Stay Cool with Data Icebreakers
When the weather gets warm, do you wonder how you’ll possibly keep your team meetings cool? If so, we’ve got just the solution – data icebreakers! Go grab that smoothie and get ready to break the ice…
Data Icebreaker #1: Common Ground
Looking for a data icebreaker without a survey? Look no further than Common Ground! This qualitative data exercise is a great way to build connections and interview skills. Divide your group into pairs or small groups. Each team is given a certain number of minutes to identify and record as many non-physical things they have in COMMON as possible (ex: both love travel, both have young kids, both are Pisces). When you come back together, allow time for groups to share the more unique commonalities they discovered along the way. This ice breaker can be done in groups of all sizes, in person or online (via breakout groups), and with colleagues new or old.
Data Icebreaker #2: All About Us
One easy way to get your participants involved is simply to ask questions! Try breaking the ice with a few survey items to help the group visually identify similarities or differences and generate discussion. These could include professional questions (e.g., years in the sector) or personal ones (e.g., preference for city, beach, or mountains). They could be content-related (e.g., knowledge about the training topic) or completely unrelated (e.g., pin your favorite city on a world map). If you’re meeting in person, we recommend placing the items on large poster paper and use sticky dots/markers so the group can see how the data are visually represented. For an online version, we recommend a tool that allows you to both add responses and view the results (e.g., Zoom’s “share results,” SurveyMonkey, Jamboard). Don’t forget that this exercise is about much more than just responding to survey items – it’s about exploring the results together and helping your group gain a deeper understanding of their own colleagues. So choose those questions wisely!
Data Icebreaker #3: Charts R Us
This exercise builds on All About Us but puts your participants in the driver’s seat! After the group answers a set of introductory questions (see All About Us for ideas), instead of the facilitator sharing out the results, each small group is tasked with analyzing and presenting the findings back to the group. If online, the small group work can be done in breakout rooms; if in person, groups can meet throughout the workspace. Don’t let the name of the icebreaker limit you to just charts! This can be a creative data visualization exercise, especially if each question lends itself to a different type of visual representation (e.g., words/themes, map, bar chart, average). While the activity can be time consuming because of the creation component, it can also be a great way to have your participants both work with data and get to know each other better in the process.
Data Icebreaker #4: Team Tunes
Ok, quite honestly, this one isn’t as much about data as it is about music, but we had to include our team favorite! At the start of a meeting or event, ask your participants to think of one song (ideally with its artist). The specific music question may vary, but we recommend keeping it positive, like favorite dance party song, favorite karaoke song, or the one song that always puts them in a good mood. Jot down the answers. During the meeting/event, have a (pre-assigned) colleague quietly create a custom playlist (e.g., Spotify, YouTube, Google Play) to “reveal” to the group at the end. If online, drop the link in chat for folks to click on before they leave; if in person, share the link electronically and, if you can, play it on the way out for a fun ending to your time together!
Want to explore data together? Reach out -- we’d love to connect!