Icebreaker (facilitation)

An icebreaker is a brief facilitation exercise intended to help members of a group begin the process of working together or forming a team.They are commonly presented as games to "warm up" a group by helping members get to know each other and often focus on sharing personal information such as names or hobbies.An icebreaker can help people understand whether this will be a psychologically safe group that will accept different opinions.[3] Icebreakers are often disliked, but having participants feel awkward or think that the exercise is unpleasant does not impair their effectiveness in bringing individuals closer together.The analysis could include the identification of failure points, challenging assumptions and development of new solutions — all in a "simpler and safer" setting where the team can practice the group dynamics they will use to solve assigned problems.