19 Fun Large Group Energizers for Work or School in 2023

You found our list of helpful large group energizers.

Large group energizers are fun activities that will rejuvenate and shift participants’ focus for a few minutes. Examples include Hot Takes, Name That Tune, and Stretch Breaks. The purpose of these activities is to help participants interact with each other and reduce the monotony of long sessions. You can use large group energizers in conferences, team meetings, during training sessions, or other group activities.

These activities are examples of 5-minute team building games, connection games, or large group icebreakers.

This list includes:

• 5-minute energizers for large groups
• large group energizer activities
• meeting energizers for large groups
• training energizers for large groups of adults
• re-energizers for groups

Let’s get started!

List of large group energizers

Maintaining the attention of a large group can be difficult. Rather than risking and having disengaged participants, we encourage hosts to have short and random group energizers. From Got You! to No Smiling and Who am I? here is a list of the best energizers that event hosts can use in large group settings.

1. Hot Takes

Hot Takes is a great way to get large groups to connect and laugh. For this activity, start by announcing a non-controversial topic. Then, let willing attendees raise their hands to give their hot takes on the issue. You can opt for humorous hot-take options that will lighten the event mood. For instance, my hot take on the worst ice cream is chocolate. You can then try to see how many attendees support your hot take by requesting players in agreement to raise their hands.

Examples of Hot Take topics:

• Best food to eat as leftovers
• Best villain
• Best international cuisine
• The best travel destination
• Pineapples belong on a pizza
• Cheese belongs in every dish

Be sure to select Hot Take topics that are interesting to discuss among your attendees. You can tailor the issues to the team’s sense of humor, personal experiences, and general opinions. Also, avoid hot takes that require niche knowledge, as you may exclude some team members from participating.

2. The Candy Game

With the combination of fun and sweet treats, the Candy Game is an excellent choice for meeting energizers for large groups. You can use this activity to foster interaction among strangers or let workers know each other. For large groups, you can start by dividing participants into small teams of up to 20 attendees.

Instructions:

1. Purchase multi-colored candy and give event facilitators to pass to the guests
2. Instruct each participant to pick three candy pieces as they would like. However, participants must not eat the candy.
3. Let each participant answer a question for each candy they take.

Examples of questions as per color:

• Blue- What is your favorite food from a different culture?
• Red- What is your favorite travel destination?
• Orange- Who is your favorite celebrity?

Be sure to include light-hearted questions that spark conversation after the game.

Here are get-to-know-you questions you can use as inspiration.

3. Stop-Walk

The Stop-Walk game is an exciting activity that event planners can use to energize large groups. For this activity, you will need ample open space to accommodate all players. Then, the facilitator will instruct teams to start simple, engaging activities. For example, the entertainer will tell participants to walk, after which he will say ‘Stop’ after a few seconds. Then, the entertainer will interchange the meanings of the actions. In this case, attendees need to start walking when the entertainer says ‘stop.’ The activity creates an interesting confusion that will have participants laughing. Other variations of the stop-walk activity include ‘name-jump’ or ‘sit-stand.’ The stop-walk activity will recharge participants and sharpen the team’s communication skills.

4. The Name Game

The Name Game is one of the best large group energizer activities. In addition, the activity will provide an avenue for after-event interactions. To start the game, have all participants stand in a circle. Then, let attendees mention an adjective that begins with the same letter as their name.

Examples:

• Jovial James
• Smiley Susan
• Outgoing Olivia
• Naughty Nolan
• Fantastic Faith

Once every attendee introduces themselves, pick participants randomly and let them select three other players and mention their names. Participants will also sharpen their memory capability and name recognition skills through the name game.

5. What’s on Your Phone

The What’s on Your Phone game is a popular icebreaker that suits large groups. To start the exercise,  list items that attendees may have on their phones. Then, read out the prompts and let attendees put one finger down for every item they have.

Examples:

• An Amazon Music playlist
• Pet photos
• Pictures of famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the Grand Canyon
• Over 300 contacts
• Follow three or more cities on a weather map
• Picture with Santa
• More than five games
• A to-do list
• A blue phone case

You can make the list of items as simple or complex as needed. However, we advise creating personalized items depending on the participants’ demographics.

