You found our list of the best icebreaker questions for work.
Icebreaker questions are prompts you include at the beginning of a work meeting or activity to facilitate quick introductions and team building. For example, the prompt might be “Share your name, role, and what you usually eat for breakfast.” The goal of these questions is to have fun, create points of connection between participants, and build confidence in speaking in front of the group. You can use icebreakers in meetings with coworkers, college students, and other groups. Other common spellings for these prompts are “ice breaker questions” and “ice breakers questions.”
These questions are similar to get to know you questions and can be great for virtual team building, as a team building activity for conference calls, or as part of The 8% Rule.
This list includes:
- Random Icebreaker Generator
- Fun Icebreaker Questions
- Funny Icebreaker Questions
- Good Icebreaker Questions
- Best Questions for Meetings
- Icebreaker Questions for Work
- Icebreaker Questions for Adults
- Fun Team Icebreaker Questions
- Icebreakers for Students
- Weird Icebreaker Questions
- Community Building Questions
- Inappropriate Icebreakers
- Holiday Icebreaker Questions
- Icebreaker Questions for Kids
So, let’s get to it!
Random Icebreaker Generator
Press the button to generate random icebreaker questions.
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Fun Icebreaker Questions
- Do you fold your pizza?
- What fictional family would you most like to join?
- Would you rather be reincarnated as a cat or a dog?
- Pull out your phone; what is your most used emoji?
- Who was your famous childhood crush?
- Imagine you are a professional baseball player. What is your introduction song?
- What celebrity do most people say you look like?
- If you could try any food, what would it be?
- What movie do you wish you could watch again for the first time?
- You can only eat one food again for the rest of your life. What is it?
- What is your go-to karaoke anthem?
- What is your favorite type of sandwich?
- Pick your favorite decade. Tell us why.
- You are stranded on a remote desert island. Are you alone or with your worst enemy?
- What is the best thing you have bought so far this year?
- Who is the most interesting Disney character?
- What is the best superpower?
- What dog breed would you be?
- Have you ever met your idol?
- What bucket list item do you most want to check off in the next six months?
- Imagine you can instantly learn any language. Which would you choose?
- Do you prefer big dogs or small dogs?
- Show us your most-used emoji.
- Show us your phone background and tell the story behind why you picked this image.
- Show us the weirdest thing you have in the room with you right now.
- What emoji best describes how you are feeling right now?
- What is a weird fact that you know?
Funny Icebreaker Questions
- Does your car have a name? What is it?
- Choose one famous person from history you want on your team during a zombie apocalypse.
- What was the most unique style or fashion trend you ever embraced?
- Tell us about your worst haircut ever.
- What weird fashion trend would you bring back?
- What simple food will you never eat?
- Would you go in the mother-ship with aliens if they landed on Earth tomorrow?
- What actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
- Would you want to have an imaginary friend today? Did you have one as a child?
- What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
- Would you rather have a pet sloth or a pet parrot?
- Which trap in Home Alone was the best?
- Which movie made you laugh hard?
- Have you ever been to a funny comedy show?
- What is the best romantic comedy?
- Is Hugh Grant funny?
- What is the most obscure superpower you would want?
- Which superpower would you give to your archenemy?
- How would you rate your laugh out of 10?
Good Icebreaker Questions
- What was your best class in school?
- Who is your favorite author?
- What is an easy item on your bucket list that you haven’t done yet?
- What was the last thing you ate?
- What is your favorite holiday?
- What is your favorite part of working from home?
- What is the most interesting book genre?
- What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
- What is your most used phone app?
- What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
- Are you more productive in the morning or at night?
- What is something interesting we would not know about you just by looking?
- If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
- If you could live in any country, which country would you pick?
- What do you usually eat for a quick lunch?
- What is your #1 recommendation in this city?
- What is the best kitchen gadget?
- Which song could you listen to over and over again?
- You can visit any fictional time or place. Which would you pick?
- Which show do you remember most from your childhood?
- What is the earliest book you remember?
- What is your favorite season?
- What is your favorite seasoning?
Best Icebreaker Questions for Meetings
- What is the best piece of advice you have ever gotten at work?
- Imagine you no longer have to work. How would you spend a Tuesday?
- What person from history would you add to Mount Rushmore?
