Little-Big is an icebreaker you can use to kick off a meeting or training session. This quick team building activity connects and energizes a team.
You can adapt this concept and use this icebreaker in a variety of contexts. I used this to kick-off day three of a strategic planning process. The session was scheduled at 6:00 PM and I knew the team members would be tired and stressed coming in. I wanted a short icebreaker that would stimulate positive feelings and allows them to learn a little about each other.
I simply put up a slide with an image of a little dog beside a big dog and asked them to each share just ONE little and ONE big thing that brought them pleasure or de-stressed them. I gave them my personal example and within 3 minutes, all 9 people had shared. Most were smiling at the end of this because thinking about those things stimulated the pleasure centers in their brains. Now they were in a more positive mood to begin an intense evening session together.
You can modify this “little-big” concept in a variety of ways, such as ONE little and ONE big…
- Thing that brings you pleasure/de-stresses you
- Idea for our team
- Thing you appreciate about your team/work
- Thing you’d like to learn more about
- Action that demonstrates leadership
Instructions:
- Create a slide with a fun image of something little and big. (I used an image of dogs, perhaps you can pick an image that connects to the topic or the team’s work, be creative).
- Give the instructions that they are to share ONE little and ONE big thing. Tell them they will only have 30 seconds to report out.
- Provide them up to 1 minute to think about what they will share.
- One at a time, ask each person to share.
Summary
Little-Big is a fun, easy, and quick icebreaker to use in your team meetings or to kick-off a training session.
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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