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What is an icebreaker?Benefits of icebreakers5 Practical Tips for a Good
Icebreaker The Ultimate Presentation Icebreakers ListPresentation Icebreakers
for Every Audience SizeIcebreakers depending on your presentation’s tone10 Great
Icebreaker Questions for Any Presentation Need more time to prepare for your
presentation? 24Slides has you covered!
Presentation Tips

50+ Fun Icebreakers For Your Next Presentation

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Presentation Tips


50+ FUN ICEBREAKERS FOR YOUR NEXT PRESENTATION


Carla Albinagorta
Nov 30, 2023
17 mins read
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If you’re looking for the perfect icebreaker to open your presentation and
connect with your audience from the get-go, look no further! With the help of
our presentation experts here at 24Slides, we have compiled the ultimate list of
icebreakers you can use in your next presentation, meeting, or conference. 

We’ll also go through some quick icebreakers 101, solving questions like:

 * What is an icebreaker?
 * Why should I start my presentation with an icebreaker?
 * What makes a good icebreaker for presentations?

And, of course, you’ll get our compilation of over 50 icebreaker examples for
your next presentation. Since there’s no one-size-fits-all, we’ve divided our
presentation ice breakers into categories depending on the context of your
presentation, so you can go straight to the ones that will work the best for
you!

In this article, you’ll find:

 * Icebreakers for one-on-one presentations
 * Icebreakers for small group presentations (2-10 people)
 * Icebreakers for medium group presentations (11-30 people)
 * Icebreakers for large groups (31+ people)
 * Icebreakers for business and sales presentations
 * Icebreaker ideas for training sessions and workshops
 * Virtual presentations icebreakers
 * Fun icebreaker examples for playful presentations
 * Great simple icebreaker questions 

So, are you ready to become an expert in using icebreakers in your
presentations?


WHAT IS AN ICEBREAKER?

Imagine you’re in a room with a bunch of people where you know only a few of
them or even none at all. You’d probably start feeling awkward and
self-conscious, uncertain to interact with those around you. When you’re
uncomfortable, your attention will probably be divided between wanting to listen
to the speaker and making sure your elbows don’t touch your unknown neighbor. 

And, if you’re the speaker, you might feel pretty awkward too. Speaking in front
of an audience is never easy, and you might wonder how to approach your
presentation’s topic, especially if it’s dense or very important. 

An icebreaker is precisely what its name suggests: it breaks the ‘ice’ of
uncomfortableness between you and everyone else around you. Icebreakers are
usually short activities meant to help your audience to connect first as people
before approaching your presentation’s topic - making your audience more relaxed
and likely to hear out your ideas. 

Icebreakers can take many forms and shapes, from simple questions to engaging
games. They can require people to talk with each other, answer a poll, or even
move around the room. Anything that will make your attendees open up could be an
icebreaker as long as it makes people feel more at ease! 


BENEFITS OF ICEBREAKERS

The main objective of using an icebreaker in a presentation is to help people
get more comfortable and avoid the common awkwardness when first speaking to a
new audience. 

Icebreakers can accomplish many things - presenting yourself, getting people
more at ease, and even as an introduction to your presentation’s topic. But they
also offer a wide array of side benefits, like getting people more involved with
your presentation and making it more memorable. 

If you’re thinking to yourself, ‘Why should I add an icebreaker to my
presentation? I’m just fine without one!’ here are 6 of the top benefits of
using an icebreaker in your next meeting. 

 * It breaks down the awkwardness

For people who aren’t 100% an extrovert, presentations and meetings are likely
to create a certain degree of awkwardness. And having a room full of people who
feel uncomfortable around each other can be detrimental to your presentation.
Icebreakers help lessen this feeling in your presentation – making people relax
and be more at ease so they can put all their energy into listening.

 * Icebreakers help people relax and have fun

When people relax, they’re more likely to entertain new ideas. An icebreaker may
be the turning point to make them feel more receptive to what you’re going to
say. It also opens up more possibilities for inviting your audience to
participate and ask questions. Icebreakers are a great way to make them feel
welcomed and more likely to volunteer or join whatever activity you’ve prepared
for them onstage.

 * Help you connect with your audience

A presentation where the speaker starts right away can feel a little jarring.
Icebreakers are the perfect way to introduce yourself and your topic without
throwing your audience headfirst into the presentation. A good icebreaker can
help you connect better with your audience – making them, in turn, more likely
to hear you out!

