The LAST Icebreaker Questions List You’ll Ever Need

The LAST Icebreaker Questions List You’ll Ever Need (170+ Questions)

11/3/2021

We’ve all been there…

You’re in virtual meeting after meeting and it feels like ALL you do is hop into business.

It’s nearly impossible for someone to stay in work mode all day, and an occasional pivot to something a little more exciting than work can be very beneficial.

Icebreaker questions are great ways to connect with people, bolster team building, make new people feel welcome, and learn a bit about yourself, too!

Icebreaker questions can also…

Help the team loosen up a little bit
Make a stressful week a little more enjoyable
Promote stronger relationships within teams
Spark ideas that are related to work (but the rest of the conversation can wait for the conference room)
Make after-work drinks a little more fun!

As more companies go remote, it’s going to be easy to hop into the trap of Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting with no team building moments…

But you can prevent it with a little excitement and change!

This list of 170+ Icebreaker questions will make your next 4-hour planning meeting fun (well… somewhat, at least).

Also--these questions can also be used at an after-work happy hour, meetup, or whenever you’re meeting a group of new people!

Best Icebreaker Questions

Here are my top icebreaker questions for you to use at your next happy hour or meetup! (My answers in parentheses)

What’s one of your musical guilty pleasures? (Whitney Houston)
What did you want to be when you were a kid? (A Ghostbuster - I tried to get my parents to change my name to Egon when I was 7. They wisely declined.)
What was one videogame you couldn’t be beat at as a kid? (Sonic 2 for Sega Genesis--I found 20 years after it came out that I never beat it.)
What’s the best present you ever got? (A regal digital painting of my cat-Not to brag, but it DID hit the front page of Reddit on Christmas Eve 2014.)
What is your most sentimental belonging? (My wife and I still have our childhood stuffed animals--They live on top of our dresser in a boat)

Funny Icebreaker Questions

How much does a polar bear weigh?

Enough to…break the ice! (Sorry…had to.)

Even if you’re ideas are shared (I didn’t make up that joke), humor puts almost everyone at ease, and being at ease makes talking a little bit easier.

Here are some funny icebreaker questions that you can use to help put your new (and old) coworkers at ease… pending a laugh, of course!

Do you do pineapple on pizza?
Do you have a funny travel story?
What’s your funniest pet peeve?
What was your favorite pet’s name?
What’s your favorite pair of socks and why?
Did you ever discover you liked a food or drink by accident?
What’s the best thing you've bought at a garage sale?
Where would you go this second if teleportation were real?
Do you have a “that crazy uncle” story?
What’s something your parents do that makes you laugh even though they’re not trying to be funny?
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
What’s something your parents made you do that you’ll definitely make your kids do, just because it’s funny?
Do you have a “worst job” experience?
Did you have a “special club” in elementary school?
What is something you learned not to do, based on someone’s mistake?
Who was your favorite high school teacher or coach?
Have you ever made a real, lifelong friend while sitting at a bar?
Do you have a funny concert story?
What’s your biggest Halloween costume success story?
What’s your biggest Halloween costume fail?
Have you ever tried to make your own ice cream?
What’s something that angers you that probably shouldn’t?
What’s your favorite card game?
What was your favorite movie memory from theaters?
Do you have a fast food guilty pleasure?
Do you like breakfast food for dinner?
If money weren’t an issue, what would be your ideal job?
Do you have a silly “party trick” skill?
Do you have a favorite Halloween costume?
Who’s on your Mount Rushmore of actors/actresses?
Who’s on your Mount Rushmore of comedians?
What’s one thing you’d say to your boss if you knew there were zero repercussions?
Have you ever been to Las Vegas (maybe add a wink)?
Who is your favorite TV character of all time?
So how do you order your eggs?
Which celebrity would you tap to be your Hunger Games partner?
What band would play at your wedding?
What band would play at your funeral?
So, are you an organ donor?
What’s the first song on your “get hyped” playlist?
What’s the last show you binge watched?
What’s a fact about a sibling you wish you didn’t know?
Would you rather deal with an office bully or an office slob?
Would you volunteer to go visit an alien ship if they seemed friendly?
Would you rather go 50 years in the future or the past?
Have you ever been to a destination wedding?
Do you like cheese?
If you knew you could get away with it, what non-violent crime would you commit without shame?
What sitcom do you think you could have starred in?
What reality show would you have liked to be in?
What’s your spirit animal?
Do you think you could kill someone to protect 100 someones?
Do you believe in ghosts?
Do you have any nicknames?
What’s your best/worst camping experience?
Have you had any near-death experiences?
Which decade would you most like to explore?
Big dogs or small dogs?
Where is the coolest AirBnb you’ve stayed at?
Did you ever have any wild hairdos?
What’s the most money you’ve ever won?
What’s your most used emoji?
What’s the funniest thing you did to get a crush’s attention?
What’s the funniest pet name you’ve given an animal?
What was your first car?
What’s one food you’ll never eat again?
What’s one food you could eat every day?
What’s your favorite breakfast food?
What fictional city do you wish was real?
What’s a song you put on repeat when you’re having a bad day?
What is something you love doing that no one knows about?
Got any good knock-knock jokes?
What actor/actress would play you in a biopic?
What exotic pet would you choose if not for laws (or danger)?
What’s your favorite one-liner from a movie?
If you could be reincarnated, what animal would you choose?
Have you ever had a few too many drinks around in-laws or a significant other’s family?
Have you ever been to one of the Disneys (World or Land)?
What’s an office pet peeve you have?
What do you know about your car’s extended warranty? (I get this one via phone about 47 times per week)

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Icebreaker Questions to Start a Conversation

Sometimes breaking the ice is the first step needed to steer a conversation.

