Icebreakers. They're common in an improv class, at the top of a jam, or maybe when a team is just getting to know each other.

Some people love them.

Some people hate them.

Some of us have a love/hate relationship depending on the day or the icebreaker in question.

Many of the people who really dislike icebreakers are neurodivergent people, which is why such a seemingly simple thing is getting an episode.

But many students, neurodivergent or not, need icebreakers to feel comfortable in the scenes that are in their near future when they're in a room with strangers (or near-strangers). They might not know they kinda need them, either. Icebreakers might be needed to make a room feel a bit safer, a bit more beneficial, a bit more comfortable.

But some people, especially some of us neurodivergents with communication difficulties and differences and trauma history, feel uncomfortable doing them.

So what now?

References from episode

Find the written essay for this episode on NeurodiversityImprov.com.

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This podcast was created, and the episode was written, by Jen deHaan — an autistic + ADHD improviser.

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