 * Gives your audience an energy boost

Some presentations can feel like they take forever. When you’ve been sitting
down for what seems like hours, you might feel yourself starting to nod off. An
icebreaker doesn’t necessarily happen just at the start of the presentation. It
can be a great way to wake up your audience after a quick break and bring them
back to the topic at hand. 

 * Gives a chance to network with others

The right icebreaker can get your audience talking and help them find things in
common. After all, your audience is all in the same meeting for a reason! By
giving them the opportunity to interact with one another, you are also giving
them the extra value of finding people who can work with them in the future. 

And, of course, icebreakers are great ways to get the ball rolling, so by giving
your audience a chance to talk with one another, you might also get more
interesting and unique takes on questions and ideas later on. 

 * Creates a positive atmosphere

A positive atmosphere is created when people lower their barriers and defense
mechanisms, making it more conducive to learning. A negative atmosphere, on the
other hand, is felt when people don’t feel at ease and give their neighbors the
cold shoulder. ‘Breaking the ice’ needs to get done as soon as possible!




5 PRACTICAL TIPS FOR A GOOD ICEBREAKER 

What makes a good icebreaker? This is a tricky question to ask. Many icebreakers
that work in certain situations will not work in others, as their use depends on
context. 

Here are key factors to consider when planning your next presentation’s
icebreaker: 

 * Know your audience

Take the time to research your audience. The most important thing when planning
your presentation’s icebreaker is to remind that you want your audience to feel
less awkward  — not more.

Taking your time to learn about the people in front of you is the easiest way to
avoid doing or saying something that could potentially offend your audience.
Even if you do it unintentionally, the damage will still be done. 

 * Identify your presentation objective

The right icebreaker will help you achieve your presentation objective, so take
some extra time to think about it. For example, if you’re giving a presentation
on cooperation and teamwork, you can do a game where your audience needs to rely
on one another. Or conduct a poll to ask your audience how confident they are in
their teamwork skills. 

Making your icebreaker closely relate to your presentation’s topic will not only
open up your audience but also allow you to transition smoothly to the rest of
your presentation. 

 * Involve everyone

The icebreaker should be inclusive, meaning it shouldn’t exclude anyone from
joining. For instance, if you have a disabled person in the crowd, then you
wouldn’t want him or her to feel awkward for not being able to join. 

Have a backup icebreaker just in case the first one excludes someone. The point
is that fun icebreakers should make everyone feel more at ease  — and not at the
expense of the outliers of the crowd.

 * Make sure you understand the context

To pick the right icebreaker for your presentation, you must know the overall
setting in which it will take place. A presentation to the board of directors
where you need to explain where the sales have been going down is probably not
the best place to use a joke as an icebreaker. Or, if you’re giving a quick
15-minute presentation, you might not want to begin with a game that will take
at least 10 of them. 

Taking into consideration general setting cues like time frame, space and
resources availability, and presentation tone, will help you pick the perfect
icebreaker. 




THE ULTIMATE PRESENTATION ICEBREAKERS LIST

Here you’ll find the perfect icebreaker for your presentation. Since not every
icebreaker will work on every situation, here you’ll find them divided into
several categories: 

 * Icebreakers depending on your audience size
 * Icebreakers depending on your presentation’s tone and context
 * Quick and easy questions to break the ice

Do feel free to browse through the entire list: most icebreakers will be easy to
adapt to fit your specific needs and your presentation!  




PRESENTATION ICEBREAKERS FOR EVERY AUDIENCE SIZE

While in a small crowd, you might be able to ask person by person their input,
this will most likely not be the case in large groups. On the flip side, a game
that needs the audience to divide into teams might be a good pick for a
medium-sized crowd, but not a one-on-one presentation. 

Among the many options of icebreaker options all over the web, we’ve compiled
and edited a list of which ones will work the best for each audience size: 

