By Nancy Settle-Murphy, Guided Insights
Here's a summary of lessons learned, compiled from responses from some of the brightest minds in the facilitation world, followed by some straightforward tips you may want to use in an appropriate situation.
Ice Breakers: Lessons Learned
Define the meaning and purpose of "ice-breaker," and make sure that such an activity is appropriate. If your objective is to create an atmosphere that's conducive to trust and willing collaboration among those who work remotely, then activities designed to foster this sense of belongingness are crucial, especially in the early stages of team formation. If, however, your objective is to keep people awake, focused, or otherwise present, you might be able to accomplish this other ways.
If your ice-breaker serves as an introductory activity that helps a group move quickly to task, then you'll want to select activities that do just that, rather than choosing a "fun" exercise that has little bearing on the work at hand.
Make the distinction between an introductory activity that's needed for a team with vested interest in working well together over time, versus for members of a team that may meet only occasionally. The former warrants considerably more attention than the latter.
Consider the company's culture, meeting purpose, relationship among team members, and business goals as you ponder the need for an introductory activity. The same activity that works well in one environment may fall flat in another.
Acknowledge that some people are more task-oriented, while others are intent on first making sure that a healthy team process is in place--and plan activities accordingly.
If you've successfully achieved meeting objectives, don't always assume that trust of fellow members will follow naturally. Inordinate focus on completing tasks may come at the expense of trust, especially if some team members felt rushed or pressured to refrain from speaking "off topic."
For some, the actual meeting is the ice breaker, and the conversations that follow (in whatever form they take) are where the big leaps are made in building relationships that move the group closer to its goals.
Meeting Ice-Breakers: Before & During the Meeting
Greet each person as she or he hops on the call. Ask people a "social" question as she or he joins. Here are some examples: "It's 10 below in Boston this morning. How's Tokyo?" or "Steve, where are you headed for vacation next week?"
However, don't delay the start time just to prolong this social check-in. Once everyone has joined, or once you've decided to begin, you should be ready to jump right in with your agenda.
Right before you officially begin the meeting, you may want to announce who's on the call, time permitting. If you're using a web meeting tool that allows everyone to see who's online, you can avoid the verbal roll call.
If you choose to start with a traditional ice-breaker type of question for a remote team, try one of these. Some are more appropriate for teams whose members know each other, and some work better for a new team:
- What's one thing you need to share with us to help you be fully present at this meeting?
- Give us one word to summarize where you are right now.
- What achievement are you proudest of so far this week?
- Reveal something about yourself that others would be shocked to learn.
- What really made you laugh recently?
- What would you most rather be doing right now?
- What's your favorite food of the season?
- Where would you most like to go on vacation if money were no object?
- What skills can you contribute to the team that may not be obvious to the rest of us?
At the start of each meeting, ask participants to draw a clock. As each one joins the call, assign a number as she or he joins, starting at 1:00. If you expect more than 12 participants, use half-hour increments. When you want to poll the group quickly, start anywhere on the clock and go in either direction. This is also helpful to remember who you have not yet heard from.
Spend time up front agreeing on operating guidelines for this meeting and for ongoing meetings. By creating operating principles as a group, participants will have a chance to learn more about each other's values and beliefs.
Assess the "temperature" of the team intermittently. For example, ask: "On a scale of 1-10, let's go around the virtual room and ask how close we are to achieving our objectives for this call." Or if you're using a web meeting tool, post a quick survey that can be anonymous to assess where people are. For example, using a scale of 1-10, ask about the relative energy level of each participant.
Encourage brevity when polling members by asking them to crystallize thoughts or feelings. Asking for the "top one or two things" or "fill in the blank" tend to work well to elicit top-of-mind responses.
If some have a limited command of the predominant language, let everyone know that you will paraphrase frequently to ensure shared understanding. Invite everyone to ask others to slow down or provide an explanation, or to admit confusion.