An icebreaker is a brief facilitation exercise intended to help members of a group begin the process of working together or forming a team. They are commonly presented as games to "warm up" a group by helping members get to know each other and often focus on sharing personal information such as names or hobbies.
Although they have become popular over the years, there is a good number of people who dislike them, with some feeling they are a waste of time.
Purpose
An icebreaker should be related to the subject or the purpose of the meeting. For example, if a collaborative learning environment is needed for a training project, then an icebreaker exercise that promotes collaboration could be chosen. If the subject of the meeting is literature, then the subject of the meeting could be introduced through an exercise that revolves around a participant's favourite books. Most icebreakers should promote an appropriate level of self-disclosure, as this builds trust between participants in the group and helps develop group cohesiveness.