17 Good Reasons To Use Icebreakers In Your Next Workshop, Class or Meeting

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ArticlePros.com » Writing & Speaking » Pubilc Speaking » 17 Good Reasons To Use Icebreakers In Your Next Workshop, Class or Meeting

  • Date: 2007-02-23
  • Author: Patrick C.
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  • 17 Good Reasons To Use Icebreakers In Your Next Workshop, Class or Meeting


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         Icebreakers can be defined as "tools that enable the group
    leader to foster interaction, stimulate creative thinking, challenge
    basic assumptions, illustrate new concepts, and introduce specific
    material."
    (The Encyclopedia of Icebreakers, University Association, 1983).

    The primary objective of icebreakers and energizers, is to
    help break down the social and psychological barriers between
    participants in a workshop or classroom, by encouraging them
    to interact with "other strangers" in the group and in the process
    get them to learn a little bit about themselves and the others.

    Of course, there are numerous other secondary objectives
    that you can achieve with icebreakers.

    Consider using icebreakers for these purposes:

    1. Start off every training session with a bang

    2. Use icebreakers before a training endeavor to rev up the
    cooperative spirit among the trainees

    3. Inject fun and entertainment into the learning process

    4. Give you - the trainer or facilitator - a golden
    opportunity to be involved with the participants and
    build rapport with them

    5. Set the desired tone of the each workshop, particularly
    the notion that the session is going to be fun and not boring

    6. Capture the attention of the attendees and get them to
    follow you the seminar leader throughout the training program

    7. Break the monotony of the usual information-loading
    sessions with some variety of fun and games

    8. Motivate the delegates and liven up otherwise sluggish
    sessions

    9. Energize the participants and increase their receptiveness

    10. Raise the level of participation and enjoyment
    throughout the sessions

    11. Stimulate creativity and promote creative problem solving

    12. Create a group atmosphere of openness and trust

    13. Use highly visual icebreakers to serve as emotional
    memory markers and get participants to talk about their experiences
    for weeks to come

    14. Revitalize the group of participants especially right
    after lunch or the "graveyard shift"

    15. Set the stage for productive sharing and meaningful
    discussion

    16. Use icebreakers as "Wake-Em Up" tactics at any point
    during the class to keep sleepyheads awake

    17. Select specific icebreakers and use them as a "topic
    lead-in"



    Patrick C. is a creativity trainer & bestselling author.

    More articles from this pro: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Patrick C.


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    About the author

    Make your audience come alive with our f.ree icebreakers for trainers, teachers & facilitators at http://www.wordjuxtapoz.com/freeicebreakers.html. Inject loads of fun and mind boggling brain teasers into your workshops!

    http://www.wordjuxtapoz.com

     
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