Workshop Game: Workshop Warriors

This game is part of the custom workshop I create and facilitate for a product team when I first join the project.

Last week, I introduced a simple ice-breaker that I like to use in my workshops. The game relied on index cards with personas. This next ice-breaker is similar, but it's meant as a way for everyone involved in the workshop to get to know each other.

I usually open with this game because I want to know the team and them to know me. Also, I use this game to introduce some of the concepts of the workshop that participants might find weird. Concepts like working together alone.

The game is called Workshop Warriors.

Prior to the workshop starting, I ask each participant to send me a photo of themselves. I then print each photo and glue it to an index card and write down the person’s name underneath each photo, leaving enough room underneath the name.

Here's how you play it.

• Time needed: Varies, depending on the number of participants. 5 minutes + 2 minutes per participant
• Participants: 4 - 20
• Materials: Index cards or rectangular sticky notes
• Prep work: The pre-made index cards you prepared

You, or the facilitator, can simply introduce the game by saying:

We’re going to play a game called Workshop Warriors. The purpose of this game is to break the ice and get us in the mood for the workshop. I want to show you that the games we will play today are easy to pick up, straightforward to understand and fun to play. We’re playing this game because we want to get to know each other a little bit more.

And then start explaining the steps of the game:

1. I’ve created for each of you a trading card with your name and the photo you sent me before the workshop.
2. Take 5 minutes to write down on your card, underneath your name, one thing that the other people in the room might not know about you yet.
3. After the time is up, we will trade cards with each other.
4. You will read aloud the card you got and ask the workshop warrior on the card one question.
5. After they answer, they will read aloud the card they have and can ask a question about the card they’re holding.
6. We will continue to do this until we run out of cards.

Now, set a timer for 5 minutes and instruct everyone to get to work.

There should be no talking during the first 5 minutes when they fill in their cards. Afterwards, it's the facilitator's job to try to keep each question/answer pair to under 2 minutes and avoid any long discussions.

You won't actually end up using these cards in the workshop, but you'll have introduced the participants to the format of the workshop and to each other. Even if teams have been working together for quite some time, they'll always be surprised by some of the things written down on those cards.