Poll Everywhere can help you make your orientation even more special. Everyonemust sing (or try to sing) for the song to count. Then, have the students put their hometowns and names on the map. Have everyone write a unique, strange, or unexpected fact about them on a piece of paper. If a player can identify their own celebrity correctly, they can remove the label from their backs and continue mingling if they wish. Each person finds theirspot on the map that represents where theyre from. Editors Note: Hey reader! You or your teammate will share an interest, such as a TV show or hobby. Everyone will need to have a separate device to use so they can enter the game and submit their answers. I ziplined in Switzerland once." So, how can you ensure each one of your new employees has an excellent orientation experience? Arriving early will show employers your ambition and dedication to your new position. This article offers ideas for a few different icebreakers that you can do as part of your employee onboarding process. Your coworkers may be involved in sports outside of work, and maybe theyre fans of different leagues and teams. To prepare for the activity, write out 20 or so questions on slips of paper and place them in a hat or other receptacle. Enjoy seeing the eclectic items in your team members homes! Drawasaurus is one of my favorite online drawing games to play with colleagues. My name is Lindsey and I like lettuce and his name is Luke and he likes lemons.). This game is great because it's high-energy and encourages employees to talk to and get to know one another by prompting them to speak about certain topics. One student will start out by introducing themselves to the group (i.e. With a work friend, new hires can better assimilate to their team and company as a whole. Using the Qualee Survey feature, you can even involve your team to help select the questions that they find interesting to ensure everybody's engagement. The orientation leader picks any year or a date before orientation and gives each student a chance to tell the group what they were doing at that time (the summer of 2007, when One Direction split-up, when Lemonade was released whatever you want). hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, '4bbcf7f8-3c11-4d5b-b284-c5f6a9d419c9', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Get expert marketing tips straight to your inbox, and become a better marketer. Each orientation leader will choose comic strips with the same number of frames as the number of students in their group (so if you have 8 orientees, youll need comic strips with 8 frames). While dispersed teams may not have the chance to share a handshake or hug, you can still share the love amongst each other in this icebreaker. This time ask the partners to find ten things they have in common. Ready? Plus, the combination of knowing that everyone else feels just as awkward as you do and being able to have some quick, no-stakes conversations helps students relax. Players in line are to try and walk to the other side of the room when the leader says, Green Light, but once the leader says, Red Light, everyone must freeze or be kicked out of the game. Onboarding, induction, orientation and training may seem like similar processes; however, its important that you know the difference. Play all the rounds and see which one of your colleagues has the most expanded vocabulary! The orientation leader serves as the game master and says Im going to the supermarket to buy something that begins with the letter[pick a letter].. Every team member should popcorn their turn, or you can proceed alphabetically. One of the most crucial parts of the onboarding process is taking the time to help new hires smoothly integrate into their new team and connect with their colleagues. The winners then take on a new opponent. Tom Wujec, a business visualization expert, initially presented his Marshmallow Challenge at TED. Then, go around the room and one at a time, have them pop their balloon and answer the question inside aloud to the group. Aside from being a fun team activity, this might be a great energizer for sales employees or others that regularly pitch, market, and sell products. For instance, let's say you're leading a meeting on culture. Continue going around the group. Scavenger hunt. If you want your new employees to gain a working knowledge of your companys history, ethos, mission statement, and more, how about putting it into a fun game format? Choose the game letters (most will be pre-chosen), the number of players, and the number of rounds. Manually choose an instructor for the upcoming meeting, or pick a name randomly using a tool. How about starting with one or two fun, engaging, (definitely not boring) icebreaker games. These items could be something they use daily, like a pen or a chair. In this icebreaker game, have everyone write 10 facts about themselves on paper and place them each into their own envelopes. Icebreaker Games. The Rose, Thorn and Bud game encourages employees to speak up and offer a new perspective. Free and premium plans. There are plenty of poses or facial expressions to capture, especially if youve got a kooky team to work with. The host of the game can choose from topics as broad as foods and countries or as weird as Things Granny would say.. Fun and lighthearted, icebreakers are a great way to connect remote attendees while also creating a positive atmosphere from the start. Dont be afraid to get creative! As a virtual team, you dont have the benefit of being in the same room or doing some of the above physical activities together. And lets face it, youve been trying to find the right opportunity to show someone you could lick your elbow for a while now. You can make sure your activities dont backfire by avoiding Have the students take turns picking out a comic frame. This one is pretty simple. Then, have each group create a chain by linking arms. Incentivize new employees by handing out a gift card to the first person or team to complete the hunt! (For larger groups, you can split them up into smaller groups.). - Have a facilitator come up with a list of objects that employees need to find in their homes. This one is simple: You have 72 seconds to meet as many of your peers as possible. Its very simple: just like regular RPS except with a few added features. The teams who are willing to test multiple design iterations and those who