Hi Janet,
Thank you for sharing this great ice breaker to get your students involved in the class from the very beginning. For instructors, including myself that teach foundational or required courses of a general nature it is a challenge to get the students engaged and for them to see the value of the course we are teaching. This gets them to thinking from the very beginning of the course as well as letting them see how effective communication is critical in job settings.
Gary
As a communication instructor, I want the students to start communicating with each other, and, begin to understand the importance and the intricacies of effective communication, immediately. Many students do not feel the class is necessary, so their attitudes are rather negative. For an ice breaker, I put the class in small groups and asking each group to come to a consensus as to the 5 most effective communicators living or dead and why. After about 10 to 15 minutes, each group presents its names and we have a class discussion. This seems to help motivate the students and, also, they begin to learn that effective communication has many facets and it is not simply opening the mouth and saying words.
