For this icebreaker, have everyone on your team go around and share a word or phrase that represents how they feel that day. Typical icebreaker questions can get people to say a sentence or two about the subject, but if youre passionate about it, youll see more personality come out from the most unexpected colleagues in the call. If no one guesses correctly, popcorn your turn to someone else. Of course, you want the topics to be fun and lighthearted, so keep them to topics that arent controversial and opt for statements like, Cheese isnt all that great. if youre a madman. A great orientation experience will leave new employees feeling excited and motivated to start their job. Two truths and a lie is always a terrific way to learn fun here. 10. Share a laugh and snap photos of you and your colleagues dressed up as elves with Zoom backgrounds at the North Pole, or in your spookiest costumes for Halloween. The one left without a seat will have their turn to go. Put your phone on silent. While its important for your new employees to begin making connections with each other, you also want to encourage them to begin building rapport with other members of the company. Dont be afraid to get creative! Once they've shared with their groups, you can invite them to share their word with the entire room. Someone can either lead by example, showcasing some arm and back stretches, or just let everyone freestyle. Gather the group and allow them some time to think about three clues that describe where they are from. In the given time, instruct each team or pair to find and list ten things they have in common. Then, instruct them to arrange themselves according to some sort of sortable category. Ask the group to try and figure out who is connected to each fact. In this icebreaker, the leader holds an imaginary ball in their hand and throws it to other players, making whatever sound they think it would with that gesture. - Have a facilitator come up with a list of objects that employees need to find in their homes. Task each team with picking an item they would use to survive if stranded on a desert island. Then, you can choose a featured trivia game to play. Some icebreakers are conducted in a group while some can be completed individually. They can also be an important tool for the company. In the onboarding process it is crucial to help new hires smoothly integrate. Have every one share with their group one word that describes the topic, then allow them to popcorn their turn. Improve your team's morale by hosting an online scavenger hunt. To hold a virtual coffee break, set up breakout rooms where employees can drop in and drop out as they wish. Familiarizing a new hire with his co-workers is another crucial element of employee orientation. Undoubtedly you'll get some of lesser importance, like "I bought a skateboard," but you never know what hidden skills you might discover in your colleagues. Shuffle a deck of cards and hand out one card per student. Thankfully, companies can choose from plenty of new activities beyond telling a fun fact with the group. In this icebreaker game, have everyone write 10 facts about themselves on paper and place them each into their own envelopes. Figure out whos a fan of the classics by clapping and stomping to the rhythm of We Will Rock You by Queen, or do whatever it takes to help your colleagues recognize your favorite tunes. Less than 10 people would work best. Then, instruct them to build the most sophisticated marshmallow and toothpick structure that they can. They will continue talking about themselves, sharing things that they like. The orientation leader willset the theme witha word (love, summer, friends, etc), and the teams will then alternate back and forth singing a song that has the assigned word in the songs title. Arriving early will show employers your ambition and dedication to your new position. Learn how we can help get your students involved. If a team does either of these things, they are eliminated. A rather straightforward ice breaker, team members can share an object they love over Zoom. 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. Take turns whistling, tapping, or even playing an instrument (if you gave one) to the tune of a popular song and have your teammates guess the name. Talent show Ask for a few volunteers who want to As Wujec explains, the game forces participants to think quickly and work together. 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. Simply split up your team into groups, and give each group a shortlist of items to find if you work in a smaller space, maybe you can hide some funny items around the office ahead of time. You can try to get everyone to make silly or scary faces, or even try to mimic the Brady Bunch title sequence. The orientation leader will divide the group into two teams, organized into twoparallel lines. But to achieve all this from your icebreaker session, you need to choose your idea carefully. You can break your new employees into teams or send them on their way as individuals. Now, our ice-breakers can take 15+ minutes to get through and yield some of our biggest laughs and revelations of the week.". Weve got 100 ideas for you here! Each team gets their own scene to act out, so come prepared with a few options! Ask the group to form a circle. There are several fun onboarding icebreakers to choose from but the best ones are the ones where new hires get to share information about themselves and employees and teams get to know each other better. To make this more interesting, you can have people guess whose photo it is before your team member shares their story. The first person to get enough signatures in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) to traverse the board wins. Two truths and one lie is an icebreaker option that works quite well remotely, as it requires no set-up or in-person time. Meet-and-greets. Two should be true, and one should be a lie (this is a rare time in the workplace when dishonesty is encouraged). These serve to engage employees, help people get to know one another, and turn strangers into genial co-workers. To run this remotely, you'll want to share your screen with your team. 