ICEBREAKERS FOR ONE-ON-ONE PRESENTATIONS

 * Introduce yourself. Unless you already know each other, introducing yourself
   is the easiest way to look proactive and get your presentation going. After
   all, it’s in your best interest for your prospect to warm up to you before
   your pitch or presentation!
 * Have a conversation. Don’t go straight to your topic. Always warm up your
   prospects and engage them in conversation first. Try to ask open-ended
   (instead of just ‘yes’ or ‘no’) questions. You can tackle topics like current
   events, or even just the weather! Just talking in a more casual way will make
   the person feel more at ease and more likely to give you their undivided
   attention. 
 * Ask them about their personal life. If it’s someone you already know, build
   rapport by showing you care about them. You can ask about their kids,
   vacations, or even their favorite sports team. Remembering what they care
   about can be a huge plus when building a better atmosphere! 
 * Let them tell you what they expect from your presentation. It’s the easiest
   way to make sure you live up to your expectations! It also allows you to
   introduce the topics of your presentation seamlessly. Even better, you’ll
   feel and look more confident and under control by taking charge of the
   presentation’s rhythm and agenda. 
 * Ask something related to your presentation topic. Ask them if they know
   anything about your company, product, competitors, or something to that
   effect. It’s not only a great way to start your presentation without spending
   too much time on what they already know, but it’ll also help you gauge their
   knowledge so you can decide how in-depth you need to get in your
   presentation.
 * Give them a small present just for showing up. Especially if the meeting is
   not an obligation for them, being appreciative if they show up can go a long
   way. After all, they’re investing their time and energy into you!
 * Compliment them. It’s always nice to get compliments. But don’t overdo it,
   and always, always be genuine. If your prospect feels like you’re using
   flattery to get the sale, then it can seriously backfire on you later on.
   You’ll lose face and credibility.



ICEBREAKERS FOR SMALL GROUP PRESENTATIONS (2-10 PEOPLE)

 * Introductions but with a twist. Ask everyone to introduce themselves and
   state something unusual or a fun fact about them. Towards the end of the
   presentation, ask them if they remember anything other people said during the
   introduction. If they get something right, reward them.
 * Ask people to line up alphabetically. You can do this with their first names
   or last names. Or even their nicknames. This gets people talking and getting
   to know each other’s names.
 * Charades. This is one of the best fun icebreakers on this list. It’s a party
   favorite but can also be used in presentations, meetings, and conferences.
   You probably already know how this works, but if not, here’s a funny charades
   video on Jimmy Fallon’s show.

 * String a story together. Storytelling is a powerful element in presentations.
   But for this icebreaker, you’ll need everyone’s help to create a story. Start
   the first sentence yourself and then ask the first person in front of you to
   continue the story. Each person gets to decide the direction the story takes,
   one sentence at a time.
 * Play word games. There are many different kinds of word games. But this is
   something you may find useful. Identify the subject or category the words
   should belong to, like animals or food. If the first person chooses ‘DOG,’
   the next person must identify an animal that starts with the last letter of
   the previous word. In this case, it would be something that starts with the
   letter G, like GOAT.
 * One word to describe him or herself. Give your audience one minute to think
   about the perfect word that describes them. And let the others assess if they
   agree with that word or not.
 * Social media icebreaker. Let people open up their favorite social media
   accounts and then share a photo they’re most proud of. Ask them to share a
   line or two about why they love that photo.



ICEBREAKERS FOR MEDIUM GROUP PRESENTATIONS (11-30 PEOPLE)

 * Switcheroo. Ask everyone to stand up and switch seats with the people in
   front of them. Do this when you notice people are starting to get drowsy and
   need some stimulation.
 * Human bingo. This is a fun way to get to know people. Prepare the cards and
   the pen/pencil. The cards should already be filled out with various traits,
   characteristics, hobbies, etc. Then, your participants will need to go around
   and interview each person and check off a box that applies to them. The
   person who completes their card first gets a prize.
 * Friendly debate. Group your participants into two. One should be the ‘pro’
   group and the other is the ‘anti’ group. For instance, you can choose pizza
   lovers and pizza haters. Give them a few minutes to present their arguments
   and let the great debate begin!
 * Two truths, one lie. Just like the title says, make your participants come up
   with 3 things about themselves, in which one of them is false. Then, in
   groups or pairs, the others would have to try and guess which one is the lie.
   It’s a great icebreaker to make your audience interact more with one another.
 * Guess game. Just like the last one, it’s easier to make participants interact
   with one another through a game. Make everyone write on a piece of paper
   something fun, like an unlikely hobby or the oddest job they ever had. Your
   audience must try to guess who wrote which one. It’s not only a fun
   icebreaker, but it also helps people find out the things they have in common.
 * Going to the beach. It’s an easy game, but a fun one! Each person will start
   by saying ‘I went to the beach and I took…’ plus an object, like a beachball,
   a towel, or a surfboard. Then, the next person must repeat the same sentence
   and add a new object to the list. The more people, the more the list will
   grow, and the first person who forgets an item loses! It’s also a good
   icebreaker for making attendees learn each other’s names by adding who
   brought what to part of the list they need to repeat. 
 * Paper planes.  Make your audience write something about themselves on a piece
   of paper, and then instruct them to make a paper plane out of it and throw
   it! When they pick up a new paper plane, their goal will be to find the
   correct person. It’s the perfect icebreaker to get people moving and getting
   to know each other!



