Icebreakers for Networking Events
- Krisha Panchal
- Feb 11, 2018
- 3 min read
The hardest part about a networking event is gathering the courage to sign-up, get dressed and head out the door. However, for some people it might be reaching there and have to go up to a random person and strike up a conversation. For some people, walking up to a stranger and making conversation is a piece of cake but for others, walking on hot coal may be easier.
Project Network India has partnered with The Rolling Dice which is a board game rental service in Mumbai. They believe that Instead of letting your attendees wallow in boring conversations about the weather or the food, organize networking activities and corporate icebreakers that will help foster stronger relationships among the attendees. Some quick ice-breaking games they have conducted are listed below.
Speed Networking:
Just like speed dating, pair the participants and give them 2-3 minutes at a time. Tell them to get to know each other and their businesses, exchange contact details and find a way in which they can generate business out of the other person and then SWITCH to the next participant.
Business Card Collection: Remind the attendees to get a good amount of business cards to the event without telling them the reason. At the beginning, give them 20-30 minutes for speed networking as explained above. At the end of the time, the attendee with the highest number of business cards wins. Brainstorm:
For entrepreneurs, icebreakers aren’t just about getting over the initial shyness. They can also serve as a means for being productive and have an energetic kick-start to the day. For this, divide the participants into groups of 2 or 3 and ask them to brainstorm ideas for what they want to achieve during the event. This not only helps the participants to bond, but also helps them to add structure to their day. Human Bingo: This idea is so flexible that you can scale up or down depending on your event. Pre-prepare bingo cards but replace the numbers with human qualities, interests or characteristics. Some examples include: -A Capricorn -A female with blue eyes -Someone with a backpack -Someone working in digital marketing -Someone younger than 27 The first person to find an attendee for each of the criteria shouts BINGO and wins. This is a speedy way for people to start talking and getting to know each other.
Contests:
After separating the attendees into groups of 4-5 people, set them a photo or short video challenge. Give them 15 minutes to come up with a fun and interesting concept that is related to the event and share it via the event hashtag. Judge them based on their creativity and how fun they were. Creative ideas that get people to work together, often breaks the ice as they have a common goal to work towards.
Shared Storytelling:
Storytelling is a very popular event activity. Use prompts like “ How did your first job help you get to where you are today” or “ What inspired you to start your own business”. Encourage the attendees to share their stories with small groups or up on stage if they prefer.
Name Tag Switcheroo: This game will work very well for smaller networking groups. Start of by giving everyone the wrong name tag. The objective of the game is the find the person with your name tag. Once you find the person, who have to ask three relevant questions in order to get your tag back. This continues till all the attendees have their own name tag. This not only helps the attendees to approach another person, but also helps them to start conversations which can carry on later in the event.
The Memory Game: This game is played individually by all the attendees. Please take turns to state 3 random facts about themselves. At the end of the time, everyone picks up a chit with a different person's name. The objective is to state the 3 facts about the person. This helps the attendees get to know each other in a more personal manner.
Breaking the ice at an event makes the attendees feel more relaxed and have a positive experience. This will ensure that they attend future events as they feel more involved. At Project Network India, we try and introduce a icebreaking activity at every event to ensure that our members get to know each other and their businesses and have a memorable experience. To register for our next event, click here.
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