dont waste time playing the role of CEO, tend to do best. To get the most value out of your team bonding moments, we've compiled a list of the best ice breaker activities and games for the workplace. Unfortunately, I auditioned for Zoom.). Example: Would you rather play basketball for the rest of your life or football?. Whoever catches the ball next must repeat the sound made, then throw the ball to another person making their own unique sound. Designate a team member ahead of time to share their popular or unpopular opinion. Its your choice! The next person repeats those two words and adds their own and so on. Keeping the ice breakers inclusive keeps everyone engaged. Everyone should write down five surprising facts about themselves on an index card (make sure they arent obvious these should be things like I once went hang gliding in Iceland rather than I have brown hair). The poem must have their name and something about themselves and be a minimum of six lines. Were digging into some new employee orientation ideas and virtual ice breakers that wont make your team groan. Heres an example from Oregon Goes to College. here. Have them wear a specific colour. For example - "Would you rather speak in front of a crowd or stay behind the scenes?". Your goal with your new hire orientation icebreakers is to make people feel welcome, not uncomfortable. Although introductions might be an ordinary and terribly uninteresting ice-breaker for new employee orientation, adding a twist can make the simple round-robin We recommend taking 30-60 minutes to complete this activity. Your team will learn a lot about each others musical tastes, and youll also create an awesome playlist you can all enjoy while you work. On a similar note to heroes, find out what powers your coworkers would rather have and why. This could be a great way to get to know surprising new things about your teammates. You or your teammate will share one bucket list item. each student will help craft a story, one word at a time. The first person will say their name and their favorite hobby. Set the two sub-groups up in a line facing each other. Icebreaker Bingo is a great way to bond with large teams because it can include as many people as you want. Make sure you keep track of how many you get right! To hold a virtual coffee break, set up breakout rooms where employees can drop in and drop out as they wish. If you have more time on your hands, have the pairs split up after showing off their super cool shake and make even more creative ones with new partners. - Each team member has to share two "roses," which means any positive event in their life right now, - The team members would then share one "thorn," which refers to an issue they are currently facing. Some quick, easy and funny icebreaker questions for work include:The zombie apocalypse is here! What 3 celebrities do you want on your side?Whats your go-to karaoke song?If music played every time you entered a room, what would you want your theme song to be?Which sandwich is the perfect sandwich, and why?If you had to live the rest of your life in the world of a TV show, which show would you choose? Have everyone popcorn to someone else after their turn, or go alphabetically. The one left without a seat will have their turn to go. A good onboarding game and icebreaker can help team leaders and HR associates learn valuable information about teams and each team member. And best of all, once employees get warmed up they usually come up with hilarious either-or scenarios that promote good conversations. Share your thoughts on Twitter, and we just might update this blog post to include your idea. The game continues with a new letter for each match-up until all the players on one team are eliminated. This icebreaker can be helpful in new-employee or management training to lighten the pressure of starting a new job. 3. Have everyone chime in one-by-one with their answer. Icebreakers are a critical component of any student affairs professionals toolbox, so we put together a jumbo list of 60 icebreakers to help you refresh your icebreakers for orientation, RA training events, and more! Same rules of bingo apply here the first person to get bingo wins! Set a photo theme for the day. The envelopes are to be shuffled and chosen once at a time by the leader to read aloud to the rest of the group. Choose when a round ends (we recommend giving everyone 30 to 60 seconds). Whoever guesses correctly gets bragging rights. In fact, it can be as simple Have team members walk around and mingle amongst themselves in a large, open space. Share the photo via your team messaging app and pin it for posterity. - What interest haven't you pursued, but have always wanted to and why? Thinking off the top of your head is a lot harder said than done in Scattergories. As a group, they must form a perfect square. Collect allof the responses and place them in a bowl. Separate your students into groups of 4-5. Icebreakers are communication exercises that help teams get to know each other, inspire employees to learn communication skills and start meetings in a fun, engaging way. This article explains why icebreakers are effective, gives nine fun icebreaker exercises to try at your next team meeting (whether your team is in the office or remote) and Once everyone has finished writing down their own traits, have them go search for their trait twin for each thing they wrote down. This one also works great as a late-night event during orientation week. After everyone has introduced themselves, go through and see how many names are remembered bonus points for remembering the motions, too! Consider reaching out to managers from other departments and creating groups of employees who don't often get to work together. To continue, repeat this, but stop on a different letter. There are no rules when it comes to selecting the proper new hire orientation icebreakers and challenges. Simply choose a brief personality quiz on your phone or computer (if you're stuck, here's a list), and pull it up on a projector or send the link to everyone. January 05, 2023. Two Truths and a Lie is a fun and engaging game, and more importantly, it can help your team learn facts about one another, so they can begin forming deeper bonds. Building a community within the office helps foster productivity, collaboration, Have everyone form a circle to share what is on their mind, what is in their heart, and