Try a “Teach Me” Icebreaker at Your Next Meeting
Kristin Arnold
Facilitating and training your teams to achieve extraordinary results, processes, and relationships through in-person and virtual retreats and meetings
I recently gave a virtual workshop on Virtual Teams, and during the wrap-up, several participants mentioned the idea of starting to do a “Teach Me” icebreaker.
I’ve been mentioning this technique for years, so I was surprised it was a key takeaway.?But then again, we are living in “working from home” times, and teams are desperate for connection and?community.?And this quick icebreaker provides a fun way to get to know your teammates.
What is a “Teach Me” Icebreaker?
It’s two minutes where one person on the team teaches everyone else something (anything simple!) in two minutes or less.?While it can be work-related, many are not.?My first teach me moment was “how to make a dirty martini.”?I assembled the ingredients and got everything ready, including a little recipe card with a martini glass.??At the start of the meeting, I showed the team how to make a dirty martini (shaken not stirred).?Ninety seconds later, we had a laugh and proceeded with the meeting.?While the topic (dirty martini) isn’t a surprise for anyone who knows me well, you’d be surprised at how creative your?team?can be!
I have found that people need a little?inspiration?so they can dig into their own life experiences and come up with their own “teach me” icebreaker:
Teach me…
Or, for a variation on the theme:
The Key to ____________ is……
The Secret to ___________ is….
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How to ____________
Try a “Teach Me” icebreaker at your next meeting and make sure you rotate the role so each team member has a shot at teaching others something?unique, interesting, or unusual about them!
For more information about how to lead your team in the virtual environment,?use these resources.
KRISTIN ARNOLD, MBA, CPF | Master, CSP is a high-stakes?meeting facilitator?and professional panel moderator.?She’s been facilitating teams of executives and managers in making better decisions and achieving greater results for over 20 years.?She is the author of the award-winning book,?Boring to Bravo: Proven Presentation Techniques to Engage, Involve and Inspire Audiences to Action.
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Photo by?Aditya Saxena?on?Unsplash