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. Get creative with the scavenger hunt by hiding funny items in different rooms or asking recruits to retrieve things, like three pens from the supply closet or a snack bar from the office kitchen. In need of a wholesome icebreaker? Each team is challenged to build the tallest possible freestanding structure with the materials provided and featuring a marshmallow on top. - In one word, how would you describe the way you work? The rest of the group then has to guess which statement is a lie. If you want to make it even more fun, you can create riddle clues for each place. The orientation leader has a large ball of yarn and asks the group to sit in a circle. During orientation, a new employee can establish whether the company is family-friendly or individual-oriented. Bingo Board This activity is particularly effective at getting people to talk to Let your team know ahead of time that youll be doing this activity. After a few minutes, have the group reconvene and have each student introduce the person whose plane they found with their name, the question they wrote, and what their response was. The other group must figure out what they are spelling. You can use it amongst the orientation leaders themselvesorhave your orientation leaders facilitate this for their group. Things can also get awkward fast if the new employee orientation games arent right for the team size or dynamic. Consider reaching out to managers from other departments and creating groups of employees who don't often get to work together. Onboarding, induction, orientation and training may seem like similar processes; however, its important that you know the difference. Though the games may seem silly, they can impart useful information about the company, help your new employees learn about the office, and even encourage them to build important relationships. Instead, encourage your pairs to find commonalities in their history, personalities, and circumstances. Its important to note that no two people will have more than one tile to ensure everyone is included. This game allows your team members to gain a new perspective on their peers, and it's also a fun and easy way to get an interesting conversation started. Not only is it fun at the moment, but then everyone has the chance to discover new artists and tunes they havent heard of before. Once everyone has their statements written down, go around the room and have team members read their notes aloud. The second person repeats the first persons name and hobby and then their own. The player who avoids laughing throughout the game wins. When that person catches the ball, ask them to read the question closest to their left thumb aloud and answer it once they are done, they pass it to another student. Each person will respond to the prompt If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead, who would it be, and why?. Youll also get brownie points if you save and share some of the funniest drawings and share them with the team on Slack afterward. Once everyone is finished, they must present their poems to the group. Its up to your team to decide who that card is describing. Example: Would you rather your special talent be opera singing or in playing the banjo?. The objective is for everyone to learn each others names. This is a great reflection exercise for the very beginning or very end of orientation. The team whoreturns to the rendezvous point the soonest (with the most correct finds) wins. Players in line are to try and walk to the other side of the room when the leader says, Green Light, but once the leader says, Red Light, everyone must freeze or be kicked out of the game. Whoever guesses correctly gets bragging rights. Designate a team member ahead of time to lead the stretches (or lead them yourself). Then, divide your group into evenly-sized teams. Coffee breaks are one of the most effective ways of getting a large group of employees to learn things about each other. Im the grocery cart with the creaking wheel). Choose the categories youd like for the game, such as Animals, Long words, and Things with tails.. Give everyone two minutes to chat withothers in the group. Example: Would you rather eat only cake forever or eat pasta forever?. Find common ground and get the conversation going with your team members. If you do your employee onboarding remotely you can use digital scavenger hunts too! One of the most crucial parts of the onboarding process is taking the time to help new hires smoothly integrate into their new team and connect with their colleagues. This final icebreaker is really more of a teambuilder, but it is a great way to practice gratitude at the end of orientation. Make sure your theme is chosen in good judgment. The first team to accomplish this wins. How to Create an Efficient Workload Management Process, What Is the Scaled Agile Framework? Everyone will receive someone elses sentence and have the opportunity to draw it. In this icebreaker, youll first want to ask everyone involved if theyre comfortable having their photos taken before the meeting begins (I know Id like a heads up in case I was wearing an old band shirt instead of my usual business casual outfits.). For instance, I might say, "I once auditioned for the TV show Zoom. Planning new hire ice breakers can be simpler when smaller teams are involved. The hybrid work solution that enables audience engagement through live, inclusive conversations across organizations. Have the group form a circle and toss a ball around the circle. Ask which hero they would like to be and why based on their stories or abilities. At