Recently a client of mine asked when she should be using icebreakers. My client was particularly concerned about an upcoming meeting that she has to facilitate with a new group. She wanted to open with an engaging activity that would get attendees talking, but worried that they would criticize the icebreaker as being a 'game' taking up their limited meeting time. I assured her that with careful planning an icebreaker activity could have huge impact in setting the context for the meeting.

More specifically, icebreakers act as a pattern interrupt, helping people to stop and focus on the here and now. This ensures participants are present and focused before entering in to the substantive 'facilitated' part of the meeting. I personally use icebreakers as 'metaphors' or 'lessons' that speak to the meeting purpose or the core of the problem or opportunity to be discussed. How people behave during the icebreaker can be reincorporated in the facilitated session to further accentuate a point or intended outcome.

For the most part, icebreakers build quick familiarity between participants. This is especially important with people who don't know one another. Icebreakers get people talking to those who may feel apprehensive to disclose personal or emotional information. Where status or expertise in a room can cause rifts between people being candid and open, good collaborative icebreakers that put everyone on the same level help to alleviate status concerns . Finally, effective icebreakers help to set the tone for the spirit and climate you want to have for the meeting. A fun icebreaker helps to also set a lighter tone which may be necessary before entering into a difficult conversation.

There are times, however, when we should not consider using icebreakers. Dorothy Strachan in her book Questions that Work suggests that "you don't need icebreakers when there's no ice. Essentially if people know one another and feel comfortable with their peers icebreakers will be perceived as meaningless or a method for filling time. In these cases it's best to do a starting exercise for the purposes of helping to reveal meaningful information that can assist in helping the group to identify expectations (i.e. "what are your expectations for this session?). Or, you can use an activity that can potentially uncover resistance upfront by having participants identify their concerns, and solutions to those concerns for the event.

When the icebreaker is completed, it's important to have a good debrief to help drive home the learning that ultimately will set the tone for the upcoming facilitated session. This will help to transition the icebreaker from being considered just a 'warm up' to something which provides insight or learning (i.e. about how the group works together to deal with issues or make decisions. Questions to use during a debrief could include:

1. What learning did you get from the icebreaker?
2. How is the learning from the icebreaker tied to our upcoming discussion?
3. What lessons did we learn from our icebreaker that we can apply to our upcoming discussion?
4. What did we learn from the icebreaker that we need to keep in mind for helping engage in successful dialogue?

Regardless what icebreaker you use, make sure that you've put in some thought as to the purpose of the icebreaker and its ability to set the tone for the meeting. An effective icebreaker can literally make or break the ice for the session!