Quick icebreaker games for training workshops are short activities trainers use to help small groups feel comfortable, engaged, and ready to participate. They are especially useful at the start of a session, after breaks, or when energy drops, helping trainers maintain participant engagement throughout the workshop.
In this guide:
- 6 quick icebreaker games designed for training workshops and meetings
- Activities that work especially well with small groups
- Clear guidance on timing, group size, and when to use each icebreaker
- Practical ideas trainers can use at the start of a session or after breaks
These activities are grounded in well-established adult learning theory and principles, which emphasise participation, relevance, and social interaction as key drivers of engagement in training and workplace learning.
If you’re looking for more ideas, you can also explore our full collection of group icebreaker activities for training workshops.
If you prefer to work from fully scripted resources, you can also use our editable training materials designed for trainer-led workshops.
1. Find Two People Icebreaker
How long does this icebreaker take?
I suggest allowing 10 to 15 minutes to run this activity.
How many participants does this icebreaker work best with?
This icebreaker works best with small to medium-sized groups, as it is dynamic, easy to run, and encourages participants to interact with many people in a short time.
Participants chat in pairs for about a minute, and then they move on and chat with another person until they manage to talk to almost everyone in the training session.
Why use this icebreaker in a training session?
This is a very effective activity for helping participants get to know each other and remember names at the start of a training session. As a result, participants will find it easier to cooperate in subsequent exercises.
By helping participants feel at ease and interact early on, this icebreaker supports positive learning outcomes throughout the rest of the training session.
How do you run this icebreaker?
1. Give each participant a printout like the one available in the table below, with a series of questions. Also, give them a pen if they already do not have one.
| Find Two People… | Name 1 | Name 2 |
| 2. Who has been to America | ||
| 4. Who has met someone famous (who?) | ||
| 3. Whose favorite food is the same as yours | ||
| 1. Who has the same shoe size as you | ||
| 5. Whose surnames contain five letters | ||
| 6. Who traveled abroad this summer | ||
| 7. Who studied the same subject as you | ||
| 1. Who has the same shoe size as yourself | ||
| 8. Who enjoys crime fiction | ||
| 10. Who travelled here today by public transport | ||
| 12. Who collects something (what?) | ||
| 9. Who supports the same football team as you |
2. Explain that the aim of the game is to find at least two people who meet each of the requirements listed on the handout and to write their names down.
You can change the requirements as needed, depending on your participants and the topic of the session.
3. Explain that they need to find one person to pair up with, and then they will need to move on and talk to another person, and talk to as many people as possible, in order to complete the task.
4. After 10 minutes, ask the participants to stop writing.
5. If there is time, you can ask participants to discuss the results of their exercise with the class as a whole.
What are the benefits of this icebreaker for trainers and participants?
This icebreaker offers several practical benefits for both trainers and participants, especially early in a session.
- This exercise is perfect to put the participants at ease with each other and create a more relaxed atmosphere.
- It is great to help participants remember each other’s names.
- It can be used for introducing people working for the same firm but for different departments, who otherwise would not have a chance to get to know each other.
Activities like this can also support trust and openness early on, which is why trainers often use similar exercises as part of psychological safety icebreakers for workplace training.
2. Helium Stick Icebreaker and Team Building Game
How long does this icebreaker take?
Allow 10 minutes for this game, but you can easily extend it to 15 minutes if you wish.
How many participants does this icebreaker work best with?
Groups of at least 4 or 5 people. Each group will have an instructor, who will watch and/or direct the rest of the group from the outside.
Why use this icebreaker in a training session?
This is both a great icebreaker and team-building activity and game for teachers and corporate trainers to use. This game is useful to stress the importance of group work and communication.
You may also be able to see which roles each person tends to assume in a group if anyone acts as a leader and what type of leadership they implement.
The aim of this activity is for the participants to lower the pole to the ground together (as explained in the instructions below) without anyone losing touch with the pole.
It also allows trainers to observe group dynamics, such as communication patterns, leadership tendencies, and collaboration styles.
How do you run this icebreaker?
1. You will need a stick or pole (lightweight and long enough).
2. Ask participants to form groups of at least 4 people each, plus an instructor.
3. Ask the group members to stand up in two lines in pairs, with one person on each side facing the other. It doesn’t make any difference if there is an odd number. Ask each person to be staggered and place a hand in front of them with their index finger pointed out. Lay the pole on top of all of the index fingers so it is resting evenly. All index fingers must touch the pole.
Explain that the aim is to lower the pole all the way to the ground, without anyone in the group losing touch with the pole at any stage. The instructor’s role is to watch them carefully to make sure that they do not lose touch with the pole.
What are the benefits of this icebreaker for trainers and participants?
- This activity highlights the benefits of good communication and cooperation.
- During the game, you will have a chance to observe how participants behave in a group.