ICEBREAKERS FOR LARGE GROUPS (31+ PEOPLE)

 * Stretch. This one’s easy and straight to the point, but it does help break
   the boredom. Ask people to stand up and stretch for a few minutes. You can
   lead the exercise or play a short video on stage. After this short exercise,
   you can expect to see a bunch of awake and attentive faces.
 * Treasure hunting. Hide a few prized items throughout the venue and send your
   participants on a treasure hunt. It’s always exciting to look out for a
   prize! Even better, by making them solve clues, you’d encourage your audience
   to work on their teamwork skills. 
 * Stress buster. Hand small slips of paper to everyone and ask them to write
   down the things that are causing them stress lately. Then, during or after
   the presentation, ask them to rip it to shreds.
 * Snowball fight. Divide your group into two sides, and give each person 3
   pieces of paper to crumple. Give them 1 or 2 minutes to try to get as many
   ‘snowballs’ into the other team’s side. A healthy amount of competitiveness
   will help you break the ice in no time!
 * This or that.  Another great icebreaker to highlight the things in common!
   Ask your audience to stand in the middle of the room, and ask them questions
   that will make them pick a side of the room. Things like ‘Dogs or cats?’ or
   ‘Night Owl or Early Bird?’ will have them jumping from one side to the
   other. 




ICEBREAKERS DEPENDING ON YOUR PRESENTATION’S TONE

When planning your next icebreaker, you must always take into account the
context of your presentation. After all, giving a sales report to your boss is
not the same as giving a fun workshop on teamwork.  

If you’re looking for the perfect icebreaker for a specific situation, here you
might find the one you’re looking for!



ICEBREAKERS FOR BUSINESS AND SALES PRESENTATIONS

If you’re looking for a more professional way to warm up your audience for your
work presentations, these icebreakers are the one for you. Most business
presentations are more serious and straight to the point, just like these
icebreaker ideas!

 * Storytelling. This one is the king of icebreakers for business presentations
   and for a good reason! Storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool to add to
   your presentations, as it helps to both exemplify your point and connect
   emotionally with your audience. And of course, this makes it the perfect
   option to break the ice and get their entire attention from the get-go. 
 * The highlight of the week. This icebreaker is great for getting your audience
   into a positive mood. When planning your next business presentation, take
   some extra time to find something good that happened that week or that month.
   Maybe you record sales for that month, or you got an exceptionally good
   review from a customer.  
 * Would you rather?  When planning your sales presentation icebreaker, this one
   will help to get your potential customer right where you want it. Highlight
   the value they’ll get from your product, and how they are missing out on it.
   From our experience, asking, ‘What do you prefer, struggling 5 hours per week
   on PowerPoint, or getting your presentations done by a professional team of
   designers in 24 hours or less?’ really puts things into perspective!  
 * Give kudos. The best way to put people in a good mood is to spread out some
   positivity!  Giving the spotlight to someone who has done outstanding work
   recently can be a great way to break the ice. 
 * Brainstorming session. Group brainstorming is another great way to get people
   to exchange ideas. You hit two birds with one stone – an icebreaker and an
   idea generator rolled into one!



ICEBREAKER IDEAS FOR TRAINING SESSIONS AND WORKSHOPS

The best icebreakers for training presentations and workshops are those that
incentivize teamwork and learning skills. These icebreakers will help your team
get to know each other better and work together in tandem. 

 * Live polls. There are many apps that allow your audience to make live polls
   and display the results immediately. This is a great icebreaker, as it can be
   as serious or lighthearted as you want. You can use it to ask the audience’s
   mood, their favorite food, and how much they know about the topic at hand.  
 * Word cloud.  Just like a poll, a word cloud can be a great option to explore
   what your audience thinks about a prompt or concept you give them and to get
   the ball rolling. You can make them write down in groups, have them add their
   ideas to a board, or even make one through an app! 
 * Problem-solution icebreaker. Present a real or hypothetical problem, and ask
   people to pitch in their solutions. You can ask them for their input
   individually, or you can divide them into pairs. As the saying goes, two
   heads are better than one.
 * Finish a puzzle together. This is great for group work as everyone can
   contribute. For example, you can give them a few pieces each, and they’ll
   then work as a team to complete the puzzle.
 * Pop quiz. This icebreaker is the best to keep your audience on their toes and
   on a learning mood. You can add it at the end of your presentation, before or
   after a coffee break, or even at the beginning to see how much previous
   knowledge your audience has. 



