Icebreaker IdeasIcebreakers play a fundamental role in preparing your session participants to engage in the program and feel comfortable enough speaking up and participating fully. There are hundreds of effective icebreakers trainers can use. This document gives you just a few ideas with which to get started.

Ideally, you will be able to make a connection between whatever icebreaker you use and the class. This helps reinforce the content, importance and usefulness of the TIPS program for your participants, as well as focuses their attention appropriately.

Feel free to experiment with any of these icebreaker ideas, or to send us other icebreakers that have worked well for you, so we can share them with other trainers in the future.

Penny Icebreaker: Have everyone take out a blank piece of paper. Ask them to draw a large circle on it. Give them 30 seconds (or 60 if you’re generous) and tell them to draw on the circle everything they would see on the face side of a penny. They are not allowed to get out a penny. When time is up, draw a circle on the flipchart, then ask the group to start telling you what and where to put up the things on the penny. Tie it to the class by saying that a penny is something we’ve seen thousands

of times. But we tend to miss the details because we don’t look closely at it anymore since it is so familiar. But working together as a group, we can usually put the details together pretty accurately. The same is true of serving alcohol to people. We’ve done it thousands of times, and it’s so familiar now, that it can be easy to miss important details. But by working as a group together during this session, we’ll remind ourselves of a lot of important detail information that can help us be better servers and prevent alcohol-related tragedies.

Name Game: Have everyone introduce themselves by stating their name with a descriptive word about themselves that begins with the same first letter. For example, Magnificent Marcia. The next person does the same, but has to also repeat all the people before them. As you get toward the last people in the group, other group members can chime in and help them when they get stuck. Explain that this icebreaker reinforces the ideas that we need to help each other

out to be truly effective, and that taking the time to really get to know and remember details about your customers makes for better customer service.

Intoxication Synonyms: Ask everyone to introduce themselves and give a different word they’ve heard that means intoxicated or drunk. Each person comes up with a unique word or phrase. At the end, you point out that this must be a pretty big issue for society if we have all these terms that mean the same thing, and that’s why you’re all here today.

Telephone Game: Whisper a sentence into the first person’s ear, preferably something about the program or what you’ll be doing today. You can only say it once, and it has to be whispered. Have each person introduce themselves, then whisper what they think was said to the next person. See how accurate the sentence is by the time it gets to the last person. Point out the importance of clear communication between co-workers so as to avoid misunderstanding

and miscommunication, and emphasize that the TIPS program will give them a standard for communicating with one another about customers and issues in their establishment.

Expectations: Use this icebreaker to set the tone for the training session and uncover personal agendas for your participants.

1. Pass out a lined sheet of paper with Expectations at the top after going over the day’s agenda. 2. Instruct participants to write down as many things as they can think of in two minutes or less expressing their expectations for the session. 3. Debrief by going around the room and asking individuals to share one or two items. 4. Write the responses on the flipchart and try to tie each one to a learning point from the TIPS manual that you will be covering.

This icebreaker acts as a tool to identify both areas of concern for participants, as well as participants who really don’t want to be there. By keenly listening to responses, it better prepares you to answer questions that you know will be coming throughout the session. It also lets participants know that, as the trainer, you are going to do everything you can to answer their questions, helping to set the tone for the session. As the last step of this icebreaker, at the end of the session but before administering the test, go back to the flipchart page and review the expectations in a Q&A format to see if you took care of the class’ concerns.

War Stories: As each participant introduces themselves, ask them to share an experience where they had to intervene with someone who was intoxicated, either a guest or a friend. Ask them to share the steps they took to keep the person safe or resolve the situation. At the end of each story, reference the steps mentioned by

naming them using TIPS terminology to start helping participants make the connection between the TIPS program content and the experiences they already have. When everyone has finished sharing, compliment the group on how much experience they have and reiterate how the session will build on that experience, as well as how they can help each other learn new strategies by continuing to share their stories throughout the session.

Let’s Play 21: During my TIPS training sessions I often begin with an icebreaker called, “Let’s Play 21,” during which I ask participants to guess the ages of the folks on the flyer. This icebreaker is a lot of fun, and the participants are typically very surprised at how far off their guesses are on some of the photos. This helps drive home the idea that guessing a person’s age is not a good idea. Checking

ID, on the other hand, is foolproof. A good rule of thumb is to check ID for anyone who looks younger than 30, and refuse service until after you have thoroughly checked ID.(Ask your TIPS account manager for “Let’s Play 21.”)Contributed in July 2013 by Mickey Hall, 8-yr. TIPS Trainer in West Chester, Pennsylvania

