Ice breakers

[Lisbeth]

I've belonged to several organizations that liked to use ice breakers (and seen them in other social situations too).  I've heard people say how cheesy they were or how ineffective, but sometimes they really seem to work.

What ice breakers work for you, and what doesn't?

[RoseRose]

The cheesier, the better, as long as the organizers know they're cheesy and are playing off of it.  Get everyone laughing, and not worrying about the form of the ice breaker so much as the enjoyment.  Basically, use it to have fun, not to "get to know each other".  If you have fun, the getting to know each other should flow from that.

[Cupcake Fiend]

I like ice breakers and shower games and stuff.  I have a REALLY hard time making small talk and anything that gives me something to say/ask/talk about is good in my book

We played one at a baby shower I threw for a friend where I asked everyone who RSVP'd to tell me one unusual thing about themselves (was in the military, has lived in the same house for their entire life, and has their pilot's license were some of the answers)  I put all the answers down on a sheet of paper and gave it to everyone who came, and the idea was to talk to everyone else and find out who went with each item.  It went over pretty well!  I added a few generic things in too so some people fit more than one category.

We are a game-playing group so that was one of several games I came up with for that shower.

[housewife2k]

I've always been a fan of the quirky ice breaker. One of my favorites is "If I lose your interest, just yell." as in "Hi, I'm HW2K, I tend to ramble, so if I lose your interest, just yell."  followed closely by "Why do they call it breaking the ice? Is it dangerous, could we fall in? Does small talk have an inferiority complex...discuss."