Workshop Icebreaker Collection Template

About the Workshop Icebreaker Collection Template

Pollen8, an innovation and management agency, created this template to help teams run effective icebreakers. Busting the myth that icebreakers are a waste of time, Pollen8 designed these icebreaker activities to fit five different purposes, transforming meetings and workshops across organizations.

What’s the Workshop Icebreaker Collection Template?

The Workshop Icebreaker Collection Template contains different icebreaker activities, grouped into five common objectives:

• Getting personal: Use to connect people, create a safe space, and show other sides of participants that people can’t see in the day-to-day work environment.

• Encourage teamwork: Use to foster collaboration and show how they can achieve better results as a team.

• Demonstrate divergent thinking: Use to encourage creative thinking and outside-of-the-box solutions.

• Convergent thinking: Use when you need people to reflect, and analyze things.

• Injecting energy: Use when you need more energy in your workshop or meeting. These icebreakers help lighten up the mood and engage people so they can better focus when working on complex topics or projects.

For each objective, you’ll find different exercises. Choose them according to your meeting's needs.

Benefits of using the Workshop Icebreaker Collection Template

As a workshop or meeting facilitator, the Workshop Icebreaker Collection Template saves you time when selecting which icebreaker to use in your online session. This template has a collection of icebreaker activities you can choose from, depending on what kind of workshop or meeting you are leading.

Besides saving time and effort when building an icebreaker, there are many other benefits to breaking the ice while running a meeting or workshop:

• Engage people in different ways. These activities also give participants a break from work-related topics or the seriousness that comes when participating in a long workshop or meeting. It’s also a great tool to teach people about the Miro functionalities and have them active on the board in a playful way.

• Connect through fun activities. Icebreakers are a great way to strengthen bonds between people and reduce tension, so you can also run a stress-free, smooth workshop.

• Be inclusive. Icebreakers allow you to read the room and tailor your workshop to your audience’s needs. As a facilitator, you have the power to create a safe space where everyone feels welcome and comfortable participating in your session. Icebreakers can give you an overview of how everyone is feeling and what’s the mood and levels of engagement.

How to use the Workshop Icebreaker Collection Template

This template has many icebreaker activities that you can choose from. When you select the Workshop Icebreaker Collection Template, you’ll copy all the activities this template offers to your board. To pick just one, do the following:

1. Choose the icebreaker you want to use

2. Select the frame of your icebreaker and all elements inside of it.

3. Copy the frame and elements and paste them to your meeting or workshop board.

The icebreakers are grouped into five objectives:

1. Getting personal

Who is here?

Use this template to introduce everyone in a fun, lighthearted way. Each participant will share a fun fact about themselves and add an image representing them. Afterward, select the roles people will play at your meeting or workshop.

Mini-superpower

Use this template to connect people quickly. Participants will write a mini-superpower they wish they had that would make their daily lives much more manageable.

Where are you?

Perfect for remote and hybrid teams, this icebreaker activity maps out where everyone is located. After each participant added their pin to the map, ask people to share more information about their location.

2. Encourage teamwork

1 to 20

Use this template to break the ice and get people to work together. The group has to count from 1 to 20, and if someone calls out the same number as the other, the count is reset. Perfect for large groups and group activities.

Speed sketch

Use this template to foster collaboration and improve communication in the team. Each group will choose one thing to draw and take turns drawing one piece of the selected topic. It’s a fun way to engage everyone with their groups and on the board.

3. Demonstrate divergent thinking

Invent a game

This icebreaker is about creating a game that no one has ever played before. This activity not only demands creativity but also fosters out-of-box thinking and collaboration. Perfect for brainstorms and problem-solving sessions.

This is not...

Get the creative juices flowing with this icebreaker. Participants have to come up with new functionality for everyday objects, exercising their innovative thinking and creativity.

4. Convergent thinking

One word check-in

Use this exercise when you need people to bring their focus to the meeting. It’s a great way to get people reflective and ready for the next activity. The task is simple: ask each participant to add how they feel in one sticky note. This will help them focus on themselves and bring presence and attention to the present moment.

Map of me

This exercise is excellent for getting people thinking about their moments, life, and careers. Ask each participant to draw a timeline representing their day, life, or career. Invite people to share their thoughts and reflect on what has happened.

5. Injecting energy

GIF tournament

Use this template to break the day when you need people to come back energized for the second half of your workshop.

Pictionary

Use this icebreaker to inject fun into your meeting or workshop. Each participant is asked to draw something from a category displayed. Afterward, everyone has to guess the drawing. This exercise is great to teach about Miro tools and get your people acclimated to the board.

Pro tip:

After every icebreaker activity, ask everyone to share their thoughts about this exercise's objective. Link what they say to what they will be doing next. This is a great way to show them the logic behind the icebreaker and the expected behavior moving forward with the meeting or workshop.