80 icebreaker questions for work, school and remote teams

What is a good icebreaker question?

A good icebreaker question is easy to answer, impossible to get wrong and says something small about the person. “What was your first job?” works because everyone has an answer and the answers vary. Avoid questions about age, money, relationships, health or religion, which can make people uncomfortable in a group.

Match the question to the time you have. With a large group and five minutes, stick to the one-word questions. With a small team and a relaxed agenda, a hypothetical or deeper question gives better conversation.

Icebreaker questions for work meetings

Light, professional and easy to answer without oversharing. They work well at the start of a team meeting or a workshop.

• What is one small win from this week? – starts the meeting on a positive note.
• What was your very first job? – always produces surprising stories.
• What skill do you have that colleagues don’t know about?
• What is the best work advice you have received?
• Coffee, tea or neither? – a quick warm-up for a new group.
• What is on your desk that tells a story?
• Which tool or app could you not work without? – often leads to useful tips.
• Which project are you most proud of?
• What did you want to be at age ten?
• What is your ideal lunch break?
• What are you learning at the moment? – good for teams that value development.
• Early bird or night owl?
• Which hobby would you do full-time if you could?
• What surprised you most in your first month here? – great for welcoming new starters.

Icebreaker questions for the classroom

Friendly questions for pupils of any age that nobody can get wrong. Use them for the first day of term, circle time or morning meetings.

• What is your favourite book or series?
• If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be? – a winner with younger pupils.
• What are you good at outside school? – lets quieter pupils shine.
• What school subject would you invent?
• What was the best part of your holidays?
• Which country would you most like to visit?
• What is your favourite playground game?
• What would you name a new planet?
• What makes you laugh every single time?
• Who do you look up to, and why? – better for older pupils.
• What is your favourite snack?
• If you were the teacher for a day, what would you teach?
• What word do you love the sound of? – a nice one for literacy lessons.
• What do you want to learn this year? – useful for setting goals.

Icebreaker questions for remote teams

Designed for video calls, where a question that invites people to show something on camera helps everyone relax.

• Show us something within arm’s reach – fast, visual and often funny.
• What is the view from your window?
• What is your go-to work-from-home lunch?
• Does a pet ever join your calls? – expect a guest appearance.
• What do you like most about working remotely?
• What is the weather like where you are? – handy for teams in different time zones.
• What is playing in your headphones today?
• Pick an emoji for your week – quick to answer in the chat.
• What makes your home workspace work?
• What does your morning routine look like?
• What local food should the rest of us try?
• What is your favourite call background?
• If we all met in person, where should we go?

Quick one-word icebreakers

Answers in a word or two, so a whole group gets round in a minute. Ideal for large meetings or when time is short.

• Your weekend in one word
• Your mood as a weather forecast
• Sweet or savoury?
• Beach or mountains?
• Books or films?
• Cats or dogs?
• Summer or winter?
• Your go-to pizza topping
• City or countryside?
• Favourite day of the week
• Texting or calling?
• An animal that matches your energy today
• Favourite colour right now
• Your perfect sandwich filling

Deeper icebreaker questions

For groups that already know each other a bit, team away days or mentoring sessions. Always let people pass.

• What have you changed your mind about recently? – shows openness and curiosity.
• When did you last feel really proud?
• Who has most influenced how you work?
• What small thing makes a big difference to your day?
• What would you tell your younger self?
• What does a good day look like for you?
• What goal are you quietly working towards?
• What is the kindest thing a stranger has done for you? – leaves the room feeling warm.
• What have you learned from a mistake?
• Which family tradition do you love?
• Which book or film changed how you think?
• What do you wish people asked you about more?

Fun hypothetical icebreaker questions

Imaginative “what if” questions that get people laughing and reveal a bit of personality without anything too personal.

• Which superpower would you want for a day?
• You can eat one food forever. What is it?
• If animals could talk, which would be the rudest? – reliably gets the room laughing.
• You get a free week off tomorrow. What do you do?
• Which fictional world would you move to?
• Which instrument would you master instantly?
• Whose life would you swap with for a day?
• What would your life’s theme song be?
• Which historical figure would you have to dinner?
• A lifetime supply of one thing: what do you pick?
• Time travel once: past or future?
• What would you name your robot assistant?
• If you opened a shop, what would it sell?

How to run an icebreaker that people actually enjoy

• Answer first yourself. A quick, honest answer from the facilitator sets the tone and length.
• Always allow a pass. Saying “pass” with no follow-up keeps the activity optional and safe.
• Keep it short. Aim for about 30 seconds per person. One good question is better than three rushed ones.
• Choose who speaks fairly. Instead of going round the table, shuffle the speaking order with the random order generator, or spin names on the random name picker with “Remove the winner” turned on.
• Let the wheel pick the question. Press “Spin this list” to load these questions into a wheel, delete any that do not suit the group, and spin once per meeting.

Using icebreakers in the classroom and online

Teachers can run a question of the day at registration: spin a question, then spin a pupil on the name picker for teachers. More classroom routines are in our guide to spinner wheel games for classrooms. For remote teams, ask people to answer in the chat first; it takes the pressure off anyone who does not want to unmute. If you want more playful options, our would you rather questions make a good follow-up round.