Ice Breaker Introductions

by Speaking Tips | May 17, 2004

The following represents some ideas for ice breaker activites centered around the idea of having participants introduce themselves to the group in turn.

Gather people around and give them the instructions and then demonstrate using yourself as an example. Explain to the group the order in which they will take their turn and then ask if there are any questions. People should have the right to pass if they can't think of an answer right away, just make sure to get back to them at the end to see if they have an answer.

  1. Have every participant introduce themself as their favourite food item or dish. ("Hello everyone, my name is "Baked Alaska"). If time permits, you could also ask participants to briefly explain why they made their particular food choices.
  2. Have every participant introduce themself by giving their first name and a descriptive sentance using an adjective that starts with the same letter as their first name. ("Hi! I'm Mary and I'm feeling marvelous!").
  3. A variation of this is to have people pick adjectives that describe themselves based on each of their initials. If your initials were FIH, you might be Fastidious, Independent and Humorous.
  4. Along the same vein, you can use initials for several other icebreakers. For example, have participants think of something (or things) they are thankful that share their initials. Be creative!
  5. Try having each person introduce the person next to them and describe a ficticious (and preferably outrageous) attribute, job or hobby. "This is Sarah. Sarah was recently recogized by a leading national publication for her contributions to science after publishing a revolutionary paper in which she summarized her more than 25 years of research on the sleeping habits of garden gnomes."
  6. Have particpants introduce themselves with their first pet's name (or doll's name if they didn't have a pet) as their first name and the street they lived on as their second. If your first pet was a dog named "Lassie" and you lived on Winchester Road, you would be Lassie Winchester. If that same person lived on a street named numerically they would be Lassie the Fifth (Fifth Avenue).
  7. Ask participants introduce themselves and to tell what one object they would want to save if there was a fire in their home (assuming that their family and pets were out of the blaze) and why.
  8. Have each particpant introduce themselves and tell what animal best fits their personality as a description and why.
  9. Have each particpant introduce themselves and tell were they would most like to visit on a dream vacation and why.
  10. Have each particpant introduce themselves and tell the most memorable moment in their life so far (one they care to share).

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