Communication Tip No. 13: Breaking The Ice

By Caitlin Bootsma
Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs

group of happy teensLeading a group discussion about an important topic is almost always challenging but perhaps even more so with youth. As someone who ministers to young people, there are times when you might want to use different ways to break the ice to make participants more comfortable discussing topics with one another as well as giving them more confidence when asking you questions.

The following is just one example of an icebreaker exercise. It’s a great tool in part because of its adaptability. 

  1. Split the larger group into several small groups: To avoid cliques you might have people count off—the point is to have them meet or become comfortable with new people.
     
  2. Ask for a one-word answer: Now is your opportunity to present your topic in an innovative way that provokes conversation. Ask each group member to use one word to describe the particular topic, event or thing to their group, e.g., “What is the first word you think of when I say, “peer pressure?” “What’s the one word you’d use to describe Mass?” 
     
  3. Allow time for conversation within the small group: Inevitably, as people present their one-word answers, interesting conversations pop up in response to the participants’ answers. This time helps youth actively engage with a topic, not only listen to you talk about it.
     
  4. Have each group present their words to the larger group: Participants will have the opportunity to hear the diversity of words presented or the number of times people thought of the same term. In addition, you can ask groups to share any of the observations they discussed in their group about this topic.
     
  5. Use this exercise as a launching pad to discuss the topic at hand: Now that youth have thought about the topics for themselves and gotten accustomed to talking about it, you have set the stage for your own instruction or presentation on the topic.

By facilitating these sorts of icebreakers, you invite youth to engage more fully on important topics. This will, hopefully, prepare them to listen more attentively to your presentation, to internalize what you are saying and to ask questions or engage in more discussions.

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