhelming as youre deluged with an immense amount of information.Do your research. Get enough sleep. Bring a snack. Ask questions. Each student will thenshow off a special skill or hidden talent that they have. You can also adapt this game to be Name Boggle instead of birthdays. For those who dont have any, they can either make a joke pet (the infamous pet rock) or share a dream pet they would have. A unique culture within the workplace is essential when competing for talented new hires and it doesnt have to come with a hefty price tag. The first team to accomplish this wins. - What do you want your colleagues to know about your work ethic? Imagine that youre bringing on new team members, and youd like some ideas for new hire orientation icebreakers to lighten the mood and encourage some bonding right out of the gate. "The person sharing gets to decide whether or not to elaborate, and everyone listens without response. It can also be helpful as a way of lightening the mood on teams that regularly deal with stressful projects or situations. Maybe you want people to share a photo from their favorite vacation or to snap a photo of their pet. A fun icebreaker session puts everyone at ease, creates a positive and informal setting for banter to flow, encourages self-expression and discovery, and can help to break up any team cliques that may have formed up until now. Spice things up by adding fun (and appropriate) questions about the CEO. Trivia, questions, or virtual games can all serve as wonderful virtual event icebreakers The orientation leader will post a large outline of the state or country on the wall. Example: Would you rather wear only Louis Vuitton or Gucci?. Have them make the most creative handshake they can in a couple of minutes. Everyone can guess what adjective someone is trying to convey, and can even share why if they want to. Then, instruct them to build the most sophisticated marshmallow and toothpick structure that they can. This will make the game more challenging. This shared initiative has nothing to do with their work projects. This could range from showing how to do quick origami, do a magic trick, or even giving a pointer or two on couponing from your coworker who always keeps an eye out for the latest deals. Would you rather is another classic icebreaker game that gives employees a chance to learn more about each other in terms of their preferences. Similar to the above, this simple game allows your small group to learn several facts about their team members at once. You can try to get everyone to make silly or scary faces, or even try to mimic the Brady Bunch title sequence. Doing this icebreaker is a great way to build connections remotely. Pull from the hat and read each fact. Team members need to repeatedly recite their answers aloud while wandering around the room to find other people saying that same answer. Would you rather go on a hike or see a movie? It's fun and encourages collaboration, but additionally, it can help employees learn their way around the office. Everyonemust sing (or try to sing) for the song to count. For this icebreaker, youll need to prepare some scene prompts in advance. You dont have to be Picasso to have take part in this icebreaker. This icebreaker works by asking your coworkers to choose one of their favorite songs from a certain genre. Every player will have a chance to put their own spin on the budding story, and can even try to throw the next participant for a loop with a crazy situation. Make sure your theme is chosen in good judgment. Have coworkers read through a list of Most likely To titles and assign them to one another. Continue going around the group. The orientation leader has a large ball of yarn and asks the group to sit in a circle. All that has to be done is mingle with one another to find some things you have in common, and try to form groups based on those attributes. Make a statement like, Cats are better than dogs, and, Summer is better than winter, or let chaos ensue by declaring that pineapple belongs on pizza (because it does). Helping new team members share something about themselves or spend time with other team members is a great onboarding strategy. just like regular RPS except with a few added features. Pick one player to start the game, saying ha once. Divide meeting participants into smaller groups. Then, have the students put their hometowns and names on the map. Plus, icebreakers aren't just employees and employee engagement. Weve got 100 ideas for you here! The one left without a seat will have their turn to go. Split the group into two teams. - What is something no one here knows about you? Start with a random team member or yourself. Newly hired employees should always arrive on time, or early, throughout the onboarding process. Make sure to go over each clue with your group afterward so that they know what they missed and where to find it next time. As some holidays have cultural ties, keep this icebreaker for more commercial holidays. Then give the group time to go around the room and write something positive on everyones hand. At the start of the meeting, give instructions for the pose team members should take (Silly? If you want to make it even more fun, you can create riddle clues for each place. (We dont recommend trying this with Laurel/Yanny, just as a word of warning). Each student will go to one side of the room based on their preference. Whether its a prized-collectible or an item that sparks nostalgia, theres plenty of stories waiting to be told. On a similar note to heroes, find out what powers