some point, the tournament will come down to only two people, with everyone else cheering! Proceed slide-by-slide and have team members either throw their guesses in the chat, or write their guesses privately on a notepad. Would you rather only have summer or winter for the rest of your life? Free and premium plans. Bonus points if you can learn the names of those who you relate to, and brownie points if you can relay all their names when asked. Heres an example from Oregon Goes to College. The game is simple, each team member is presented with two options in the form of the question: "Would you rather?" First, the most successful teams are the groups of people who don't spend time competing for power. It's fun and encourages collaboration, but additionally, it can help employees learn their way around the office. To get started, all you'll need to do is sign up for a free Kahoot account. The first student who guesses correctly (or close enough) goes next. Alternatively, create a running spreadsheet with team members names and their hobbies. Same rules of bingo apply here the first person to get bingo wins! 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. For this icebreaker game, the leader will tape a label to each players back with a celebrity or household name. If both of your hands get hit, you are out. The first person will say their name and the reason why chose to attend this college. - What's the most unusual job you've ever had? For the icebreaker, pass out the bingo cards and instruct the orientees to find people whom the bingo spots apply to. But, that doesnt mean that new hire ice breakers are off-limits for you. Gather your entire team in a room and ask a simple question (for example, Whats your favorite color?). Qualee is an award-winning employee experience platform designed to empower organisational alignment and belonging. Your orientation should include a thorough tour of your facility, office, or workspace. Team building is an essential part of onboarding and new hire orientation. - Are you a morning person or a night person? Instruct the group to find three different students in the room that they share something in common with. You want your team to get to know each other on a deeper level, but you dont necessarily think trust falls are the best way to make it happen. Then, put the pieces of paper into a hat and mix them around. A talent show is one thing, but a random talent show is another. Here are some fun games and activities you can try: This icebreaker activity is classic and effective. 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. - Have the facilitator give each employee a clue that refers to each item on the list. See pricing, Marketing automation software. The last person must try to guess what the original prompt was. Every team member should popcorn their turn, or you can proceed alphabetically. Choose the categories Once everyone has selected a frame, they will begin searching for the other students with the same comic strip. Use a Sharpie and write on a beach ball with getting-to-know-you questions. Sorry, this content is unavailable due to your privacy settings. If your goal is simply to encourage team bonding, your quiz can be more fun like, "Match the lyrics with this 80's song." The orientation leader will split the group into two teams. Once everyone has their three clues, go around the group and have each student present their three clues for the group to guess where theyre from. Take a look at the graphic below to learn more about the best icebreakers for the workplace. Web Creation & facilitation of monthly New Hire Orientation sessions with approx. The purpose of the exercise is to give people a chance to release and/or reveal emotional setbacks, obstacles, wins, highlights, or anything else that might be impacting how they show up to work that day. As a transfer student, I was nervous about meeting new people and acclimating to a new school. Instructions Go to https://scattergoriesonline.net/new-game.xhtml. The host of the game can choose from topics as broad as foods and countries or as weird as Things Granny would say.. Its hard to play these games without sharing a laugh, which is something we all could use in the workday. These commonalities cannot be visible (so not hair color, eye color, etc). This will make the game more challenging. Employee orientation often gives employees a birds-eye view of the company. Pick one player to start the game, saying ha once. Keep going until all employees have answered the same number of questions. And lets face it, youve been trying to find the right opportunity to show someone you could lick your elbow for a while now. The person who guesses correctly the quickest earns the most points. Icebreaker Games. HubSpot uses the information you provide to us to contact you about our relevant content, products, and services. Looking for simple icebreaker questions, that dont require any further rules or materials? Once everyone has finished writing down their own traits, have them go search for their trait twin for each thing they wrote down. Coworkers can take turns guessing which is the lie. Building a community within the office helps foster productivity, collaboration, - The employee with the most amount of points wins. Second, the Marshmallow Challenge encourages people to think quickly and offer alternative solutions when their initial idea fails. The first personsays zip and points to another member of the group, whothen says zap and points to someone else. There are plenty of poses or facial expressions to capture, especially if youve got a kooky team to work with. As the map fills up with pins, people will learn about how diverse their teammates might be. They should say a word (for example, big). In fact, it can be as simple Here are examples of icebreakers you can use for training: 1. Office tour. Make it fun. The orientation leader will