50 engaging ice breaker questions
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to start a conversation with strangers? Breaking the ice can be tricky in the workplace, especially if you don't know of any common ground you share with the others in your group.
It’s easier to build a positive workplace culture when you’re on friendly terms with your teammates. Ice breaker questions are a useful tool to break down any awkwardness, foster connections between colleagues, and bring people together in the workplace.
Here’s how to answer ice breaker questions and use them to build rapport in your workplace.
- Why ice breaker questions are important
- Types of ice breaker questions
- When to use ice breaker questions
- Tips for using ice breaker questions effectively
- FAQs
Why ice breaker questions are important
The benefits of ice breakers extend beyond sparking conversation. They can set the tone in your workplace and help you create a positive atmosphere. If teammates know from the beginning of their employment that they're in a warm, friendly environment, it’s likely they'll feel more comfortable opening up and contributing to conversations.
Getting to know one another with ice breaker questions helps you overcome social awkwardness and establish rapport. They can help people find common ground with colleagues, can reduce workplace friction, and can even build trust.
A trusting environment creates a sense of safety, giving people confidence and boosting camaraderie. All of this contributes to a healthy workplace culture, which in turn contributes to fewer staff absences, increased productivity, higher job satisfaction, and reduced turnover.
Types of ice breaker questions
Not all ice breaker questions suit every situation – age, setting, and formality levels make some questions better than others. For example, an educational setting or formal business meeting may require a different approach to a virtual meeting with new colleagues.
Here are five different categories of sample ice breaker questions for a variety of occasions:
Fun and lighthearted questions
Thought-provoking questions
Work-related questions
Personal growth questions
Hypothetical scenarios
Whether you're team building at work, fostering creativity in a workshop, or getting things started at a conference, ice breakers are a fun and relaxed activity to set the tone. Here are examples of questions and tips for how best to use these questions in different situations.
Fun and lighthearted ice breaker questions
These questions are a little on the silly side, by design. They can get people smiling and spark interesting conversations you wouldn't otherwise expect to have.
They can be great for more relaxed settings, such as social work gatherings or virtual meetings where it may take more effort to keep people engaged.
- If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
Do they want to read minds? Or are the physical capabilities of super strength and flight more interesting? Aside from being a fun opener, the answer can also reveal a lot about a colleague's personality. - What's the most unusual food you've ever eaten?
A question like this invites people to explain their most interesting background stories through a relatable lens. - If you could instantly become an expert in one subject, what would it be?
This one enables people to state their interests and hobbies. It's a great way to find common ground. - Which animal would you want to be and why?
All animals have unique characteristics, and people can often surprise you – the most energetic person could say they wish they had the sleeping habits of a cat. - If you had to eliminate one food forever, which would you go for?
Give people the chance to bond or argue over the food they like the least. The bonus of this query is it helps you establish potential catering needs. - What is your dream holiday destination?
Inviting people to bond over their dreams and wishes, a holiday destination question also opens up interesting conversations about cultural experiences. - As a child, what did you want to be?
In inviting discussion of childhood aspirations, people can touch on their innermost selves and evaluate how their hopes have potentially shifted over time. - If you had 25 hours in a day, what would you do with that extra hour?
The extra hour question gives you an insight into what someone wishes they could squeeze into their life in an ideal world, highlighting their sense of priorities. - Which emoji do you use most frequently?
Emojis help us communicate everything online that words can't convey. They're also playful. There's such a wide range you can end up with hilariously quirky answers. - If you could travel to a different era for one day, which would you pick?
Whether admitting a love of Bridgerton or establishing a fascination with the ancient world, this is another wish-fulfilment question. But this one comes with an intellectual edge that everyone is bound to have a unique response for.
Thought-provoking ice breaker questions
These types of questions can encourage deeper reflection and meaningful discussion. Thought-provoking questions can result in memorable conversations that allow participants to connect on a deeper level. Establishing a shared perspective can bring people together and build trust.
11. What's the most important lesson you've learned in life so far?
Inviting people to share wisdom without giving a sense of expertise, this question enables people to self-evaluate and take stock in a positive way.
12. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?
This fairly open-ended question enables colleagues to engage in critical, evaluative, and creative thinking, presenting their positive vision.
13. What book or movie has had the biggest impact on your life?
Not only does this question allow people to bond over cultural tastes, it also gives the chance to discuss the influence of creative projects.
