Hands up if you've ever had to endure a badly devised 'icebreaker'?
That makes 2 of us! Coming from the learning & development arena, I have witnessed the good, the bad, and even one ugly episode where people walked out they were so offended.
So here is a tried & tested exercise that delivers its promise to break the ice but - no embarrassment or awkwardness.
Objective
Get people to stand in line in order of their birthdays.
Instructions
"When I say 'GO' order yourselves via your birthdays, from January 1st over here to December 31st over there."
Ask: "How long shall I give you?" They'll guess about a minute.
Say: "I think you're better than that! I'm going to give you 10 seconds!"
Continue: "Are you ready? Let's countdown: 3-2-1-go!"
In action
Everyone will burst into action checking months and days with each other. You countdown from 10 to maintain the frenzy in the room.
Once you call time, have everyone state their birthday and then after give them a round of applause. The ice will be well and truly broken!