Have you ever felt nervous about introducing yourself to a group? Don’t worry, this is completely normal.
After all, when you make your first appearance before a group of strangers in an environment you are entering for the first time it becomes somewhat of a threat to your integrity. Since you are exposing yourself to multiple strangers who may treat you in different ways and who will form a conception of you with just a first impression that may be difficult or time consuming to change.
Anyway, it’s scary and we know it and because we also know that, only by introducing yourself you can create bonds with others around you. We bring you the most entertaining and fun presentation dynamics that will help you overcome the anxiety to make yourself known.
What are presentation dynamics for?
In essence, the purpose of these dynamics is to reduce the nervousness and anxiety of people at the moment of making themselves known in front of a group. Whether in the workplace, in the classroom, in a sports team or with new friends. Through different techniques, resources, games or activities that manage to mobilize people to open up and leave behind the fear of opening up to new opportunities.
Other objectives covered by the presentation dynamics is to favor interaction and promote contact between the people involved, so that new links can be generated for future relationships that will benefit teamwork or adaptation to the team.
Of course, it is important to clarify that, although they have a playful and playful tone, these are quite dynamic activities that test our personal confidence and interaction skills. and interaction skills. Therefore, they should always be led by a facilitator who is an expert in presentation dynamics. Who can have group management skills, control of unexpected factors and events, as well as the finesse to deal with everyone’s emotions.
Fun and interesting presentation dynamics
Here are the best and most entertaining presentation dynamics that you can apply to any group.
1. Name chain
The most common of all the presentation dynamics, best known for being an ‘ice breaker’ dynamic, that is to say, to make everyone feel more comfortable. In essence, each member will say their name and some characteristic that represents them and the game consists of everyone repeating the name of the previous members and their characteristics as they say their name.
This element can be changed to favorite fruits, musical genre, food, movies, etc. So that it is a very close approach to get to know each other.
2. The Postman
This is a more complex but very entertaining dynamic. First the facilitator starts, who will have a small ball representing a letter and then say ‘I have a letter for…’ and name some characteristic of the group members. For example: ‘I have a card for those who wear pink sweaters’. Then these people are arranged in a place and the letter (ball) will go to the last of them who will be asked the name and something else.
Then he or she will be left with the role of the letter carrier and the dynamics will continue until everyone knows the name of his or her classmates.
3. The spider’s web
Another very entertaining dynamic that requires the attention of all participants. To begin, the facilitator should ask people to make a wide circle where they will say their name and some other characteristic they like and will have with them a ball of thick thread that will be passed unexpectedly to another member who will have to repeat the same action.
The point is that, once the spider’s web is built, the members must return the thread to the person who has previously thrown it to them, with a greeting until everything is free again.
4. People to people
This is an excellent activity for each member to have a deeper first contact with their new colleagues. In this, the facilitator divides the group into two equal parts, one group should make a circle where everyone faces outward, while the other group will go around the circle, but facing inward. In such a way that pairs are left facing each other.
Once they are in order the facilitator will ask them to introduce themselves and have a short conversation while playing music around them. Then say, ‘People to people!’ which is the signal for the inner group to turn to the left. This way they can all get to know each other until the circle is complete. ‘
5. Who is who?
This activity is highly recommended for new academic courses, applying to students to get to know each other. In it, the facilitator will ask everyone present to ask a series of simple questions that have the function of getting to know the others around them. Once the questions are ready, the questions will be passed among the members until all the questions are answered.
Once the activity is completed, each person will highlight his or her favorite or most interesting answers and they will be discussed.
6. The Traveling Name
This activity needs to be done right after a simple introductory activity like the first one mentioned, because it is important for each member to know the names of his or her classmates.
To begin, the facilitator will ask everyone to spread out in the room and start moving freely, like travelers. Once the facilitator gives the signal, they should find a partner nearby to introduce themselves again. But here’s the trick, now each member must acquire the name of the other person, with each new couple you choose.
For example: if in the couple there are Andres and Laura, then Andres becomes Laura and vice versa and so on with all the new ones you meet. This helps us to be more interested in those we know beyond their name.