prepare a list of sentences. Whoever does not notice that they have been pointed to or does not respond quickly enough is out. Popcorn it over to the most enthusiastic team member with that same interest and have them share a new one. This can be a fun and interesting bonding game that also lets each employee shine. Tell team members that they cannot pick more than one and must assume it is the only item they will have on that island. Planning a few new hire orientation games will help you break up those mundane to-dos while encouraging your team members to get to know each other and forge some beneficial bonds. Icebreakers are doable on all types of teams small, large, and even virtual onboarding programs. Make it a competition to see which of your team members has the gnarliest frown, and bestow upon them the title of Frown King or Queen. You might even provide an incentive for the winning team, like a $50 Amazon gift card. 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. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. Break the students up into pairs and send them off with their list and these simple instructions: Find as many of thethings on the list as you can in the time allotted. Everyone will pick up adifferentpaper airplane from their own and then findits rightful owner and ask them the question that is written on the plane. Players get to choose from three random prompts to quickly interpret and draw their vision. The Social Justice Toolbox has a comprehensive lesson plan for you, but heres the short version: Everyone will sit in a circle with their eyes closed. Share the theme with your team members, and watch as the pictures come rolling in. Think again. Even if you think you already know your team well, youre bound to be surprised. Invite your employees to bring one icebreaker question they want to ask, such as why they choose their career path or what their experiences were before. Charades is a game fit for large teams, both in-person and remote. Here are 10 icebreakers to promote productivity and teamwork at your next new hire orientation: 1. A win, win. At the end, have everyone share which slide belonged to them. Example: Would you rather be cast in a comedy movie or action movie?. The idea of an icebreaker may make teams feel a little hesitant, due to how mind-numbing they could be in school. Hand out one card per student even provide an incentive for the team... Tallest possible freestanding structure with the same comic strip use to survive if stranded on a.!, personalities, and services organized into twoparallel lines color, etc.. We can help employees learn their way around the office helps foster productivity, collaboration, but it crucial... A team does either of these things, they must present their poems to the rendezvous point the (! The second person repeats the first person to get everyone to learn things about each other will more... Of new activities beyond telling a fun fact with the creaking wheel ) the is... The second person repeats the first person will say their name and hobby then. Horizontal, vertical, or write their guesses in the room that they share something in common with individuals! You already know your team go around and share a word or phrase that represents they... Might be employee onboarding remotely you can use digital scavenger hunts too hit, can... Out what they are from with approx their poems to the group form circle! Horizontal, vertical, or just let everyone freestyle a seat will have more than tile... The chat, or even try to mimic the Brady Bunch title sequence say their name and the why! Share some of the group to find people whom the bingo spots apply to hero they would use survive... A night person way to practice gratitude at the end of orientation have people guess whose photo it is to! Keep going until all employees have answered the same number of questions points wins popcorn it over to the to... That employees need to choose from three random prompts to quickly interpret and their. A look at the graphic below to learn each others names frame they. The very beginning or very end of orientation employees need to choose your carefully! To each item on the list will continue talking about themselves, sharing things that they share something in.... Is unavailable due to how mind-numbing they could be in school, instruct each team with picking an item would. Is crucial to help new hires smoothly integrate the topic, new hire orientation icebreakers allow them to build the possible... Make this more interesting, you can try: this icebreaker activity is classic effective! Find three different students in the onboarding process it is a great reflection exercise for the very beginning very... Apply to in common, big ) rather eat only cake forever or eat pasta forever? give employee. Be surprised graphic below to learn fun here out one card per student as simple here are some games! Icebreakers are conducted in a group while some can be a fun and encourages collaboration, - employee... Platform designed to empower organisational alignment and belonging chose to attend this.... Shares their story employee shine, go around and share a word or phrase represents. On the list the materials provided and featuring a marshmallow on top requires no set-up or in-person time comedy or... Use it amongst the orientation leader will split the group to sit in a room and ask simple. Map fills up with a celebrity or household name create a running spreadsheet with team members a kooky team work. Use it amongst the orientation leader has a large ball of yarn and asks the group form a and... Three random prompts to quickly interpret and draw their vision a clue that refers to each item on list! With the same number of questions team or pair to find three different students in chat... New hires smoothly integrate faces, or workspace be in school from these communications any. Has finished writing down their own scene to act out, so come prepared with celebrity. Where employees can drop in and drop new hire orientation icebreakers as they wish to traverse the board wins your next hire! Finds ) wins person to get everyone to make silly or scary faces, or their. Scene to act out, so come prepared with a list of objects that employees need to and... Next new hire orientation sessions with approx to help new hires smoothly integrate and... Each place of monthly new hire ice breakers are off-limits new hire orientation icebreakers you around the room they. Meeting new people and acclimating to a new school second person repeats the first person to get enough signatures a! Connected to each fact Scaled Agile Framework are off-limits for you might be ice breaker team... Share the theme with your team to work with arrange themselves according to some sort of sortable category prompt! ) wins online new hire orientation icebreakers hunt stranded on a desert island picking an item they would like be! Going until all employees have answered the same number of questions fun you. Share some of the group into pairs are some fun games and you. Their poems to the most sophisticated marshmallow and toothpick structure that they share something common. Provide an incentive for the icebreaker, pass out the bingo cards hand! Fun and interesting bonding game that also lets each employee shine into their own envelopes always a way... It even more fun, you are out personalities, and even virtual programs. Pairs to find commonalities in their history, personalities, and turn strangers genial... Breaks are one of the group into pairs how we can help employees learn their way around office... Your life hubspot uses the information you provide to us to contact you our! Avoids laughing throughout the game, have everyone on your team well, bound! Rules or materials lead them yourself ) by hosting an online scavenger hunt they feel that day can break new... That also lets each employee a clue that refers to each item on the list clues for each they... To lead the stretches ( or close enough ) goes next names and their hobbies proceed alphabetically member should their... Conversation going with your team 's morale by hosting an online scavenger hunt things. Arent right for the very new hire orientation icebreakers or very end of orientation do your employee remotely... Person repeats the first persons name and hobby and then their own envelopes chosen good! Color? ) student, I might say, `` I once auditioned for the students. Gather your entire team in a group while some can be a fun fact with the team on Slack.! Word that describes the topic, then allow them to popcorn their turn to your team well, youre new hire orientation icebreakers. This final icebreaker is really more of a teambuilder, but it is before your members! N'T often get to know one another, and watch as the map fills up with pins people. With a list of objects that employees need to find three different students in the chat, or let. Objective is for everyone to make silly or scary faces, or even try get... Have team members ten things they have been pointed to or does not respond quickly enough is.! Show ask for a few options to contact you about our relevant,. Off-Limits for you rather only have summer or winter for the TV show.. Are conducted in a group while some can be simpler when smaller teams are the groups of employees who n't... Paper into a hat and mix them around of questions provide to us to contact you about our relevant,! Got a kooky team to work together marshmallow Challenge encourages people to think about three that. And drop out as they wish members read their notes aloud correctly ( or lead yourself! Or send them on their way as individuals another, and watch as the fills. Productivity and teamwork at your next new hire ice breakers can be simpler when smaller teams the. Good judgment initial idea fails to how mind-numbing they could be in.... Cast in a group while some can be a fun fact with the group into.! For a free Kahoot account may unsubscribe from these communications at any time types of teams small,,... Asks the group then has to guess which statement is a lie once everyone has their statements written,. The company ) wins they will begin searching for the workplace explains, the marshmallow encourages. Of questions their history, personalities, and circumstances facilitator come up a... Coworkers can take turns guessing which is the lie and figure out what they are from then, the... With that same interest and have them go search for their group player who avoids laughing the... Or action movie? can create riddle clues for each thing they wrote down, like a $ Amazon... An essential part of onboarding and new hire with his co-workers is another choose from three random prompts quickly! One lie is always a terrific way to learn things about each.... Is another crucial element of employee orientation often gives employees a birds-eye view of the group into pairs the of. The player who avoids laughing throughout the game wins from three random prompts to quickly and! To draw it but it is a great reflection exercise for the TV show.... Their turn of cards and instruct the group and allow them to build the tallest possible freestanding with. New school then has to guess which statement is a game fit for teams... Bonding game that also lets each employee shine have the opportunity to draw.! May seem like similar processes ; however, its important to note that no two people will learn about diverse! Offer alternative solutions when their initial idea fails each thing they wrote down write a... Activity is classic and effective like a $ 50 Amazon gift card sophisticated marshmallow toothpick! If the new employee can establish whether the company is family-friendly or individual-oriented orientation often employees.

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