HR & Engagement Writer
1
The 5 Best Icebreakers for Teams in 2024
Contents
6 min read
Published: Feb 8, 2023
Revised on: Mar 1, 2024
Here’s our curated shortlist and our reasons for liking each company; please click into each company to get more details:
- Goosechase
- Makes scavenger hunts and competitions easy to set up and manage. Allows for real-time tracking of teams' progress.
- Engages users through fun, game-like interface. Users enjoy participating and being creative.
- Good for team building, onboarding new employees, and facilitating group activities. Brings people together.
- Easy to create missions/objectives and customize for your needs. Large bank of premade missions available.
- Allows users to easily submit photos/videos as proof of completing missions. Media can be downloaded later.
- Assembly
- Easy to use and intuitive interface. Many reviews mentioned Assembly is simple, easy to navigate, and user-friendly.
- Good customer support. Reviews mentioned Assembly's support team is responsive in resolving issues.
- Rewards redemption process is smooth. Users liked the gift card and other reward options that can be redeemed with points.
- Integrates well with Slack and Microsoft Teams. The integration makes giving recognition quick and seamless.
- Good for employee recognition and engagement. Reviews highlighted Assembly's peer-to-peer recognition features that help boost employee morale.
- Kahoot!
- Engaging and interactive. Makes learning fun through gamification and competition. Gets students excited and motivated to participate.
- Easy to use. Simple and intuitive interface for both creators and players. Easy to make, find, and play quizzes.
- Customizable. Ability to add images, videos, and customize questions. Able to tailor quizzes to specific needs.
- Provides feedback. Gives real-time data on student responses to see where they are struggling. Helps teachers identify gaps in knowledge.
- Accessible. Students just need an internet-connected device to play. Available on web and as an app.
- Slido
- Easy to use and set up for both presenters and audience. Many reviews highlighted the intuitive interface.
- Integrates seamlessly into presentation tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides. This helps presenters toggle between slides and Slido easily.
- Provides various interactive features like polls, Q&As, word clouds to engage audience. Keeps audience interested and involved.
- Allows anonymous participation which encourages shy/hesitant people to contribute.
- Provides instant analytics and feedback through real-time results. Helps presenters adjust content accordingly.
- Doozy
- Easy to use and user friendly interface.
- Good for team engagement, especially for remote teams.
- Has features like games, quizzes, icebreakers that make meetings more interactive.
- Allows hosting events and meetings easily.
- Provides insights and analytics.
A connected team is an engaged team, and an engaged team will drive your company’s productivity to unprecedented heights.
In 2020, Gallup, an American analytics and advisory company, studied more than 100,000 businesses to find answers to questions about employee engagement. Their results showed that companies with highly engaged teams are 21% more profitable than disengaged teams. They also discovered that engaged teams were 17% more productive than disengaged teams.
An engaged team is a well-oiled machine because everything just works.
As you can imagine, a lot goes into building engaged teams, and helping co-workers become comfortable with each other is a relatively fast route to doing this. Therefore, building engaged teams has to be essential to your culture, especially in remote work settings where team members don’t interact as often.
Enter icebreakers.
Icebreakers exist to “break the ice” and get people through potentially uncomfortable and high-pressure situations. We're explaining the benefits of icebreakers and which are the best tools for you to use with your team.
What Are Icebreakers?
Icebreakers are an enjoyable and effective way to guide your team members toward knowing each other, building relationships, and driving collaboration. Whether you’re onboarding a new hire, launching a new team, or looking for a perfect start to a meeting, icebreakers help you set the tone.
What Are the Benefits of Icebreakers?
The primary goal of an icebreaker is to remove any trace of awkwardness from a workplace. Interestingly, its potential influence on an organization's mood or “vibe” makes it even more rewarding. Specifically, icebreakers help to:
- Increase the rate of interaction and engagement within an organization
- Build a sense of community amongst teammates and co-workers
- Unlock a new level of empathy and guide employees toward understanding different perspectives
What Questions Should You Ask Before Choosing an Icebreaker Activity?
Many options exist, as with almost everything related to employee engagement and productivity. To cut down to the most essential option that works and saves you time, it’s important to know what to look out for. There is not a one-size-fits-all way of doing this, but the following should guide you through the process:
- How Much Time Will It Take to Complete? - Most icebreakers last between two and 10 minutes, enough time to get the jitters out of the way. If it goes longer than 10 minutes, the odds of people getting bored and unengaged climb higher. A workaround is to switch activities as often as possible to keep things interesting.
- Is it Fun? - Remember that the point of icebreakers is to get people to be calm and comfortable with one another. So the icebreaker tool or activity must have a noticeable element of fun in it. That’s the only way your organization can get the best out of it.
- How Interactive is it? - The thing about an icebreaker, especially if you’re optimizing for engagement, is that the tool or activity must carry people along. For maximum efficiency, the employees must be invested and participate in it. An icebreaker incorporating active interaction between people is always the way to go.
