Never underestimate the positive power of good icebreakers. They promote warmth and camaraderie within your audience as everyone shares a laugh – and learns a little more – about their peers. Icebreakers come in many forms, so if you’re unsure which one is right for your next presentation, check out the handy infographic below for inspiration. Afterwards, pop over to our new Creator Room and share your favorite icebreaker ideas and stories.

 

 

Short on time?

Time it! Put two minutes on the clock. Show three questions to ask a neighbor. Everyone gets to know each other quickly with ready-made discussion. Add questions that lead into your next subject. Talking about the budget? Ask your neighbor about the most expensive coffee they’ve ever ordered.

Big audience?

Run an upvote/downvote poll to get a big group competing. Post a question, collect responses, then let people vote the best to the top. Question ideas: What’s the wrong way to pet a cat? Where is the best vacation spot? What is the best horror movie of all time?

Tip: Poll Everywhere can run an upvote/downvote poll in PowerPoint. Start a free account, then download the PowerPoint add-in.

Want to move around?

Shake people out of their seats with a People Bingo game. Everyone has to get up and converse to solve the clues. Ideas for Bingo squares: Who has more than three dogs? Who has two middle names? Who has been to Yellowstone?

Going formal?

Provide a light, topical question to start your presentation. Host a live multiple-choice poll, with ABC responses. It’s a controlled exercise that leads right into your material. Set up a multiple-choice poll in less than a minute at Poll Everywhere, then add it to your slide deck. Audience sizes up to 25 are free (40 for educators).

Long presentation?

Break it up with an icebreaker in the middle of the presentation. Ask and question with two or three answers. Then let people gather in the corner that represents their answer. Do this a few times to draw out commonalities and get everyone moving around. And don’t forget to join the game yourself! It’s your chance to connect with the audience.

Shy audience?

Icebreakers are about getting everyone to open up. A shy crowd can be tough. Go for icebreakers that require minimal input. A live word cloud is perfect. It lets people open up anonymously, one word at a time.

Tip: use Poll Everywhere’s word cloud poll to get every last audience member involved. Everyone with a smartphone can participate.