- What is your go-to TV show to watch at night?
- What is your favorite mythical creature?
- Who was your most unique pet?
- If you could be great at any Olympic sport, which would it be?
- What was the worst job you ever had?
- What is your favorite holiday tradition?
- Do you prefer funny stories or dramatic ones?
- What would it take to give up your smartphone for a month?
- What is the best dessert?
- Where is your favorite vacation spot?
- Do you know how to speak more than one language?
- Who is the most famous person you have met?
- What is your favorite musical instrument?
Good Icebreaker Questions for Work
- Would you rather live close to work or at work?
- How would you describe your job to a five year old?
- What do your family and friends think you do all day?
- What was your first job?
- What is your earliest memory of this job?
- What is your standard office lunch?
- What did you want to be when you grew up?
- Do you prefer working from home or the office?
- Is it better to be late for work or to leave early?
- What is the most unusual job you have heard of?
- Would it be better to start work five years later or end five years earlier?
- Would you support “National Avocado Day” as a work holiday?
- What is something you did at work that no one noticed?
- What is the best work holiday?
Great Icebreaker Questions for Adults
- What was the first way you made money?
- Which beverage goes best with pizza?
- How do you top your burgers?
- What is your “When I was your age…” story?
- What did you want to be when you grew up?
- What is a current trend that you just don’t understand?
- What piece of advice would you share with your younger self?
- Beach holiday or ski trip?
- What movie defined your generation?
- Which song do you remember most from prom?
- When you are alone in the car, what volume is the music at?
- What is your hobby?
- If you had to move to another country, which one would you choose?
- When did you start liking/hating mushrooms?
- Would you rather stay at a hotel or an Airbnb?
- Do you take your PTO all at one time or another way?
- Which of your teachers is most memorable and why?
Fun Team Icebreaker Questions
- Which fictional team is the best team of all time?
- Which real team is the best team of all time?
- Would you rather be an Avenger or a Power Ranger?
- Would you rather join Metallica or Backstreet Boys?
- Were the Spice Girls a good team?
- What is your earliest memory of teamwork?
- What is something you accomplished as part of a team?
- What was the first team you were part of?
- Have you ever won something as a team?
- Would you rather do a large project independently or as part of a team?
- On a scale of 1 – 10, how much of a team player are you?
- Can lone wolves be part of a team?
Here is a full list of team building questions and one with team bonding questions.
Icebreaker Questions for Students
- What was your first online screen name?
- Which class is both difficult and fun?
- Which class do you wish the school offered?
- What was the best childhood gym activity?
- What do you miss about kindergarten?
- If you had to write a textbook, what would it be on?
- Do you prefer a quick pop quiz or an end-of-year exam?
- What career do you want?
- What is your “I almost missed an exam” story?
- How did you choose your college?
- What do people not understand about being a student?
- Do you prefer online classes or in-person?
- Should college be mandatory?
- What is something you are grateful for as a student?
Weird Icebreaker Questions
- What is a weird food you have tried? Would you eat it again?
- Show us your cell phone wallpaper. Is there a story behind it?
- If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
- Would you let aliens beam you up if they came to Earth?
- What season would you be?
- What is a simple dance move that you are bad at?
- What is your favorite song to sing?
- What vegetable is best with cheese?
- You are the best criminal mastermind in the world. What crime would you commit if you knew you would get away with it?
- If you could be any supernatural creature, which would you pick?
- What reality show would you want to be on?
- There is a free, round-trip shuttle to Mars. The catch: it will take one year of your life to go, visit, and come back. Are you in?
- Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now?
- Would you want to have a personal assistant follow you around everywhere and do what you asked of them?
- Pick any band to play at your funeral.
Community Building Questions
- What is a good way to give back to the community?
- What is an easy way to do something nice for someone?
- Who is someone in your community that makes a difference?
- Would you rather live in a city or a town?
- What is the best example of a community you have seen?
- Would you join a community in space if it was permanent?
- Would you rather live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
Inappropriate Icebreakers
- How much money do you make?
- Who is your office crush?
- What was the most difficult thing about your childhood?
- Have you ever seen a therapist?
- What is your mother’s maiden name?
- How did you get your worst scar?
- What is the worst advice you have been given?
