Intended for:
This free icebreaker demonstrates to participants that there are many ‘myths’ or interpretations of facts that can influence their decisions regarding a given topic.
Training course contents:
You can download a free instruction sheet on how to run the icebreaker, ‘Hit or Myth’ from the link at the bottom of this page, or follow the instructions below.
Explain the idea of a ‘myth’ to participants, which has an Oxford English Dictionary definition of; ‘a widely held, but false idea’, or, ‘an exaggerated or idealised concept of a person or thing’.
You should also emphasise that we create many ‘myths’ in the business world based on ideas that we hold about certain issues because it suits us to think that way. This approach can mean that we interpret everything based on these myths and this influences our decisions. This might not always be the best way to go about things.
Provide some of the examples below of common myths that we hear today…
- Every cloud has a silver lining
- Your only as old as you feel
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained
- The grass is always greener on the other side
- Don’t judge a book by its cover
Then add some of your own in related to the topic you are discussing, such as…
- Customers never listen to the announcements we put out
- The old way of doing this was much better
- It’s easier to do this without following the procedures
- There’s no point in asking, as you won’t get the response you want
Once you have the general business myths out there and the participants recognise some of their own ‘myths’ (they might even start to call them out), move on to focus on each myth in turn using the following questions as a guide…
1. How did the myth become rooted in our minds?
2. Why might we still think the myth is correct?
3. How true is the myth?
4. What can we do to change the myth or get rid of it completely?
Objectives:
This icebreaker serves as a useful way of setting up a training session on the issue of things that have become ‘fact’ within a business that might not necessarily hold true.
