Sometimes when people hear the word 'icebreaker' they cringe or might feel super anxious about taking part in one. Yes, icebreakers can make you feel a bit awkward initially, but they are proven to help enhance relationships and encourage creativity. 'Icebreakers can help increase team bonds, boost performance and creativity'—Harvard Business School study Integrating icebreakers into your workshops or meetings is a great way to get everyone relaxed and ready to participate. But how do you choose the right ones so that you avoid those dreaded awkward silences? Here are my Top 2 Icebreakers that are easy to implement (in-person or online): 1. My First Job Ask everyone in the group to write down their name, their first job, and what they learned from that job. Then go round the group and have everybody read theirs out. 2. Pointless Questions Prepare a few fun questions ahead of the workshop, then go round the room and have everybody take turns answering the questions. It’s as simple as that—you don’t even need to write anything down! Here are some question suggestions to get you started: - If you could invite a celebrity over for dinner, who would it be and why? - What is your most prized possession and why? - You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life. What do you choose? Here are some more icebreakers for you to explore! What's another great icebreaker that I can add to my list?

I am doing a presentation at a conference next week and am having trouble being sure that I am ending strongly. What are some of your favorite ways to end strong when you will have VERY limited time. The whole presentation is an hour and I have built in several Q/As. There will be 50 in the meeting (much larger than I had anticipated.) So, any ideas on how to end stronger?

Lately, I've been mulling over different analogies to illustrate the Facilitator's role, particularly in the context of managing group dynamics. Here's an interesting one that struck me: Think of a group of people like a bustling city intersection. There are many different paths crossing each other, each with their own direction and speed. In this situation, it's easy for things to get chaotic or for some paths to get overshadowed by others. This is exactly what happens when people come together - there's a multitude of thoughts, ideas, and perspectives intersecting. People might have different viewpoints, some ideas might get side-lined, and quieter individuals might not get a chance to express their thoughts. It's like the louder cars drowning out the quieter ones or some paths being blocked by others. This is where a Facilitator steps in, acting like a traffic controller at this intersection. They ensure that each 'car' or person gets a fair chance to move forward, making sure everyone's ideas and voices are heard. They guide the 'traffic', or the conversation, to ensure that the team's discussions are effective and aimed towards achieving their goals. So, just like a traffic controller is crucial for smooth and fair traffic movement, a Facilitator is key to productive, inclusive, and goal-oriented group discussions. What do think of this analogy? I'd love to hear your own analogies or metaphors of the Facilitator's role in the comments!

I got my first consulting check ($5k)! It was super exciting to open that envelope and see my business name on it. 🎉🥳🎉 Second payment ($20k) is due after June 1. 😳😳 Thankful for all the support I've gotten as I launch.

Long post: Looking for people using Workshopper in these fields. I'm launching my new business and have a background in public health, education and fundraising. The bulk of my fundraising is in grant writing, which is something that is much desired in my region. I do want to extend beyond my region, but have some great client potential as I transition. They WANT fundraising and a grant writing, which I want to support primarily through project development, collaboration and consulting. I don't want to write the grants for them, but with a strong project think that any group is better situated for finding. Often people find the a grant, make up a project and submit it without much planning or thought. I know that planning a project then finding a grant that fits the project is a much better approach for the organization and the project. Anyone else use workshopper in this way? Anyone else in education, public health or the nonprofit sectors?