The list above could be used for friends, strangers, kids, and old people alike, but this section is about icebreaker questions for adults who may want to start a conversation about a specific subject. (You might be at a networking event, or a conference)

They can also set you up to share something about yourself that you think could help continue the conversation!

What was your favorite class in college?
What’s something on your bucket list?
What was the last thing you remember eating for the first time?
Do you have a favorite author or poet?
What is your proudest accomplishment that isn’t related to your career?
How do you feel about the wage gap?
Do you enjoy reading for fun?
What’s your favorite thing to take someone to when they visit this city?
Are you a morning person?
What’s the most recent thing checked off your bucket list?
What’s your favorite state you’ve visited?
What about a country you’ve never been to that you’d like to go to?
What animal do you relate with the most and why?
Do you have any aspirations to start your own company?
Have you ever failed at something but knew it made you better?
What is your favorite sport to play?
What is your favorite sport to watch?
What is your favorite sport to watch?
Have you ever seen a bald eagle?
Do you have any nicknames?
What do/did your parents do for work?
Do you do work in your community?
Have you ever been to comic con?
Who do you look up to as a community mentor in your area?
Do you think automation is good or bad?
How do you feel about cryptocurrency?
Would you prefer 10 days alone, or 10 days with 10 complete strangers?
Did you name your first car?
What’s your favorite movie genre?
What app do you use the most?
What states have you lived in?
Do you have any siblings?
What did you like the most about working from home?
Have you learned any valuable lessons from siblings?
Do you remember your school’s graduation song?
Do you work better alone or in groups?
What’s your favorite season?
Do you sing in the shower?
Would you rather have a sprawling estate or a downtown penthouse?
Did you have a chance to work remotely during COVID?
Have you ever been really proud of something that no one else seemed to care about?
Do you like being in charge of people?
How did you become so confident in yourself?
How do you feel about therapy? Have you gone?

Icebreaker Questions for Work

New employees are often a little nervous.

Old-school employees can be less-than-approachable (Work needs to get done!).

Both need to be included, and these icebreaker questions for work are a great way to get them involved. Here are a few questions you can ask to get some conversational sparks flying in the workplace:

What was something you overcame in childhood that made you who you are today?
Do you have any scars?
What’s something you do regularly just to make people smile?
What’s the worst advice you’ve been given at a previous job?
Which Disney character do you look up to?
What dog breed represents you best?
What’s a cool holiday tradition your family does?
What’s your favorite ice cream?
What’s your favorite season?
What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?
What do you think the boss listens to during their commute?
What’s your go-to office lunch?
What movie have you seen the most?
How do you feel about unsolicited advice?
Where do you see yourself spending the most time in retirement?
What is your wind-down show of choice?
Who in the office would you most like to get stuck in the elevator with for an hour?
Do you speak any other languages?
What’s your favorite thing about your current role?
What’s your favorite type of book or movie?
What’s your motivation for working here?
Do you have a favorite Roman/Greek god or goddess?
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
Who or what got you interested in this kind of work?
Do you have a favorite philosopher?
What’s your go-to podcast?
Did you ever have an imaginary friend?
What superpower would you want?
If you went back to school, what would it be for?
What’s an odd subject you’re somewhat of an expert on?
What’s the best work trip experience you’ve ever had?
Do you donate to any charities regularly?

Would You Rather Icebreaker Questions

These Icebreaker questions are great for learning more about how people think about situations and how they handle tradeoffs.

Would you rather retire from a job you didn’t love or continue working a job you do love?
Would you rather have someone ruin your wedding or your funeral?
Would you rather die before or after the love of your life?
Would you rather live in a world without money or a world without laughter?
Would you rather bring someone back to life, or send someone to the afterlife with zero repercussions?
Would you rather be able to hear people’s thoughts or see their dreams?
Would you rather have eternal sunlight or eternal darkness?
Would you rather find love or happiness?
Would you rather erase some of your own memories or someone else’s?
Would you rather lose an arm or lose a leg?
Would you rather never be able to text again or never be able to take a photo on your phone again?
Would you rather be front row for a historical presidential speech, or be the person who wrote it?
Would you rather become a millionaire or be able to make 3 other people millionaires?
Would you rather find happiness or fortune?
Would you rather push a button that made your friend rich but a family you didn’t know poor or push a button that made a random family rich and didn’t affect anyone negatively?

For more questions to ask people check out these posts:

And for more tips on how to continue those conversations after you break the ice...check out this video on being more charismatic:

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