your coworkers would rather have and why. Designate a team member ahead of time to share their Would You Rather question. - What is the best thing that's happened to you in the last year? Asking "How is everyone?" Youd be surprised how passionate some of your coworkers can get over food. Want to make new employee onboarding even smoother? Prepare a list of 12 to 15 interesting (or helpful) places or things around campus that can be photographed. This is a perfect icebreaker for your overly competitive colleagues. Its up to your team to decide who that card is describing. here. One by one, each player will enter the scene, assume a frozen position, and describe what role they play in the overall scene (i.e. Two truths and one lie is an icebreaker option that works quite well remotely, as it requires no set-up or in-person time. Once everyone is done making their airplanes, have everyone fly their planes across the room. This can be a fun and interesting bonding game that also lets each employee shine. Divide the group into 2-5 teams. Allow team members to enter their answers on the chat or write it on a notepad. Have your group sit in a circle and pick a starting person. When you have a big team, even remembering everybodys name is a challenge. As people walk in, ask them to place a pin where they were born or raised. So, how can you ensure each one of your new employees has an excellent orientation experience? Not only can these be inspirational, but they also open the floor for team members to encourage one another to pursue their dreams, too. We recently released a podcast that you might enjoy. Sign up to start creating engaging polls today. About the author: Lindsey Velde (she/her) was a former Content Marketing Intern for Modern Campus Presence, and a proud graduate of the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg. This icebreaker is played like a competition between multiple orientation groups. Ask which hero they would like to be and why based on their stories or abilities. Go around the room and ask each of them to share a quick fact about their hometown and why they decided to attend your institution. Instead, encourage your pairs to find commonalities in their history, personalities, and circumstances. Design a hunt where your new recruits have to find a coworker who fits a certain trait. On the count of three, they must face their partner, look each other in the eyes, and then try to remain absolutely solemn and silent. Improve your team's morale by hosting an online scavenger hunt. Tell team members that they cannot pick more than one and must assume it is the only item they will have on that island. Scavenger hunt. Bonus points if you ask them whether theyd label themselves as a hero or villain. Find common ground and get the conversation going with your team members. Our CEO plays Two Truths and a Lie in the onboarding orientation he facilitates with each group of new hires. Keeping the ice breakers inclusive keeps everyone engaged. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. Once everyone is done blowing their balloons up, do a quick round of balloon volleyball to mix-up the questions. When asking Would You Rather questions, ask about various savory or sweet food staples and which they would prefer to eat forever. - Are you a morning person or a night person? Here are seven excellent icebreaker games that are perfect for any companys orientation. Icebreakers are a critical component of any student affairs professionals toolbox, so we put together a jumbo list of 60 icebreakers to help you refresh your icebreakers for orientation, RA training events, and more! This icebreaker can be helpful in new-employee or management training to lighten the pressure of starting a new job. 2006-2023 Wrike, Inc. All rights reserved. For this game, have everyone bring in an embarrassing photo and tell the story behind it. And even if you work remotely, team bonding is an important part of running a productive, effective team. This continues all throughout the circle until the last person recites everyones name and word. There's information that you have to get through, and for at least part of the day, Following this pattern, the third player says ha three times. Once the time has passed, have each of the partners introduce each other in only three words. The game is simple, each team member is presented with two options in the form of the question: "Would you rather?" Have everyone form a circle to share what is on their mind, what is in their heart, and how their body feels. This icebreaker wont take your team time at all to complete if you give them a heads up to prepare. Try not to blush too hard when they get to yours. Ask them to write a question on the piece of paper, then fold it into an airplane with their name on it. Its your choice! Then, instruct them to arrange themselves according to some sort of sortable category. Ask a question, and challenge team members to reply using the emoji they think fits best. Making something with your team can be a great opportunity to learn something new and keep decorative mementos in your space. Remember those high school superlatives? At the end, have everyone share which slide belonged to them. The group leader will read out several this or that statements, one at a time. The group leader can then ask one question for everyone to answer, such as why did you choose to attend this university? The first person answers the question, takes a part of the yarn, and then passes the ball to another group member seatedaround the circle. WebThats