The first 30 minutes of the first half day have been allocated to allow participants to introduce themselves to the group, explain how the training will proceed and confirm that participants have accessed the ACC Peer Visitor Guide.  Some participants may be new to video conferencing and so when they join  on the first day you may want to explain to them how it will work and spend the first 5 to 10 minutes doing an icebreaker so they get to know each other.

You can find lots of ideas for icebreakers for virtual meetings at this link.  Some simple icebreakers are:

• Random questions to get to know each other better. This could include questions such as
  • What’s the most useless thing you have in your home?
  • What would your superpower be if you had one?
  • What one thing should everybody stop doing right now?
• Two truths and a lie
  • Ask participants to say three things about themselves two of which are truth and one of which is a lie
  • The other participants will guess at which is a lie

Housekeeping:

Explain that this is a safe respectful environment where participants feel they can share their feelings and experiences. To do this keep in mind the following points:

• Cell phones should be silenced and put away during the sessions and only removed during break periods
• Be respectful to all group members and the trainers
• Practice active, engaged listening when members are sharing their stories and experiences
• Respect others opinions
• Ensure cameras are on for everyone