Workshop Activities and Icebreakers - The benefits are HUGE, let me reiterate the benefits are really huge for the people attending your workshops and also for you as the trainer.
Lets start with benefits of an ICE Breaker at the start of your training session / Workshop
As people come into the training room they can be in a frame of mind that they are here to learn and have an open mind, or they are forced to be here and therefore they are resistant to not only participating they are what we call a hostage, they were told they must be there and they don't want to have any part of it.
An ice breaker can help build rapport and break down barriers especially if they are fun and involved. Ensure your ice breaker is meaningful and generates either action or communication.
The benefits of activities are they keep people engaged, moving in motion and when activities get people thinking especially when their may be a little bit of competitiveness between the groups this can lead to a significantly higher level of learning and engagement.
Workshop activities need to be aligned to the training and build on each stage of the session, allowing people to see the connection and want to contribute, use resources and tools that generate this, large sticky notes, white boards, other tangible items.
When the activities engage people are more open to the learning and also listening to what others have to say.