Ice Breaker/Warm Up

  At the beginning; before a meeting starts, it's good to have a little fun.  The ice breaker or warm up is something that only should take anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes.  It gets team members laughing and thinking.  An ice breaker can be anything from a joke, a video to a short game.  Anything really that is short and fun. 
  As well, to keep the fun, momentum and atmosphere alive throughout the meeting, since meetings can last anywhere from 1 hour to a whole day, it's a good idea to have little toys in the center of the table.  Such things as squeeze toys (stress relievers) or little slinky's.  Basically toys that don't make noise, however can help a member clear their head and re-focus.  As well some candy or miniature chocolates in the center of the table will help to give members a sugar rush if they find they need a boost. 
  Below is a video which I found on the internet as a good ice breaker for a first team meeting.  Can you see how it relates to a team? Under the video is a link to a site of a gentlemen by the name of Ken Thompson who uses this same video as an ice breaker and has questions as to how to look at the video and relate it to a team.

                             http://www.bioteams.com/2008/08/29/team_collaboration_funny.html


  I am also including another link that has great ideas for other ice breakers for future meetings.  Remember, you can also create your own!

  http://www.wacaonline.org/resources_icebreakers.html