14. If you could be a fly on a wall for a day, which wall would you pick?
The responses this one can provoke may offer fascinating insights, and it gives everyone the chance to pause and consider which secrets they would like to learn.
15. If you could go back and change one moment in your life, what would it be?
This ice breaker can cause people to opt out, leading to interesting conversations about the butterfly effect and human suffering.
16. Is there someone you wish everyone would listen to for just one minute?
This question causes people to reflect on who has important messaging and who is a powerful enough speaker to make a minute of time count.
17. Which product would you make free to all people globally?
This is another values-related question. It's one specifically focused on the distribution of goods, inviting creative problem solving.
18. If your house was on fire, what is the one inanimate object you'd save?
A classic, this question allows people to consider what they value most and discuss home without getting too personal.
19. If you could learn another language, which would you pick and why?
This question fosters a love of education and continued development without being too on-the-nose about career progression.
20. If you could give one piece of advice to yourself as a child, what would it be?
Though potentially quite personal, advice to a younger self (you can select a specific age) can be reassuring, fostering a sense of empathy among colleagues.
These questions give meaningful opportunities for connection, allowing everyone to see how the minds of their co-workers operate.
Work-related ice breaker questions
Professional ice breaker questions are a good way of relaxing new colleagues or warming up an audience before a training session or workshop. Ice breaker questions can be a fun way of breaking down barriers at networking events or just injecting some energy into your next team meeting.
21. What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?
This question allows people to share useful insights that might be relevant to others in the group.
22. If you could switch jobs with anyone in the company for a day, who would it be and why?
A question like this is a fun way of inspiring conversation and encouraging appreciation for different roles. It might also help people see how valued their role is and seriously consider how they could apply their skill sets in a different position.
23. What's one skill you'd like to develop in the next year?
This question allows the whole group to learn more about each other’s career aspirations, and may encourage people to pursue a new skill.
24. If you could organise a team outing, where would we go?
This meta-question allows everyone a chance to consider what they value in team-building activities.
25. What policy can we introduce to make the workplace better?
Expect some humorous "free doughnut Fridays"-type responses, as well as constructive feedback. This question allows participants to share solutions for a healthier workplace culture.
26. What is the one foolproof work hack that helps you overcome procrastination?Procrastination is a challenge for most workers, so sharing ideas about overcoming it is a good conversation starter.
27. When have you had to overcome a challenge, and how did you go about it?
This question can reveal colleagues strengths and can give others valuable workplace advice by discussing creative problem solving.
28. What is the best professional development course you've ever taken?
Depending on your workplace and the backgrounds of each person answering, you can receive responses that inform the company about the types of courses they could offer their employees.
29. If you could work remotely from any place in the world, where would you choose?
This question allows people to consider what they value from a workplace while also giving the chance for cultural discussion.
30. What is the best career decision you've made so far?
Inviting positive reflection, this question is a great way to get positivity flowing.
These questions can improve workplace communication and enhance team rapport while sharing useful tips and advice.. This helps create an encouraging and supportive environment.
Personal growth ice breaker questions
The following questions encourage people to share their development journeys, which can be inspiring for others on their own career pathway. In encouraging people to consider their aspirations, achievements and challenges, these questions create a catalyst for self-reflection and making people mindfully engaged.
31. What's one habit you're trying to build or break?
By giving the option of build and break, you allow participants to decide on how they would like to approach this question.
32. What's the biggest challenge you've overcome in the past year?
This question allows people to answer seriously or not-so-seriously, and as personal or as professional as they’re comfortable with.
33. If you could master any new skill instantly, what would it be and why?
A fun question, this one allows people to be whimsical while giving them the chance to share which skills they value most.
34. What is the one thing you hope to achieve by the end of your career?
This personal-growth question encourage long-term thinking about career goals. Relating it to individual goals personalises this aspect.
35. If you were giving a talk at the company, what would you speak about?
A question which lets people claim mastery over a topic, this query allows people to share their strengths in the workplace and gives others insights into their personality.
36. If you were to boil down your work ethic into a single-phrase motto, what would it be?
This question invites people to summarise their general approach, sharing their ideas about motivation.
37. If you could go back to school or college to learn a new skill, what would it be?
This is similar to the question about mastering a skill and lets others find out more about their teammates’ skills and interests.
38. What's the last project you worked on that you're proud of?
This is another one that allows people to talk about their strengths. To make it easier for people to share experiences, the answers don’t have to be work-related.
