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Meeting Ice Breakers for Large Groups
You booked your meeting venue. The attendees have cleared their schedules and made their travel arrangements. The objectives you want to accomplish are clearly outlined. But, before you put your agenda into action, you’ll want to read the ProMeetings team’s advice on meeting ice breakers for large groups so you get it right… from the start.
Breaking Down Barriers
When you’re gathering a large group of people and want to achieve specific goals, there are walls to tear down before you can get to business. Maybe your attendees don’t know each other or, even if they do, they may work in different departments or on different levels of your organization.
In any of those scenarios, each attendee will have his or her own set of perceptions about the others that can generate a reluctance to freely contribute or collaborate in your meeting. That reluctance, at the very least, creates a stumbling block in achieving your goals.
This is where meeting ice breaker activities for large groups come to the rescue. Below are three types of ice breakers we encourage in meetings at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, along with some of our favorite interactive activities for each:
Establishing Common Ground
These activities put a spotlight on attendees’ similarities and diminish their differences so the straight-out-of-college management trainee can look at the seasoned CEO and think, “Hey, we’re a lot more alike than I thought!” Our favorite activities for establishing common ground are:
- Three Like Me: Break your large group into small sub-groups with the goal of establishing a list of three things they ALL have in common (i.e. we’re all pet owners).
- Five Faves: These same sub-groups could also be given a short list of general topics (i.e. foods, movies, etc.) for which they’d share their five personal favorites.
Celebrating Achievements
When you hear about someone’s personal or professional accomplishments, you begin to understand the value they bring to the group at large. To pave the way toward this mutual respect, our favorite ice breakers are:
- Bean Counter: Break your large group into smaller sub-groups and hand each attendee 15 dried beans. Each attendee takes a turn sharing one skill or professional experience they possess. Then each person in the group that does not have that skill or experience would hand that person one of their beans.
- One Shining Moment: This activity doesn’t require breaking down into sub-groups. One-by-one, each attendee would share the one crowning achievement (so far) in their career with the entire group.
Building Team Spirit
If you’ve ever been part of a competitive team – whether for sports or academics – you understand the importance of creating camaraderie and working together as a tight-knit unit. You can accomplish this same spirit in your meeting. Since Kiawah Island Golf Resort is renowned for our five championship golf courses, the ProMeetings team has collaborated with our golf pros to recommend these easy and fun activities to build team spirit:
- Mini Golf Tournament: If your group is meeting in one of our golf course clubhouses, you’re just steps away from some of the country’s most perfectly kept greens – the ideal venue for hosting an unforgettable mini golf tournament for teams of four.
- Blindfolded Best Ball: You can take your game indoors as well. Segmenting your group into foursomes, each would take turns attempting to putt a golf ball into a glass…blindfolded (after three or four un-blindfolded practice swings, of course.)
Beyond the highly acclaimed golf courses, Kiawah Island Golf Resort also showcases 35,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, two tennis complexes and endless recreation for your group. Plus, the expert ProMeetings team is here to help you plan and facilitate ice breaker activities – and all of your meeting details.
You can contact our Director of Group Sales, Marty Couch, and his team at 800.576.1585 to take advantage of this special, limited time offer. Kiawah Knows the PROS. Drive your goals higher — book today: 800.576.1585