VIRTUAL PRESENTATION ICEBREAKERS

Not sharing a physical space can make breaking the ice even more of a challenge,
especially since many icebreaker ideas would not fit an online presentation. So
here you’ll find some icebreaker options that are specifically designed for
virtual meetings!

 * Drawing battle. You don’t have to be a professional artist to enjoy this one!
   There are many apps and websites that allow you to add this game to your
   virtual meetings. Just propose a topic and let people try to guess what one
   of them is drawing! You can even divide them into teams to make it more
   interesting. 
 * Try a virtual escape room. If you have time, try giving your audience this
   challenge to build cooperation and teamwork. It’s not only great for learning
   to work together but also to have fun and loosen up. 
 * Count till 20. Your team must try to count to 20 by shouting one number each…
   but without agreeing in which order they’ll go. This icebreaker will
   definitely make people wake up, and probably also laugh as they try to avoid
   talking at the same time. 
 * Emoji movies. Just like charades, your audience must try to guess the movie
   or book. But instead of someone acting, they must guess it from the emojis.
   It’s a great adaptation of a classic game for virtual meetings!   



FUN ICEBREAKER IDEAS FOR PLAYFUL PRESENTATIONS

Icebreakers can also help your presentation be more playful and fun! If you like
your icebreakers a little silly to make sure people loosen up their inhibitions,
then take a look at these ideas. 

 * The no smiles challenge. If you’re making a fun, playful presentation, a
   great way to make it even funnier is to tell people smiling and laughing
   aren’t allowed in your presentation. This will most likely have the opposite
   effect, making people even more ready to laugh at your jokes! 
 * Human rock paper scissors. This is a fun, high-energy game, but may not be
   feasible for older participants. Check this video to see if this is something
   you can use in your presentation.

 * GIFs mood barometer. If you want your audience to be a little bit playful,
   having them share their mood as a GIF is the perfect way. If you want to keep
   some control of what they share, you can also use a live poll to give them
   options to choose from. It’s the perfect lightweight activity that still
   gives you valuable insights into your audience and their energy levels. 
 * Bad jokes contest.  The only thing funnier than a good joke is an extremely
   bad one. Have your audience try to use their best dad jokes on each other
   while avoiding laughing at the jokes of the rest.  




10 GREAT ICEBREAKER QUESTIONS FOR ANY PRESENTATION 

Sometimes simpler is better, and the easiest way to get people talking is to ask
them to do so! These icebreaker questions will help your audience open up
without taking much time or extra preparation. 

 1.  If you could have any superpower, what would it be, and what would be your
     superhero name?
 2.  What's the most random piece of trivia you know and why?
 3.  What is the oddest job you ever had, and how did you end up working there?
 4.  If you could make a reality show, what would it be about?
 5.  What cartoon character would you like to hang out with?
 6.  Where is the most embarrassing place you ever fell asleep?
 7.  If they made a sitcom about your life, what would the theme song be?
 8.  What were the best and worst workshops/meetings/conferences you ever
     attended?
 9.  If the zombie apocalypse began, what three people in this meeting would you
     want on your team?
 10.  If you had to teach a class right now, what would the subject be?



As a speaker or presenter, it’s important that you prepare fun icebreakers for
your audience. You want people to be comfortable not just with you, but with
their neighbors and groupmates as well. The icebreakers in this list are just
the tip of the iceberg concerning the wide array of possibilities you can choose
from. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and get creative with your
icebreakers!




NEED MORE TIME TO PREPARE FOR YOUR PRESENTATION? 24SLIDES HAS YOU COVERED!

Now that you’ve begun thinking about your presentation, and the best way to
break the ice with your audience, you might wish to have more time to prepare
for it. Luckily, 24Slides can help with that!

You can focus on your presentation’s content and how to make your audience as
comfortable as possible, and 24Slides professional designers will tackle the
visual aspects of it all. In less than 24 hours, you can get a custom-made,
fully editable presentation that will wow your audience and make it even more
memorable. 

YOU MIGHT ALSO FIND THESE ARTICLES INTERESTING:

 * 7 Essential Storytelling Techniques for Your Business Presentation
 * How to Speak More Eloquently in 9 Easy Tips
 * How to Deliver the Perfect Online Presentation


Carla Albinagorta
Nov 30, 2023
17 mins read
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