What Penguins in Scarves Can Teach You About Breaking the Ice

Yesterday was one of those nights…

A birthday celebration, a Christmas dinner, and a few drinks with the boys and gals.

You know how these gatherings go. It’s cozy and familiar, and eventually… someone starts spilling their guts about their latest crush.

This time? It was my best bud.

He met a girl at a house dinner a few weeks ago. They barely spoke. But he followed her on Instagram a couple of days ago, and she followed him back.

That’s enough to start plotting, right?

So he waits for her to post a story and she finally posts a picture of a snowman she built with a caption asking what she should name it.

He jumps in with some funny suggestions.

And she “likes” the message. Nothing more.

But now what?

Most guys would freeze here.
What do I say next?
How do I keep this from getting awkward?

That’s when I decided to step in with my copywriting Christmas gift.

I asked a few questions, we brainstormed a bit, and we came up with this follow-up:

“Didn’t get the chance to talk to you properly last time. So tell me… does Snowbell (if that’s what you went with) like coffee or tea? Need to know before I ask her out.”

We left it at that and went back to playing FIFA.

One hour later a notification pops up on his phone:

“Hahaha! She likes tea but lives in X (a different city),” she replies.

And just like that, the ice was broken.

Now, I don’t know what happened next (I’ll need an update), but here’s the thing:

It’s never about what you say. It’s about how you say it.

And this isn’t just about relationships. It’s about building rapport with anyone: clients, colleagues, strangers, you name it.

Enter the Penguin Wearing a Scarf Method.

You see, penguins don’t wear scarves. And snowmen don’t drink tea.

But when you say they do, it makes people smile. It disarms them. And it opens the door for a connection.

The idea behind it is simple.

Use wordplay to make your message stand out.

Practicing this kind of creativity every day will sharpen your wit and make your communication more engaging.

But most importantly, it will help you connect better.

Whether through an Instagram DM, a sales pitch, or an email campaign.

I’ve been refining this technique, and it’s proven to be surprisingly effective.

So if you want to build your Penguin Wearing a Scarf technique, here’s my challenge to you: 

Start practicing wordplay.

Rephrase boring lines into something fun. Make it conversational.

For example…

I came in this morning to the office and one of my colleagues complained to me about the weather: “It’s cold outside!” he said.

And my instant reaction was “I know right? It’s so cold I just saw a penguin wearing a scarf on my way here”.

Develop and practice these one-liners and word plays like a comedian does.

The better you get at this, the easier it becomes to break the ice, build rapport, and keep conversations moving—whether it’s with clients, leads, or even your crush.

And if you’re interested in using the “Penguin Wearing a Scarf” technique in your next email campaign or pitch script, just reply to this email and let’s chat.