Category Archives for "Ice Breaker"

Ice Breaker – Last 5 Movies You Watched

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question: What are the last five movies you watched?

My Answer: I don’t watch that many movies these days, but I’m always looking for suggestions. Here are the last five songs I listened to:

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (my favorite from the list)
Frozen (What can I say? I have a teenage daughter.)
God’s Not Dead (a great discussion starter)
The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug (a great movie to see with my son – and we saw it in 3D!)
Radio (a standby from our movie library)

I’m trusting many of you have seen more current movies. I would love to hear your list. Maybe it will lead to a date night movie with my wife or a fun movie outing with my son or daughter.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.

As a reminder, I am offering a FREE pdf copy of the interior of the book to subscribers of The Stretched Newsletter. Head over to the main page of the blog and sign up on the right hand menu bar to get your copy today for FREE!

Ice Breaker – Last 5 Songs You Listened To

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question: What are the last five songs you listened to?

My Answer: I spent some time chilling to Pandora Radio while I relaxed and checked a few things on the web last night. Here are the last five songs I listened to:

Demons by Imagine Dragons
Waiting On The World To Change by John Mayer
Best Day Of My Life by American Authors
The A Team by Ed Sheeran
Get Up Get Down by Phillip Phillips

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.

Ice Breaker – Ice Cream Flavor

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

This week’s ice breaker question is inspired by one of my all-time favorite foods – ice cream. I don’t eat it very often. Or maybe I don’t eat it as much as I’d like to, but ice cream is definitely on my top foods list.

Question: If you could be an ice cream flavor, what would you be? And why?

My Answer: Bubble gum ice cream. Cotton candy is one of my favorite kinds of ice cream, and I can’t eat any kind of ice cream that has chocolate in it, so I would go with bubble gum ice cream. It’s sweet. It’s colorful. And bubble gum is stretchy. I’m not sure how many people would classify me as sweet or colorful, but I think the stretchy thing is a good connection.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.

My Stretch Speech

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I have the opportunity to give my first speech today as part of Toastmasters. The speech assignment is called Ice Breaker. The speech requires me to introduce myself to the local Toastmasters chapter in four to six minutes. My speech is called Stretch. Here it is:

Stretch

That’s my nickname, and it’s the theme of my life.

I was born six weeks early at the DuPage County Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. I weighed in at a “hefty” six pounds thirteen ounces. Before I left the hospital, I was less than six pounds. From this point on, my life has been all about stretching.

When I was eight years old, our family moved across the country to Mount Holly, New Jersey where my Dad took a job as a pastor at a Presbyterian Church in town. The move to New Jersey was life changing. I stretched into a new neighborhood, a new school environment, and into a deeper awareness of life.

When I entered high school at Rancocas Valley Regional High School, I was an average kid. I wasn’t short, and I wasn’t all that tall. I wasn’t super athletic, and I wasn’t completely clumsy. In my high school years, I excelled in band where I was the lead saxophone in various bands starting with my freshman year. I also excelled academically where math and science became a clear passion.

At the beginning of my junior year of high school, I stood at five feet six inches. I weighed one hundred and twenty pounds. I wondered if I would ever grow. And then it started. I stretched. And I stretched. And I stretched some more. When I finished high school, I was six feet one inch.

And my stretching continued into my college years. I traveled across Pennsylvania to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Grove City College. The academics stretched me, and the social aspects of college stretched me as well. I jumped into many campus activities and groups, and I eventually took on many leadership roles in these groups. Towards the end of my time at Grove City, I also met a beautiful young lady who captured my heart.

I graduated from Grove City and eventually asked this young lady to be my wife. I recall our first year of marriage with great fondness, but I also remember this time as a period of stretching as we both adjusted to married life while living in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.

A year and a half after our wedding, we welcomed our first child, a daughter. Hannah’s arrival stretched me to become less self-focused and more focused on others. She stretched me to make sure family and faith remained a top priority in my life.

Two and a half years later, Isaac joined our family. He brought lots of laughter into the house, but his arrival also brought challenges that shook my world. A few months after his arrival, my wife became ill resulting in an extended hospital stay, a prolonged recovery, and an added weight to my shoulders that I had not expected. This time of my life caused all kinds of stretching. I learned to lean on friends and family. I learned to let go of things I once viewed as important. And I grew in my faith.

Life has brought other stretching experiences along the way. Earning my professional engineers license was a stretching experience. Completing my MBA degree was a stretching experience. Going to Guatemala the past two summers provided multiple stretching experiences. And writing and releasing my first book last month was another stretching experience.

Along life’s journey, I’ve learned some things about stretching worth sharing with you today:

Stretching happens. We can’t always control the circumstances around us, but we can be certain that life will send us things that stretch us. Accept stretch. Embrace stretch.

Stretching can be painful. I have a bulging disc in my lower back. It flares up from time to time. When it flares up, I have stretches to do which help the bulging disc pain to go away. When I do the stretches though, it hurts. In life, we will face many stretching things in our lives. Many of these things will be painful. This is just how it is.

Stretching is helpful. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Stretching improves strength and flexibility. Stretching helps us grow. It helps us achieve new things and reach new heights.

Stretching is worth sharing. Over the past seven years, I have been blogging about life’s stretch marks at my blog called Jon Stolpe Stretched. I write on the blog to reflect on stretching experiences in my life. And I also write to encourage others to stretch.