7. The potato burns
A very classic game that can also be used as a dynamic of presentation, which is very simple and fun. The facilitator will ask the group to gather in a circle, which will have a ball that will be a ‘potato’ that must be passed among the members until the facilitator gives the signal indicating that the potato has been burned.
The person who has the burnt potato must introduce themselves and say something they like or a characteristic that represents them. The game ends until everyone has introduced themselves.
8. The ball on the beach
Another fun dynamic with balls, only this time you need a very large ball such as a t-shirt or a large balloon. The game starts with one person putting the ball between his legs and walking as far as possible to another person, without touching the ball with his hands, where he will pass the ball and introduce himself to the other person.
The dynamic is repeated until everyone can pass the beach ball to each other.
9. presentation in symbols
This is a somewhat different but entertaining presentation. The facilitator will draw 4 or 5 different symbols on the board and ask everyone to choose a particular symbol to draw on a piece of paper.
Once they have done so, they will ask the people who have drawn each symbol to get together and they will have to decide as a group what that symbol means as a flag that represents them. However, that representation will have to include some experience, characteristic or something else that they have in common.
So they will have to introduce themselves to each other and then to the others.
10. Choose your emoji
This activity is somewhat similar to the previous one, only this time the facilitator will ask each person to draw an emoji that represents them. It can be a face expression or a symbol, but it must be something meaningful for each person.
Once everyone has done so, they should explain what the symbol means after introducing themselves with their name. This will get people interested in who they are.
11. Memory
Surely you know the board game of memory, where you have to find the partner of each image until everything is complete. Well, now we will do this game as a presentation dynamic, where the facilitator will give each person a series of images, words, symbols, emojis, etc. that have a pair and the job of the participants is precisely to find their pair.
Once they have done so, they will make a small presentation among themselves and then they will have to do it in front of everyone. Only, they will have to introduce their pair instead of themselves. So everyone must pay attention and commit to getting to know each other.
12. The message chain
This activity will test people’s attention and strengthen their first bond in this new world they are facing. It is also ideal for increasing group motivation and cooperation through encouragement.
For this activity, the facilitator will create a motivational message, which will then be cut into small sentences that will be given randomly to each person. He or she will then copy the message large so that everyone can see it and their mission is to find the person who has the next phrase until the entire message is complete. Then, each person will introduce him or herself and say what the message means to him or her and what he or she hopes to achieve in the group.
13. Roll the dice
This is another lively and fun presentation activity. In it, the facilitator should bring a die or two large dice, where each face has a legend or question that invites the person to answer it. For example: my favorite music is …., my best trait is …. I am known for being…..
The goal is for each person to roll the die and answer the caption in addition to their name to create a broader connection with their peers.
14. The first impression
This is another activity that should be done after a simple introduction game because there must be a basic level of knowledge among the group members to do it properly. At the end, the members will be able to feel more confident in the new environment and will know that the first impression, although important, is not everything in a person.
To do this, the facilitator will ask everyone to gather in a circle and each person will place his or her name on a sheet of paper, which will be passed to the person next to him or her and will continue to roll until it falls back into the hands of its owner. On these leaves, the rest of the participants must write on each letter of the name a characteristic of that person that they can perceive with the naked eye. They will then share them with each other.
15. Name clapping
In this activity, everyone should pay close attention to both the dynamics and their classmates. The game begins with the facilitator asking everyone to gather in a circle and explaining that everyone should say their names and something about themselves, but with a specific clapping rhythm. Then everyone chooses another person to introduce themselves and that person must recreate the clapping of the previous person and then say their name with a new clapping or hand movement.
The game is repeated until everyone has introduced themselves.
16. Scavenger Hunt
Another classic game that is excellent for a group presentation. To do this, the facilitator should set the stage in advance, placing clues all over the place and the treasure to be found as a group. Then he/she will give a map where the clues will be, but in order to get them, they will have to make an individual presentation to the group until they all do it and get the hidden treasure.
This needs to be done in a large environment with enough clues for everyone to introduce themselves. If you want to make it more interesting you can place traps, challenges or false clues along the way.
Now you know that presentations can become an excellent opportunity to play and express yourself freely, instead of everyone feeling intimidated.