Universal Icebreakers and Energisers

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To review knowledge, share feedback or quiz participants.
• To assess current awareness of a situation or challenge.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 24 participants.

Useful For:
Any situation where you want to inject some fun and humour whilst testing your participants’ knowledge or awareness.

You'll Need:
• To pre-prepare a series of questions, each with multiple answers.

Notes:
Developed to share customer feedback with our team, this is also a great activity to use in any situation where you want to run a quiz where questions have more than one answer. For example, you could use it to test participants’ knowledge of the main features of a product or service, or to remind teams of their successes.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library called Let's See if it's There.

Time:
This exercise will take about 30 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 40 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To give participants the opportunity to consider what the subject means to them and the other participants currently.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 20 participants.

You'll Need:
Flipchart paper, colourful pens, and coloured stickers or shapes.

Notes:
As a variation, you can ask your participants to create a collage, instead of a drawing. If you choose this option you will also need a collection of old magazines, postcards, birthday cards etc., scissors and glue.

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To encourage participants to think about where things go wrong.
• To identify behaviours to avoid.
• To encourage discussion about the behaviour(s) being explored in the following training.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 24 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• Enough space for small teams to work separately.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 15 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To raise energy levels within the group.
• To emphasise some key content.
• To check participants' understanding of the content.

Group Size:
This module can be used with very large groups of more than 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• A list of key words/concepts linked to the training. We suggest about 30 words and phrases to ensure the game lasts.

You may also want some small prizes for the winners.

Notes:
You may wish to add some authenticity by pre-writing the words onto pieces of paper/card and putting them into receptacle to draw out.

Time:
Each individual challenge will take about 5 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 10 minutes to complete each activity.

Aims:
• To energise and engage participants.
• To help participants understand why practice makes perfect when learning new skills.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of 6 or more participants.

You'll Need:
• 5 sets of the Filing Frenzy shape cards for every team of 3 participants and the PowerPoint Challenges slides.
• A stopwatch or timer.

Notes:
Each Filing Frenzy! pack contains 10 sets of the shape cards used in this activity.

Time:
This exercise will take about 5 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 10 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To launch a training session in a more interactive way than simple introductions.
• To increase energy levels in your participants.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of almost any size. However, you will need to put participants into teams if you have over 16 participants.

You'll Need:
• One set of the cards per 16 participants.

Notes:
If you expect to run this exercise on more than one occasion, consider laminating the cards.

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to run. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To establish participants’ worries about the training they’re attending.
• To identify participants' concerns and hopes about the training.
• To help establish some objectives and ground rules for the training.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 20 participants.

You'll Need:
• A hat or other receptacle.

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 25 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To provide an opportunity for participants to share good and bad experiences.
• To gather real-life examples that can be referred to throughout the training.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 20 participants.

You'll Need:
• Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
Our thanks to Buffy Sparks for her help in writing this icebreaker.

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to run. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To enable participants to articulate how they feel about the training.
• To help participants understand how other participants are feeling about the training.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 20 participants.

You'll Need:
• One plain paper plate and lollipop stick per participant. (Try to avoid laminated plates, as these can be difficult to draw on.)
• Sticky tape.
• A selection of marker pens.

Time:
This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To identify how participants are feeling.
• To encourage participants to recognise that they are not alone, and that their feelings are shared by others in the group.
• To encourage participants to focus on how they want to feel by the end of the training.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 20 participants.

You'll Need:
Bank sheets of A4 paper.
• Pens/pencils with which to draw.

Time:
This exercise will take about 10 minutes to run. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 25 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To identify how participants are feeling.
• To explore their thoughts, fears and concerns in a comfortable way.
• To establish learning objectives for the course or programme.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

You'll Need:
Flipchart and pens.

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To encourage participants to share good and bad experiences relevant to the subject of your course/workshop.
• To help identify issues related to the topic.
• To help participants identify key learning objectives for the course/workshop.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 20 participants.

You'll Need:
• Two batons, preferably one red (negative) and one green (positive). You can make the batons out of rolled up newspapers/magazines.

Notes:
For a fun twist, you might like to replace your batons with sticks of rock (candy), with the ‘winner’ from each round keeping the rock as a prize.

Time:
This exercise will take about 20 minutes to run. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To help participants identify each other.
• To identify learning objectives.
• To build rapport between participants.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
Some coloured felt tip pens or pencils.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 35 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To test participants ability to work together to solve a communication challenge.
• To encourage participants to think about communication and the importance of being able to communicate with others.
• To consider the importance of checking understanding and taking your whole team with you when change occurs.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with groups of up to 12 participants.

Useful For:
Staff of all levels.

You'll Need:
Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
If using this exercise with very large groups, you will need to split participants into smaller teams.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Time:
This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 15 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To recognise that we all have a different viewpoint or perspective.
• To understand the importance of keeping an open mind during training.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
• A single apple (or other type of fruit) for your participants to see.

Time:
This exercise will take about 20 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 25 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To help participants get to know each other.
• To encourage participants share something with the group to help build rapport.
• To encourage participants to think about how they feel about the event they’re attending.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of any size.

You'll Need:
• A balloon and a small square of paper for each participant.

Notes:
If using this exercise in small groups, the balloons should all be the same shape and colour.

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To help participants identify the values of the other participants.
• To understand the importance of questioning and listening to understand others.
• To get to know the other participants and build rapport.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
• A small box or other container.

Notes:
This exercise works equally well for groups that know each other and those who have never met before.