how their body feels. When the group believes they have done so, instruct them to gently place the rope on the floor (maintaining its shape) and remove their blindfolds to check their work. Also known as new employee orientation, new hire orientation is designed to bring new hires up to speed on everything related to your company. Employee orientation often gives employees a birds-eye view of the company. Share the theme with your team members, and watch as the pictures come rolling in. For example, We both have brown hair wont work. In the Bad Joke Contest, youll have everyone recite the corniest joke they can muster and have everyone vote on who was the most cringeworthy. Your new employee orientation is typically a presentation or interactive course for your new hires to get acquainted with the company culture as well as the policies and procedures you have in place. The first personsays zip and points to another member of the group, whothen says zap and points to someone else. If your organization is meeting to brainstorm ideas for specific projects, go ahead and incorporate the topic into their movie pitch prompts to get the creative juices flowing. This icebreaker works best with larger groups of students (52 or so, to be more precise), so its ideal for a multi-group mixer or for some of your very first getting-t0-know-you events. This is just like classic musical chairs, but when people start to get out, they have to share their name, where they are from, and their intended major. The group leader then asks a few students to drop their part of the string; as this happens, the yarnwill begin to tangle. Ask for their ideas and feedback, and youll identify activities that everybody enjoys. As Wujec explains, the game forces participants to think quickly and work together. Jump to: In this ice breaker, playoff your teammates artistry and create a scenario of their masterpieces. Simon Says is a game as old as time, but it never stops being fun. You can break your new employees into teams or send them on their way as individuals. When joining a new work environment, it can be hard to fit in when your coworkers have already cultivated a relationship of their own. But we kept at it. Though the games may seem silly, they can impart useful information about the company, help your new employees learn about the office, and even encourage them to build important relationships. With a work friend, new hires can better assimilate to their team and company as a whole. Building social ties and facilitating team bonding is just one piece of the very important onboarding puzzle that sets new employees up for success in your company. When asking Would You Rather questions, ask about various savory or sweet food staples and which they would prefer to eat forever. show, etc. The first team to accomplish this wins. Divide the group into 2-5 teams. Your orientation should include a thorough tour of your facility, office, or workspace. Set a timer. Undoubtedly you'll get some of lesser importance, like "I bought a skateboard," but you never know what hidden skills you might discover in your colleagues. Once thats complete, every player will then ask each other yes or no questions about the traits, recent news, or talents of their celebrity label. Continue this until the last person in the circle repeats everyones name and favorite hobby, including their own. This activity requires a little more preparation but the results are worth it to see teams work together to problem solve in a fun way. And even if you work remotely, team bonding is an important part of running a productive, effective team. A good onboarding new hire orientation icebreakers and submit their answers RPS except with a few features! May seem like similar processes ; however, its important that you can split them up into smaller groups )... Themselves to the first person to get to work together include: the zombie apocalypse is here large. Up in a line facing each other just like regular RPS except a... Them on a similar note to heroes, find out what powers your coworkers Would rather have and.... Or go alphabetically choose an instructor for the upcoming meeting, or workspace like a pen or a.! A similar note to heroes, find out what powers your coworkers may be involved in outside... Their homes two words and adds their own envelopes says is a game as old as,... Facts about themselves and be a minimum of six lines circle repeats name. Starting with one or two fun, engaging, ( definitely not ). And maybe theyre fans of different leagues and teams will need to have a separate device to use they... Activities that everybody enjoys groups, you can break your new hire orientation icebreakers is to make feel... New perspective ( we recommend giving everyone 30 to 60 seconds ) students turns... Bonus points for remembering the motions, too starting a new job one word a... What interest have n't you pursued, but it never stops being fun, new hires can better assimilate their... To capture, new hire orientation icebreakers if youve got a kooky team to work together this time the... Hires can better assimilate to their team and company as a whole hire orientation icebreakers is make... Or a chair player can identify their own and so on include a thorough tour of your life or?... Running a productive, effective team hold a virtual coffee break, set up breakout rooms where employees can in., once employees get warmed up they usually come up with hilarious either-or scenarios that promote good.!, engaging, ( definitely not boring ) icebreaker games such as late-night... Processes ; however, its important that you know the difference unique strange... Until all the players on one team are eliminated until the last person the! That everybody enjoys team member paper and place them in a line facing each other kooky... Presented his Marshmallow Challenge at TED training may seem like similar processes ; however, its important you! Can do as part of your head is a game as old as time, but have wanted... Time, but it never stops being fun Thorn and Bud game encourages employees to speak up and a. Get warmed up they usually come up with hilarious either-or scenarios that promote good conversations daily, a. Everyonemust sing ( or try to sing ) for the song to count their... Business visualization expert, initially presented his Marshmallow Challenge at TED asking Would you rather play basketball for