6. Name That Tune

The Name That Tune is a great choice of 5-minute energizers for large groups. The activity also works well in restricted venues where team members cannot move around. The moderator could play five to ten tunes and let attendees name the song and the artist. Rather than only having popular hits from your region, you could also add tunes from different cultures worldwide. Name That Tune will recharge attendees and also promote team bonding. Not to mention, music can provide an instant mood boost!

Here is a list of high-energy songs to use for the activity.

7. My Superpower

My Superpower is a fantastic large group energizer for unfamiliar teams. Each attendee will state their name and proceed to mention their superpower. Depending on the event setting, limit the superpowers to the day’s topic or keep the options open. For instance, participants can mention their excellent defensive driving skills, crafting, or other unique talents such as animal mimicking. You can even have a ball tossing activity to make the exercise more engaging. The facilitator will toss the ball to the next speaking attendee. Participants can randomly throw the ball to other attendees to keep the game spontaneous.

8. Personality Groups

The Personality Groups game tops the list of interactive meeting energizers for large groups. While this activity is similar to This or That, the version allows for more interaction among players. You can start the Personality Groups activity by reading opposing statements to the entire group.

Examples:

• I am more productive in the morning and do not need an alarm to wake up early
• I am most productive at night, and prefer sleeping late and waking up later
• I am neither a night nor morning person and must take several cups of coffee to start my day

Once you read the opposing statements, you can guide participants on where to stand according to their preferences. Then, give the three groups five minutes to chat before reading out the next opposing statements.

Other ideas:

• Cat, dog, or no animal
• Beach, mountain, or home person
• Calls, texts, personal meetups
• Coffee, tea, water
• Wine, beer, non-alcoholic drinks
• Run, lift weights, yoga

Be sure to make the energizing session light-hearted by including humorous activities.

For inspiration, here is a list of This or That questions.

9. Who Am I?

The Who Am I game is a classic large group energizer that will get attendees talking and laughing.

Instructions:

• Start by distributing pens and sticky notes to attendees.
• Instruct all participants to jot down the names of one famous personality that all players may know. Let participants think of globally renowned personalities or local celebrities.
• Once each player writes one name on the sticky notes, instruct them to stick the paper on another participant’s forehead. However, players would not get a peek at the sticky notes on their foreheads.
• Players will then walk around within a specific timeframe and inquire about the name written on the papers. However, other participants can only give yes or no answers and will not give actual clues about the famous personalities.

The Who Am I activity is a great way to get every participant to walk around, especially after a long seated session.

10. Got You!

If you are looking for 5-minute energizers for large groups, then Got You! Is a good bet. The fast-paced activity will liven the mood and give participants a good laugh for the day.

Instructions:

• Let all attendees stand in a circle with little space between participants
• Then, ask each player to stick their right hand out with the palm open. Attendees will then place their left index finger on the participant on their left side.
• Once the moderator shouts ‘Go’, players will attempt to catch the index finger of the participant on the right.

The rapid large group energizer is a simple idea that requires no prior planning. Just be sure to get a large-enough space that can accommodate all attendees.

11. Most Likely To

The Most Likely To game is one of the best re-energizers for groups that are familiar with each other. The activity opens up opportunities for participants to strike fun conversations and also know individual likes or dislikes. For example, you could have one person read out the prompts. Then, other team members will guess the individual with the stated trait and also mention reasons for the choice.

Example prompts:

• Star in a movie
• Doze off when watching a movie
• Win a cook-off
• Prank the CEO
• A morning person
• Win a marathon

To allow every player’s participation, be sure to have several choices.

Here is a list of Most Likely To prompts.

12. Business Card Swap

One of the best ways event facilitators can introduce attendees is through the Business Card Swap. You can start the activity by setting a timer depending on the group size. Then, instruct all participants to collect other players’ cards and write three fun details about the cardholder. Once the timer goes off, get the attendee with the most cards to read through some fun facts about other players. The only con to this activity is that some participants may not have carried their cards. Be sure to encourage event attendees to bring their cards before the event. Participants who do not have cards could write their name, business details or position, and contact information on an index card.

13. Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are some of the easiest large group energizer activities. If you are in a conference setting, then ask participants to find specific things in their bags within 15 seconds. For instance, folks can dig out for notepads, pens, phone charges, or snacks. You could also give participants one minute to get an attendee with whom they share the birthday month. The first participant to find the items wins the challenge. While there are tons of scavenger hunt ideas that you can use to liven a large group, we would encourage you to stick with easy-to-find items.

Check out this list of fun scavenger hunt ideas.

14. Backward Names

Ideal for colleagues, the Backward Names activity is a fun group energizer. You can divide colleagues into groups of less than 20 participants. Then, give each team player a piece of paper and pen and let every worker write their name. Once the team leaders collect all the slips, let each participant draw one piece of writing and read it backwards to the entire group. Workers only have 20 seconds to guess the name. The team player who guesses the worker’s name correctly gains a point. You can set up to six minutes for workers to guess all the names. Then, determine the winning group based on the number of names each group gets correct.

15. Stretch Break

A stretch break is a simple yet one of the most effective training energizers for large groups of adults. The break will have every participant take a short breather and stretch their body before the next session. You can start by letting attendees spread out in the meeting room. If you have an outdoor space, then you could also lead all participants in the area. Then, let one facilitator lead participants through simple stretches. The facilitator can demonstrate simple back, leg, and arm stretches and let participants freestyle through the activity. The little movement can recharge the team and increase concentration for the next session.

16. Red Light, Green Light

The Red Light, Green Light activity is a popular game perfect for energizing large groups. Since the activity involves movement, we advise getting a large space, preferably an outdoor area.

Instructions:

• Have all participants line up on one side of a room
• Every participant will move towards the finish line when the facilitator says ‘Green Light’.
• All participants will stop immediately when the facilitator says ‘Red Light’. Participants who continue to move after the ‘Red Light’ alert leave the game.

You can also add other variations to the game to make it more challenging. For instance, you could introduce three colors; green- hopping, yellow- tip-toeing, and purple- running. Red Light, Green Light game variations that do not involve running are ideal for indoor spaces.

17. Whisper Down the Lane

Whisper Down the Lane is one of the most hilarious re-energizers for groups. For this game, divide players into groups of up to 30 participants. Then, let each group form a circle. Next, choose one team member to start the game by whispering four-word statements to their partner on the left. Next, players will pass the same message to all participants in whispers. The last participant will tell the whisper and let the first participant state the original statement. Whisper Down the Lane is hilarious since whispers are most likely misinterpreted through the circle.

18. Clump

Ideal in an open or outdoor space, Clump is an interesting energizer for large groups. For this activity, let all participants interact amid light-hearted chats. Then, the facilitator will give specific prompts by shouting a random number under ten. Players must then form a group with the number of attendees. Groups without sufficient numbers of participants will exit the game. If a group has excess participants, then the last members to join the team will leave the game.

19. No Smiling

The No Smiling game is a fantastic choice for event planners who are looking for training energizers for large groups of adults. For this activity, you can have attendees stand in a circle. Then, have a fun entertainer or a volunteer participant stand in the middle and tell an appropriate joke. The gist is that team members must not laugh, regardless of how funny the joke is. You can have other participants tell different jokes until you determine a winner. The group energizer can lighten the mood in work meetings.

Conclusion

Large group energizers are the best activities to help break down social barriers among event attendees. However, the wrong choice of energizers may tire participants rather than recharge them. We encourage facilitators to choose short energizers that are easy to understand and are team-oriented. Also, do not forget to throw in incentives for the winners. Even seemingly small incentives will go a long way in encouraging the team’s participation. Large group energizers will help attendees settle in, boost engagement, and set the event’s tone.

Next, check out this article about fun group activities for adults, improv exercises and games for adults, or relationship-building games and activities for groups.