Intended for:
This free icebreaker is one of our favourite activities. It can be a lot of fun and is a good way of getting participants to talk to each other.
Training course contents:
Instructions to help you run the icebreaker activity can be downloaded for free from the link at the bottom of this page. This download includes the Room 101 nomination slips mentioned in the instructions below.
Resources Needed – a good supply of room 101 nomination slips (available for free from the link at the bottom of this page).
Instructions – check that everyone understands how the TV programme Room 101 works. If anyone is unsure, explain that guests choose items that they would like to see banished to Room 101, never to be seen again. The host leads the guest and audience in discussion, before a vote is made to decide if their chosen item is to be sent to Room 101.
Give each person in the class a Room 101 a nomination slip and ask them to complete it and hand them back to you (you may also like to complete one).
Once all the slips have been handed in, take each one at random. Ask the person who made the nomination why he or she thinks it should be b, and lead a discussion and vote as to whether the suggested item should be banished. Then lead a short discussion with the rest of the group before asking them to vote on whether the item should go to Room 101.
Don’t allow the discussion on any item to last longer than 5 minutes. Participants can become very engaged in this activity and time can run away very quickly if you do not manage it.
If you run out of time at the beginning of the day keep hold of the unused nominations and use them later in the day. This can help to energise participants during lulls in the training.
Objectives:
To help break the ice at the beginning of a training event and/or to help energise participants during a training session.
