Favorite Warm-ups/Icebreakers

[patdaniels]

I am being flown out for an important job interview next Tuesday where I will be giving a thirty minute presentation as the final lap in this job interview marathon.

Though I have the presentation topic and content finished, I need some really great icebreakers to begin the presentation.

Can all of you tell me your favorites and give me some help toward my success?

I would truly appreciate it!

[B. Tribe]

I don't know if you've done this one so I'll over-describe it. You start by going around a circle and each person gives themselves a (usually alliterative or rhyming) action/adjective to go with their name and act that out while saying the name. That's the first part.

So I give myself "Ballin' Brett". I make a free-throw motion while I do it.

You give yourself "Pilot Pat" and mime flying a plane.

Jordan gives himself "Jazzy Jordan" and mimes playing a saxamaphone.

Roy joins in with "Coy Roy" while putting a finger to his lips in an oh-so-coy manner.

Next part. I say my name and do my action. "Ballin' Brett". Then I say and do the action for "Pilot Pat". You do your name/action, then say and do "Coy Roy". Roy does his name/action, then says and does "Jazzy Jordan". Jordan does his thing, then says/does "Coy Roy". This goes on until a nuclear bomb explodes, killing us all! It's fun, physical, and has the added benefit of you learning everyone's name.

[Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell]

"Jazzy Jordan"

that's DJ Jazzy Jordan to you, son!

[Jon Bolden]

I find enemy / defender to work well in any environment, as long as you have room and people aren't all stuffy about moving. It's one of those games that isn't overly silly and everyone is doing the same thing so it's uniting in a strange way.

[Robin]

Can you give a one or two-word description (or more--I just don't know how much you want to share) about your presentation and its content? There are so many great icebreakers/warm-ups that it might be nice to use one(s) that tie in somewhat to what you're going to be presenting.

For example, if your presentation has to do with marketing (getting something to stick in someone's mind), you might do the warm up where you do a word association with the second word a person thinks of (ie, I say "Apple", you first think "Orange", but "Orange" leads you to think of "Lemon", so you say "Lemon"; the next person might then first think "Lime", but that leads them to think of "Scurvy" so they say "Scurvy", etc. This goes around in a circle a few times until everyone has said, say, four things. Then you go back through and try to remember what you said (each person only saying their own words, not trying to remember what everyone said, but with the option to help others if able). This exercise can be used to demonstrate that people are capable of remembering more than they might think, even if the association is a little "off."

Or, if the presentation is more about working as a team, you could always do a "build a (whatever--machine, band, there are several variations)" warm-up. To use the band example, on the off-chance you haven't done this one, one person might start with a simple clapping rhythm. Clap, clap, clap...clap, clap, clap... Then another person might come in with a stomp, so you have clap, clap, clap..stomp..clap, clap, clap..stomp... A third person might add a whistling noise, a fourth person might tap on the desk, a fourth person might go la-la-la...but it all builds on eachother, overlaps and makes an organic song. So in the end, it can be said to show how everyone contributed to the overall result, even though no one was doing the same thing.

Hope this all made sense. I'm happy to try to explain better or suggest other warm-ups if you need. Best of luck!

[patdaniels]

I am doing a presentation that is hands on with some new cooking techniques, though the subject is my life experience and pushing the boundaries. The job is as a corporate trainer and has nothing to do with cooking. And when shared like this, it all sounds convoluted, but it is really quite keen.

I need to get the people in suits having fun, laughing but nothing with too much movement. The warm-up doesn't have to relate to the presentation, but instead can be an acknowledgment that we need to get to know each other and loosened up pre-presentation.

And I just can't put my finger on the right warm-up to use.

[Roy Janik]

I am doing a presentation that is hands on with some new cooking techniques, though the subject is my life experience and pushing the boundaries. The job is as a corporate trainer and has nothing to do with cooking. And when shared like this, it all sounds convoluted, but it is really quite keen.

I need to get the people in suits having fun, laughing but nothing with too much movement. The warm-up doesn't have to relate to the presentation, but instead can be an acknowledgment that we need to get to know each other and loosened up pre-presentation.

And I just can't put my finger on the right warm-up to use.

Start with Jon's applauding for specific people in the audience warmup. It's wonderful and positive. Jon, explain!

[Aden]

I also like the "everyone turn to the person on your left and shake their hand." It's short. It makes everyone giggle when they turn and find that the person to their left has also turned.

[KathyRose]

I really enjoyed the audience warmup that Roy did for After School Improv. He divided the audience into thirds (which can, in itself, be fun), assigned each section a word to shout ("After", "School" or "Improv"), and then "conducted" them, faster and faster, messing with the order, of course, after establishing the expected pattern. Simple, energizing and gets people to laugh at their "mistakes."

[Jon Bolden]

I am doing a presentation that is hands on with some new cooking techniques, though the subject is my life experience and pushing the boundaries. The job is as a corporate trainer and has nothing to do with cooking. And when shared like this, it all sounds convoluted, but it is really quite keen.

I need to get the people in suits having fun, laughing but nothing with too much movement. The warm-up doesn't have to relate to the presentation, but instead can be an acknowledgment that we need to get to know each other and loosened up pre-presentation.

And I just can't put my finger on the right warm-up to use.

Start with Jon's applauding for specific people in the audience warmup. It's wonderful and positive. Jon, explain!

Oh, I love this one so much and it works 99% of the time. It's more of an audience warmup but it might work well as the very 1st or 2nd thing you do. You basically find a volunteer to start. If they are sitting, that person stands up and everyone in the room will cheer and applaud for them wildly. After a few seconds of that, the person graciously accepts it (with a bow or wave) and they pass it to another person in the room whom receives the same grand treatment. Do this a few times and end it. It makes everyone feel good.

[Jon Bolden]

Also! Try this one if they don't know each other at all:

1. Everyone stand in a circle
2. One at a time, each person exchanges their name and a little fact about themselves (where you went to school, hobby, etc..)
3. Once you're done, tell everyone to walk around the room and introduce each other other and a fact as if they hadn't heard any of that. Example "Chris, do you know Jose? Jose has three kids and jetskis. Chris likes Four Loko". You'll often find similarities "Chris also has three kids" and then they chat for a bit, it gets them talking.

[Robin]

Another one that I've seen used as an audience warm-up before shows, and might work here as well, is this:

Have everyone introduce themselves to the two or three people seated nearest to them--have them include their name and [usually occupation, though if these people work together, maybe something else, like primary hobby, where they grew up, or something similar]. Then have everyone do it again, but this time with the stipulation that they are to answer the questions with anything *except* the truth of who they are and what they do. So in this case, if a gentleman is really named John and he's an accountant who grew up in San Francisco, then he would say that on the first round, but in the second round, he could say anything--from something more traditional, like his name is Mike and he's a vet from Long Island, to something outlandish, like his name is Roundoo from the plant Muskata and he trains monkeys for circus shows.
I think there are a couple of variations on this warm-up, including one where everyone silently chooses a type of hat for themself--bowler hat, baseball cap, beret, firefighter's helmet--and then pretends they're wearing that hat. They might mime tipping the hat to their neighbors in greeting, or let that inform their pretend-selves.

I also second Jon's "applauding everyone in turn" warm-up.

Hope this helps!