I’ve got Claude on my left and ChatGPT on my right. In the next two minutes, I’m going to show you an AI icebreaker group activity that takes zero prep and creates zero cringe. It works with any group, whether you’re in person or virtual, whether there’s 10 people or a 100 or a thousand.
After this video, there will be no more “let’s go around the room and share a fun fact.” No more “if you were an animal, what would you be?” But you will have a really clever, simple-to-implement activity that makes you look smart. It leverages AI at what it’s really good at, but really uplifts the collective wisdom and the humanity in the room. And the best part of all, it connects people to the purpose of why they are there in that gathering.
A Quick PSA on the Word “Icebreaker”
Seven-second public service announcement here real quick. Even though the title of this video has the word icebreaker in it, and so do a bunch of other videos on the channel, I exist to gently eradicate the word icebreaker and replace it with connection before content.
I think the way, especially in the age of AI, that we connect with each other is paramount. We need to be leaning more toward depth of connection and real human connection, not away from it. And this activity actually brings that to life. It uses technology as a medium to connect over something really meaningful.
In a moment, we’ll get practical and I’ll actually have Claude and ChatGPT talking to each other in a live demo of this exercise. But here’s the essence of it.
The 2-Minute AI Icebreaker for Meetings (Step by Step)
I’m pondering it as the opening exercise for the Connectors Summit this December. So I’ll demo it using the word “connector,” but you can plug in any word that’s central to the purpose of your gathering.
Step 1: Ask Everyone to Define a Word That Matters
Pick a word that captures the purpose of your meeting, training, or session. Then ask everyone in the room to define it.
If you’re virtual, have them type their definition in the chat, but tell them not to hit enter yet. Everybody types at the same time, so nobody is influenced by what others wrote.
If you’re in person, you can start a voice memo and have people speak out their definitions, or you can have people scan a QR code and submit definitions there.
The idea is you collect a few hundred definitions for that one word.
Step 2: Have AI Synthesize the Collective Wisdom
Paste those definitions into Claude, ChatGPT, or your AI “drug” of choice. Then run a prompt like:
Can you take all of these individual definitions for the word connector and combine them into one beautifully crafted collective definition that really uplifts and captures the wisdom in this community?
Quick Easter egg for you: Wispr Flow, if you haven’t used it, I just press the option key and it pops out a transcription. It’s lovely and has reduced the amount that I type by 80%.
You can also ask the AI to generate 5 different versions of the combined definition that you can read back to the group. Here’s one Claude gave me on the fly:
A connector is someone who architects belonging, turning a room full of individuals into a circle of possibility.
Or:
A connector is someone who architects belonging. They lower the risk of joining in. Notice who’s left out. Turn proximity…
Step 3: Turn Everybody Into an Editor
Here’s where the connection part of this kicks in. This is actually almost more of a context hook than an icebreaker. It’s a way to loop everybody into the purpose of your gathering.
So think about what is the course you’re teaching, the idea you’re trying to get across, the thing that is most important about the purpose of that gathering. Have people all contribute some thoughts to that. Then have AI arrange it. Then put the AI-generated definition up on a screen, or read it back to the group a couple of times.
Then send people into groups of three to discuss what really clicks with them about that definition.
The framing I’d use is: turn everybody into an editor. You’ve had the group co-define. You’ve had AI arrange it into one definition. And then when you send people back into small groups and invite them to edit the AI-generated definition, what ends up happening is they start advocating and talking about what’s important to them.
It sounds like, “Oh, this part really resonates with me. I really like that. I see that show up in my work. This part feels like it’s missing for me.”
People get to know a bit about each other. They get to connect with each other. They get to connect to the purpose of why they are there. And the prompt invites them to share something true for them, to speak a bit of their truth.
Why This Works Better Than Most Icebreakers for Adults
For me, those are the three essential criteria that move something from an icebreaker to connection before content:
- People connect with each other.
- People connect to the purpose of the gathering.
- People share something true for them.
Connection before content is much more intentional, productive, and useful. It actually makes meetings go faster, not slower. And over time, it creates an immense amount of communication shortcuts inside a team.
Want to try this with your team? Grab free tools to make it happen right here.
Your Job
Now, here’s your job. Ruthlessly steal and reinterpret this idea. Apply it to your own context and go use it to make a difference in your own groups.
Have an awesome day. And perhaps I’ll see you at the Connectors Summit this December, a live experience where facilitators, trainers, and leaders come together to practice, connect, and reset.
Want to go even deeper? Register your interest for The Contribution Method this spring, a live masterclass where you’ll learn to design sessions people actually want to be in.
Have an awesome day!
