Tips for the Ice Breaker Speech

For the icebreaker speech the objectives are:

• To introduce you to speaking before an audience
• To help you see what your strengths and weaknesses are regarding your presentations
• To tell us something about yourself

Try a simple structure for your talk. Usually, there are 3 parts:

1. Opening - start with an attention-grabbing opening line or lines. "Well here I am finally doing my ice breaker" I'm the quiet one who sits at the back and never volunteers for speeches"
2. Body - pick only 3 or 4 main points to discuss. You can talk about where you went to school, your upbringing, a passion, hobby or interest you have, your career, etc. But try to focus on one area, and try not to give us too much detailed information. The best ice-breakers are usually conversational. Instead of relying on notes, she used a memorized opening, then talked candidly about her career experiences, wrapping up with a clever line.
3. Conclusion - This can be a line or lines you've memorized or at least have a definite idea of your closing line, but try not to read from notes. Eye-contact and presence are more important.

Notes and Tips:

• Nothing warms an audience more than by showing pictures (even if they are in your wallet) of your family or pets and describing what they mean to you.
• The audience can really feel for you if you mention the dream job for which you were turned down, or the distrastrous vacation with your best friend last summer.
• Try to personalize parts as much as possible-Your job, why you enjoy it and the characters in the office.