4 Responses

1. Financially flavoured ice-breaker
   Some quick ideas – break into 3 groups of 4. Ask each individual to identify three things they would do if they won the lottery. When groups report back get the other two teams to guess who is linked to which three things. A game of call my bluff – working in teams – individuals read out definitions of financial terms and the others have to guess which is the correct one. Three groups – give each group the same set of financial figures but ask them to report back with a different slant on them e.g. performing well, need for investment, not performing well etc.

2. here’s a thought
   Geraldine

   I am not au fait with the type of work these folk do with the people they support but this is an exrecise I ran with an HR department who were managing redundancy calculations and payments, and it may be useful.

   I gave the delegates a brief case study on each of three typical people whom they supported.
   (eg Name, age, family circumstance, financial committments, needs and income)

   Then I asked groups to identify the Downstream Impact of something going wrong (payment made late, payment too low, clawback of overpayment, assessment changed after notification but before before payment etc). They then shared and challenged each others thoughts

   The point being that it may be a simple administrative error to you but it could result in a visit from the bailiffs for them. Or an “I’ll get round to it on Monday” for you, but a bounced DDM resulting in bank charges, an invalid insurance policy and a large premium increase for them.

   I know this is more of an Exercise than an Icebreaker but it could be used to great effect.

   Hope this helps

   Rus

3. Icebreaker?
   Hi Geraldine

   Please excuse me if I seem a little dense, but you say you are looking for an “icebreaker” and then specify a time limit of around 30 minutes.

   I don’t get it.

   An “icebreaker” is, as the name suggests, something to facilitate initial introductions. As such, icebreaker exercises tend to be pretty light hearted and inconsequential, lasting about 4-5 minures, or maybe up to 10 minutes for the outstanding ones.

   What you are actually asking for is an exercise where people work together for 30 minutes from a standing start, on a task that is course oriented rather than something to get the social juices flowing – with NO genuine preparatory icebreaker at all.

   May I suggest that a book such as “The Icebreakers Pocket Book” by Evens, Tizzard and Hailstone might be well worth reading.

   Hope this is of use

4. Thank You
   Hi

   just a short note to thank you all for your great ideas, there are definately some things that I can take forward.

   Warmest regards
   Geraldine