`Ice breakers' for the workplace
LET US face it, not all of us are born gregarious. Nor every one of us is born with the gumption to get along well with new acquaintances!
In fact, one would be surprised to find that most of us are equally apprehensive about meeting new people and forming an impression on them.
This is truer in an office setting where multiple factors are constantly in motion increasing scope for misunderstandings and misinterpretations. It comes as no surprise when one steps into a workplace setting; their first reaction is usually a reactive reservation. However, there is a way out of it.
If you are an employee who feels that there are not enough cooperative exchanges at work and long to strike friendly interactions, then you may make a suggestion regarding introducing activities that help break the ice.
If as a manager or a leader you feel that your team is not opening up to one another, ignoring the positive influence inter-personal communication has on performance, then it's time to get these activities on board. The times of one liner jokes used to break the ice are passé. Today, you have an array of activities specially tailored for various settings like corporate offices, off sites, classrooms, etc.
Value of `ice breakers'
In any kind of a setting where a group of people need to interact with one another to achieve certain ends, some kind of commonality with one's fellow members is required. A simple activity like exercising together can create that commonality of purpose and bring the group members closer to each other.
Remember, such activities do not ensure long lasting friendships; they just help you get comfortable with people around you. They also set the stage for a warm and interactive atmosphere that can do wonders to the productive energies of the employees as it makes them cast off hang-ups and social fears.
The range of activities
The important thing to bear in mind is you must try to get an idea about which all activities are appropriate for your team setting. At meetings and seminars one could combine activities like introductions, topic Lead-ins, or simple ones like favourite T-shirt (why and how it fits one's personality), dream vacations, birthday partners, etc.
Get the participants to talk about their experiences in a game called `learning from experience'. Get them to work as teams in a game setting called `challenges and objectives'. There are many other activities like charades, role models, collective knowledge, scream therapy, brain- teasers, three truths and a lie, fears and many more. These activities can be modified and more can be created if you have the time and creativity to do so.
Prerequisites:
Explain the rationale of the activity- description of the activity is not enough. The subjects must have an idea of what is to be achieved through that activity. This will help you avoid scepticism
Gain permission to participate- the extremely introverted or those with pugnacious tendencies might complain of having been forced to participate. Moreover, the participation of these people, which is most important to generate empathy and understanding, will remain half hearted unless they participate of their own volition. It will lead to greater ownership of participation
Look for the appropriate tone and length- if you want to relate the activities scheduled for the rest of the day, then it's better to carefully choose the activity to set the right tone for the day. Similarly, choosing a very lengthy activity might trivialise the original purpose of the group gathering
It is said that if one takes care of small things, the bigger objectives will materialise by themselves. Taking into account individual differences in the ability to interact is something that one thinks about only when they run into communication troubles within the team.
Moreover, these activities also speed up the team's initial adjustment thus leading to smooth functioning in times to come. The activities are simple, yet they accomplish more in terms of letting individuals adjust to their workplace.
DEEPSHIKA MEHTA
faqs@cnkonline.com
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