Serious Ice Breaker Games & Activities

Many ice breaker activities are designed to be fun or silly. These lighthearted games are great for getting people to open up and spark connections.

But they won’t help colleagues get to know each other on a deeper level. That’s where serious ice breakers can help.

These activities focus on personal values, characteristics, and ambitions. As a result, they’re less about quick answers and more about thoughtful responses.

Choose both the game and the setting wisely. Opt for serious ice breakers when you want to encourage virtual team building and cultivate a true sense of collaboration.

The Values Exercise works well for prompting more serious answers. Here’s how it works:

Ask each team member to choose a value that’s important to them. Consider establishing a theme to ensure everyone speaks on a work-appropriate topic.

Then, go around and have each person talk about why it matters to them. Set a time limit (e.g., 1 minute) to allow enough time for everyone to speak.

Afterward, create a narrative thread that ties everyone’s values together. This reinforces camaraderie, aligns everyone toward shared goals, and improves teamwork.

You can also make it easy for team members with similar values to connect. Use Livestorm’s direct messaging integration to allow participants to chat privately.