Lego Team Builder: I sometimes use small sets of Legos as an Ice-Breaker. I learned this method in an EMT (Emergency Medical Technicians) communications class, and tried it during a TIPS class to see how it would work. First I had everyone get into groups, preferably so that each group included at least one person the other group members did not know. (This is usually possible

given the number of seasonal workers we have.) After group members introduced themselves, one person from each group was given the instructions for assembling the Legos, and asked to sit facing away from the other group members. The person with the instructions (and picture of the assembled product) offered verbal tips to guide the other group members as they attempted to put the Legos together. This effort not only gets the group members talking with one another, but also leads to a lot of laughter as group members listen to the descriptions of the pieces and how they go together. I usually allow 10-15 minutes for the class to see how much of the Lego set they can complete. The exercise allows time for the participants to become comfortable with one another and helps dramatize the challenges related to communicating, both during the class and in the wider work and social environments.Contributed in May 2013 by Jackie Friend, 6-yr. TIPS Trainer in Strathmere, New Jersey

Warm-up to Exam Game: One of the things I do to improve my training sessions is to carefully review the session roster report that shows the exam questions missed by session participants. The report is a great tool to find out which test questions participants struggle to answer correctly. Based on answers frequently missed, I prepare a list of questions as a practice exercise. During the wrap up of the session I generally allow 15-20 minutes for my participants to complete the questionnaire. Then, as a group,

we review the answers to all of the questions. This allows me to ensure a review of any questions that the participants might have, even if they failed to ask them during the class. It is also a very effective way to prepare the participants to take the final exam.Contributed in May 2013 by Stefano Delens, a 2-yr. TIPS Trainer in Hyattsville, Maryland

Slang: I have used this idea for years. I break the class into groups and give each person a sheet of paper. I then give them 3 minutes to write down all the slang terms for the word “drunk.” Each team says an answer out loud and I write it on my board. If another team also has that term on their paper, they must cross it off. No duplicates are allowed. The team with the last word for drunk wins. I give out little knick-knacks from our vendors as prizes. Anheuser- Busch is very supportive of the TIPS program in Hawaii so

they give me caps, shirts, key chains, etc., for the participants. Contributed in March 2010 by Aloha, Julie Yoneyama, 7-yr TIPS Trainer, Lahaina, Hawaii

Pig Picture: Here is a great icebreaker that works well and is a lot of fun!Before I introduce myself, I hand out index cards to each class member. I ask them to draw a PIG. All I say is don’t look at your neighbors’ pig, don’t even peek! I don’t say anything else. I give them 3 minutes to draw the pig and then I ask them to write their names on the opposite side of the card.

After the three minutes are up, I introduce myself, the class, what we are going to learn, and the three ways (audio, visual, and hands-on) I am going to cover the material. Then, I say, I bet you are wondering why I had you draw a pig? I explain in a tongue-and-cheek fashion how their pig drawings represent their personality traits.

If the PIG is drawn…Toward the top of the paper, the person is a positive, optimistic person. • Toward the middle of the paper, the person is a realist. • Facing left, the person is traditional, friendly, and good at remembering dates, including birthdays. • Facing forward (or angled forward), the person is direct, enjoys playing “the devil’s advocate,” and • neither fears nor avoids discussions. Facing right, the person is innovative and active but does not have a strong sense of family, and • the person is not good at remembering dates. With many details, the person is analytical, cautious, and distrustful. • With few details, the person is emotional and naive, cares little for details, and is a risk-taker. • With four legs showing, the person is secure and stubborn, and sticks to his ideals. • With less than four legs, the person is insecure or is going through a period of major change. • With large ears, the person is a good listener. The larger the ears, the better listener the person is. • With a long tail, the person has a good sex life. The longer the tail, the better it is.•

Participants all get a kick out of this icebreaker! When we’re done with it, I have them flip the card over to show their names so that I can address them personally as we go through the class.Contributed in March 2010 by Cate Monroe, 2-yr. TIPS Trainer in Roseville, Michigan

Two Truths and One Lie: Have each person introduce himself (or pair people up to introduce each other) and say two truths and one lie and let the class decide which is which.Contributed in March 2010 by Gig Robinson, TIPS Master Trainer, West Virginia

The Count-Off: I come up with the number that represents half the number of class participants and have them count off to that number and then start again. Then I pair up the ones, twos, threes, etc., and give them a few minutes to get to know each other. I then have each person introduce the other person in the pair. This breaks up the class and allows attendees to network and feel more comfortable with one another. Since people have the tendency to sit beside those they know, this exercise helps get people talking and moving more freely outside that comfort zone.

Contributed in March 2010 by Gig Robinson, TIPS Master Trainer, West Virginia

State Your Preference: I have participants introduce themselves and state their preferred drink of choice. Then later, when I cover information about the relative strengths of drinks or other comparative considerations, I will relate it back to the class by asking if Jim’s beer is equal to Susie’s wine and Joe’s shot.Contributed in March 2010 by Gig Robinson, TIPS Master Trainer, West Virginia

These are just a few examples of icebreakers you can use to help your participants become comfortable with the session and set the tone for participation throughout the class. There are many, many resources available in books or online with hundreds of ideas for appropriate icebreakers you might want to try. No matter what icebreaker you choose, just remember to relate it back to the TIPS program for the most impact.

As always, feel free to contact us at training@gettips.com with any questions you might have about conducting your TIPS sessions. Good luck, and have fun!