221 best icebreaker questions for creating genuine connections

two professional women talking across a table

When a group of people comes together for the first time, it can take a little time for them to get to know one another and feel comfortable in each other’s presence. Icebreaker questions and games are an effective way to speed up the process and create a safe space for people to start working together.

In this post, we’ll share the best icebreaker questions for work and any other scenarios where you might want to help people get to know each other. We’ll also share some tips for ensuring your icebreakers are productive and help the group bring themselves to the table without anxiety or frustration. Let’s jump in! 

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A step-by-step guide to planning a workshop, how to create an unforgettable training session in 8 simple steps, 47 useful online tools for workshop planning and meeting facilitation, what are icebreaker questions.

Want to go beyond asking someone what they did at the weekend? Icebreaker questions are conversation starters designed to break down social barriers, encourage interaction and help individuals get to know one another. When chosen well, icebreaker questions can help supercharge a team building process and open up conversations that can create bonds and connections.

They are particularly useful when people are meeting for the first time, such as team-building activities , networking events or virtual workshops and meetings. They can also be effective when kicking off a project or injecting something different into a recurring team meeting. These questions are meant to be light-hearted, inclusive, and thought-provoking, fostering a positive and open atmosphere for communication.

Icebreaker questions range from fun and creative prompts to more reflective and personal inquiries, providing participants with opportunities to share aspects of their personalities, experiences, and perspectives. They can also be incorporated into dynamic games like those featured in our icebreaker games collection.  

Whatever the format, the best icebreaker questions create a simple and effective opportunity to get people talking and help people feel welcome and included at the start of a session.

A photograph of a corporate event

What Makes a Good Icebreaker Question?

A good icebreaker question possesses certain qualities that contribute to its effectiveness in initiating meaningful conversations. Here are some key attributes:

  • Relevance: The question should be relevant to the context and purpose of the gathering. Whether it’s a team meeting, a virtual workshop , or a social event, the question should align with the overall objectives.
  • Inclusivity: An ideal icebreaker question is inclusive, ensuring that everyone in the group feels comfortable participating. Avoid questions that may make individuals feel singled out or uncomfortable.
  • Versatility: A good icebreaker question is adaptable to various settings and audiences. It should be versatile enough to spark engagement among diverse groups with different interests and backgrounds.
  • Open-ended: Questions that invite more than a simple “yes” or “no” answer encourage deeper and more meaningful discussions. Open-ended questions provide individuals with the opportunity to share more about themselves.
  • Positive Tone: Icebreaker questions should set a positive and light-hearted tone for the interaction. Funny icebreaker questions or humor can be a great addition, but it’s crucial to be mindful of cultural sensitivities and preferences.
  • Icebreaking Potential: The primary goal is to break the ice and create a relaxed environment. A good icebreaker question should help people feel more at ease, paving the way for smoother communication and collaboration.

Often, the best icebreaker is one that sets the stage for the workshop or meeting to come. They typically help a group start thinking about the topic or theme of the session before the facilitator then guides the group to deeper discussions or activities.

In SessionLab, it’s easy to create a structured session flow in minutes. Create your ideal meeting agenda by dragging and dropping blocks into place in the Session Planner . Easily transition from an icebreaker into a group discussion and add additional activities and items as you need them!

Ensure your session stays on time by adding clear timing to your chosen icebreaker and additional activities. And when you’re done, create a beautiful PDF or Powerpoint export to help you facilitate with confidence.

creative introduction questions

Team Icebreaker Questions

Even established teams can benefit from using icebreakers to get to know each other more deeply and open up a conversation about they’d like to work together.

These questions are especially effective when used alongside team building activities where you might focus on helping align the team or improve collaboration.

  • If our team was a landscape, what would it be and why?
  • What would you like the team to look like in one year from now? 
  • What fictional team from a movie or TV show do you think our team resembles the most?
  • If our team had a theme song, what would it be?
  • Where in the world would you most like to go with your team and why?
  • Share a team achievement or project you’re most proud of and why.
  • What’s one word you would use to describe our team culture?
  • If our team were a sports team, what sport would we play, and what would be our team name?
  • Share a team-building activity you’ve enjoyed in the past and why it was memorable.
  • If our team had a mascot, what would it be, and why?
  • What’s one skill or talent you bring to the team that others might not know about?
  • If our team were a superhero squad, what powers would each team member have?
  • If you were to give your team an alignment score from 1-10, what would it be and why?
  • What does the rest of the team need to know this week?
  • What’s the best advice about how to work well with others you’ve received?
  • How would you prefer to receive feedback from someone else on the team? 
  • What piece of gratitude would you like to express to someone else on the team?

Want to get your team on the same page and align on how you’d like to work together? The Team Canvas Workshop is an effective session where you and your team will co-create your working culture.

You’ll cover your team goals, roles, responsibilities, rituals and more while working towards creating a more cohesive and connected team. 

team-canvas-example

Check-in Icebreaker Questions 

Checking in at the beginning of a workshop or meeting is something many teams miss, but it can be an essential element of a productive session.

These check-in icebreaker questions can help set a positive tone for meetings, allowing team members to share their current state of mind and create a supportive atmosphere.

They can be especially helpful for team leaders and facilitators who may want to gauge how the group is feeling before launching into deeper topics. 

