My new favorite icebreaker for inspiring teams
Here’s why I like icebreakers: They have the power to create connection, help people feel more comfortable, and shift a group’s energy for the better.
And I just added a new one to my toolkit. It’s perfect for when you’re about to embark on a day of ideation and brainstorming because it shifts people’s perspectives by asking them to consider what inspires them to feel awe or wonder.
The idea of inspiring wonder was actually inspired by a recent workshop. A few days into a remote Design Sprint — the typical timeframe for idea generation, prototyping, etc. — the group logged on and one of my participants, Yoshi, asked if he could share something to inspire the group. It was around the time the first full-color photo of the universe taken by the James Webb Telescope was published, which was exactly the image he shared.
He told the group he felt very inspired by the photo, and in awe of how small we are in the grand scheme of things. I couldn’t have agreed with him more, so I decided to run with it by turning the question back to the rest of the group: what’s something that inspires awe or wonder for you?
I started by sharing that my daughter — watching her grow, change, and experience the world — is a constant source of wonder for me. Others shared tidbits about their own kids, experiences in nature, and other awe-some topics.
What I love about this icebreaker question is that:
It starts the day on a positive note and puts people into a grateful, open frame of mind.
It offers a bit of perspective. People get bogged down in the day-to-day and are often attached to being right. Asking folks to step back and look at the bigger picture puts into perspective the challenge we’ve set out to address during the workshop. Suddenly, the work seems more approachable and accessible. The problem didn’t become insignificant or unimportant, we just held up a larger item against a smaller item to give it scale.
This mindset lends a bit more ease to the exercise of idea generation and creativity (which stems from a place of openness).
I’ll certainly be adding this prompt to my ongoing list of icebreakers, which you’re welcome to borrow for a better meeting.