A Welcome Mixer Where New Coworkers Can Start Talking

This set cures the blank-opening problem: coworkers look for people who match the printed statements. Nobody needs company history or a ready-made anecdote. Keep your own sheet handy so you can demonstrate without borrowing someone's half-finished page.

Model one exchange, then step back

2

Explain the two-space signing limit

Tell players to mingle and find coworkers who fit the statements. Each coworker may sign up to two spaces. Model an introduction and a question using one printed item, then encourage people to meet someone beyond the colleague they arrived with.

The limit does real work. Without it, two friends can sit together and fill most of a sheet while your newest colleague is still looking for an opening. Say the rule once and show where the signatures go. Repeat it quietly if someone joins late.

Let anyone pass on a personal prompt without explaining why. Then watch the edges of the room. When a conversation stalls, a quick introduction from you can restart it: names first, then let the pair look at their sheets together.

Call time while people still have something to say

3

Call everyone back for a gentle close

Announce the finish before you hand out the sheets, then bring the room back together at that time. Invite volunteers to share something they discovered through conversation. Thank the group and point people toward the next part of the gathering, such as lunch or an informal chat.

You don't need to read out every completed space. The hunt did its job if people now have a name and a starting point for the next conversation. Leave a little time afterward so someone can go back to a chat they were enjoying before announcements start.

In a small team, some spaces will stay blank because fewer people are around to ask. Close with conversation, not a completion contest. Don't stretch the round just to make the sheets look finished.

Need more than one game? The 25-activity bundle

The Icebreaker Games Bundle has 25 activities, including Emoji Conversation Starters, Meet and Mingle Would You Rather and Common Ground Race. Its full-page Letter and A4 PDFs have 40 pages each; the matching two-up files have 22 pages each. All four formats contain the same game selection.

Pick one activity from the menu before guests arrive. The full-page files give people more writing space, while the game-aware two-up layouts keep connected two-page games together on a landscape sheet. Print the selected directions along with the player pages, and gather any supplies those directions call for.

Seated option: picture bingo

Office Bingo gives everyone something to look at together. Its 50 player boards use workplace object pictures, and the caller draws from 36 illustrated calling cards. Because it runs on picture matching, a new hire can play without knowing anyone at the table.

Cut the calling cards in advance and supply removable markers. Agree on a row, column, diagonal or full-card win before you start, mark FREE, and show each picture as you call its label. Set drawn cards aside so you can check a winning board.

If you go with bingo, introduce neighbors before the first call. The game gives the table a shared focus, and your introduction gives them permission to talk. Finish by inviting everyone to stay for the next part of the mixer.