Personalized Card Deck
This personalized card deck will surprise and delight your team. Simply gather pictures of your team, the funnier the better. After that, determine what questions you want them to answer. The questions go on the backs of the cards.
When I did this, I had some fun photos from the previous year’s retreat with a team that made it extra funny.
You could even use a team picture instead of individual pictures – or use a team logo or vision statement to personalize the deck.
I used this icebreaker activity as a fun energizer at the beginning of a very intense work meeting. This team wanted to insert some fun in between budgeting, writing objectives, and calendaring, so we used these cards as a quick activity, that generated some laughter while they learned new things about each other.
Another approach would be to lay a deck like this on a table and anytime someone needed a “break” from the intensity, they could choose a card and ask someone to answer it.
The questions I used were:
- Who was your first celebrity crush?
- If you were going to be alone on a deserted island for a week, what three things would you take?
- Would you rather have a pet pig or a cockatiel? Why?
- If you had to be on a reality tv show, which one would you choose?
- What is the most exotic animal you have ever ridden or touched?
- Would you rather live on a farm or in a big city?
- How has birth order affected you?
- What is a non-profit organization that you support or would be interested in supporting?
- If someone walked into your home right now, what would they learn about you?
- If you could hang out with someone famous for the day, who would you choose?
- What was the first paying job you ever had?
- If you were going to write a book, what would it be about?
You could also write more serious or team-related questions to tie it to your meeting purpose.
I got the cards made at Make Playing Cards for less than $10. It takes a few weeks to get them shipped (unless you pay extra to expedite), so be sure to do this early. I had the idea the week before and paid the $30 rush fee to get it in time. Next time, I’ll do it sooner for a super affordable activity.
About the Author: Leigh Ann Rodgers, Founder of Better Teams and Forward, is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator with 20 years of experience in the human development field. Leigh Ann is a skilled meeting facilitator, trainer, and coach working across the globe to help leaders cultivate teams that are happy and high-performing.
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