How Well Do We Know Each Other? (Free PPT and PDF Download)

How Well Do We Know Each Other gets the group working together very quickly as well as having a few laughs.

It's perfect if you are looking for an icebreaker for people who already know each other.

Participants have the opportunity to be a creative as well as show off about themselves.

WorkshopBank How Well Do We Know Each Other Icebreaker

Some cultures might find the showing off part a little off-putting (Denmark, I'm looking at you with your Jante Law) but don't we all need an opportunity to brag a little every now and then?

Personally I think it's good for the soul to open yourself up to being impressed by others achievements.

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Objectives

To have some fun at the beginning of a workshop session using creative icebreaker questions.
To raise the temperature and noise levels.
To get to each other better.
To develop some fun talking points that can be referred to during the rest of the event.

What is it?

An informal activity that gets a group working together very quickly.
Icebreaker questions are fun to do while at the same time enabling a group to get to know each other better and build relationships.
Non-threatening and not demanding – ideal for the reticent as well as the assertive.

When Would You Use It?

Ideal for situations where you are mobilizing a team and you want to quickly promote an informal, relaxed and open atmosphere that will be conducive to collaborative work.
It’s also suitable for teams that already know each other but where you are looking for a vehicle to enhance their collaboration, raise their interest or motivate them as a team.
Works best in small groups of between five and eight people though can work for larger groups but the time taken extends proportionately.

Are There Any Rules?

There’s an optional competitive element – be sure that all group members are happy to keep scores – otherwise delete the scoring element.

Resources Required

A willing group of people.
Post-it notes and marker pens for each participant (at least one each plus a few extra spares if required).
Tables and chairs.

Process

1
The Facilitator asks the Participants to take three post-it notes and write three statements about themselves, things no-one here knows about you, of which only one is true, e.g.

When I was 14 I played a lot of tennis and once beat Roger Federer.
Most years I go away on holiday to the Caribbean.
In my spare time I’m a magician.

2
Each Participant takes it turns to present their three statements to the other team members at their table but do not reveal which is true/false.
3
The other Participants each have one vote to select which of your three statements they consider is true.
4
If they get it right, they score a point. If they don’t, then you get a point. Keep a record of your scores. The highest score wins!

Secret Sauce

It helps to place the three post-its on the table for consideration by the others.
Let everyone make their selection before revealing which are false – ending up with the true statement.
Ideally, all three statements should appear equally plausible to make the selections challenging!

Free Download Files

About the Author

Nick Martin helps leaders & consultants improve team results with resources, advice & coaching through WorkshopBank.com

Ann says:

Great article and some excellent tips. Thanks Nick.

Ann

Nick Martin says:

Absolute pleasure Ann. Glad you liked it. Let me know how it goes when you use it 🙂

Florencia Berti says:

Used it! I separated the people in two groups and made them compete for points and gave the winner some candy… it was fun and a really good exercise to get to know each other a little bit more and a very good ice breaker!

Karen Lynch says:

Though I already knew of this ice breaker, what I appreciate most is the format you used for this description … it’s an organized format for us to use as we stock our facilitator toolbox. Thank you!

Nick Martin says:
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Thanks for the feedback Karen and really glad you like the format. If you have any suggestions as to how to make it even better I’m all ears 🙂

JDee says:

Modified to
The Facilitator asks the Participants to take a post-it notes and write three statements about themselves of which one is false

Redistribute post-it stickers

Identify the person whose post-it sticker you holds by asking questions to participants who can only answer YES or NO

If you found the person write the name of the person on the sticker – post-it to the ‘wall’

Nick Martin says:
at
Nice modification JDee 🙂

Ma. Teresa Habitan says:

Thanks, Nick. This is a cool tool for getting to know people. How many participants is the optimum number to play this game before it becomes unwieldy and time consuming?

Nick Martin says:
at
Hi Teresa. It works best with small groups of between 5 and 8 but you could stretch it to 10. As you have rightly pointed out time starts dragging when more than that play.
- Julien de Windt says:
  at
  Thanks for sending me the Prisoners’ Dilemma activity. It was of great use for me and my audience.
  By the way do you have an activity /exercise/ worksheet (roleplay, casestudy, questionnaire etc.) illustrating broken trust in a workplace.
  - Nick Martin says:
    at
    Hi Julien … lots of the tools on here help build trust through active collaboration but other than Prisoner’s Dilemma I don’t think we have one that illustrates the importance of trust in the workplace … let me know if you find a good one.

Jonas says:

Hi 🙂
Do you think we can use your ideas to our company http://www.kbhteambuilding.dk
Thanks for your time

Nick Martin says:
at
Hi Jonas. Sure go for it. I’m also local to you so if you’d like a coffee sometime to discuss further just ask!

Kalle says:

Love one truth and two lies! Just by a little bit of gamification on a ice-breaker question can make all the difference. That’s actually what inspired me to start working on https://knowie.io

How Well Do We Know Each Other?