Get to know you meetings aren’t usually explicitly called that, but are the first time meeting up with a large group or the first day of classes. Some people do plan those meetings, some college clubs for example may make the first meeting a get to know you one so new members don’t feel super awkward. If you have to run one or want to introduce friends who have never met or hung out much to each other, I’ve come up with some get to know you meetings games and ideas to make it feel more natural and comfortable to get to know each other.
Get to know you meetings don’t need to be all about getting vulnerable and sharing your life story! They can be fun and casual, with the intent on encouraging people to interact with each other. You could just make the whole night e about playing family feud, but I think it would flow smoothly if you do a small ice breaker introducing yourselves or just catching up, playing the game for a while – making sure everyone has been on the same team at least once – and wrapping up by planning something else soon.
I personally like playing family feud at get to know you meetings because it involves brainstorming with your friends, can open up conversations to funny stories or things that have happened to people, and can be played as quickly or slowly as you like. You can look up questions with answers to make it easy on you. There are lots of resources for family feud online, or you can come up with your own questions. The nice thing about online is that the answers are pretty broad and the point breakdown is all done for you, so less work. It is all up to you though! Definitely recommend this if you’re short on time or want a fun game to play!
Don’t hate me for suggesting this. Singing awfully with someone you just met or someone you barely know is nerve wracking for anyone. But if at least one of you goes all out and has fun with it and gets everyone involved, it’s going to be a good time. Before I tried this, I thought anything that involved looking like a goofball or doing something really embarrassing was a bad idea. You definitely need to read the people who you’re going to be hosting the get to know you meetings for, but I think any group can thrive with it. It’ll be a hit it one or two people are really into it, because then everyone else will relax, but even if everyone feels awkward it’s going to be a fun time.
This is reaching more into the get to know you area instead of an activity or game. Highs and lows are sharing the high point of your past week and also the low point. People can choose to go into as much detail or as little detail as they feel comfortable sharing (and I think it is important to emphasize that) and everyone must share. It’s a great way to break the ice, but you can make it the main part of your get to know you meetings by having people elaborate or draw out their highs and lows or do something creative with it. I like this icebreaker and if you set a good example when you share first and explain the purpose of it, it’ll run smoothly.
This is when someone draws one part of something, it can literally be anything, stops after 1 minute, passes it to the person next to or across from them, they draw another part for 1 minute, and then it’s handed off to a final person who draws the final half. Unravel the folded parts of the paper or sheet or whatever it was drawn on and a lovely collaboration drawing will be there.
This requires more of a heads up to the people who are coming to the get to know you meetings. The simple breakdown of this is each person will get 15 or 30 minutes to have everyone do what the one person does for self care. Choose the length of time each person gets by looking at how many people showed up, and then let everyone do their thing. People can bring stuff to do, bring stuff to read or bring something to teach. It’s a great way to see how people relax and unwind, and also get to know that person. Ways people unwind say a lot about them and if people do the same thing, that creates mutual understanding and relatability, which is what everyone wants with new friends.
This is one of the more obvious get to know you meetings ideas. Let people know something like, “Today we’re going to draw significant life events and then use the drawings to share our life,” let them know they can choose any life events and they can start at any moment in their life. It doesn’t have to be a from birth to now timeline, but if that’s what they want to draw, then they should draw it. Make sure to bring markers and pens and paper. This would be fun for artsy people, but it’s fun for any group too. Encourage people to share things that are significant in their lives, even if it’s not a stereotypically significant moment. It’s a good way to get to know each other and is easy to follow and execute.
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