- Is it Memorable? - For obvious reasons, an icebreaker that leaves a lasting impression in the minds of participants will be more effective than one that seems routine. As such, you should study the setup of an icebreaker and find out if it does a good job of evoking any powerful emotion.
The Best Icebreaker Tools for 2024
Now you know why you should incorporate icebreakers into your workplace activities. The next step is finding the best option to suit your organization’s specific needs. We’ve curated a list of 5 icebreaker tools for you to choose the best one for your team.
Pricing
$3.40 per user/month
- Free version
- No Seat Minimum
Are you wondering how best to build interactive activities your team will love? Goosechase might have the answer. Its core product presents organizations with various interactive experiences and games to connect and bond employees, increasing their chances of collaborating better. It’s a good setup for onboarding new employees and organizing team-building activities. Whether your team works remotely, on-site, or in a hybrid arrangement, Goosechase promises to deliver experiences they’ll love and break the ice while at it. For the most part, participants only have to download the app to join the fun. The best part is that the activities are easily customizable and can accommodate any change you want. With Goosechase, icebreakers — through employee engagement activities — never have to be boring.
Why Goosechase?
- It is fun to set up and easy to play
- It is highly engaging and collaborative
- It’s easy to track live results and participant engagement
- Amazing customer support
Why Not Goosechase?
- Some users might encounter a few accessibility issues that may affect the gameplay
Feedback From Users:
Pros
- Makes scavenger hunts and competitions easy to set up and manage. Allows for real-time tracking of teams' progress.
- Engages users through fun, game-like interface. Users enjoy participating and being creative.
- Good for team building, onboarding new employees, and facilitating group activities. Brings people together.
- Easy to create missions/objectives and customize for your needs. Large bank of premade missions available.
- Allows users to easily submit photos/videos as proof of completing missions. Media can be downloaded later.
Cons
- Can be pricey, especially for large groups. Recent price increase for education customers.
- App can be buggy or crash at times. Some users have had login issues.
- Camera feature doesn't always work properly. Limits on video length.
- Missions not always released in proper order. Order and dependencies not clear.
- User interface and menus could be streamlined and simplified in places. Some features hard to find.
2
Assembly
Pricing
$2.80 per user/month
- Free version
- Free trial available
- Seat Minimum: 1 User
-da94620369b08d1461f465ef08d1b076.webp?3432)
Assembly helps organizations build solid, collaborative, productive, and result-oriented teams. They understand that teams work better when connected and have all the necessary tools within reach, which is why their solutions are integrated into one central hub. With over 200+ flows covering different employee engagement processes, they have all the bases covered — from employee recognition solutions to icebreakers.
Assembly’s icebreaker templates are helpful for onboarding new hires and getting them up to speed with the culture of the organization they’re joining. Similarly, this process carries the old employees along, charges them to learn interesting things about the new hires, and helps them settle into their new roles.
With the icebreaker template, you can:
- Create a quiz about anything and customize it to fit specific purposes
- Get feedback from every member of your team
- Engage your employees and encourage team-wide participation in onboarding processes
Why Assembly?
- It is trusted and used by over 3000 organizations around the world
- It is a one-stop shop for employee engagement, productivity, and HR needs
- The templates are easily customizable and require little technical knowledge
Why Not Assembly?
- No language localization capacity at the moment
Feedback From Users:
Pros
- Easy to use and intuitive interface. Many reviews mentioned Assembly is simple, easy to navigate, and user-friendly.
- Good customer support. Reviews mentioned Assembly's support team is responsive in resolving issues.
- Rewards redemption process is smooth. Users liked the gift card and other reward options that can be redeemed with points.
- Integrates well with Slack and Microsoft Teams. The integration makes giving recognition quick and seamless.
- Good for employee recognition and engagement. Reviews highlighted Assembly's peer-to-peer recognition features that help boost employee morale.
Cons
- Limitations in analytics and reporting features. Some reviews wanted more detailed analytics and user statistics.
- Creating flows and automations can be tricky. Reviews noted workflows and automations are sometimes hard to setup.
- Limited customization options for recognitions. Users wanted more ways to customize recognitions with images/GIFs.
- Lack of mobile apps earlier on. Reviews mentioned lack of mobile apps made it hard to use when not by a computer.
- Confusion due to branding changes. Reviews noted frequent name changes of the reward units was confusing initially.
3
Kahoot!
Pricing
$7.99 per user/month
- Free version
- No Seat Minimum
From the first look, it’s clear that Kahoot! has numerous use cases for organizations of varying sizes, which is not necessarily bad. The 11-year-old company is a leading provider of engagement solutions and is “trusted by 97% of Fortune 500 companies and used in more than 200 countries around the world”. Kahoot! 360, the solution designed for organizations, offers numerous icebreaker activities and options — from quizzes and trivia to two truths and a lie games — you can incorporate into your remote workplace meetings, presentations, and training to set the mood and help connect employees.
