Top 10 Ice Breakers of 2009

People Bingo is one of the most popular ice breakers because it’s so easy to customize for your particular group and situation, and everyone knows how to play it. Make your own bingo cards, or use one of the fabulous online card makers.

Be sure to check out the People Bingo characteristics in the Continuing Education forum. Almost 25,000 people have visited as of Jan. 1, 2010. While you're there, leave your own favorites!

This icebreaker is a great introduction when people don’t know each other, and it fosters team building in groups that already work together. I have always found people’s answers to be very revealing about who they are as a person. Who would you want with you on a deserted island?

We just started a new Marooned thread in the Continuing Education forum to help you out. Join the game.

You may have heard of 8-minute dating, where 100 people meet for an evening full of 8-minute dates. They talk to one person for 8 minutes and then move on to the next. Eight minutes is a long time in the classroom, so we'll call this ice breaker a 2-minute mixer. Ready? Go!

Adults bring to your class or meeting room an abundance of life experience and wisdom. Tapping into their stories can deepen the significance of whatever you've gathered to discuss. Let the power of story enhance your teaching of adults.

I picked up my first box of Table TopicsTM on a whim while shopping in one of those funky little shops you see in the artsy parts of any city. A four-inch clear acrylic cube holds 135 cards, each with a provocative question that is sure to inspire lively conversation.

• Which piece of land would you wish to have preserved forever?
• What’s your favorite quotation?
• What song evokes the strongest memories for you?

Would you rather find true love or win the lottery? Would you rather be bald or completely hairy? Would you rather tell your best friend a lie or your parents the truth?

Find almost 400 Would you rather..." ideas in the Continuing Education forum. Add your own!

If you had a magic wand, what would you choose to change? Pass a magic wand around your classroom and generate some energy!

The more technology brings us together, the smaller the world becomes. Where in the world are you from? Or, where in the world is your favorite place?

A picture is worth a thousand words. Almost everyone has a photo or two in their wallet, especially when you’ve got a room full of adults, or even better, baby boomers with grandchildren. The photo scavenger hunt is on!

You may have people in your group who hate the name game so much they’ll still remember everyone’s name two years from now! Ha! You can make it harder by requiring everyone to add an adjective to their name that starts with the same letter (e.g. Cranky Carla, Blue-eyed Bob, Zesty Zelda). You get the gist.

That's Lucky Lorraine to the left.