How do you get a group of folks to quickly learn
about each other’s common interests? Consider the Constellation icebreaker technique.
Constellation is used to identify to what degree people from a group agree
or disagree with certain statements (which can be based on a belief, idea, or
value).
This icebreaker technique is an informal way to get
people to share a bit about themselves at the beginning of a training session, workshop, or when a new team is forming. It is a non-confrontation way
of learning people's opinion on a topic or statement. Within seconds of
applying this technique, the participants will clearly tell you what they think
of the statement. Its also a great way to connect people together since they will visually see who has their common interests and opinions. There are several types of constellation icebreaker techniques and here is how the Constellation Orbital Icebreaker game works:
The set up:
- Identify
a "center" of the room (or constellation). This is the
Sun. The location of the Sun represents the highest degree of
agreement with the statement.
- Optionally,
use masking or blue paint tape to create dashed lines around the sun in 3
feet/1 meter increments away from the sun.
The activity:
- Ask
everyone to stand on/around the Sun (aka., the center) - don't crowd too
much
- Speak
the statement, e.g., "I love the Red Sox"
- Ask
folks to place themselves either close to or away from the sun according
to how much they agree or disagree with this statement (each person becomes
the planet)
- Once
everyone has placed themselves, ask some/many/all of the folks why they
have placed themselves where they are
Its a great way to learn about people fairly
quickly. Have you tried the Constellation icebreaker before? If so, what do you think? Do you have another icebreaker that you have
found of value to getting folks to learn about each other?
