Five-minute meeting energisers

How to run it

1. Pick one and say how long it will take before you start.
2. Explain the rules in one sentence, then go - do not over-brief it.
3. Take part yourself. Energisers die when the facilitator watches.
4. Stop on time, even if it is going well.
5. Move straight back into the agenda while the room is awake.

The prompts

1. Countdown: as a group, count to twenty out loud. Anyone can say the next number, but if two people speak at once you start again.
2. One word each: build a single sentence describing what the team does, one word per person, going round the room.
3. Best and worst: in thirty seconds each, the best and worst thing about your week so far.
4. Category chain: name a category, go round the room naming one item, no repeats, out when you hesitate.
5. Desk item show and tell: everyone grabs the nearest object and explains why it is still on their desk.
6. Two-minute problem: pose a small real problem and collect ideas with no discussion until the timer goes.
7. Pointless praise: each person thanks the colleague to their left for something specific from this week.
8. Guess the emoji: someone describes a well-known process in the team using only three emoji.
9. Would you rather: two plausible work options, everyone stands on one side of the room.
10. Stretch and swap: sixty seconds standing, then everyone sits in a different seat.
11. Speed definitions: define three pieces of company jargon in plain English and see if the room agrees.
12. Rose, bud, thorn: one good thing, one thing growing, one thing that hurt this week.
13. Silent ranking: without speaking, line up in order of years worked here.
14. Three headlines: what should be in this team's newsletter this month?
15. Finish the sentence: 'this meeting will be worth it if...' - one answer each, then pin the list up.

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