Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies have had to adapt to the circumstances by allowing employees to work remotely, something new to most organizations. However, there may be some communication gaps when work is done remotely, as people do not always know how to approach each other to establish a good conversation.
To guarantee a good workflow there must be good communication between coworkers. That’s why icebreaker questions can be of great help, especially in business settings. In this article, we tell you which are the best icebreakers so that you can leverage them to improve your operation.
What are the best icebreaker questions?
Are you looking for good virtual team building activities? There are many types of funny icebreaker questions that can be useful to improve communication in a remote team. In the following paragraphs, we share different categories of questions so that you can choose the one that best suits your situation.
Silly Icebreaker Questions
There are times when it is necessary to create a relaxed atmosphere and to do so it may be a good idea to ask silly questions. Adding a little humor can improve the mood in the workplace, ease anxiety, and encourage people to open up.
Even when there’s no time for play, asking a few quick and fun icebreaker questions can be very productive. These questions are sure to make participants laugh, and leave them relaxed and ready for the next activities:
- If there is an exception to every rule, is there an exception to that rule?
- How far east can you go before going west?
- Can a shorter person “talk” to a taller person?
- Would you rather be a giant rodent or a small elephant?
- If you had to name a garment that describes you, what would you say?
- If you had to eat a worm, how would you cook it?
- How fast do you think 100 pancakes will sell?
- What makes the world go round?
- If you were a fish, what kind of fish would you be?
- If you had your human body, but the head of an animal, which animal would you choose?
- If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be?
- If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be?
- If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
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Icebreaker Questions for Meetings
It is very common for meetings to be made up of people who do not know each other much. These icebreaker questions for meetings will help attendees relax and create a collaborative environment. It is not necessary to ask all these questions, you can simply choose the ones that best suit the setting of your workgroup. By keeping the questions related to work, it is easy to segway into the core reason of the meeting after learning something from your coworker.
- What was the best job you ever had?
- What was the worst job you ever had?
- What word describes your computer skills?
- What would your dream job be?
- What are the best benefits you have had at a job?
- What part of your daily routine do you like the most?
- What part of your daily routine do you like the least?
- What is your least favorite office task?
- What do you have for breakfast every day before going to the office?
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“If You Could” Icebreaker Questions
‘If you could’ are speculative icebreaker questions. Here, participants are asked to consider different options, some fun, some serious, and some for others to know more about you. In this list, you will find good icebreaker questions that work well for groups of any size.
- If you had to choose an age for your whole life, what age would you choose and why?
- You have 3 wishes that will come true, what would they be?
- If you had an endless supply of one type of food, what would you choose?
- If you were an Olympian, what sport would you compete in?
- If you could appear in your favorite movie, what movie would you choose and what character would you play?
- If you had to be someone else, who would you like to be?
- If you had to buy a car right now, which one would you buy?
- If you had to change something about yourself, what would you change?
- If you had to choose an imaginary friend, who would you choose and why?
- If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be and why?
- If you could teleport anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?
“This or That” Icebreaker Questions
This type of icebreaker question can be serious or silly. They can adapt to any occasion and are good for any age group. Here is a list of icebreaker questions that you can choose from:
- Visit the doctor or the dentist?
- Eat broccoli or asparagus?
- Be a giant ant or a small giraffe?
- Watch TV or listen to music?
- Have a lizard or an anaconda as a pet?
- Enjoy a vacation on the beach or in the mountains?
- Be a pear or a banana?
- To be invisible or to be able to read people’s minds?
- Be completely hairy or completely bald?
- Being the most popular person or the smartest person?
- Make the news for saving someone’s life or for winning an Oscar?
- Run out of television or fast food for the rest of your life?
“Have You Ever” Icebreaker Questions
This icebreaker game will make all participants remember their past, as these questions are about activities and events that people have experienced in their lives. Whether it’s memories of relationships, vacations, or jobs, these “Have you ever?” questions will surely challenge all participants:
- Have you ever been to Asia?
- Have you ever been on a motorcycle?
- Have you ever lived in another city?
- Have you ever met a celebrity?
- Have you ever planted a seed?
- Have you ever worked as a waiter?
- Have you ever been to a wedding?
- Have you ever cooked a cake?
- Have you ever been in a limo?
- Have you ever sent flowers to someone?
- Have you ever participated in a marathon?
- Have you ever been to the mountains?
- Have you ever participated in a beauty pageant?
- Have you ever been somewhere while an earthquake occurred?
“What Would You Do If” Icebreaker Questions
These icebreaker questions are also intended to enable participants to speculate on possible actions in different scenarios. These questions are a lot of fun and can lead to deep and interesting conversations:
- If you had to do something different again this week, what would it be?
- What would you do if you never had to work again?
- If you found out that you only have one month left to live, what would you like to do?
- If you are dining at a friend’s house and you find a hair on your plate, what would you do?
- If you saw someone being robbed on the street, what would you do?
- What would you do if you had a million dollars?
Icebreaker Questions for Christmas
Employees will of course appreciate it if you can adapt your icebreakers depending on where you are on the calendar. Given that Christmas is celebrated by most in the West, these questions can be handy when it is the time to be merry and jolly:
- What is the first thing you do on Christmas day?
- Where do you usually go shopping for Christmas?
- What is a typical Christmas tradition in your family?
- What is your favorite Christmas activity?
- What is your favorite Christmas food?
- What was your best Christmas gift of all time?
- What is your favorite Christmas carol?
- What was the best gift you ever gave someone?
- What does Christmas mean to you?
- What is your favorite type of Christmas candy?
- What is your favorite Christmas cake?
- What Christmas movie do you watch every year?
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Icebreaker Questions for Other Holidays
As mentioned before, questions are far more pertinent when they are relevant. Here are some ideas for other holidays:
- What was your favorite Halloween costume?
- What did you do for Halloween when you were a kid?
- What is your favorite holiday?
- What do you like about it?
- What New Year’s resolution have you made in the past that you have managed to fulfill?
- What was the best fireworks display you’ve ever seen?