Use icebreakers to get participants vocal and more participatory sooner by introducing themselves beyond name and title. The following examples can be used by virtual participants as well. When virtual, make sure all participants identify themselves before speaking.

Questions to Launch Effective Icebreakers (aka Meeting Sparks)

Effective Icebreakers (aka Meeting Sparks)

• A simple yet effective method: “If I were a . .  . “ approach such as—“If I were a gem, I would be a ____” or “If I were a flower, I would be a ____” or “If I were a bird, I would be a _____” or “If I were a vehicle, I would be a _____”
• Describe your dream career as a child.
• Describe the first event you remember vividly in life.
• Explain how you got one of your scars (and where it is).
• Explain your strangest paying job or chore.
• If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
• If you were a room in a house, which room are you and why?
• “My hero is . . .”
• Name a talent that you have and no one here knows about it.
• Name the last song you sang out loud by yourself.
• Sound out or act out your high school mascot.
• Tell us an animal you would like to be, and why.
• Tell us your favorite James Bond actor and explain why.
• The title of your autobiography?
• Two truths and a lie—participants guess the lie.
• Use one word to describe where you are right now.
• What kitchen appliance or tool would you be and why?
• What would you bring with you on a desert island?
• What’s on your reading list or nightstand?
• When wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?
• Which model and type of automobile would you be and why?
• “Would you rather?” questions; e.g., Would you rather be invisible or be able to read minds? Would you rather live without music or live without television? Would you rather be 4 feet tall or 8 feet tall?
• Your favorite ice cream?

Meeting Sparks – another phrase for icebreakers

• Based on a project theme, create new surnames for participants; e.g., Lori Aconcagua (i.e., the highest mountain in South America).
• Begin with a “Fun Fact” sharing by each individual of something previously unknown to everyone.
• On a rotating basis, have an assignee bring in a joke.
• Start the meeting with a song and award a prize to the first person who correctly identifies the name artist or both.

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Don’t ruin your career by hosting bad meetings. Sign up for a workshop or send this to someone who should. MGRUSH workshops focus on meeting design and practice. Each person practices tools, methods, and activities every day during the week. Therefore, while some call this immersion, we call it the road to building high-value facilitation skills.

Our workshops also provide a superb way to earn up to 40 SEUs from the Scrum Alliance, 40 CDUs from IIBA, 40 Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) based on Federal Acquisition Certification Continuous Professional Learning Requirements using Training and Education activities, 40 Professional Development Units (PDUs) from SAVE International, as well as 4.0 CEUs for other professions. (See workshop and Reference Manual descriptions for details.)

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Facilitation Expert

Terrence Metz, president of MG RUSH Facilitation Training, was just 22-years-old and working as a Sales Engineer at Honeywell when he recognized a widespread problem—most meetings were ineffective and poorly led, wasting both time and company resources. However, he also observed meetings that worked. What set them apart? A well-prepared leader who structured the session to ensure participants contributed meaningfully and achieved clear outcomes.

Throughout his career, Metz, who earned an MBA from Kellogg (Northwestern University) experienced and also trained in various facilitation techniques. In 2004, he purchased MG RUSH where he shifted his focus toward improving established meeting designs and building a curriculum that would teach others how to lead, facilitate, and structure meetings that drive results. His expertise in training world-class facilitators led to the 2020 publication of Meetings That Get Results: A Guide to Building Better Meetings, a comprehensive resource on effectively building consensus.

Grounded in the principle that “nobody is smarter than everybody,” the book details the why, what, and how of building consensus when making decisions, planning, and solving problems. Along with a Participant’s Guide and supplemental workshops, it supports learning from foundational awareness to professional certification.

Metz’s first book, Change or Die: A Business Process Improvement Manual, tackled the challenges of process optimization. His upcoming book, Catalyst: Facilitating Innovation, focuses on meetings and workshops that don’t simply end when time runs out but conclude with actionable next steps and clear assignments—ensuring progress beyond discussions and ideas.