Holiday Icebreaker Questions
- What is the first gift you remember receiving?
- What is your earliest memory of Christmas?
- Have you ever told someone Santa is not real?
- How do you like your potatoes?
- What is the best holiday or winter treat?
- What is a simple holiday tradition you like?
- What is your New Year’s resolution?
- Would you rather live at the North Pole or the South Pole?
- Which holiday song is your favorite?
Here are more holiday icebreaker questions.
Icebreaker Questions for Kids
- What is your favorite color and why?
- Which superpower do you want?
- Which are better, cookies or brownies?
- What is your favorite type of ice cream?
- Do you prefer hot chocolate or tea?
- Do you have an imaginary friend?
- What is something you like?
- Which month were you born?
- What do you call your grandparents?
- How tall are you?
- What size shoes do you wear?
- What is your favorite movie?
- What do you do for fun?
- What is something you find funny?
How to run good icebreaker questions
Running good icebreakers is more difficult than most people think, especially for adults or at work. You have likely been to a conference or meeting where you are prompted to “say your name and what you hope to get from the session.” This question is boring.
Instead, start with a fun or interesting question so that people want to listen to the answer. Then, have the host prompt with the icebreaker, name who will go next, and then give their own answer as a demo. If the participants are in a circle, you can continue in that direction, and in online meetings, each person can nominate who goes next before sharing their answer. This format helps make it clear who should speak and win, which also removes anxiety for some folks sharing.
Most importantly, choose the best icebreakers for your group. Factors to consider include group dynamics, familiarity, the setting, how much time you have, and your goals. If you are in doubt, then choose a unique question over a common one.
Top tips for icebreaker questions
Our hosts have asked hundreds of thousands of icebreaker questions to all kinds of groups over the years. Here are our best insider tips for asking questions that actually spark conversation and connection.
1. Avoid overly personal topics
The perfect icebreaker question is personal without being too personal. There is a fine line between uncovering information that sheds light on a coworker’s human side and steering into uncomfortable territory. The most obvious advice is to avoid protected categories like religion and sexuality. However, it is best to steer clear of any topic that might make participants feel vulnerable or experience emotions like fear or embarrassment.
2. Choose open-ended questions
Games like “this or that” or “yes or no” can be useful when you are dealing with big groups and want to give as many folks as possible a chance to answer. However, if you want to spark conversation, ask questions that require more specific, unique answers.
Pro-tip: Ask follow-up questions to the most interesting answers.
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3. Combine small-group and big-group responses
Some folks might not be comfortable sharing responses in front of a large audience, and if you have a big group you might not have enough time for everyone to share. Instead, break into smaller groups or pairs so that each team member has a chance to respond. You can do a couple of rounds of questions this way. When the larger group reconvenes, ask for a few volunteers or call on specific folks to share.
4. Ask unexpected questions
The best tip for icebreaker questions is to ask questions that inspire thought and interesting answers, especially ones that involve humor. Sticking to the classics like “name one interesting fact about you” or “what is your favorite food” might get teams talking, but folks may forget just as fast. Asking an offbeat question like “Which superpower would you give to your archenemy?” is a game-changer.
5. Let your team pick the icebreakers
If you get in the habit of asking icebreakers regularly in work meetings or events, then rotate between team members to pick questions. This approach gets your team more involved and invested in the activity. Plus, the choice of icebreaker question can reveal a team member’s personality just as much as the response to one.
Final Thoughts
Asking group icebreaker questions are a fun and easy way to increase engagement at work, meetings, and events. You can spend just five minutes on this activity and learn a lot about your coworkers; it is worth it!
Next, check out these icebreaker questions for virtual meetings and our question generator for more ideas.
You may also be interested in five minute team building exercises, most likely to questions, this or that questions, would you rather questions, and question games.
Thanks a lot for sharing your terrific web-site.
Carly, your long, imaginative list of icebreakers appears infinite; as such, I’d like to add the following:
What’s the difference between an idiot and a savant? Can you think of an idiot? If so, who? Can you think of a savant? if so, who? (no need to think deeply; do you think our political landscape will offer a quick response?)
What is an idiot savant? Have you ever encountered one? What were his/her attributes?
We had an awesome time celebrating and competing with the teambuilding group!