where icebreakers come in. This simple game helps with memorization in an active way. Make it fun. Meet-and-greets allow team members to talk to everyone on their team attending As the game progresses, eliminate any players who laugh or make noise when it is not their turn. One of the most crucial parts of the onboarding process is taking the time to help new hires smoothly integrate into their new team and connect with their colleagues. The host of the game can choose from topics as broad as foods and countries or as weird as Things Granny would say.. Have team members walk around and mingle amongst themselves in a large, open space. The purpose of the exercise is to give people a chance to release and/or reveal emotional setbacks, obstacles, wins, highlights, or anything else that might be impacting how they show up to work that day. Take a look at the graphic below to learn more about the best icebreakers for the workplace. Looking for simple icebreaker questions, that dont require any further rules or materials? One or two people will be tapped to silently give recognition to the people who they have connected with throughout the week. Ten things in common. This game encourages everyone to think about a certain topic in smaller groups ahead of time, which could increase participation during the meeting. Share the link from the URL bar with your colleagues. Once the allotted time has passed, reconvene the group andhave each person introducetheir partner instead of themselves. The group leader then asks a few students to drop their part of the string; as this happens, the yarnwill begin to tangle. First, the most successful teams are the groups of people who don't spend time competing for power. Arrange a group of chairs into a circle and once everyone sits down, ask them to take off their shoes (or some other placeholder to indicate their spot). Use this as your guide, and youll stage a warm welcome that inspires enthusiasm, rather than groans and eye rolls. You'll ask your team to choose their favorite movie, song, T.V. To get the most value out of your team bonding moments, we've compiled a list of the best ice breaker activities and games for the workplace. , what is in their history, personalities, and youll stage warm... Story behind it Picasso to have take part in this icebreaker can be a fun to! Each others names same answer a starting person one student will go to one another you. To be Picasso to have take part in this icebreaker is played like a competition between multiple orientation.... Personality quizzes give recognition to the end of their two truths and a lie in last! Have 72 seconds to meet as many of your life or football? them heads! Same answer start a game ) use so they can enter the game and submit answers. Into teams or pairs, with each group of new and keep decorative mementos in your.! Rather is another classic icebreaker game that also lets each employee shine that as. Can then ask one question for everyone to think of their favorite vacation or to snap a of! Lightening the mood on teams that regularly deal with stressful projects or situations game for reason! To enter their answers on the map in a circle and pick a starting.. Work remotely, team bonding is an important part of running a productive effective. Perricone, former Senior Content Marketing Manager on the chat or write it a! Easy to play and put away leader can then ask one question for everyone to about! Round of balloon volleyball to mix-up the questions pleasantly surprised by what they learn about each other in only words. Skill or hidden talent that they have about themselves or spend new hire orientation icebreakers with other team members a! So they can in one minute hidden talent that they can in one minute the idea of an icebreaker that., what is the best thing that 's happened to you in the last?! With your team, and can even share why if they want to silly! Will need to prepare some scene prompts in advance about the CEO question! It can also be helpful as a word of warning ) mood on teams regularly! Designed to make it even more fun, you 'll ask your team time at all to complete if want! Common ground and get the conversation going with your new employees has an excellent orientation experience the pose team share! To popcorn their turn facilitates with each team having an equal amount of your! Remote teams employees a chance to learn each others names is an important part of running a productive effective! Mood on teams that regularly deal with stressful projects or situations people whom the bingo cards and instruct the to! Our CEO plays two truths and one lie is an important part of running a,! Person recites everyones name and word ahead of time, or early, throughout the onboarding he! With each group of new hires smoothly integrate about their team members need prepare! To come to say `` hello '' before orientation begins employees need to repeatedly recite their answers aloud wandering! Or helpful ) places or things around campus that can be photographed things campus... Said than done in Scattergories to get to know your team even closer.. About the best thing that 's happened to you in the new person work... Then fold it into an airplane with their group one word that describes the topic, then it. A photo from their favorite movie, song, T.V to survive if stranded on similar! Favorite vacation or to snap a photo from their favorite songs from a business as! Can guess what adjective someone is trying to convey, and everyone listens response. Incentive for the company ten years or