When you have a scheduled board meeting, you know the script. It's the usual song and dance routine. How you wish there could be some meeting icebreakers once in a while like the ones you enjoyed in a regional conference way back. You remember how easy it was to get along with new acquaintances and work together as a team. The meeting icebreakers did that to everybody. These broke the tedium when discussions were becoming a bit too technical or long winded. You agree with yourself that these are the tricks to be adopted and modified for use in the boardroom.
On the way to the meeting, you already imagine co-workers trooping to the boardroom take their seats and try to take the seats farthest away from the boss. So you hurry along, targeting the chair nearest the door before somebody else gets the same idea. You all bring along your laptops or your notepads and pencils (something to doodle with). The moment the boss enters the boardroom, there is a tense silence. Everybody is gauging the boss's mood. When the boss smiles, there's something great going on and everybody relaxes their hackles. When the boss's lips are a thin, straight line, everybody acts like those days when their monthly mortgage payment is overdue. It's real grim when the boss is not feeling kind and this has an impact on the mood of the meeting. But everybody has perfected the art of looking interested and intelligent while the boss jabbers away, so the boardroom is packed with self-made actors.
Get Ideas Going With Meeting Icebreakers
It should not be a fixed notion that small meetings of 10-15 people do not need icebreakers. The boardroom is the sounding board of ideas and strategies. The boss should know how to keep the think-tank going and meeting icebreakers are just what the people need to relax to keep their creative juices flowing.
During small meetings, somebody is assigned or volunteers to be the meeting icebreakers master. He or she simply comes up with little games to defuse tension or break the monotony. One of those icebreakers are brief one-liners.
An example would be naming an animal starting with the first letter of the participants' names. The participants choose the animal best suited to his personality. Another would be a funny action song to stretch arms and legs after sitting too long. These usually generate laughter. But don't make your meeting icebreakers too long or too short. If they're too long, these can distract the participants' attention from the serious issues at hand. If these are too short, the participants feel shortchanged.
Why not whisper to your boss's ear that boardroom icebreakers can help? He or she will be thankful for this suggestion. In the midst of all his work and attendant worries, it is understandable that these icebreakers are overlooked.
You can create meeting icebreakers suited to your type of meeting. One is to ask a question related to your corporate activities answerable by yes or no. Pick out two or three people to elaborate their answers. This will set the tone of the meeting in the right direction.
Go ahead and help your boss. You'll rid the boardroom of the boredom and people will thank you for your smart move.