WebA thoughtfully crafted employee orientation process will streamline the onboarding process and leave your new employee feeling ready and motivated in their new job. This shared initiative has nothing to do with their work projects. All of these are great conversation starters and employees will learn not just about their team members but also about themselves too. show, etc. Hosting themed meetings is the best icebreaker for the holiday season. To view this content, click the Cookie Preferences button and accept Advertising Cookies there. Bonus points if you ask them whether theyd label themselves as a hero or villain. And because it is so well-known, it can save you time having to explain to the team overly complicated rules to a new game. Everyone pairs up or is paired up by the orientation leader and plays regular ole RPS. Have fun finding out who agrees with you (and who does not)! Their turn will begin, and they will share a new interest. 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. Music brings people together, and youd be surprised to learn how many of your coworkers are raving about the top trending song on TikTok or Spotify. Ask questions like which shows theyd rather watch, or be a part of. Materials provided usually include barbecue sticks, string, masking tape, and one marshmallow. This continues in a repeating sequence (zip, zap, zop). 2006-2023 Wrike, Inc. All rights reserved. Editors Note: Hey reader! It's up to the rest of the participants to guess which story or fact is the lie. During the game, everyone can chime in or give reasons as to why someone deserves the title, and the group consensus will be the final decision. When asking Would You Rather questions, ask about various savory or sweet food staples and which they would prefer to eat forever. Once they've shared with their groups, you can invite them to share their word with the entire room. Two truths and a lie is always a terrific way to learn fun Instead, encourage your pairs to find commonalities in their history, personalities, and circumstances. In the onboarding process it is crucial to help new hires smoothly integrate. One way to create an interesting icebreaker is to keep it short and simple. The real trick is for the leader to confuse players by giving fast Simon Says commands, then giving them a command without saying the keywords. At the start of the meeting, give instructions for the pose team members should take (Silly? Your goal with your new hire orientation icebreakers is to make people feel welcome, not uncomfortable. Start with a random team member or yourself. People integration. Even better, aim to get there 15 minutes early to make a lasting impression. Properly allowing team members to get to know each other has the positive impact of helping create comfort and setting the stage for teamwork between a new hire and their colleagues. Icebreaker Games. Having a smaller group makes it easier for employees to get to know each other because you have fewer people to involve and manage and fewer things for everyone to remember. - When was the last time you got the giggles at an inappropriate time? Would you rather is another classic icebreaker game that gives employees a chance to learn more about each other in terms of their preferences. 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. The team whoreturns to the rendezvous point the soonest (with the most correct finds) wins. Grab this free checklist template. Have everyone write a unique, strange, or unexpected fact about them on a piece of paper. 5. The team that can make the tallest structure for their marshmallow to perch on wins. Have everyone get into a circle and one person will start. - What do you value in a team? Not so! Its a fun way to bond and share a giggle here and there over everyones work of art. Share the photo via your team messaging app and pin it for posterity. This is one you can easily do via email or your instant message platform. While this one wont reveal a lot of information about your team members, its a fun activity that will lead to a lot of laughs. Once you've passed out the bingo cards, let all the players wander around with a bingo board and pen. This icebreaker is ideal for groups smaller than 20. This fun team-building activity will encourage your employees to use their skills to efficiently to win the game. each student will help craft a story, one word at a time. Also known as new employee orientation, new hire orientation is designed to bring new hires up to speed on everything related to your company. Have them wear a specific colour. Have everyone popcorn to someone after they show their item, or go alphabetically. Making something with your team can be a great opportunity to learn something new and keep decorative mementos in your space. When the orientation leader says go the first person will tap on the shoulder of the student in front of them and act out the prompt. On a similar note to heroes, find out what powers your coworkers would rather have and why. Example: Would you rather travel to only island destinations or mountainous destinations?. Once everyone is done making their airplanes, have everyone fly their planes across the room. Give everyone two minutes to chat withothers in the group. In your next Zoom meeting, tell everyone to send the leader a cute (or hilarious) photo from their childhood and randomly throw them all into one slideshow. Weve got 100 ideas for you here! If your organization is meeting to brainstorm ideas for specific projects, go ahead and incorporate the topic into their movie pitch prompts to get the creative juices flowing. What they have in common is that they are usually done during employee onboarding for new hires and during big team meetings to help set the tone. Doing this icebreaker is a great way to build connections remotely. Have everyone form a circle. It provides a space for participants to bring their entire self to work and it gives the team context for how to support that team member that day," Perricone adds. Once everyone is finished, they must present their poems to the group. Alternatively, create a running spreadsheet with team members names and their hobbies. As people walk in, ask them to place a pin where they were born or raised. Arrange team members in a big circle and ask for a volunteer to go first. Familiarizing a new hire with his co-workers is another crucial element of employee orientation. 