Lets Get Oriented...

Why not just "get started"!?

Starting a workshop on time can be tough. People will *always* show up late.

Anti-fragile openings allow you to start as quickly as possible and *still* be able to integrate folks into the process.

For more on Anti-fragility, check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifragile

These games are playful ways to get to know each other.

When you teach someone a new tool or process, modelling it with something fun can make it easier to focus on form over content. 

Doing a “test run” also helps lower the stakes and work out the kinks in the process.

Explain to the team that the first round of whatever game you are playing is only a test. We're playing! 

Afterwards, ask if anything needs clarification or simplification. 

Then, run the game or tool process again, stepping back. Allow the team to run itself now that the rules are more clear.

This expands the idea of an icebreaker from something that simply warms up a room. We don't just play games to have fun. We can also use "game thinking" and serious play to approach problem solving, creativity and problem framing.

icebreakers, warm-ups and eye-openers have an arc - an opening and a closing, with a messy exploration phase in the middle. 

Getting people to play with a new tool is the covert goal of these games. People will forget they're learning a new tool as they play.

In one sense ALL icebreakers and warm-ups are improvisational in nature. We'll highlight some classic improv games that have come into the facilitation world

Getting people to be visual is a powerful behavior in creative workshops. Starting light, fun and fast can be easy with the right icebreakers.

How can we get people to build empathy and reframe their assumptions quickly and effortlessly?

Warmups and Energizers are sometime necessary to stoke the energy of a group. But "up" energy isn't always the goal. If you want to "ground" a group, a moment of silence can be powerful.

Experiment with different ways to slow people down and get them connected. The senses are a powerful way to get people into the present moment. Starting with the *literal* ground we're standing on can help.

For the brave, try reading a poem that means something to you. Have the whole group share the reading, with each person taking a line or two. Unpack what the poem evoked for each person.

For more on starting with stories and poems to slow groups down while getting them connected, listen to my podcast interview with Nancy McGaw

There are lots of ways to warm up people's bodies and invigorate them at any point in a workshop