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A Practical Guide to Icebreaker Games

Brad McLeod,
Contributor (The Peak)

Ww it’s the start of new
semester and that can
only mean several things!
One of those things is playing
a hell of a lot of Icebreaker
Games, your first opportunity
of the semester to introduce
yourself to the people who over
the next 13 weeks might just
become some of your closest
acquaintances!

These games can be tough
though, so it’s important for
you to know how to conduct
yourself properly. Remember:
the impression you make here
is how your peers will think of
you for the entire remainder of
the first class! (After that they’ll
go back to judging you based

on your looks like the rest of the :

world)

Anyways, here’s a basic
guide to some of the most
important things to remember

in order to make your icebreaker :

introduction memorable this
week.

1. Attend Class
: This is definitely the most
: difficult step but if you want to

doa good job in your icebreaker

: games, youre probably going

: to have to actually show up to
: the first week of class. I know
: it’s pointless and they'll just

: go over everything again next

: week, but as famous nervous

: person Woody Allen once said
: “showing up is 80 per cent of

: success.”*

: *This statement should

: not be confused with “showing
: up will get you 80 per cent,

: success!” which I learned the

: hard way on my English 203

: final exam last semester.

2. Pretend to be

: Interesting

: No matter what icebreaker
game youre doing, you will

: almost always be asked to

: say something interesting

: about yourself, This can be

: very challenging since you are
: probably a very boring person,
: but just remember that the

: phrase “I'd like to say more

: but I promised Barack that I

: wouldn’t” can make any boring
: old male strip-club story more
: interesting.

: 3. Always One Up the

: Person Beside You

: While being yourself is

: important in an ice breaker

: game, if you really want to be

: remembered, you are going to

: have to be better than everyone
: else. So, if the class is going

: around the room each saying

: what one thing they would

: bring with them to a desert

: island and the person next to

: you says “well I’'d probably bring :
: my iPod because I love music,”
: you have to take it up a notch

: and say “well I’d probably bring
: my iPhone because I love music:
: too, but I’m richer than you...

: plus I could use it to call The

: Rolling Stones who are friends
: of mine.”

: 4. Lie as Often as

: Possible

This should be pretty obvious,
: but if you don’t already

: constantly lie in your everyday
: life, you should at least do it

: during an icebreaker game.
“Two truths and a lie” is always
: much more difficult than “Two
: lies and a third more ridiculous
: lie”

5. Pretend to Not bea

: Horrible Racist

: This one might not be quite

: as obvious as some of the

: others, but unlike most social

: situations, racism is actually

: frowned upon during ice

: breaker games. I know it can

: be very tempting if you have to
: introduce a fellow student to

: the class, to comment on their
: inferior bone structure but you
: should probably be advised to

stick to just describing their

: hobbies, goals and body odor.

5 Free Interesting
Facts about
Yourself

* | was the inspiration
for Roseanne Barr’s
character on the ABC
sitcom Roseanne

*  Icansolvea Rubik’s
Cube in under five
hours

* Twas the one who
came up with the
idea for peanut
butter

*  Icanname every US
state capital except

Olympia

+ Thave the same
birthday as Abraham
Lincoln: February
12th, 1809