Group Size
- Any Size
Overview
This is a simple game and a great icebreaker to get the energy up in the room. (If you have an event with a photographer, this is also fantastic for getting great pictures!) It has people greet each other in creative and often hilarious ways.
Materials
- None
Steps
- Have everybody in the room stand. Then announce that they are going to go around and greet other people in the room while following your instructions.
- Offer a series of ways for folks to introduces themselves to one another. You might say, “Greet the other people like they are your long-lost best friends whom you haven’t seen in years", “Greet other people as if they have bad breath”, or “Greet other people as if they are celebrities."
- You can finish the energizer by encouraging a round of applause or telling folks to say goodbye to their partners and have a seat.
Debrief
This game typically does not need a debrief. It’s just a great way to get energy in the room to a crescendo, and also to get people to feel like they belong to a community. Once they have had everyone hugging them and treating them like best friends, people tend to feel close and connected – even though they were strangers mere moments before!
Theory
The key to this game is that it helps people feel like they belong. Neuroscientists Naomi Eisenberger and Matt Lieberman at UCLA did a famous study where they found that the pain of social rejection is processed by the same parts of the brain as physical pain. In other words, it hurts to be excluded. This game makes everyone feel welcomed and part of the group.
Source
Transformative Action Institute, adapted from popular improv activity
Additional Readings
Eisenberger, N. I., Lieberman, M. D., & Williams, K. D. (2003). Does rejection hurt: An fMRI study of social exclusion. Science, 302, 290–292.