Icebreaker Activities

Definition

Team-building exercises designed to help people get to know each other. They break the ice in the sense of creating a thin layer of discomfort that melts slowly.

Example Usage

For the company retreat, we scheduled trust falls and icebreaker activities.

Origin

Emerged from organizational development in the 1970s

Fun Fact

93% of employees find forced icebreakers awkward, yet they persist

Source: Team Building

Related Terms

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The reassignment of an employee to a lower-level position with reduced responsibilities, authority, or pay. The corporate walk of shame, now with paperwork.

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transfer of learning

The application of skills and knowledge gained in training to actual job performance, measuring whether that expensive workshop actually changed behavior. It's the difference between completing the course and actually using what you learned back at your desk.

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downsizing

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benefits

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time to hire

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