Ice Breakers – Important to Ease the Tension
By Pady N
We have all heard about ice breakers, but what are they? An ice breaker is an exercise which is aimed at warming up a new group of people. It helps people to know each other.
There are ice breaking sessions in schools, colleges and even companies. These sessions are more people oriented and concentrate on knowing the other person.
The first day of your school, college or even office is filled with butterflies in your tummy. You think if you will be accepted by the others, if you will like the place, what kind of people would be there and so on. With so much thinking, we start to feel nauseous and have a untold fear within us, which we are unable to express.
Though there may be many people who would advice on dealing with it, it is only when we actually be in that place, does this fear disappear.
Ice breakers are sessions which are either conducted by students or teachers(in schools) or HR of the firm that you work in. Normally, these sessions have some games which will help you ease yourself, followed by a brief introduction to your new place, rules, regulations, who to seek help from etc.
The games are very simple and will give you an opportunity to participate and showcase your talents. It will also help you know and understand the other person better, after all you are going to be with them for sometime. In an icebreaker session, you will be asked to introduce yourself. Here are a few points you can look into in an ice breaker session.
1. When your turn comes, reveal your name, name of your previous school, change of place(if changed), your hobbies and interests, your talent. This will give everyone a brief idea about you.
2. Be clear and loud in your talk. Everyone must be able to hear you well.
3. Do not be nervous. Everyone except for the person who is conducting this session is new. So, everyone is going to be as nervous as you are.
4. Smile – it is very important that you give a pleasant smile, though you are nervous. It helps the other person feel welcome and it would brighten your face.
5. If at any point of time you feel shaky, just close your eyes for a minute and then continue. There is nothing to feel bad/afraid about. The ultimate aim of this session is to make you feel comfortable.
6. Do not make fun of others. Not everyone can talk well while addressing a group of people. So, please do not laugh at other’s mistakes.
7. Maintain silence while another person is talking for 2 reasons, namely – you will not be able to hear the other person clearly and it will also make the other person feel unwelcome.
8. Take initiative. There are many games which will be played and since everyone is nervous, no one wants to take the first step. You can take the first bold step and many will follow. This would showcase your leadership qualities.
All the nervousness and fear will vanish the moment you play games and talk about yourself, hear others. Hesitation arises out of not knowing and disappears when you see and know. So, good luck on your new day of school/college/office.
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