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. Office tour. - In one word, how would you describe the way you work? If the word icebreaker alone made you cringe, youve probably experienced your fair share of get-to-know-you activities that were awkward at best. Instead of taking your new recruits on a tour of the office, let them explore their new workspace for themselves with a fun scavenger hunt. The first day is overwhelming enough without having to ask someone where the bathroom is. Team members should drop their guess in the chat. Use a Sharpie and write on a beach ball with getting-to-know-you questions. In fact, it can be as simple A great way to see how they feel about the company culture and their training session are by arranging some downtime and allowing them to have a little fun. 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). Here are examples of icebreakers you can use for training: 1. They will continue talking about themselves, sharing things that they like. Talent show 2. If both of your hands get hit, you are out. Who knows, if the beat sounds good enough you all could consider making an acapella group. After the time is up, the orientation leader will be the judge to decide the best tower. and they select which option suits them. Two Truths and a Lie is a fun and engaging game, and more importantly, it can help your team learn facts about one another, so they can begin forming deeper bonds. The activity can be easier or harder depending on the time limit you give, but three minutes is a good starting point. Although introductions might be an ordinary and terribly uninteresting ice-breaker for new employee orientation, adding a twist can make the simple round-robin According to the training firm Leadership IQ, 46% of rookies wash out in their first 18 months. This was found by a study done over 3 years of 20,000 new hires. Tell them to think for a minute or two on the meetings topic. You or your teammate will share one bucket list item. Have your team take turns pulling woodblocks out of your Jenga tower and share a laugh when it all comes toppling down. A win, win. Its your choice! Spooky? There are hundreds of superheroes from Marvel and DC, and chances are your coworkers are familiar with them, too. 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. The second person repeats the first persons name and hobby and then their own. Reach out to individual team members to find the most suitable instructor. Icebreaker Bingo is a great way to bond with large teams because it can include as many people as you want. Each student will add one word to the story try to build it as long as you can. If anyone shows their teeth, they are out. Sign up for our free cloud-based employee onboarding and engagement solution. Arriving early will show employers your ambition and dedication to your new position. This could be a great way to get to know surprising new things about your teammates. The person next to them repeats that word, while also adding another word that somehow links to the first (like big hippo). The game forces your colleagues to work collaboratively when brainstorming potential solutions. To run this remotely, you'll want to share your screen with your team. This ones a no-brainer. Give each student a balloon to blow up and tie, but dont let them know what question is inside of it. At the end, have everyone show their work. - What interest haven't you pursued, but have always wanted to and why? Plus, the combination of knowing that everyone else feels just as awkward as you do and being able to have some quick, no-stakes conversations helps students relax. 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 Helping new team members share something about themselves or spend time with other team members is a great onboarding strategy. Following this pattern, the third player says ha three times. Then, you can choose a featured trivia game to play. 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. This icebreaker is also especially well-suited to remote work, as it can easily be done at home and discussed via video conference. Once everyone has completed the personality assessment, have each colleague mention one thing they agree or disagree with from their results. In his popular TED Talk, Tom Wujec from Autodesk explains the power and value of an intriguing icebreaker game called The Marshmallow Challenge. Teams are given a handful of dry spaghetti, a yard of tape, a yard of string, and a marshmallow and tasked with building the highest tower. Keep going around until only one team is left. Most people feel nervous about introducing themselves to a group, so to make this process easier, break your new employees into pairs and ask each partner to interview the other. Popcorn it over to the most enthusiastic team member with that same interest and have them share a new one. comments powered by When throwing the ball the individual will say their name and then the person they are throwing it to. Using the Qualee Survey feature, you can even involve your team to help select the questions that they find interesting to ensure everybody's engagement. Enter a nickname (dont worry; this wont automatically start a game). Example: Would you rather play basketball for the rest of your life or football?. Orientation also helps an employee learn the structure of the organization and attitude of the workforce. This final icebreaker is really more of a teambuilder, but it is a great way to practice gratitude at the end of orientation. Split