  • What are you hoping to get from the session today?
  • On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your energy levels today?
  • Share one thing you’re looking forward to this week.
  • If today were a weather forecast for your mood, what would it be?
  • What’s a small victory or accomplishment you’ve had recently?
  • Share one positive aspect of your day so far.
  • If your day had a theme song, what would it be?
  • What’s something that made you smile today?
  • Is there a goal you’re aiming to achieve by the end of the day?
  • On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your work-life balance this week?
  • Share one thing you’re grateful for right now.

Most effective workshops and meetings start with an icebreaker of some description.

Whether it’s in the form of a question or an experiential icebreaker activity, checking in is an effective way of ritually opening a session. Try Hyper Island’s Check-in/Check-out activity to bring this concept to your next session.

Check-in / Check-out   #team   #opening   #closing   #hyperisland   #remote-friendly   Either checking-in or checking-out is a simple way for a team to open or close a process, symbolically and in a collaborative way. Checking-in/out invites each member in a group to be present, seen and heard, and to express a reflection or a feeling. Checking-in emphasizes presence, focus and group commitment; checking-out emphasizes reflection and symbolic closure.

Fun Icebreaker Questions

For many meetings, the intention of an icebreaker is to loosen people up and help create a lighthearted atmosphere. These funny icebreaker questions are designed to do just that.

You might use these fun icebreaker questions in a round-robin format to kick-off a team meeting or simply to break the ice at a networking event without resorting to talking about your job. 

  • How would your primary school teacher have described you?
  • What’s the most unusual talent or party trick you have?
  • If you were a meme, which one would you be?
  • What’s your plan in the event of a zombie apocalypse?
  • Share a funny or embarrassing work story that still makes you laugh.
  • If you could swap lives with a cartoon character for a day, who would it be?
  • What’s your weirdest food combination that you secretly enjoy?
  • If aliens visited Earth and you were the first person they met, how would you explain your job?
  • What’s the worst ice cream flavor you can come up with?
  • What item of clothing are you wearing that could start a new fashion trend? 
  • Share a joke or funny anecdote related to your profession.
  • What’s the silliest goal you’ve ever set for yourself?
  • What actor would play you in a film about your life?
  • What’s the last TV show or film you hate-watched? 

Icebreaker games are a great way to help your team have fun and get energized at the beginning of a session.

If you’d prefer using a more experiential activity to get your team engaged and having fun, try a simple icebreaker activity like Soundball or a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament to generate some laughter while warming up your group. 

Rock, Paper, Scissors (Tournament)   #energiser   #warm up   #remote-friendly   This is a fun and loud energiser based on the well-known “Rock, Paper, Scissor” game – with a twist: the losing players become the fan of the winners as the winner advances to the next round. This goes on until a final showdown with two large cheering crowds! It can be played with adults of all levels as well as kids and it always works! 

This or That Icebreaker Questions

Would you rather and this or that style icebreaker questions are a favourite of many teams who want a quick way to get to know a little more about someone and not get too deep. These are typically fun icebreaker questions that elicit silly answers and can be run in pairs or larger groups.

As with any of the icebreaker questions on this list, be sure to consider your audience with these questions. What might work well for college students might not be right for a group of executives. Even better, tailor your choice of question to start the process of engaging your group in the topic of your session.

  • Coffee or tea?
  • Morning person or night owl?
  • Beach vacation or mountain retreat?
  • Fiction or non-fiction?
  • Cat person or dog person?
  • Sweet or savory?
  • Phone call or text message?
  • Introvert or extrovert?
  • Early bird or night owl?
  • City living or countryside escape?
  • Netflix or YouTube?
  • Reading or watching TV?
  • Summer or winter?
  • Indoor or outdoor activities?
  • Movie theater or streaming at home?
  • Cake or pie?
  • Android or iPhone?
  • Travel by car or plane?
  • Comedy or drama?
  • Facebook or Instagram?
  • Home-cooked meal or takeout?
  • Fictional or documentary films?
  • Music or podcasts?
  • Formal or casual attire?
  • Pen and paper or digital notes?
  • Classical or pop music?
  • Sunrises or sunsets?
  • Books or e-books?
  • DIY or hire a professional?
  • Pizza with pineapple or pizza without cheese?
  • Sneezing glitter or farting confetti?
  • Always feeling itchy or always feeling sticky?
  • Communicate only in GIFs or speak in rhymes for a day?
  • Only be able to whisper or only be able to shout?
  • Have a pet dinosaur or a pet unicorn?
  • Wear socks with sandals or a clown wig to work?
  • Have a personal theme song that plays everywhere you go or have a laugh track follow you?
  • Eat chocolate-flavored broccoli or broccoli-flavored chocolate?
  • Have a third eye or a third arm?
  • Communicate with interpretive dance or through charades?
  • Live in a house made of jello or have a floor made of bubble wrap?
  • Accidentally send a text to your boss that was meant for your friend or to your friend that was meant for your boss?
  • Have a talking pet fish or a pet parrot that only speaks in movie quotes?
  • Eat dessert for every meal or never have dessert again?
  • Be able to teleport but always end up in a random bathroom or fly at a snail’s pace?
  • Have a conversation with a talking plant or a talking lamp?
  • Accidentally like a post from your ex on social media or accidentally send a screenshot of your conversation about them to them?
  • Speak in puns for a day or use emojis instead of words?
  • