180+ Proven Icebreaker Questions to Boost Team Engagement

The Oxford Dictionary defines “to break the ice” as “to do or say something to relieve tension or get the conversation going at the start of a party or when people meet for the first time.” Enter icebreaker questions, a conversational tool that many managers and leaders use to encourage interactions in the workplace.

When used effectively, icebreaker questions can become part of your efforts to boost employee engagement and encourage team-building. But, when used lazily, they provide a bit of forced entertainment at the start of a meeting without much more impact after the fact.

While there’s nothing wrong with building rapport in a professional setting instead of getting straight to business, if you’re only using icebreakers on a sporadic basis – or if you’re using the wrong ones – you’re missing out on their potential. Let’s explore how to use these conversation prompts effectively.

Benefits of Using Icebreaker Questions for Team-Building

We may be stating the obvious but high-quality questions lead to high-quality responses. Team icebreaker questions have the power to create safe spaces where people feel comfortable in each other’s presence. As a result, they might share groundbreaking insights they never would’ve shared otherwise.

The right icebreakers can create genuine connections that encourage more collaboration and positive group dynamics long after a conversation has ended.

They can help people with radically different backgrounds and perspectives find common ground. They can tie work to a bigger sense of purpose and belonging, and nurture a healthy company culture.

This is key for engagement. According to a BetterUp study, employees who feel a strong sense of belonging face a 50% lower risk of turnover and show 56% higher performance than those who feel like they don’t belong.

Moreover, research conducted at MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory demonstrated the power of informal communication for building great teams:

“The best teams spend about half their time communicating outside of formal meetings or as ‘asides’ during team meetings, and increasing opportunities for informal communication tends to increase team performance,” wrote Alex “Sandy” Pentland, the lead researcher behind the study, in an HBR article.

187 Powerful Icebreaker Questions to Boost Engagement 

Knowing where to start can really be the hardest part. If you’re ready to leverage the power of team icebreaker questions on a regular basis (not just at the monthly all-hands), here are 187 ideas to get you going.

Best Icebreaker Questions for Work

The internet is filled with icebreaker question ideas – but not all of them are best suited for work. When using questions to break the ice in a work setting, it’s OK to ask deep questions or go for more fun ones. However, they still have to remain appropriate.

1. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career?
2. What’s an accomplishment that you’re proud of?
3. If you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be and why?
4. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
5. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
6. What was your first job, and what did you learn from it?
7. What was your dream profession growing up? 
8. What’s your favorite way to relax after a long day at the office?
9. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, which location would you choose?
10. What’s one new skill you’d love to master and why?
11. What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on lately?
12. If you could have drinks with any historical figure, who would it be?
13. Which book or movie has influenced your professional life?
14. If you had to teach a class or give a talk on one topic, what would it be?
15. What’s your go-to productivity tip?
16. What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever had to do at work?
17. What is one item on your bucket list that you’re excited to check off?

New Team Member Icebreaker Questions 

Icebreaker questions are the perfect way to get to know a new team member and help them integrate. Use them to ask the newcomer about themselves and to prompt existing team members to participate in the conversation. 

18. What’s your go-to karaoke song?
19. If you could be anyone in the world for the day, who would you be and why?
20. What is one surprising thing we should know about you?
21. How do you love to spend your weekends?
22. If you could instantly learn any language, what would it be?
23. What’s a hobby you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet?
24. What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
25. If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
26. If you could time travel to any era, when would it be and why?
27. What is your go-to ice cream flavor? 
28. Do you have any hidden talents or surprising skills?
29. What’s your morning routine? 
30. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received and why?
31. What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you at work?
32. If you had your own talk show, who would be your dream guest?
33. What do you love the most about your area of expertise?
34. What does your perfect day look like?

Fun Icebreaker Questions for Team Events 

From a team-building activity to a social gathering, a team event can sometimes start on an awkward note. 

Some people are introverts and stay quiet until you encourage them to participate. Others hesitate to be the first ones to share something more personal. Fun icebreaker questions can help make everyone feel more comfortable. 

35. What animal best represents you and why?
36. What’s the most used emoji on your phone right now?
37. What is the strangest item in your fridge right now?
38. What is one part of your work you wish was automated?
39. If you could swap jobs with anyone in the company for a day, who would it be?
40. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
41. Would you rather have unlimited coffee or snacks at work? 
42. If our team had a mascot, what would it be? 
43. If you were invisible for the day, what would you do? 
44. What’s your favorite random fact? 
45. If you could be famous for anything, what would you want it to be?
46. What’s the funniest prank you’ve ever pulled or had pulled on you?
47. If you could live inside any movie or TV show, which one would it be?
48. What’s the most ridiculous fashion trend you’ve ever tried?
49. If you could invent something, what would it be and why?
50. What is something you think is totally overrated?
51. If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

Deep Icebreaker Questions to Encourage Authenticity 

Deep icebreaker questions can help you create a safe space for people to be their authentic selves. Why does this matter? Authenticity in the workplace comes with many benefits, from increased engagement to greater innovation and creativity.

52. What’s a challenge you’ve overcome that shaped who you are today?
53. What’s a core value that guides your decisions?
54. What does success mean to you? 
55. What’s a lesson you’ve learned from failing?
56. How do you handle stress and stay grounded during challenging times?
57. What’s something you’re striving to improve about yourself?
58. Who has had the biggest influence on your career, and why?
59. What advice would you give your younger self? 
60. What is a professional experience that pushed you out of your comfort zone? 
61. Have you ever had to make a hard decision at work? What was that like? 
62. What’s a risk you’ve taken that paid off in an unexpected way?
63. What inspires you on a daily basis? 
64. What does work-life balance mean to you? 
65. What is a misconception people often have about you? 
66. What’s a moment in your career that changed your perspective?
67. What’s a quality you admire in others and strive to cultivate in yourself?
68. What’s something you’ve learned about yourself in the past year?

Great Icebreaker Questions for Meetings 

Whether you’re hosting in-person or virtual meetings, icebreaker questions can help you capture the attention of your audience and set the foundation for a fruitful, productive meeting. These questions don’t have to be complex – they just need to break the monotony of the day and lead to a shift in energy.

69. What’s the most exciting thing that happened to you this week so far? 
70. What are you most grateful for today? 
71. What’s the most interesting fact you’ve learned recently? 
72. What’s a goal you’re working towards this quarter? 
73. Which fictional character inspires you professionally? 
74. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned recently?
75. What’s your favorite way to start the day?
76. If you were stranded on a desert island, which teammates would you want there with you and why? 
77. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? 
78. What’s the most memorable concert or event you’ve attended?
79. What would you do differently if this week would repeat itself? 
80. If Zoom meetings had intro theme songs, what would yours be? 
81. What’s the last book or TV show you’ve binged? 
82. Which online trend do you wish would go away? 
83. What's your favorite task or project right now and why? 
84. What's the one thing that always gets you through a hard day at work? 
85. What's your favorite food? 

Funny Icebreaker Questions 

Sometimes you need funny icebreaker questions to lighten up the mood. As long as you keep the jokes work-appropriate, a dose of laughter can work wonders for boosting morale.

86. What’s the best joke you’ve heard recently?
87. If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you choose?
88. What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done that seemed like a good idea at the time?
89. What’s the most embarrassing hair/fashion choice you’ve ever made?
90. If you could only speak in movie quotes, which movie would you choose?
91. What’s the weirdest food combo you enjoy?
92. If you were a household object, which one would you be and why?
93. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever dreamed of?
94. If animals could talk, which one would be the funniest?
95. What kind of dog breed best represents you?
96. If you could be a cartoon character for a day, who would it be?
97. What’s your funniest childhood anecdote?
98. If you could invent a new holiday, what would it be called and how would people celebrate it?
99. What’s the silliest argument you’ve ever been in?
100. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? 
101. What is the most awkward thing that ever happened to you at work? 
102. What are you terrible at? 

Fictional World Icebreaker Questions

Hypothetical and fictional world questions are great for stimulating creativity. Use them at the beginning of a brainstorm to get the creative juices flowing and foster a collaborative environment. 

103. If you could travel anywhere in the entire world, where would you go and why?
104. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?
105. If you were a time-traveller, how would you prove that you’re from the future? 
106. If you could live in any fictional universe, which one would you choose and why?
107. If you were a fictional character in a movie, what genre would it be, and what would your role be?
108. If you could speak any fictional language fluently, which one would it be?
109. If you had a time machine, would you rather visit the past or the future, and why?
110. If you could switch places with any historical figure for a day, who would it be and why? 
111. If you were chosen to be the first human to communicate with aliens, what would you say? 
112. If you were a billionaire, what would be your most extravagant indulgence? 
113. If you could experience and survive a natural disaster, which one would you choose and why?  
114. If you could bring back a cancelled TV show, which one would you choose? 
115. If you had to live in a world where one technology didn’t exist, which would you choose and how would you adapt?
116. If you could know the truth behind an unsolved mystery, which one would it be? 
117. If you were tasked with making work more fun while still being productive, what would you focus on? 
118. If you woke up after being cryogenically frozen for 100 years, what would be your first question? 
119. If you could make an office rule everyone would follow for a day, what would it be and why? 

Weird Icebreaker Questions

Still looking for inspiration? Unique and quirky icebreaker questions are versatile enough to use in the workplace and they break the ice in unpredictable ways. They don’t have to be funny per se, but they can definitely be absurd. 

120. What is the weirdest food combination you’ve ever eaten?
121. Would you rather visit space or the bottom of the ocean and why? 
122. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
123. If you could have any animal as a pet, no matter how exotic, what would it be?
124. What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?
125. If you had 25 hours in a day, how would you spend that extra hour? 
126. What’s a fact you wish you could unlearn? 
127. What job would you be absolutely terrible at? 
128. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with? 
129. If you could change the company name, what would you change it to? 
130. What’s a movie that everyone loves that you still haven’t seen? 
131. If you were tasked with having to hide an illegal giraffe, where would you hide it? 
132. What’s the quirkiest habit you have that others might find surprising?
133. If you could swap places with any inanimate object for a day, what would it be?
134. Ben & Jerry's wants to commission the grossest ice cream flavor ever – which one do you pick? 
135. If your legs were replaced with animal legs, which one would you choose? 
136. What is the most monotonous sport to watch and why?

Thought-Provoking Icebreaker Questions

Thought-provoking icebreaker questions can ignite meaningful conversations and push team members to think beyond the usual small talk that makes up everyday interactions. Use them when you want to energize a group and encourage intellectual conversations. 

137. What’s the most thought-provoking documentary you’ve watched recently?
138. If you could give everyone in the world one book to read, what would it be and why?
139. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned this week?
140. What is an insight from an unrelated field or source that you’ve applied to your job?
141. What does a successful year look like for you and why?
142. If you could have a conversation with your future self, what advice would you ask for?
143. What is one bold move you’ve made at work this year and how did it pay off? 
144. How do you think technology will change the way we work in the next decade?
145. If you could change one thing about our industry, what would it be?
146. What’s a belief or value you hold that helps you navigate your career? 
147. How do you balance your personal and professional life? 
148. If you had the resources to lead any type of innovation in the company, what would you focus on? 
149. How do you define creativity, and where do you find it in your everyday life?
150. How do you measure personal growth, and what are some milestones you’re proud of?
151. What is our biggest competitive advantage in your opinion? 
152. What underrated quality makes our team powerful? 

Holiday Icebreaker Questions

The holiday season is often synonymous with team celebrations. If you need a little help getting people to socialize, whip out a holiday icebreaker question that will get the conversation going without making anyone feel bad. Remember, not everyone has a positive experience of the holidays, and people also come from different backgrounds with different traditions. 

153. What’s your favorite holiday tradition and how did it start?
154. If you could celebrate any holiday for an entire month, which one would you choose and why?
155. What’s the best holiday gift you’ve ever received?
156. What holiday treat would you eat year-round? 
157. If there were no expectations, how would you prefer to spend the holidays? 
158. Did you ever believe in Santa? If so, how did you find out he wasn’t real? 
159. What’s your favorite holiday movie? 
160. What is the best $5 gift to give to someone? 
161. If you could spend the holidays anywhere in the world, where would it be?
162. Which holiday song gets stuck in your head every year? 
163. What is your “never again” holiday story? 
164. How do you usually ring in the New Year?
165. What are your tips to manage holiday stress? 
166. What’s your favorite way to give back or spread holiday cheer?
167. Are you a last-minute shopper or do you buy gifts in advance? 
168. Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Why or why not?
169. What is your favorite memory from an office holiday party? 

Seasonal Icebreaker Questions

Why make small talk about the weather when you can make things more interesting with a seasonal icebreaker question? When you lack inspiration, these icebreakers can provide something as safe – but a little more interesting – to discuss as the rainy forecast. 

170. What’s your favorite thing about the current season?
171. What is your go-to winter/fall comfort food? 
172. What is your favorite [insert season] activity? 
173. What’s your favorite seasonal coffee/tea order? 
174. Are you a fan of winter sports? 
175. What’s the most beautiful place you’ve visited to see the fall colors? 
176. What is your favorite summer memory? 
177. Are you into seasonal decor? 
178. If you could skip a season, which one would it be? 
179. If you could experience this season in another country, where would it be?
180. How do you like to spend your weekends in this kind of weather? 
181. If you could bottle up the feeling of this season, what would it smell like?
182. Was it cold where you grew up? 
183. Are you a spring-cleaning kind of person or not? 
184. What is your favourite time of the year for fashion? 
185. What is the best costume you’ve ever worn for Halloween? 
186. You get to go on an all-expenses-paid trip and have to choose between beach getaway and mountain escape. Which one do you pick? 

Using Icebreaker Questions Effectively

Having a list of good icebreaker question ideas is only half the battle. In order to make the most of icebreakers for increasing team engagement, it’s important to know how to use them. 

The ideas above should serve as inspiration, but you can adapt them to various settings and occasions and personalize them for maximum impact. Know what your goals are and use icebreakers accordingly. 

For example, do you want to encourage creative thinking or help a new team member integrate? Are you trying to increase the energy before a virtual meeting, or do you want to get the party going during a social event?  

How to Ask Good Icebreaker Questions

Once you understand the purpose behind an icebreaker question, mastering the art of asking the question is the next step. The way you ask the question can enhance team dynamics and create a welcoming atmosphere – or it can make people feel uncomfortable and as though they’ve been put on the spot. 

• Read the room and start with questions that require less thought. Encourage participation without singling out team members or pressuring them to answer. Make sure that everyone feels comfortable and valued when responding. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers, so don't make people feel like they can mess up. 
• Acknowledge responses thoughtfully instead of immediately moving on. Ask follow-up questions if they come up organically. After all, the idea is to start conversations! You don’t want this exercise to feel too mechanical. 
• Keep questions simple and easy to understand allowing people to engage without feeling like they’re being tested. Whatever you do, steer clear of questions that are too personal or sensitive. 

There is a time and a place for deep icebreaker questions that allow team members to bond on a more profound level. But always stay mindful that you don’t push too far and stick to topics that are appropriate for a work environment. 

How to Answer Icebreaker Questions

Knowing how to answer icebreaker questions can also help you make the most of the moment and encourage team-building. 

• When it’s your turn to answer, be personable and share interesting anecdotes that give others a glimpse into your personality. This helps build rapport and encourages others to share more openly too. Stay respectful and professional, of course, but be your true self. 
• Aim to answer in a way that invites further discussion instead of shutting down the conversation. For example, give more details instead of one-worded answers. It’s also important to listen actively to others' answers, showing genuine interest in what they have to say. This shows respect, but also creates a supportive and engaging environment. 
• On the other hand, monopolizing the conversation can kill the group dynamic. Keep your answers concise, ideally not longer than one or two minutes. This will give everyone around the table the chance to speak. 

By following these tips, you can make the most of icebreaker questions in a wide variety of professional settings. For more resources on engaging your team in meaningful ways, check out the Applauz blog.