Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway used six words to pen his shortest work of fiction: For sale: baby shoes, never worn. Whether true or not (Snopes.com can neither confirm nor deny this is a true story), trainers and presenters have been inspired by this anecdote to break the ice by challenging attendees to write a 6-word memoir.
How a 6-Word Memoir Works
It works quite well. About a year and a half ago, I watched as the CEO of my organization opened a 2-day meeting of about 60 surgeons, medical professionals, and administrators from across the United States, India, Nepal, and Ethiopia with this very activity. Attendees wrote their 6-word memoirs on a flip chart, posted them around the meeting room and referred back to them throughout the 2-day meeting.
(If you’re interested, this is the 6-word memoir that I penned: “Love is cookie dough ice cream.”)
A Modern Take On A Classic Icebreaker
The 6-word memoir works as an icebreaker because it’s quick, it forces participants to be succinct as they introduce themselves, yet you can learn so much about someone in just six words.
For those that want a fresh spin on an icebreaker that’s quick and forces participants to be succinct yet can say a lot about a person, you can look to Twitter for inspiration. Challenge learners to share their life story in 140 characters (or 280 if you are feeling super modern) or less. One note about this challenge: you can make this task a little easier on your participants if you give them a worksheet with 140 boxes so that they don’t spend valuable session time trying to count each letter (and space).
Have you used the 6-word memoir icebreaker? Looking for an icebreaker activity, but a 6-word memoir doesn’t seem to be the right fit? Check out this post for some great ideas.
