Breaking the Ice with Strengths: Fun CliftonStrengths Icebreakers for Teams
“What great leaders have in common is that each truly knows his or her strengths — and can call on the right strength at the right time.”
- Don Clifton, Father of Strengths Psychology, 1924 - 2003
Fact: Leaders are only as strong as the connections they build with each person they work with. Developing these connections, however, requires you to build trust with your colleagues. It also requires you to break the ice so everyone feels safe and comfortable enough to speak up and collaborate effectively, especially when challenges arise.
In my experience, using strengths-based activities not only breaks the ice, it also sets the stage for a more connected and productive team.
So, whether you’re leading a new group for the first time, or you’re looking to refresh dynamics in an established one, here are some of my favorite CliftonStrengths icebreaker ideas for teams like yours.
Icebreaker #1: Strengths Bingo!
Strengths Bingo is a fast and fun way to get your team talking about their strengths. After each member has completed their CliftonStrengths Assessment, you can bring your team together so they can talk and learn who is strongest in what areas.
How to play Strengths Bingo:
Create bingo cards with different StrengthsFinders themes listed in each square and hand these out to the team. Alternatively, instead of the CliftonStrengths themes, use fun facts, like “I don’t like spicy food” or “I have more than four siblings.”
Explain the rules of bingo, and once aligned, get people up and interacting with one another so they can find out each other’s strengths.
Whoever fills in a complete row on their bingo card first shouts “Bingo!” and wins the game.
🚨 Bonus Tip!
Create your own Bingo Cards at My Free Bingo Cards.
Icebreaker #2: The Marshmallow Challenge
You probably know (and have previously played) the Marshmallow Challenge. The aim of this game is to split your group into smaller teams and task them to build the tallest freestanding structure using only spaghetti, string, tape and marshmallows.
Why is this a good CliftonStrengths icebreaker? Quite simply, you’ll learn a lot about the nature of your team’s collaboration and leadership styles.
How to play the Marshmallow Challenge - Option 1:
Give each group a handful of uncooked spaghetti, some string and tape, and some marshmallows.
Next, put 15 minutes on the clock and instruct your teams to use these items to build the tallest freestanding structure possible.
When the timer runs out, measure the towers and name your winner!
How to play the Marshmallow Challenge - Option 2:
Give each group half a bag of mini marshmallows, 100-200 toothpicks, a piece of cardboard, scissors, and gold coins (or Hershey’s Kisses).
Next, put 20-30 minutes on the clock and instruct your teams to use these items to build the longest bridge possible.
The bridge should be ~ 1 foot long and be placed between two chairs, approximately 1 foot apart.
When the timer runs out, ask each group to place a piece of cardboard on top of each bridge and stack them with coins (or kisses). The group who can hold the most number of coins (or kisses) is declared the winner!
A great way to debrief from this icebreaker activity is to ask the group these questions:
What did you notice during the activity?
What strengths of yours helped or hindered the team’s progress?
Who in your group stood out?
Who took charge, and how did they do so?
What collective strengths did you notice in the group?
What collective blind spots did you notice in the group?
This will help you understand your own strengths, your team’s group strengths, and more importantly, it might help you uncover some of their blindspots, too!
💡 Did you know?
When it comes to strengths-based leadership, Gallup found that people who develop their CliftonStrengths are 6x as likely to be engaged in their jobs and 3x as likely to report having an excellent quality of life.
Icebreaker #3: The Strengths Manifesto
This activity comes directly from Gallup, the official administrators of the CliftonStrengths assessment. How this game works is as follows:
Individual team members respond to four prompts and play them back to the rest of the group. This creates a space where your team can collaboratively begin to understand how specific strengths may work together more productively.
How to play:
Have your team independently answer these four prompts:
You get the best of me when….
You get the worse of me when…
You can count on me to…
What I need from you is…
Next, go around the room and have each individual read their manifesto aloud. We recommend giving each person ~5 minutes to share their manifesto.
Facilitate a group discussion around how different members and different strengths can interact with one another to help bring the best out of the collective team.
🚨 Bonus Tip!
Many people don’t like being put on the spot. To make the most out of this activity, we recommend you give people instructions before the in-person session so they have time to prepare.
What’s great about this CliftonStrengths icebreaker activity is that you can carry these manifestos forward into real-world work. To give an example:
If Jason has a high Learner Strength, you might have him run an R&D project where he can deep dive into educational resources that he can distill and playback for the rest of the team what he learned. You might also pair Jason with Annaleise – someone with a high Responsibility Strength – who will take psychological ownership over the project and ensure project work is delivered up to standard and on time. This is a great balance for someone like Jason, who’s blind spot may be to keep learning and keep pushing off execution.
Unlock your team’s potential with these fun CliftonStrengths icebreakers
Grounding your team icebreakers in the CliftonStrengths framework is a great way to bring everyone closer together and celebrate what makes each person unique.
Whether you’re playing Strengths Bingo, tackling the Marshmallow Challenge, or crafting a Strengths Manifesto, these activities can transform team dynamics and build stronger connections.
Got your own favorite icebreaker? Get in touch with us here – we’d love to hear all about it!
Explore our workshops and learn how Reframed Coaching is using the CliftonStrengths framework to help new and first-time leaders excel at work.