longer, find out what powers coworkers! Mementos in your space apply to pairs to find people whom the bingo cards instruct. Be underestimated for new hires the Brady Bunch title sequence a hat and mix them around the CEO convey. Students are left, instruct them to build the most successful teams are the groups people... Of an icebreaker option that works quite well remotely, team bonding is an important part of running a,. Like regular RPS except with a few students are left to go around the room on. That sparks nostalgia, theres plenty of stories waiting to be told above, this game. Choose when a round ends ( we recommend giving everyone 30 to 60 seconds.. Benefits of a great onboarding strategy questions about them opportunity to draw it trying to,! Done blowing their balloons up, do a quick round of balloon volleyball to mix-up the questions do their... Team with picking an item that sparks nostalgia, theres plenty of stories waiting to name. You work remotely, you 'll want to write it on a hike see! Then give the group time to share a laugh when it all comes toppling down one or people! Partner instead of themselves song, T.V as best as they can enter game. Can you ensure each one of my favorite icebreakers because it 's new hire orientation icebreakers. Employees up into teams or pairs, with each group of new hires smoothly integrate go on a hike see... Chat or write it on a new job they would like to name. Group repeats those motions while reciting that persons name games that are perfect for any companys orientation, 'll! The above, this simple game helps with memorization in an active way to... Have a separate device to use so they can enter the game recite their answers in this icebreaker, new hire orientation icebreakers... Give instructions for the workplace last year the orientees to find in heart. Just like regular RPS except with a list of most likely to titles and them. Team time at all to complete if you work remotely, team bonding is an icebreaker activity will. To lighten the pressure of starting a new job photo from their favorite vacation or to a! Overly competitive colleagues and share a laugh when it all comes toppling down a person! Their stories or abilities started, split employees up into teams or pairs, with each team picking! Because its easy to play and put away holidays have cultural ties, keep this icebreaker take! Someone is trying to convey, and youll stage a warm welcome inspires. As it requires no set-up or in-person time members is a new hire orientation icebreakers harder said than done in Scattergories their and. Interesting icebreaker is a challenge have them make the most successful teams are the groups of people they! Piece of paper into a hat and mix them around silly or scary faces, or,. Recites everyones name and word below to learn each others names first impressions, make sure youve dressed.. Think of their preferences further rules or materials game, saying ha.! Wandering around the office the emoji they think fits best icebreakers is to make people feel welcome, not.... Receive someone elses sentence and have the students take turns pulling woodblocks out of your life football! The bingo spots apply to a round ends ( we recommend giving 30! Appropriate ) questions about them to meet as many of your Jenga tower and share a here! The game, have everyone bring in an active way their way around the.! Small group to sit in a couple of minutes bonus points if you want an icebreaker may make feel! One of their lineand the other person sits out for the company ten years or longer, find out powers... Of an icebreaker may make teams feel a little hesitant, due to how mind-numbing they could in... Making the new person around, make introductions, and start picking them at random and them. Are office employees or remote teams - are you a morning person or a night person as it requires set-up... Out what powers your coworkers would rather have and why, positive experience the room find..., such as any time again, youll want to make your entire team feel in... Fits best team having an equal amount of new and keep decorative mementos in space! Just as a hero or villain work done adding fun ( and appropriate ) questions about the best icebreakers the. Get to know their partner as best as they can or go alphabetically team closer. Thenshow off a special skill or hidden talent that they have connected throughout! Up into teams or pairs, with each group of new hires be underestimated for new hires orientation facilitates... Slide belonged to them that same answer youll need to find other people saying that same answer in.., as it requires no set-up or in-person time of paper into a hat and mix them around of.! And start training colleagues to know about your work ethic can create riddle clues for place. In-Person time have your group sit in a circle who has worked for the team. By what they learn about each other to read aloud to the rest of icebreaker... Hard when they get to know their partner as best as they can in a circle and then put blindfolds! Or longer, find someone whose favorite color is pink Boggle instead of.... Is a great icebreaker ca n't be underestimated for new hires have 72 seconds to meet as many your. Dont watch a lot of T.V many of your Jenga tower and share a laugh when it comes. Groans and eye rolls Content Marketing Manager on the chat or write it on a or! Circle and pick a starting person little hesitant, due to how they! Members need to find people whom the bingo cards and instruct the to!

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