You too have a stretch story worth sharing. I’m certain you’ve faced challenges in your life that have caused you to stretch like a rubber band. Your story matters. You have something worth sharing with others. Your story of stretch could be a catalyst for something great in someone else’s life.

As I wrap things up, I’m thankful for my nickname. Stretch seems like such an appropriate name for someone who has grown from a six pound baby to a six-foot six-inch man. I’m excited to see where my life of stretching takes me, and I look forward to sharing parts of it with you as I step into membership in Toastmasters.

Thank you!

When was the last time you gave a speech? If you were going to give an Ice Breaker speech for the Stretched Community, what is something you’d share in the speech?

Ice Breaker – Pets

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

This week’s Ice Breaker is inspired by the arrival of our newest Seeing Eye Puppy. Yesterday, Rio joined our family. He’s a lab/golden retriever mix. He weighs less than five pounds, and he turns seven weeks old today. We will have him for about a year before he heads up to The Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ for his official training.

Question: Do you have any pets? How many? What kind?

My Answer: We have one “forever” dog. His name is Iso, and he is a black lab. We raised him as a Seeing Eye Puppy, and we adopted him back into our family when he was released from the program for being too social.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.

Ice Breaker – Field Trip

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

My son is on a field trip today with his school’s jazz band. They are playing in a competition outside of Hershey, PA. Then they are heading to Hershey Park to enjoy the rest of the day together. The weather isn’t supposed to be great, but I’m sure they will have a good time. Today’s Stretched Ice Breaker is inspired by my son’s field trip.

Question: What was one of your favorite field trips when you were in school?

My Answer: Living near Philadelphia, PA, I took many field trips into historic Philadelphia. I visited Walt Whitman’s house, Betsy Ross’ house, and Edgar Allan Poe’s house. I visited the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. I remember visiting Philadelphia one time with the seniors from my Honors English or Honors History class. I honestly don’t remember the specifics of this field trip, but I do remember the fun times with my classmates. We spent an hour or so eating lunch and hanging around Penn’s Landing along the Delaware River. I remember feeding the eels as they gathered around the dock. And I remember running over the Front Street bridge. The weather was perfect, and there was a sense of freedom we all felt as the teachers let us wander around by ourselves.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.

Ice Breaker – We Didn’t Start the Fire (Happy Birthday, Billy Joel)

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Today happens to be Billy Joel’s 65th birthday. If you were around in 1989, you will probably remember Joel’s song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” from his Stormfront album. The song recalls newspaper headlines from the time of Billy Joel’s birthday (May 9, 1949) to the time the album was released in 1989. Twenty-five years have passed since the song was released, and there have been many significant headlines during this period of time. Today’s question will get us thinking about how Billy Joel might revise the song if he were to do so today.

Question: What headlines do you think would be added to the song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” if it were rewritten today?

My Answer: I’m sure this only scratches the surface, but here are a few headlines to get your thoughts going:

Barack Obama
Boston Marathon Bombings
Nelson Mandela
iPod, iPhone, iPad
O.J. Simpson
Phillies Phinally Win the World Series in 2008
September 11, 2001
Benghazi
Edward Snowden
Space Shuttle Columbia

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.

Ice Breaker – R-Rated Movie

I saw this question earlier this week on a blog post by Brogdan Kipko, and I couldn’t resist. This is a great ice breaker question.

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question: What is your favorite R-rated movie and why?

My Answer: I don’t think I’ve seen all that many R-rated movies, but I’m sure I’ve seen a few.

One of my favorite movies of all time though is an R-rated movie. My answer is Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The movie has some interesting twists and turns. My favorite part about the movie is the hope that is represented throughout the movie – a hope for a better world (even inside the walls of a prison), hope for a future, and hope for freedom.

We all need hope, and Shawshank Redemption might give you a little different perspective on the word. (By the way, I wouldn’t recommend this movie to kids. It is R-rated for a reason. There are some graphic and disturbing scenes including rape, suicide, and violence.)

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.

Ice Breaker – Self Improvement

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question: What is one thing about yourself you would like to improve in the next year? What is one step you will take to meet this goal?

My Answer: I would love to improve my public speaking skills. I was just featured in my first podcast on the Quality Living Made Simple Podcast (Click here to list to the podcast). For my first interview, I think I did okay in response to the questions from host Joshua Rivers. When I listened to the interview for the first time last night, I realized that I need to do a much better job removing filler words like “um”, “ah”, “so”, and “you know.” I expect I will have some other speaking opportunities and interview opportunities related to my job, my writing, and my other interests. I want to be prepared to bring my best whenever I speak in public.

To this end, I recently joined a local chapter of Toastmasters International. This is an organization designed to help members improve their public speaking and leadership skills. I’m looking forward to seeing how this activity will help me improve in my public speaking.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field is now available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle. Click the link below to get your copy today.

Ice Breaker – Easter

(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)

Question: What is one of your favorite things about Easter?

My Answer: Besides the obvious spiritual answer, I like black jelly beans. I don’t eat jelly beans very often, but Easter often provides the excuse or opportunity to eat at least a few black jelly beans (and marshmallow peeps).

There are several other things I really enjoy about the Easter season. For me, Easter signals the official start of spring. Easter means brunch or dinner with family and friends. It means Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. It means a sunrise service.

And Easter is a reminder of the ultimate gift I’ve been given.

Happy Easter!

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep STRETCHING!

Also don’t forget to sign up for the Stretched newsletter. Check out this post to find out how to sign up. Subscribers will get a special deal on the upcoming release of On Track – Life Lessons from the Track & Field.

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