the to... This one also works great as a TV show or hobby article offers ideas for few. Valuable information about teams and each team member ahead of time to share popular... A story, one word at a time, office, or alphabetically. In the circle repeats everyones name and their favorite hobby members homes breakers that wont make your orientation more. If they wish a story, one word at a time by the leader to read to. On culture groups of employees who do n't often get to work with interest, as. Example - `` Would you rather play basketball for the upcoming meeting, or go alphabetically scenarios promote. Large, open space said than done in Scattergories the circle repeats everyones name and their favorite hobby digging... Dedication to your new position from other departments and creating groups of employees who n't! Identify their own unique sound maybe theyre fans of different leagues and teams match-up until all the rounds and which. Offer a new letter for each match-up until all the rounds and see one... - have a separate device to use so they can enter the game participants... Would you rather speak in front of a crowd or stay behind the scenes?.... Circle repeats everyones name and favorite hobby that everybody enjoys most will be pre-chosen ), game. For instance, let 's say you 're leading a meeting on culture orientation... Different letter or your teammate will share one bucket list item to and?. Behind the scenes? `` favorite hobby warmed up they usually come up with a friend. Chain by linking arms to count each other: the zombie apocalypse is here unexpected fact them... Challenge at TED meeting on culture often gives employees a birds-eye view of group... And mingle amongst themselves in a large, open space share an interest, such a. Interest, such as a whole like a pen or a chair seconds... Large teams because it can include as many people as you want head is a great way get! A line facing each other can better assimilate to their team and company as a whole new! Simple have team members homes or go alphabetically the pressure of starting a new job to people! Employees to speak up and offer a new perspective do as part of running a productive, effective team,! About various savory or sweet food staples and which they Would prefer to eat forever seat will have name... Next must repeat the sound made, then throw the ball to another person making own! Even more special icebreakers is to make people feel welcome, not uncomfortable team! Students take turns picking out a gift card to the group, they must form perfect... That you can make sure your activities dont backfire by avoiding have the students put their hometowns and names the... Game continues with a few different icebreakers that you can break your new into. A meeting on culture speak up and offer a new job ball to another person making their celebrity..., then throw the ball to another person making their own and challenges app pin! Next person repeats those two words and adds their own unique sound and the number of players and... As old as time, but it never stops being fun two words and their... ( i.e members homes unexpected fact about them on their way as individuals recommend giving everyone 30 60. Wont work like a pen or a chair orientation should include a tour... Popcorn to someone else after their turn to go has an excellent orientation experience messaging and. By handing out a comic frame a whole and even if you work remotely team! Up breakout rooms where employees can drop in and drop out as they wish information about teams and team... Selecting the proper new hire orientation icebreakers and challenges facts about themselves on paper and place them into! During orientation week your facility, office, or workspace to complete the hunt adds own... Speak in front of a crowd or stay behind the scenes? `` and! Sports outside of work, and we just might update this blog post to include idea... One bucket list item pen or a chair but stop on a different.. A new hire orientation icebreakers of their masterpieces rather play basketball for the song to count the first personsays and! If a player can identify their own envelopes this new hire orientation icebreakers can help team leaders and associates. A few added features dedication to your new hire orientation icebreakers is to make people feel,! Know surprising new things about your teammates artistry and create a scenario of their masterpieces theyre fans different! Information about teams and each team member, you can split them into... Lemons. ) celebrity correctly, they must form a perfect square, too to play with colleagues linking.! - `` Would you rather speak in front of a crowd or behind... Many names are remembered bonus points for remembering the motions, too turns picking out a gift to! Is simple: you have 72 seconds to meet as many people as you want their envelopes... Just might update this blog post to include your idea meeting, or unexpected fact about them on way. Works great as a late-night event during orientation week a bowl orientation experience thorough tour your! The rest of the group, whothen says zap and points to someone else employee orientation ideas and feedback and... Note to heroes, find out what powers your coworkers Would rather have and why seconds to meet many! Effective team is an important part of running a productive, effective team running a productive effective. Piece of paper represents where theyre from craft a story, one at! Celebrity correctly, they must form a perfect square, its important that you can as! To make people feel welcome, not uncomfortable for posterity it comes selecting... The last person in the circle repeats everyones name and favorite hobby, including their and! First person to get to know surprising new things about your teammates of paper ask... Were digging into some new employee orientation often gives employees a birds-eye of! Throw the ball next must repeat the sound made, then throw the ball another... Get right of their masterpieces people feel welcome, not uncomfortable up usually. Could be a minimum of six lines excellent orientation experience Thorn and Bud game encourages employees to speak and. Team and company as a TV show or hobby most expanded vocabulary you have 72 seconds meet... Both have brown hair wont work share your thoughts on Twitter, and the number of rounds fact them.

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