- It is a fun activity and will make people laugh. You may notice that everybody is so focused on keeping contact with the pole that, at first, the pole will start rising!
- You could transform this game into a competition for which group accomplishes the task first if there is more than one group involved.
3. Two Truths and a Lie Icebreaker
How long does this icebreaker take?
An ideal time frame for this icebreaker is 10 to 15 minutes.
How many participants does this icebreaker work best with?
Separating participants into small groups of 4 to 6 is ideal for this activity.
Why use this icebreaker in a training session?
This activity is also useful for groups whose members already know each other, especially if you need a warm-up that stimulates creativity.
If you want to vary this activity, you can find additional Two Truths and a Lie icebreaker examples that work well in training sessions.
How do you run this icebreaker?
1. Split the class into small groups of 4 to 6 people.
2. Ask each person in the group to write three statements about themselves: 2 true and 1 false.
3. Explain that each person, in turn, will need to share their three statements with the rest of the group, who will have to guess which statement is the false one.
4. After the first person has shared their statement and the group has decided which statement is false, the first person will reveal the truth.
5. Move one until each person in the group has shared their statements.
What are the benefits of this icebreaker for trainers and participants?
- This is a fun and creative activity.
- This activity can be useful as an icebreaker or to resume the training after a lunch break, or to lighten the mood.
4. Name Volley Icebreaker
How long does this icebreaker take?
I suggest allowing 10 minutes for this activity. If you have a larger group, you may wish to give them 15 minutes to allow extra time for them to get organized.
How many participants does this icebreaker work best with?
Participants play individually in turns with the whole class. This is suitable for relatively small classes.
Why use this icebreaker in a training session?
This is a great activity to share people’s names in a dynamic and active way.
It helps to improve the energy levels in your group of participants.
How do you run this icebreaker?
1. With everyone standing in a circle, grab a ball.
2. Shout your name and throw the ball to someone else in the group (it helps if you make eye contact with the person you are going to throw the ball at).
3. Then, after catching the ball, that person shouts their name and throws the ball at someone else.
4. Continue until everyone has had a chance to shout their name.
5. Then, instead of shouting their own name, ask participants to shout the name of the person they want to throw the ball at.
6. As participants get comfortable, you can introduce more balls.
What are the benefits of this icebreaker for trainers and participants?
- Remembering each other’s names can be quite hard at first. This activity helps memorize names in a fun way.
- It is always good to raise energy levels at times, to avoid apathy and distractions.
5. One Word at a Time Training Activity
How long does this icebreaker take?
10 to 20 minutes is the ideal time frame for this icebreaker.
How many participants does this icebreaker work best with?
This icebreaker can be done with any number of participants, but it works better if there are at least 5.
Why use this icebreaker in a training session?
This is a good warm-up activity, and it can also be useful to discuss the importance of adapting to changing situations and thinking on one’s feet.
How do you run this icebreaker?
1. Ask everyone in the group to stand in a circle and agree on a random topic. It can be anything from food to dogs to rugby.
2. Hand out a stick to one person in the group.
3. Explain that each person should contribute with one word to the story (and one word only at a time), but only while they are holding the stick, and then they should pass it on to the next person (decide whether the stick should move clockwise or anticlockwise).
4. Encourage the participants to say the first word that comes to their minds. It does not matter if it makes sense or not.
5. Try to move around the circle quickly and increase the speed gradually.
What are the benefits of this icebreaker for trainers and participants?
- This exercise is fun and will guarantee a laugh or two.
- It is a great way to break the ice or lighten the mood during a long session.
6. Randomised Q&A Icebreaker
The next quick icebreaker is the Randomised Q&A activity, which works well for helping participants get to know each other in a relaxed way.
How long does this icebreaker take?
Allow 10 to 15 minutes; this is one of the easiest quick icebreakers to run.
How many participants does this icebreaker work best with?
This activity can be done with any number of participants, but it works better if there are at least 5.
Why use this icebreaker in a training session?
This activity works well for helping people get to know each other better, even people who work for the same company but have never had a chance to talk to each other.
How do you run this icebreaker?
1. Give each participant a notecard and ask them to write down the first non-work-related question they can think of. For example, “What was the last film you watched like?”
2. Each person should then pass their card to the person on their right and write an answer to this question on the back of their new card.
3. Encourage people to think out of the box and have fun.
4. At this point, each participant should be holding a notecard with a question on the front and a separate answer on the back.
5. Mix the cards in a bag (or shuffle them) and hand one to each participant.
6. Select someone to introduce themselves and to read out the unconnected question and answer, written on the card they are holding.
7. Then ask a different participant to do the same and continue moving on like this, until everyone has both asked and answered a question.
8. Many of the sequences won’t make any sense, but some connections will be hilarious and make people laugh.
What are the benefits of this icebreaker for trainers and participants?
- A fun way to know more about each other.
- The participants will laugh and relax in preparation for the training session ahead.
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