Your audience is not too large and people know each other. However, even in this case, you may find useful an ice breaker. Ask them to write something about themselves on a post-it note. It has to be something no one knows about them. Then collect the notes and let the audience guess who wrote which secret. You only have to pull out just a few from the pile. Success is certain.
You can keep the rest with you and make another round after a coffee break or when everyone comes back from lunch. It is very probable that there will be some really interesting, amusing facts revealed. To start a presentation, it is always great to use an ice breaker. The presentationmagazine.com website has prepared for us few more.
Draw your life story
Everyone draws several scenes from his or her life, to illustrate “the story of my life”. In small groups, everyone then shows his pictures to others and comments on appropriate information to go with the pictures.
Draw me a copy
Put the audience into pairs. Then one person draws a picture of his or her partner, but does not show it to the other person. Then using only verbal directions they have to describe the drawing. The goal is to describe the drawing so well, that the result is a precise copy of the original. Pointing is forbidden, of course. Allow only few minutes to finish the drawing. After the time has run out, allow them to glimpse at the original. There is a lesson in this activity. Teachers and mentors often rely way too much on verbal communication. A simple picture may often be a much better channel to communicate certain ideas.
Birthday question
If you have a very large audience, you can ask them how many people they think you have to ask before you find 2 people who have the same birthday. Ask them to call out their guesses and write the answers on a board. After that let them call out their dates of birth and write them down on the board. On average, it takes only 26 people to find a pair.
-jk-