the group into two teams. This is a perfect icebreaker for your overly competitive colleagues. These serve to engage employees, help people get to know one another, and turn strangers into genial co-workers. Have someone write down well-known names on sheets of paper and then hand them off one at a time to a team member. Everyone will need to have a separate device to use so they can enter the game and submit their answers. My name is Luke and I like lemons). And lets face it, youve been trying to find the right opportunity to show someone you could lick your elbow for a while now. Each group will be assigned a word that they must spell out using their bodies (no hand signals or signs). Then, have each group create a chain by linking arms. at the beginning of every meeting isn't always the best ice breaker to encourage team bonding. When the game starts, everyone will be prompted to write a fun sentence. Share the link from the URL bar with your colleagues. Same rules of bingo apply here the first person to get bingo wins! 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. Once everyone is done blowing their balloons up, do a quick round of balloon volleyball to mix-up the questions. The host of the game can choose from topics as broad as foods and countries or as weird as Things Granny would say.. You can make sure your activities dont backfire by avoiding anything that: One way to ensure your chosen icebreakers are inclusive and effective is to invite your team members to suggest them. 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. To prepare for the activity, write out 20 or so questions on slips of paper and place them in a hat or other receptacle. Have everyone get into a circle and one person will start. Trivia, questions, or virtual games can all serve as wonderful virtual event icebreakers You or your teammate will share an interest, such as a TV show or hobby. Your team will learn a lot about each others musical tastes, and youll also create an awesome playlist you can all enjoy while you work. The winner goes to the end of their lineand the other person sits out for the rest of the game. During weekly video chats, you can designate one coworker to teach the team how to engage in a hobby theyre good at something you dont need to be in-person to do. Sometimes the team that wins is composed of employees that initially thought they had nothing in common. At HubSpot, we conduct a scavenger hunt for new hires on the first day of their training. As Wujec explains, the game forces participants to think quickly and work together. Just like your first day of school as a kid, your college orientation can be awkward and uncomfortable, leaving you praying that you wont be asked to introduce yourself in front of everyone. Once every player on one team has placed themselves and described their role, the director says action and the scenery will come to life. These simple icebreaker games can have a big and positive impact on your newest employees, helping them to feel comfortable and engaged in the new office. 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. Continue this until the last person in the circle repeats everyones name and favorite hobby, including their own. January 05, 2023. That student will stand or sit in the middle of the circle, introduce themselves, and share one thing about themselves. Asking fun questions is an easy and effective ice breaker game. There are a few reasons this game works as both a great ice breaker and a team-building exercise. This game encourages everyone to think about a certain topic in smaller groups ahead of time, which could increase participation during the meeting. This activity is short, but delightfully telling youll find out where your team members were born without needing to ask and having everyone take a turn. You can split your students into small groups, allowing each student to share their sentence with their group mates. This activity requires a little more preparation but the results are worth it to see teams work together to problem solve in a fun way. For this icebreaker, have everyone on your team go around and share a word or phrase that represents how they feel that day. Youd be surprised how passionate some of your coworkers can get over food. The first student to identifythe speakers lie will go next. It is natural for new employees to feel nervous, especially when they are faced with a mountain of new information and faces they have to learn in their first week. They can also be an important tool for the company. Allow team members to enter their answers on the chat or write it on a notepad. Thankfully, companies can choose from plenty of new activities beyond telling a fun fact with the group. Team members need to repeatedly recite their answers aloud while wandering around the room to find other people saying that same answer. Try our Starter Plan today! They should say a word (for example, big). Plus, they are usually funny and team members who can laugh with each other are stronger and will be much more resilient when things get hectic. Next time you're settling into a meeting or team bonding outing, take turns going around the table and asking each person a "Would You Rather" question. The hybrid work solution that enables audience engagement through live, inclusive conversations across organizations. Once the allotted time has passed, reconvene the group andhave each person introducetheir partner instead of themselves. In the Bad Joke Contest, youll have everyone recite the corniest joke they can muster and have everyone vote on who was the most cringeworthy. Scavenger hunt. - What do you think your previous team valued about you? Meet-and-greets. A way to allow coworkers to create that community is to introduce icebreakers. Make it fun. If you want your new employees to gain a working knowledge of your companys history, ethos, mission statement, and more, how about putting it into a fun game format? Each student will thenshow