The Animal Scale Icebreaker is a fun, lighthearted way to get a feeling for the energy level of the participants.
This icebreaker is great at the start of a workshop when you haven't shared the board yet and are simply presenting your screen. It works great since the whole icebreaker is just based on images.
Pick one of the Animal Scale Icebreakers that you like the best. Our favorite is the goat scale. When the meeting starts, follow these steps:
- Explain what is going to happen. Explain that you would like to get a feeling for the energy in the meeting by showing the group eight images that they can relate to.
- Show icebreaker. Show the Animal Scale icebreaker to the group so everyone can see it. Wait a second for the reaction of the group, since they will often open up and start laughing.
- Instruct participants to pick a number. If you are in the room, just ask people directly where they would place themself. If you are doing this icebreaker online, it works best to do it chat-based. This allows you as a Facilitator to pick up what everybody said and get a better overview of the group.
- Interact with participants. Take out answers from participants and ask them if they would like to share why they picked this number. This often creates great conversations with the group.