20 Fun and Easy Icebreaker Games for Adults
TL;DR:
- Icebreaker games can break workplace barriers.
- Many are short and not disruptive to the workday.
- There are virtual versions to play with remote workers.
A survey by YouGov says that 60% of Americans feel anxious in social situations, and this definitely carries over into work environments. To avoid anxiety, people will avoid one another, and this makes for awkwardness.
But you can stop that from happening by using icebreaker games. What are ice breaker games? They’re effective activities that can “warm up” a group and set a positive tone.
Read on for 20 icebreaker games for adults that you can try with your workers.
20 Quick Ice Breakers for Meetings and Workplaces
1. Would You Rather?
Looking for no-prep icebreakers? Then do this one.
It’s easy; just present the group with two choices. Participants share their answers and why. Questions can range from lighthearted choices, such as ‘Pizza or Ice-Cream?’, to more thought-provoking ones.
2. Human Bingo
First, create bingo cards with prompts like “Can play a musical instrument” or “Has traveled to another continent.” Then, the players circulate and find people who match each square.
Write down each match’s name in the appropriate square, and the first person to get a bingo wins!
3. Two Truths and One Lie
In this game, each participant shares three statements about themselves, but one has to be false. The rest of the group has to figure out which one’s the lie! You never know what you’ll find out about one another.
4. The Hot Seat
One of the best quick ice breakers for meetings is ‘The Hot Seat’. One person sits in this seat, and the others ask them rapid-fire questions for 30-60 seconds. It’s amazing for building familiarity quickly!
5. Speed Networking
This is basically speed dating, but for work. Participants pair up for 2-3 minutes to introduce themselves before rotating to the next person. Make sure to provide some prompt icebreaker questions to avoid awkward silences.
6. The Name Game (With Adjectives)
One of the most perfect ice breakers for meetings is ‘The Name Game’. Each person introduces themselves with an adjective that starts with the same letter as their name, such as “Joyful James.”
Not only does this make it easier to remember names, but it tells a little something about each person too.
7. Desert Island Picks
Have you ever thought about what you’d bring if you were stuck on a desert island? This can be turned into a fun game. Have every participant name three things they’d take and why.
8. Common Ground
Divide the workplace into small groups and give them five minutes. In that time, they have to find the most unique things they all have in common!
9. Emoji Storytelling
Participants need to describe their mood, weekend, or recent experience, but only using emojis! This is a fantastic idea if you need ice breakers for virtual meetings, since people can easily find and use emojis on practically any chat program.
10. The Marshmallow Challenge
A longer icebreaker game is The Marshmallow Challenge. Break out into teams and try to build the tallest structure within 20 minutes by using 20 spaghetti sticks, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow, which goes on the top.
11. Show and Tell
Bring back a grade school favorite: Show and Tell. Employees can bring in meaningful items and share their stories. Shake things up once in a while by making it themed, such as “Your favorite hobby” or “Something from your workplace.”
12. Mystery Word
Each person gets a slip of paper with a unique word, and they have to slip it into conversation naturally while mingling. Others have to try to guess which word was given!
13. Who Am I?
Every participant gets a card with a famous person’s name taped to their back. They can ask yes/no questions to others to figure out who they are.
14. This or That
It’s simple: Would you rather have this or that? Ask the question, and players can move from one side of the room to the other to respond. Or they can simply raise their hands to show their choice.
15. Guess the Desk (Or Space)
This is another virtual idea that’s simple to carry out. Everyone sends in a photo of their desk or workspace beforehand. Show each image, and everyone guesses whose space it is.
16. The M&M Game
Pass around a bag of M&Ms and set each color to correspond to a question type (e.g., red = favorite memory, blue = favorite job). Participants will pick an M&M out of the bag and answer accordingly.
17. Pictionary Relay
Teams will start with one person drawing a prompt while their team guesses (use a whiteboard app for virtual play). After each correct guess, the next person draws a new word. Repeat this process until time runs out.
18. Fun Fact Guessing Game
Before the game, everyone will submit an unusual fact about themselves. Read these facts aloud and have the group guess who each fact belongs to.
19. Pass the Ball
Have a list of prepared icebreaker questions and toss a ball around. When someone catches the ball, they have to answer one question, then throw the ball to another person to keep the game going.
20. Word Association Circle
One person starts with one word. Then, go around the circle quickly, with each succeeding person saying the first word that comes to mind. There’s a pause penalty, so go fast!
Give These Icebreaker Games for Adults a Try
Now you have a list of 20 icebreaker games for adults that work in practically any work setting.
So if things feel a little cold in the office, bust out these games to warm things up. While things might feel weird at first, it’ll get going. And before you know it, people will be bonding across teams and departments, creating a fantastic company culture!
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