How do you use icebreakers to build rapport online?

Icebreakers can be viewed as a way to welcome online learners for all the reasons listed above. Consider using an icebreaker to acknowledge their choice for coming to the webinar (if there was one). Explicitly recognizing their time commitment--is no small thing that they are offering. Addressing the benefit of getting into a positive learning mindset--start with a question that acknowledges where they are at in their learning--"What have you already learned about 'Workshop Topic X?" It is easy as learners to forget they already come into the session with lived experiences.

Icebreakers can really set the tone for a training session, so they should be well thought out and planned well. As the facilitator, choose one that suits the audience and the topic.

Some participants will be more familiar with a virtual platform and the tools it provides than others. Choosing an icebreaker that also gives people a chance to practise with a platform tool (whiteboard, polls, quizzes, or an external app etc) you're going to use later can increase the efficacy of the tool during the session. Designing the icebreaker to be safe, inclusive, fun and engaging is a must! Think it through - as one of the first encounters they will have with you and the platform, the choices you make matter.

One of the major considerations should be the size of the group that is attending. Ice breakers that require everyone introduce themselves verbally tends to make people lose interest fast. It is much better to connect those that will be looking for a similar benefit from the session will yield a greater connection to the content and more robust conversation.

Using a Mural or Miro board is an easy way to get people to participate online. My favourite way to engage people at the start is to ask them to complete 4 (virtual) post-its stating - name, current job title, first job, and lesson learned from the first job. Of course, this can be done in-person too. Usually the team learn something new about their colleagues and it always evokes an interesting conversation, some related to the day ahead, some not. The main thing is they’re interacting at the start. This has proved effective for teams I have been told are usually quiet too.

I like to warm up the space with music or a scenic video so people aren't staring at a screen of faces when they sign in. Believe it or not one client had a couple of people complain about it.

For youth and young adults, what works best is to start an icebreaker using a sound or movement so you can get a gauge of how participants in the group are feeling without having to ask the question expecting too many words in return. Most young people do not choose to talk about their feelings in front of others, at least right away, especially if they are required to attend a group. Encouraging to share a gesture, movement, or facial with (sound) is a great way to help young clients externalise how they feel while observing how their peers feel too. You can also connect what you see to themes for the group to further reflect on and explore in future groups. You will see that these feeling responses are often very similar or the same.

At the start of an online class, I asked participants to 'grab' something from their desk/ room to represent how they are feeling. It's a great way to create a presence for each person, it is fun, and creative and illustrates the power of metaphor. As facilitator, I also get to know the mood of my audience.