To run an icebreaker, just three things are needed. The right mindset, a great question and someone to give a gentle nudge to get things started and move the icebreaker along. Before you know it, your icebreaker is done, and you have set the stage for a more effective retrospective meeting.
Même avec tous les avantages qu’un d’icebreaker peut apporter à une équipe et à sa Réunion, il peut parfois être tentant de passer directement à la rétrospective. C’est particulièrement vrai lorsque votre backlog déborde et que vous n’avez tout simplement pas l’espace mental pour trouver une question. C’est pourquoi nous avons demandé à notre équipe de concevoir un outil d’icebreaker pour les équipes Agile qui enlèverait l’effort lié à l’organisation de d’icebreaker.
L’outil d’icebreaker de TeamRetro facilite l’organisation de d’icebreaker. Designed with agile teams in mind, it can generate questions and help you decide who goes next. It can even help you keep an eye on the time!
So let’s look at how to run an icebreaker so you can help your team get more out of their retrospective.
Step into the icebreaker headspace
The first thing to do when running an icebreaker is to switch on the right mindset.
- Be curious.
- Be positive.
- Be an advocate for icebreakers.
Remember, icebreaker questions aim to foster connections between people so they work better together. Those connections come about when people share their stories with each other. The more people share, the greater the connections. People are more likely to share when they feel their stories are being received positively and with genuine interest.
Keep in mind, there’s no such thing as a wrong answer to an icebreaker question, which is why they are so great at helping to create safe spaces. All answers are welcome and all input is valued. It’s a space where inclusivity and diversity is naturally celebrated.
Lastly, don’t forget that by running an icebreaker you are delivering a lot of value to your retrospective meeting. You are helping to create a safe, positive, collaborative space. You are contributing to the productivity of the meeting. Best of all, you are making work fun.
Choosing a great icebreaker question
Pour choisir une excellente question d’icebreaker, rendez-vous sur l’outil d’icebreaker de TeamRetro et cliquez sur Démarrer. Yes, it really is that easy!
If you would like your icebreaker question to have a little more focus, you can filter the questions by the following categories.
Jeux Agile
An agile game is a fun activity aligned to an aspect of agile. They see the whole team work towards a common goal. As well as building connections between team members they also help to deepen their understanding of agile.
Building safety
These icebreaker questions help to explore and foster a safe workspace. They offer the team the chance to share stories of trust, empathy and growth. These questions help start supportive conversations that can continue long after the icebreaker is done.
Deep and meaningful
This category of icebreaker questions gives people the chance to share insights and ideas they may not have otherwise share at work. They let people explore and predict possibilities, while the group gets to know more about each other. In doing so, they can help a team expand their perception of each other. These are great to use when a reminder is needed that we’re all human.
Amusant
This group of icebreaker questions is pretty self-explanatory. They are deliberately creative and a little bit silly, all in the name of having fun at work. Rest assured, they will still deliver all the benefits of an icebreaker, even if the laughter gets loud.
Get to know
The ‘Get to know’ icebreaker questions have been shaped with new teams and teams with new members in mind. They support the very early stage of when people meet. They help to start inclusive conversations that form the foundation of connections.
Quick/Check-ins
This set of icebreaker questions is your go-to when you feel you are pushed for time. They are short and fast, but they still deliver value. These save you time so you don’t have the excuse to skip the icebreaker.
Team building
These icebreaker questions help nurture your team. They create space for celebration. They showcase collaboration and teamwork. They boost morale, explore values and fuel productivity. If you are looking to actively support your team’s health, these are the icebreakers for you.
Virtual or remote
Remote teams will easily relate to this category of icebreaker questions. They reference their virtual context as a common point of discussion. These icebreakers also see team members share aspects of their homes as a reflection of themselves.
Warm-ups
Although not technically an icebreaker, we included this category for established teams. Warm-ups help people focus on the task at hand. These activities help your team direct their full attention to the retrospective and to switch off from other thoughts and tasks. You can read more about warm-ups here.
Work focussed
If your team isn’t too keen on running an icebreaker before their retrospective, this set of questions will help you navigate that resistance. These work-focussed icebreaker questions connect to what everyone in the team has in common – their place of work. They help the icebreaker habit to be established by exploring that common ground.
How to facilitate an icebreaker
Facilitating an icebreaker is very straightforward and comes down to just three steps –
- Kicking it off
- Making sure everyone has had a turn
- Wrapping it up
Kicking it off
Le lancement d’un d’icebreaker commence par la recherche d’une personne pour commencer. Si vous rencontrez une toute nouvelle équipe pour la première fois et que vous êtes le Scrum Master ou l’animateur, cette personne devrait être vous. Le fait de commencer vous permet de vous présenter, de donner le ton et de modéliser le type de partage ouvert et respectueux que vous souhaitez voir de la part de tous les autres.
L’outil d’icebreaker de TeamRetro comprend un sélecteur intégré qui désigne la personne suivante, vous n’avez donc pas à choisir les personnes manuellement. Cela maintient le processus transparent, équitable et exempt de tout biais inconscient.
Making sure everyone has had a turn
Il est important que chacun ait la possibilité de répondre à la question de l’icebreaker. Les rétrospectives inclusives commencent par s’assurer que personne n’est laissé de côté, en particulier les membres d’équipe plus discrets ou éloignés.
Là encore, l’outil d’icebreaker de TeamRetro fait le gros du travail. Chaque fois que quelqu’un répond, son nom est automatiquement supprimé du groupe de personnes qui doivent encore répondre. Vous n’avez pas à vous souvenir de qui a déjà répondu : l’outil suit la participation pour vous et permet de voir facilement qui est le prochain.
Wrapping it up
Une fois que tout le monde a répondu à la question de l’icebreaker, il est temps de clore l’activité et de passer en douceur à votre rétrospective. Lorsque la question est particulièrement intéressante, les conversations peuvent s’éterniser et empiéter sur votre temps de rétro.
Pour vous aider, l’outil d’icebreaker de TeamRetro comprend un minuteur afin que vous puissiez maintenir l’activité dans un délai précis. Il vous donne un point de référence clair et neutre si vous devez faire avancer la discussion et vous assurer que votre rétrospective commence à l’heure.
Avant de terminer, remerciez tout le monde pour son partage et reconnaissez les contributions qu’il a apportées.
Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos 5 meilleurs conseils pour organiser des d’icebreaker.
Vous pouvez également explorer notre blog où nous partageons ce qui fait les meilleurs d’icebreaker pour les équipes, ainsi que des d’icebreaker rapides mais efficaces pour lancer votre prochaine rétrospective.