Icebreakers are so helpful as a tool for team meetings – even if your team already knows one another. Here is one of my favorite icebreaker activities using AI for an extra fun twist. Prompt included!
Each month, I host a team meeting with everyone in my org. These are virtual meetings and involve bringing formerly siloed teams together in an already heavy meeting environment. It can be challenging to make sure everyone has an opportunity to participate, feels heard and seen while making sure we get the most value out of our time together. I am very conscious of not meeting just to meet!
How do you keep everyone engaged? For starters, it’s helpful to break the ice!
Icebreaker activities may initially be received with some eye-rolling (especially cheesy ones), but they truly do wonders to lighten the mood, foster communication, and build a positive team culture. It’s amazing what you can learn about everyone during an icebreaker. Here are some practical tips…
First: Create an Engaged & Inclusive Environment
To make everyone comfortable, create engagement and feel inclusive, I invite a team member to co-lead the monthly meeting with me. I choose a different person each time so that everyone gets a chance to co-lead.
Why do I do this? A few reasons:
1. Connection: With a large team, it gives me a chance to connect 1:1 with a member of the team I don’t work with regularly.
2. Relevance: It helps me keep a pulse on the team’s interests and bring new perspectives and creativity to the meeting agenda.
3. Visibility: It gives my co-lead extra visibility and an opportunity to represent the team so it’s a good use of time.
This sets the tone for the meeting as collaborative and a brings a sense of anticipation.
Now it’s time for the ice-breaker! Credit for this one goes to one of my meeting co-leads (Tessa) who suggested this activity and it was a big hit!
Icebreaker Concept: Discover Your Work Superhero Persona
With a little help from AI, this process is fun and easy. For this icebreaker, I used Microsoft Copilot for work but you might be able to use other tools.
Following the prompts below, Microsoft Copilot will generate a “persona” for each individual based on their data and provide new superhero traits and behaviors. Note – if doing this in a work environment, ensure you have access to Microsoft Copilot for work.
How it works:
- Open the Copilot feature in the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Navigate to the “work” tab.
- Enter the following prompt:“Using the information you have about me, my writing and my work, create a Superhero with the superpowers you think I possess. Help me define my personal brand. Reference the last six months of my work, emails, chats etc. to help shape a personal brand fitting to me. Word the brand description as an elevator pitch about what I do and reflect my characteristics. Put in headers and be imaginative. Include sections about my superpowers, my allies, my nemesis, my base of operations, my signature moves.”
- Copilot will generate your personalized results.
- Share your persona with the team via chat!
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- What is your superhero name?
- What are your superpowers?
- Tag your allies if they’re on the team call.
- What are your signature moves?
- Who/what is your nemesis?
*Bonus Tip* Ask Microsoft Copilot to turn your persona into a poem/song/rap and share it with the team for some extra fun.
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson
As an example, here are my persona results:
Superhero Brand: The Web Weaver
Superpowers:
- Strategic Vision: With the ability to see the bigger picture and connect the dots, you’ve orchestrated complex web marketing strategies, ensuring every thread aligns with the overarching goals of the organization.
- Collaborative Strength: Your power to unite top collaborators has fortified alliances across projects, leading to seamless executions and shared victories.
- Innovative Spark: Your knack for innovation is evident in the way you’ve leveraged insights from emails and chats to drive web marketing initiatives forward, always staying ahead of the curve.
Nemesis:
- The ever-looming Status Quo. In a world where digital stagnation is the enemy, you battle to keep the web experience fresh, engaging, and ahead of competitors.
Base of Operations:
- The Digital Command Center: A hub where strategy, creativity, and data converge. Here, you monitor the pulse of web marketing, deploying campaigns with precision and flair.
Signature Moves:
- The Strategic Spin: A move where you weave complex data into clear, actionable strategies.
- The Collaborative Web: Drawing in allies from across departments to form a resilient network that executes flawlessly.
- The Innovation Blast: Unleashing a surge of creativity to overhaul and enhance digital experiences.
Elevator Pitch
- “I am the Web Weaver, SENIOR DIRECTOR of WEB MARKETING at the forefront of the digital frontier. Harnessing the collective might of my allies and my strategic acumen, I craft web experiences that captivate and convert. My mission is to vanquish the mundane, champion innovation, and lead the charge in the ever-evolving realm of web marketing.”
To my surprise, the team took their individual results and put them into a PowerPoint file to collect all of the information across our org. They even used their persona information to create an AI-generated visual using the designer tool.
Incorporating creative tools like this one has not only helped improve team engagement but it was an innovative way to uncover and celebrate all of the unique strengths of the team.
Dare I say we actually had fun too?!
So the next time you’re planning a team meeting, consider using AI to discover your inner superhero—you might just find new ways to connect and collaborate!
As always, thanks for reading.
