Get-to-know-you games are a great way to break the ice and build connections between team members during team-building sessions.
They allow colleagues to open up and share details about their lives and interests in a fun, low-pressure environment.
This guide will provide an overview of using get-to-know-you games for team building, highlight some best practices, and provide examples of games to try.
Background on Get-To-Know-You Games for Team Building
Get-to-know-you games have long been a staple of team building sessions, retreats, and workshops.
The goal is to foster team bonding and create an atmosphere of trust and familiarity.
When team members better understand each other as individuals, this can improve communication, collaboration, and empathy across the team.
Get-to-know-you games prompt colleagues to share lighthearted facts and stories about themselves. This gives insight into each person’s personality, background, family, hobbies, pet peeves, and more. The informal nature of the games encourages authentic and humorous interactions between team members.
Features of Effective Get-To-Know-You Games
The most effective get-to-know-you games are simple, interactive, and inclusive. They should require active participation and sharing from all team members and focus on fun and friendly conversation rather than competition or complex rules.
Some key features of good get-to-know-you games include:
- Easy to explain and execute
- Rounds that move quickly to engage all players
- Thought-provoking and lighthearted questions or prompts
- Opportunities for storytelling and follow-up questions
- Room for humor and creative responses
- A focus on equal participation
Benefits of Get-To-Know-You Games
Using get-to-know-you games during team-building activities has many benefits, including:
- Breaking down barriers between team members
- Discovering unexpected commonalities and shared interests
- Promoting open communication and vulnerability
- Lightening the mood and having fun together
- Helping identify team players’ complementary strengths
- Fostering trust, empathy, and rapport within the team
- Integrating new hires into the team culture
Steps for Using Get-To-Know-You Games
If you want to incorporate get-to-know-you games into your next team-building session, here are some tips:
- Choose a low-pressure time when the team is relaxed and receptive.
- Pick 2-3 short and simple games appropriate for your team.
- Explain the rules and have players introduce themselves before starting.
- Keep the focus on having fun and getting to know each other better.
- Play in rounds so each person gets a turn, and keep rounds fast-paced.
- Have team members share takeaways about their colleagues after finishing the games.
Best Practices for Get-To-Know-You Games
To maximize the team-building value of get-to-know-you games, keep these best practices in mind:
- Set a welcoming tone – Emphasize that the goal is to have fun and get to know each other better.
- Make participation voluntary – Don’t require people to share if uncomfortable.
- Use icebreaker questions – Start with non-intrusive questions before getting more personal.
- Take turns – Give everyone equal time to share and get to know their colleagues.
- Remain judgment-free – Don’t criticize or make fun of people’s responses.
- Balance speaking and listening – Make sure both happen so it’s a two-way conversation.
- Allow humor – Laughter goes a long way toward creating connections.
- Follow up with questions – Dig deeper into interesting tidbits that come up.
- Be inclusive – Draw in quieter team members and make sure no one is left out.
- Keep it moving – Involve the whole team by keeping a brisk pace.
- Wrap up with takeaways – Have people share what they learned about each other.
Example Get-To-Know-You Games
Here are some fun and simple get-to-know-you games to try at your next team-building session:
- Two Truths and a Lie – People share two true facts about themselves and one lie. The team guesses which statement is the lie.
- Personal Scavenger Hunt – Create a list of get-to-know-you questions (e.g., favorite food, proudest accomplishment, dream vacation). Teammates mingle, asking each other questions and filling in responses.
- Storytime – Have each person share a 1-minute story about an exciting experience in their life.
- Desert Island – Ask each person to name one thing they would bring if stranded on a desert island.
- Who Am I? – Have team members secretly write down the name of a famous person or character. Tape names on backs and mingle, asking yes/no questions to guess identity.
- What’s My Name? – Ask colleagues to share the story behind their name and what it means.
- Interview Game – Pair up teammates. Partners take turns interviewing each other and then introduce their partner to the group.
- Word Association – Start a random word (e.g., kangaroo). The next person says the first word that comes to mind. Continue around the team.
- Never Have I Ever—Each person shares something they’ve never done. Anyone who has done it removes a finger. The last player with fingers left wins.
- Common Ground – Teammates state random facts about themselves (e.g. have two dogs, love sushi, from a small town). Anyone with something in common raises their hand.
- Personal Trivia—In advance, have team members submit 5 interesting facts about themselves. Then, read the facts aloud and have teammates guess who each fact is about.
- Team Superlatives – As a group, nominate teammates for silly superlatives based on first impressions (e.g., most likely to sing in the car, most organized desk, best dancer).
Summary
Get-to-know-you games are a time-tested way to unite team members and lay the groundwork for better collaboration, communication, and empathy.
Simple, interactive games and icebreakers that require equal participation from all provide insight into team players’ personalities and backgrounds.
Keep the focus on fun and use these games as a jumping-off point to make meaningful connections across your team.
With 30+ years of experience, Catherine Fitzgerald, B.A., M.A., PGDip, founded Oak Innovation in 1995. Catherine received her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s from University College Cork. She holds qualifications in Professional Development And Training from University College Galway. She is completing a second Master’s from University College Cork. Since 1995, clients include Apple, Time Warner, and Harvard University.