Why Kahoot!?
- Kahoot! works with popular video conferencing tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams
- It is fun to use and drives maximum interaction
- Players don’t need to create accounts to participate in the icebreaker activities
Why Not Kahoot!?
- The price might be too steep for small businesses
Feedback From Users:
Pros
- Engaging and interactive. Makes learning fun through gamification and competition. Gets students excited and motivated to participate.
- Easy to use. Simple and intuitive interface for both creators and players. Easy to make, find, and play quizzes.
- Customizable. Ability to add images, videos, and customize questions. Able to tailor quizzes to specific needs.
- Provides feedback. Gives real-time data on student responses to see where they are struggling. Helps teachers identify gaps in knowledge.
- Accessible. Students just need an internet-connected device to play. Available on web and as an app.
Cons
- Technical issues . Lag, glitches, and connectivity problems can disrupt games, especially with large groups.
- Limited question types. Mainly multiple choice questions. Doesn't allow more complex questions or assessments.
- Emphasis on speed. Focus on answering quickly rather than thoughtfully can lead to mistakes.
- Limited customization. More options for customizing features, themes, and appearance would be beneficial.
- Privacy concerns . Anyone with game code can join, leading to potential inappropriate names or behaviors.
4
Slido
Pricing
$12.50 per user/month
- Free version
- Free trial available
- No Seat Minimum
Slido’s primary objectives are to give everyone in your organization a chance to participate in team activities and make everyone feel heard. It doesn’t matter if your team is meeting physically or remotely; Slido makes your engagement and participation dreams come true. Their approach is to build Q&As, live polls, quizzes, etc., to make everyone feel connected and like an integral part of the team. The good thing is that Slido’s features can be easily customized and adapted into icebreakers. This way, you can get your meeting or other activities off to a great, positive, and productive start and sustain these elements until the end.
Why Slido?
- It has multiple language functions
- It supports integrations with other collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and Powerpoint
- It has a robust, feature-rich free plan
Why Not Slido?
- It can be difficult to navigate sometimes
Feedback From Users:
Pros
- Easy to use and set up for both presenters and audience. Many reviews highlighted the intuitive interface.
- Integrates seamlessly into presentation tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides. This helps presenters toggle between slides and Slido easily.
- Provides various interactive features like polls, Q&As, word clouds to engage audience. Keeps audience interested and involved.
- Allows anonymous participation which encourages shy/hesitant people to contribute.
- Provides instant analytics and feedback through real-time results. Helps presenters adjust content accordingly.
Cons
- Free version has limitations like only 3 polls per event. Need paid plans for full features.
- Can be confusing initially to figure out presenter vs audience views.
- Limitations around integrating with Mac PowerPoint and lack of native iOS app.
- Steep learning curve for some advanced customization features.
- Delay between activating polls/questions and results showing up. Can cause confusion.
5
Doozy
Pricing
$2.60 per user/month
- Free trial available
- No Seat Minimum
Doozy’s software enables “teams to build stronger connections through interactive and team events.” Doozy’s product fosters a united team in sync with one another, working toward a significant goal for the organization. Specifically, Doozy’s features are powerful enough to change routine meetings and onboarding sessions into fun sessions. With Doozy’s event builder, you can leverage existing templates to create quizzes, games, and icebreakers that your team will enjoy and share exciting experiences. The best part is that these features are also AI-powered, so you won’t have to do everything alone.
Why Doozy?
- Easy to navigate and intuitive tool
- You get new 30+ icebreakers every week to keep things fresh and interesting
- Doozy can be integrated with existing office tools like Slack and Calendar
- There is an option to pay monthly or annually
Why Not Doozy?
- The free plan has very limited functions
Feedback From Users:
Pros
- Easy to use and user friendly interface.
- Good for team engagement, especially for remote teams.
- Has features like games, quizzes, icebreakers that make meetings more interactive.
- Allows hosting events and meetings easily.
- Provides insights and analytics.
Cons
- Limitations in free version like no custom backgrounds.
- Video calls can get stuck sometimes.
- Should allow more participants per room in Team plan.
- Needs more marketing and visibility.
- Low internet connectivity can cause problems.
Conclusion
Your employees are the fuel that powers the engine, which in this case, is your organization. You want to figure out every way to set them up for success. When they collaborate effectively and work as a team, productivity shoots up. Icebreakers have proven effective in building closely-knit teams and encouraging employee participation in the company’s activities. If you add this to the fact that they’re also fun, you realize that incorporating icebreakers into the work culture is a win-win situation. Therefore, it’s worth thinking about icebreakers and considering the best option or tool for your organization. With this article, you don’t have to spend too much time on this process. The above-listed tools will help you get the best out of icebreakers.
