Quick meeting openers for busy managers: more than 50 icebreakers, energizers, and other creative activities that get results

189 Pages·2008·12.74 MB·English

by  Brian Cole Miller

QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS
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QUICK
MEETING
OPENERS
FOR
BUSY MANAGERS
More Than 50 Icebreakers, Energizers,
and Other Creative Activities That Get Results
BRIAN COLE MILLER
AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
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son should be sought.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miller, Brian Cole, 1956–
Quick meeting openers for busy managers : more than 50 icebreakers,
energizers, and other creative activities that get results / Brian Cole Miller.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-8144-0933-6
1. Business meetings. I. Title.
HF5734.5.M55 2008
658.4′56—dc22
2008001117
© 2008 Brian Cole Miller
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division
of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.
Printing number
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
CHAPTER 1. Activities That Are Super Quick and Easy 5
IF I WERE A _____________ 6
QUESTIONS 8
CHAPTER 2. Activities for Grouping People 11
CHAPTER 3. Icebreakers for Introductions 23
BLANKET NAMES 24
BOUNCING BALLS 26
BUMPER CARS 28
BUMPITY-BUMP 30
CHAMPIONS 32
DO YOU KNOW ME? 34
HANDSHAKES 36
LOGOS 38
MIND READER 40
MY LETTER 42
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS 44
POLITE CATCH 46
RIP IT UP 48
SHARK! 50
SPEAKING IN TONGUES 52
SPEECHLESS 54
SURVIVOR 56
TWO CIRCLES 58
CONTENTS v
CHAPTER4. Activities Best for Small Groups (Under 20) 61
ARTIST 62
DRESS FOR SUCCESS 64
FANTASY ISLAND 66
FORTUNE COOKIES 68
FORTUNE TELLERS 70
FUN FACTS 72
HA! 74
QUOTES 76
RUMORS 78
SHOW AND TELL 80
SOUND AND MOVEMENT 82
BRAGGING RIGHTS 84
T-SHIRTS 86
TEN FINGERS 88
TIME CAPSULE 90
WHAT ARE YOU DOING? 92
WHAT IF? 94
CHAPTER 5. Activities Best for Large Groups (12 to 40) 97
BEACH BALL 98
BIRTH ORDER 100
CHEERLEADERS 102
DRAG QUEEN NAMES 104
EDITOR 106
LINE 108
NEW HANDSHAKES 110
NEW WORDS 112
PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT 114
PORTRAITS 116
vi QUICK MEETING OPENERS FOR BUSY MANAGERS
SWAP 118
UNUSUAL COMMONALITIES 120
WHO ELSE? 122
CHAPTER 6. Activities Best for Huge Groups (Up to a Billion) 125
ALPHABET LETTERS 126
ALPHABET SEARCH 128
ALWAYS AND NEVER 130
AUTOGRAPH HOUND 132
BEST OF TIMES 134
BLACK JACK 136
BLUE RIBBONS 138
CUPS 140
DANCE CARDS 142
DELEGATION 144
DOMINOS 146
HITCHHIKER 148
HOT SEAT 150
INDEX CARD QUESTIONS 152
JEOPARDY 154
MAGNETS 156
MAP IT 158
OBJECTS 159
OPTIMISTS 161
PAPER, SCISSORS, ROCK 163
THAT’S LIFE 165
TOPICS 167
Index 169
About the Author 175
CONTENTS vii
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
O
nce again, I owe a lot of gratitude to my friends and colleagues
who shared their thoughts and ideas for this volume. Thank you.
Suzanne Famolare—You have so many great ideas, I wonder if you
should write a book yourself!
Franca Little—I hope we get to do some of these fun activities to-
gether soon (in Sydney? London? Rio? Cape Town?)!
Carol Naylor—No one believes you when you say you’re not good
at this stuff. (Seriously, Carol, no one!)
Rick Ritacco—I’m sorry, but I could only include your G-rated ideas.
Kiki Dreyer Burke—I miss working with you, Kik-ster!
Chris Lowe—I know that you only contribute so you can see your
name in print, so here it is again: CHRIS LOWE.
Sara Bonner—How do you find the time to help me on top of
everything else you have going on?
Adam Bryant—See? You did learn something valuable at all those
church youth group meetings.
Tony Lipscomb—Thanks for being my virtual sounding board on
a lot of this stuff.
Steven Haines—You have to come to Ohio to get your free copy of
this book, my friend!
Mark Hansen—I appreciate how freely you share stuff with me
from sparkspace.
Wayne Miller—OK, I used your ideas, now will you let me con-
tribute my ideas to your next textbook on biochemistry or exercise
physiology?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix