85 questions to break the ice at your next work meeting

break the ice

Picture this: it’s the beginning of a meeting with a couple of colleagues you don’t know too well, exchanging awkward pleasantries (or worse – awkward silence), waiting for the agenda to move along. We’ve all been there. All it takes to break the ice is a fun question to start the conversation and help you learn about your fellow coworkers. Here, we’ve equipped you with 85 questions to do just that.

Work-Related Questions

Here are some questions to break the ice if you want to stay on the topic of work or you’re looking for some (slightly) more professional icebreakers.

  1. Do you prefer working from home or in the office?
  2. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
  3. How do you get energized in the morning?
  4. If you could learn one new professional skill, what would it be?
  5. If you could learn one new personal skill, what would it be?
  6. What is your go-to workday lunch?
  7. What is your morning routine before work?
  8. What is your favourite way to unwind after work?
  9. What is the best personal or professional development book you have ever read?
  10. What is a recent book you’ve read?
  11. What is a recent podcast you’ve listened to?
  12. How many languages do you speak?
  13. What is a project you’re excited about?
  14. What was your first-ever job?

Questions to Spark Debate

There’s nothing like some friendly debate to get the conversation going and break the ice. Here are some questions that you’ll have fun with that will likely bring different opinions.

  1. Night showers or morning showers?
  2. Coffee or tea?
  3. Sweet food or savoury food?
  4. Chocolate or candy?
  5. Pancakes or waffles?
  6. Android or iPhone?
  7. What is the best pizza topping? Which is the worst one?
  8. Cats or dogs?
  9. What is the best (or worst) season?
  10. City or countryside?
  11. What is the most annoying household chore?

Would You Rather Questions

Everyone loves a good would you rather question. It’s easy to talk about and starts a fun discussion that helps you see people in a different light.

  1. Would you rather travel to the past or to the future?
  2. Would you rather win a Nobel Prize or an Olympic gold medal?
  3. Would you rather eat the same food every day or never be able to eat the same thing twice?
  4. Would you rather go camping or on a cruise?
  5. Would you rather always be two hours early or one hour late?
  6. Would you rather have a rewind button or a pause button on your life?
  7. Would you rather never listen to music again or never be able to watch movies ever again?
  8. Would you rather explore space or the ocean?
  9. Would you rather be 3 feet taller or shorter than you currently are?
  10. Would you rather always be too hot or always be too cold?
  11. Would you rather hear good news or bad news first?

Fun Questions to Get to Know Each Other

Here are some lighthearted questions to break the ice that you can use to learn new things about your colleagues.

  1. What is your go-to drink at a bar?
  2. What is your favourite movie/TV show/book?
  3. Have you ever met anyone famous (if so, tell the story of how you met)?
  4. Which artist is on the top of your playlist right now?
  5. Do you have any hidden talents?
  6. What is your favourite sound?
  7. You’re at karaoke, what is your song of choice?
  8. What would you do if you won the lottery?
  9. What is your favourite scent?
  10. What is your go-to restaurant?
  11. Your house is on fire and you can only save one personal possession – what is it?
  1. Who is your celebrity crush?
  2. What is your most-used emoji?
  3. What is the best book you have ever read (or what is the worst book you have ever read)?
  4. Who is your favourite superhero?
  5. What is your favourite cuisine?
  6. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?
  7. If you were on a reality TV show, which one would it be?
  8. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
  9. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
  10. What are three things you would bring on a deserted island?
  11. If your life was a movie, what would the title be?
  12. What’s your astrological sign?
  13. What does your perfect weekend look like?
  14. If you were an animal, which animal would you be and why?
  15. What is your favourite animal and why?
  16. What is your biggest pet peeve?
  17. What is the best trip you have ever taken?
  18. If you could have any superpower in the world, what would it be?
  19. What is something that’s on your bucket list?
  20. What would you do in a zombie apocalypse?
  21. If you could have front-row seat at any concert (past or present) who would it be?
  22. What is your favourite holiday and why?
  23. What is the best gift you have ever given or received?
  24. If you could be anyone in the world for 24 hours, who would it be?

Do you want to start achieving your goals today? Take our free course on Building Your Personal Annual Plan!

 

Questions to Start Deeper Conversations

Lastly, here are icebreakers that may give you a deeper talk with whomever you are with.

  1. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
  2. What is the biggest lesson you have learned?
  3. What is the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you?
  4. If you were to give 10-year-old you a piece of advice, what would it be?
  5. What is your fondest childhood memory and why?
  6. What is a quality you admire most in yourself (or in others)?
  7. Who is someone you admire, and why?
  8. What is your biggest goal?
  9. What is your favourite thing about your hometown or current city?
  10. What is the biggest risk you have ever taken?
  11. Do you live by any quotes? Which is your favourite?
  12. What do you feel most grateful for in your life?
  13. What do you believe people should do more of?
  14. If you were to be known or remembered for something, what would you want it to be?

With this list of questions, you’ll no longer have to resort to comments about the weather to break the ice. Looking for something a little more structured? Check out our Company Questionnaire Icebreaker article!

Recommended Resources:
 

Uncover your strengths and weaknesses with our complimentary assessment. Boost your effectiveness at work and with your team.

Free Resource Library: Access our extensive collection of valuable resources for instant support in your personal and professional growth.

Explore Our Course Library:

Enhance your leadership skills with our diverse selection of courses. Take your abilities to the next level and become a more effective leader and team player.

Testimonials

Our Clients Love the Professional Leadership Institute

Your team will, too! Check out some reviews from our students.
The PLI program was invaluable to our network.
The range of topics delivered, the open dialogue, experience, and examples that PLI brought to each session were outstanding and provided a path for our Franchisees and Managers to look at leadership, coaching, and connecting with their teams in a new light. Many have implemented these strategies in their bakeries and have seen immediate results.
Michelle C.
COBS Bread
Highly recommend to help your team move forward
We have locations around BC and Alberta, so getting people on the same page can be very difficult... Until now. Our entire management team and location managers take the same great courses and then meet monthly online with our coach to apply it to our situation. People are engaged, the courses are excellent, we love our coach, and we are all learning together!
Jason Fawcett
President, Kelson Group
The result has been a transformation of our culture. 
We decided to implement PLI's strategies across the country in over 150 locations and over 3500 employees.  The result has been a transformation of our culture.  People's lives have been positively impacted - professionally and personally.  Morale is high and sales and profits are up as a result.
Daryl Verbeek
Daryl Verbeek
We’ve learned how to fix ongoing personnel issues once and for all
The roadmap laid out set our business up to quintuple in sales.  We've learned how to fix ongoing personnel issues once and for all, attract top talent, and spend our time focused on results, not internal staffing problems.  I highly recommend PLI to you - it's worked for us!
John DeJong
Satisfied Client
I had no idea that running a business could be this fun!
In less than 18 months of working with Trevor, he has transformed my business from being average to exceptional, where mediocrity is not acceptable, where being great is standard.  Working with PLI has allowed me to realize my dream of not simply owning a job, but owning a business.
Justin Bontkes
Principal, Caliber Projects
Our culture has taken major steps forward this year
Our culture has taken major steps forward this year with Trevor’s help.  He is funny, relatable, and his tools are very very practical and have helped us focus and upgrade our teams throughout our retail network. Trevor recently spoke to an employee group, and one person remarked, “I could listen to Trevor all day.”   We would highly recommend Trevor.
Stan Pridham
Founder, KMS Tools
The results have been remarkable
At first, we resisted, “This just won’t work with a law firm.” But we persisted and the results have been remarkable: our client base and profits have steadily improved, and staff engagement and morale is the healthiest its ever been.
Doug Lester
Partner, RDM Lawyers
Helped our fast-growing business become what it is today
I've experienced PLI's approach first hand and it's been crucial to sustaining our growth.  I can't imagine a business that wouldn't benefit greatly from his help.
Brian Antenbring
Founder, TEEMA
Provided practical ways to make positive changes
Trevor was incredibly well-received by the entire organization. He was able to articulate people issues that many of our franchisees were experiencing and provided them with practical ways to make positive changes. We have implemented the Star Chart tool across the organization and see it as vital to building happy, effective teams.
Aaron Gillespie
President, COBS Bread
Scroll to Top

Start Learning Today

For Individuals

Unlock your potential and accelerate your career with sought-after management and leadership skills.

 

Transform Your Organization

For Teams

Book a consultation to discuss your challenges and discover how we can help you build a winning team.

 

Sign Up For Weekly Tips!

Get Weekly Coaching Tips Straight To Your Inbox Every Monday.