39. Which word do you think you use the most in your emails?
Allowing people space to consider their communication habits can be an excellent way to enable more conscious interactions.
40. What lesson do you wish you'd learned earlier in your career?
The answer to this question allows people to share advice and learn from others in the group. It’s a good question for training sessions and talks on career goals.
Hypothetical scenario ice breaker questions
Hypothetical scenarios spark imaginative conversations, revealing the quirkier, more creative aspects of people’s personalities. These questions encourage out-of-the-box thinking.
41. If you could travel to any fictional world, where would you go and why?
This can allow people to bond over cultural phenomena and tastes they share in common.
42. If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and what would you ask them?
People sometimes present this question as the "dream dinner party scenario," where the guest list can be up to five. It allows for bonding and historical discussions.
43. Which five items would you want with you on a deserted island?
Another classic hypothetical question, this one is a fun way to build rapport and can be effective in encouraging creative problem solving.
44. If you suddenly became the CEO of this company, what's the first change you'd make?
This question can be insightful for managers, and allows people to answer in either a serious or humorous way.
45. If you had a year of sabbatical to write a book, what would your topic be?
This one encourages aspirational thinking and gives everyone in the group insight into interests and skills.
46. If you could clone another living being, who would you opt for?
Whether people choose a pet, a loved one, or someone they admire, the answer is bound to reveal something heartwarming.
47. If you could hire one famous person to be your assistant, who would you pick?
Assistant is not the only role you could hire for – you can adapt this question to many different scenarios.
48. If you were to design an Olympic event you could win a medal for, what would it be?This question allows people to evaluate their strengths in a fun way.
49. Would you rather live in a world without money or have infinite money in our current world?
This interesting question stimulates conversation, which can centre around the self or society.
50. If you could bring back one animal from extinction, which would you choose?
This hypothetical is a “safe” topic that provides the opportunity to be whimsical or serious and gets the brain working.
The hypothetical question is adaptable to any age group or setting. You can use it for team building in the workplace or in an educational environment. Answering these questions can help break down social barriers and reduce awkwardness through adding an extra element of fun to ice breakers.
When to use ice breaker questions
Any situation where a team is getting to know one other is a suitable time to use ice breaker questions. You could also use them to warm up an audience before a presentation or workshop, or in a brainstorming session to promote creating thinking.
Whenever you’re looking to break down barriers or foster a sense of connection, ice breaker questions are great for relaxing people, helping a group bond without being self-conscious.
Tips for using ice breaker questions
There are some important things to consider to ensure ice breakers are effective. Reflect on the purpose of the questions and the setting where you'll ask them. This will help you select the most appropriate ones for your scenario. For example, questions you ask in a virtual environment are likely to be different to in-person scenarios. Ensure the questions are culturally sensitive and targeted towards your audience.
While ice breaker questions are useful, they're probably not going to take up most of a meeting, so it's worth allotting a specific length of time to them. You can clarify this before you begin the activity. It's a good idea to open by giving your own answer as an example.
Make sure that everyone feels included, and encourage everyone to participate. If possible, ask follow-up questions to allow for even deeper connections. As the facilitator, it's your role to ensure everyone feels safe to answer freely, so establish ground rules if necessary.
Ice breaker questions are a fantastic way of getting a team to build rapport, and creating a supportive and relaxed environment. They allow the opportunity to create authentic connections in a fun environment, which can lead to increased team cohesion.
If you want to use them, consider which of the different types of questions is appropriate for your group and which will set the right tone for your purposes. For additional tips on team building, read more from SEEK's working life advice.
FAQ
What are ice breaker questions?
Ice breaker questions are creative questions that are designed to “break the ice” in a group of strangers or acquaintances. They allow people to get to know one another in a laidback setting and can also be used to engage audiences and encourage participation.
How can ice breakers improve team dynamics?
Ice breakers can improve team dynamics by building rapport and creating a relaxed environment.. They can also encourage creative thinking and help foster deeper workplace connections.
How do I know if an ice breaker question is inappropriate for work?
You can tell if an ice breaker question is inappropriate for work by considering whether you'd feel comfortable posing it to different people at various levels in your profession. If the question is divisive, overly political or not family friendly, it’s best not to use it.
When can you use ice breaker questions?
You can use ice breaker questions in any situation where you want to encourage collaboration, engage an audience, or reduce awkwardness in a team. This includes team-building situations, in educational, training and workshop settings, and in networking contexts.
