A Metaphor Activity to Get to Know Your Team
Metaphors are a fun way to learn about your team. In this simple, team activity you ask team members which appliance they are most similar to. This activity works virtually or in person making it very versatile.
This can be a quick 10 minute icebreaker or activity used to warm people up to share more about themselves. The goal is to build stronger relationships and trust by learning more about each person. Ask questions and have fun as your team explores what type of appliance they believe they are most similar to.
In the image below there are six appliances to boost the team’s thinking: Washing machine, lawn mower, hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, microwave, chainsaw.
Instructions:
- Show the image of the 6 appliances to your team. Ask them: “Which one is most like you and why?”
- Allow them to use another appliance if they can think of a better one.
- Provide them 1-2 minutes to think and write down their answers.
- Invite each person to share their responses.
Examples of possible responses:
- I am like a washing machine because I clean things up and eliminate unnecessary debris.
- I am like a microwave because I gather several ideas and cook them into something new.
- I am like a chainsaw because I like to chop things into small manageable pieces before tackling them.
- I am like a blow dryer because I like to adjust to different levels of activity throughout the day.
Variations:
- Ask the same question, but do not provide six appliances to choose from. Let them come up with an appliance on their own.
- Ask them to choose 1 or 2 appliances they are most like.
- Ask them to choose the appliance they are least like.
- After each person shares, begin a new conversation with this question: “How do our “appliances” complement each other?”
Summary
Invite team members to share what appliance they are most similar to in order to learn more about each person in a fun and interesting way.
About the Author: Leigh Ann Rodgers, Founder of Better Teams, Team Consultant Academy, 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.
Learn. Share. Practice. Move FORWARD. Join the Better Teams community, FORWARD, to network and grow with some of the most experienced professionals in the field of team building and facilitation. LEARN MORE