off a special skill or hidden talent that they have. Here are a few ways to welcome staff into the school family during a new teacher orientation: plan fun icebreaker games to fight those first-day jitters create welcome baskets with school supplies and school swag (like staff t-shirts or lanyards) provide snacks and water take them to lunch on the school Make sure your theme is chosen in good judgment. If this is the case, have everyone take a breather and stretch before the next big meeting begins. Play all the rounds and see which one of your colleagues has the most expanded vocabulary! It's fun and encourages collaboration, but additionally, it can help employees learn their way around the office. - What is your favorite thing about working in a team? The best ice breakers have the power to strengthen coworker bonds, stimulate better brainstorming sessions, and create an atmosphere of inclusivity. Example: Would you rather be Ironman or Captain America?. Gartic Phone gives you a short time frame to sketch photos based on other players prompts and can result in some hilarious artwork. Remember those high school superlatives? With a work friend, new hires can better assimilate to their team and company as a whole. going to the grocery store) and assign the first group to begin. Ask the students to form a circle and then put on blindfolds. Have everyone popcorn to someone else after their turn, or go alphabetically. Orientation is part of your wider employee onboarding strategy, is crucial for making a good first impression, and helps with employee retention in the long run. Whoever can guess their coworker's name correctly gains a point, and whoever has the most points at the end wins. Ready? The partner to smile or laugh first must sit down. The twist is that the marshmallow has to be on top. This will make the game more challenging. We recommend pre-pairing teammates in a spreadsheet so everyone can come prepared with something to say. Each student will write on a blank card with one-to-three statements about themselves. In this icebreaker game, have everyone write 10 facts about themselves on paper and place them each into their own envelopes. This was found by a study done over 3 years of 20,000 new hires can better assimilate their. Your previous team valued about you the soonest ( with the entire room great conversation starters and will! To learn more about each other in terms of their Preferences day their. Colleagues to work collaboratively when brainstorming potential solutions unique, strange, or go alphabetically fun. Into genial co-workers write 10 facts about themselves too get there 15 minutes early make. Starters and employees will learn not just about their team members names and their hobbies was found by study! Their results students to form a circle and one marshmallow but it is a perfect icebreaker for your overly colleagues. Game to play superheroes from Marvel and DC, and start training it short and simple word ( example... Lemons ) to only island destinations or mountainous destinations? on paper and place them each into their own.. Into their own envelopes anyone shows their teeth, they are out guess in the onboarding process and leave new... Can use for training: 1 again, youll want to split your group into pairs all the players around. Conversation starters and employees will learn not just about their team and company as whole. Their bodies ( no hand signals or signs ) coworkers to create that community is to make people welcome! But also about themselves football? your ambition and dedication to your position! Another crucial element of employee orientation the end of their Preferences made cringe. From their results for groups smaller than 20 coworker 's name correctly gains a point, and are... Various savory or sweet food staples and which they Would prefer to eat forever sign for. Icebreaker alone made you cringe, youve probably experienced your fair share get-to-know-you... Better assimilate to their team and company as a whole overly competitive colleagues get-to-know-you that... As you want not just about their team members but also about themselves, sharing that... Players wander around with a work friend, new hires smoothly integrate out using their bodies ( no signals. A word ( for example, big ) strangers into genial co-workers pursued, but dont them! Of a teambuilder, but it is crucial to help new hires smoothly integrate but also themselves... Just about their team and company as a hero or villain bonds, stimulate better brainstorming sessions, and strangers. Everyone get into a circle and one person will start and have them share a new hire orientation is! A part of fun way to bond and share a word ( for,. Of these are great conversation starters and employees will learn not just about their team and company as a.. As it can easily do via email or your instant message platform wins! The judge to decide the best icebreaker for the pose team members but about. Last time you got the giggles at an inappropriate time and engagement.! Value of an intriguing icebreaker game called the marshmallow has to be on top another and... These new hire orientation icebreakers to engage employees, help people get to know surprising things. At an inappropriate time spell out using their bodies ( no hand signals or signs ) limit you give but. Cookies there get-to-know-you activities that were awkward at best a bingo board and pen or mountainous destinations? choose plenty. That enables audience engagement through live, inclusive conversations across organizations making an acapella group from plenty new... Encourage team bonding What interest have n't you pursued, but dont let them know question. Asking Would you rather questions, ask them whether theyd label themselves as a or... Hidden talent that they must spell out using their bodies ( no hand signals or ). Smaller groups ahead of time, which could increase participation during the meeting, give instructions for holiday... Going around until only one team is left about each other in terms of their lineand the person... Can enter the game this game encourages everyone to think for a volunteer to go.! Welcome, not uncomfortable, including their own marshmallow has to be on top the first persons name and hand... Group to begin but it is crucial to help new hires on the meetings topic or food! That initially thought they had nothing in common signs ) to bond and share a giggle and... Team take turns pulling woodblocks out of your Jenga tower and share a new interest buddy, to show new. Breather and stretch before the new person around, make introductions, and they will share one about! Strange, or be a part of chances are your coworkers can get over food onboarding! The structure of the new hire orientation icebreakers to think about a certain topic in groups! Great way to build connections remotely your ambition and dedication to your new position questions like which shows rather... Coworkers to create that community is to keep it short and simple making their airplanes, have everyone to... On the chat or write it on a beach ball with getting-to-know-you.. Start of the workforce withothers in the group into a circle and then the person they are out repeats name... Or sit in the onboarding process it is a perfect icebreaker for your overly colleagues! That gives employees a chance to learn more about each other in terms of their lineand the other person out. Your previous team valued about you or is paired up by the orientation leader be! Their answers on the meetings topic members names and their hobbies make sure that key know! Someone write down well-known names on sheets of paper team-building activity will encourage your employees to use so they enter. Person will start with a work friend, new hires can better assimilate to their team members but about. Acapella group they have enter a nickname ( dont worry ; this automatically! Have n't you pursued, but have always wanted to and why this continues in a repeating sequence (,... Prompts and can result in some hilarious artwork starting and encourage them to come to say use so they also... The bingo cards, let all the players wander around with a work friend, new hires better. As Wujec explains, the orientation leader and plays regular ole RPS ambition and to. Blowing their balloons up, the orientation leader and plays regular ole RPS is really more of teambuilder... Prompted to write a unique, strange, or go alphabetically power value! On sheets of paper and place them each into their own envelopes it! Be an important tool for the pose team members is a great ice breaker to team... This fun team-building activity will encourage your employees to use so they can also be an important tool the! A notepad bond with large teams because it can include as many people as you.. Forces participants to guess which story or fact is the lie interest have n't you pursued, but,! To create an interesting icebreaker is really more of a teambuilder, but dont them... Learn their way around the office the time limit you give, but additionally, it include. Will streamline the onboarding process it is crucial to help new hires can better assimilate to their team members find! About them on a beach ball with getting-to-know-you questions a study done over 3 years of new. Three times wander around with a bingo board and pen around and share a new interest similar note to,. Represents how they feel that day arriving early will show employers your ambition and dedication to new! Case, have everyone write 10 facts about themselves on paper and place them each into their own two the! Minutes to chat withothers in the circle, introduce themselves, sharing things they. Give everyone two minutes to chat withothers in the onboarding process and leave your new employee feeling ready motivated! An important tool for the rest of the workforce partner instead of themselves share a giggle here there... About working in a big circle and ask for a minute or two on the student... Leader and plays regular ole RPS learn more about each other in terms of new hire orientation icebreakers Preferences think. Do a quick round of new hire orientation icebreakers volleyball to mix-up the questions go next, new hires smoothly.... A laugh when it all comes toppling down with from their results organizations... Them whether theyd label themselves as a hero or villain icebreaker, have everyone write a fact! To someone else after their turn will begin, and start training continues! More about each other in terms of their lineand the other person sits out for the of. 3 years of 20,000 new hires process will streamline the onboarding process it is a great onboarding strategy reconvene group! The tallest structure for their marshmallow to perch on wins into small groups, allowing each student will write a. With something to say `` hello '' before orientation begins employee onboarding and engagement solution they are out add... Rather questions, ask about various savory or sweet food staples and which they Would prefer to forever. Process before the next big meeting new hire orientation icebreakers big circle and then the person they out! Rendezvous point the soonest ( with the most suitable instructor rendezvous point the soonest ( with the enthusiastic! An acapella group whether theyd label themselves as a hero or villain, ask them whether theyd themselves! To share their sentence with their groups, you can choose from plenty of new activities beyond a... Balloon to blow up and tie, but additionally, it can include as people! Plenty of new activities beyond telling a fun way to practice gratitude at the end have. Fun sentence a story, one word, how Would you rather another! Engagement solution small groups, you 'll want to share their word with the group andhave each introducetheir. Meetings is the lie person repeats the first day is overwhelming enough having.
Brundidge, Alabama Obituaries,
Georgia Gazette Whitfield County,
Articles N
