WARM-UPS/OPENERS
- Symbol game (Pass out "bingo: type card with categories like "where born?" "number of kids?" "college attended?" Then participants interact and write names of others they match until they get a "bingo".
- Pocket or purse object that tells about them.
- Pairing (introduce partner)
- Everyone comment about some shared question.
- Tell something interesting about self
- Draw picture of self
-work
-personal self
-why here
- Share expectations of group/session
- Self introductions
- What is your pet peeve?
- What color do you feel like?
- Nicknames?
- Why did you parents name you what they did? Origin of name.
- Who has been the most significant person in your life and why?
- What five people would you invite to dinner (living or dead)?
- What was your most embarrassing moment (qualified)? Or what was the most embarrassing thing you/child did?
- Strengths/Weaknesses
- Meanings for nonsense words
- What were you doing when JFK died, space shuttle blew up?
- Memorable taxi ride
- Strangest place you had sex?
- Three statements –2 are true, 1 is a lie, guess which one?
- Likes and Dislikes-Group gripes, Whine and Cheese Party
- Recollection of first TV show
- Worst meal you ever had
- What you like about the organization
- Family tradition
- Favorite "something" (car, flower, scar, etc.)
- List of characteristics/commonalties and identify who falls in those.
- "I wish" or "I dream"
- One question or one expectation of meeting
- Write down one thing about yourself no one knows (groups need to know each other) –figure out who it is.
- What are you "worried about"?
- If you won the lottery…
- Telling a story-add on
- Assess communication styles
- Christmas morning fantasy
- Where you were born
- Vacations
- Where you could live if you had a choice
- Bus breaks down
- Who would you be reincarnated as?
- If you were a car, what would you be & why? (another member tries to explain why)
- What kind of animal would you be?
- Describe a hat that describes your personality (or animal or tree…)
- Color/draw picture of vision
- Favorite part of job
- Least favorite part of job
- Areas for growth
- Favorite: movie, sport, leisure activity, color, hobby, etc.
- Demographics
- Why chose job
- How do you feel today
- Human flowchart
- Adjectives regarding self
- State what you need from group (or what you want)
- What was past benefit from being on team?
- Who was born farthest away?
- Childhood memorable event
- Favorite song & sing it
- Habit you want to break
- Play 5 minutes of Pictionary
- State most stressful thing that has happened to you since last meeting/best thing
- What did you get for Christmas
- Baby pictures
- "Brush with Fame"
- Brainstorming (XXX)
- Exercise
- Simon says
- Musical chairs
- When is your birthday?
- Shared decision-making process (lightweights)—about something fun/trivial (like mascot) Brainstorm and Multivote (any consensus decision-making tools)
- Scavenger Hunt for people qualities (People Hunt)
- You are your pet---How are you like your pet or if you don't have one, what pet would you choose and how is it like you?
- Wilderness survival—be dropped with your group in the woods (Les Luke idea)
- Potluck meal
- Asking two questions of two people: repeat over and over. Then we all tell what we know about that person
- Remember items stored in a box/briefcase—show them going in, people guess them, and then they come back out
- Group process resume—develop a catchy ad for your team
- Skit of future successes: portray your team being successful in the future
- Shoe pile—throw shoes in a pile. Guess whose is whose as they are pulled out.
- What's on top (pressing your mind)? Put it in later box
- What draws you to this work?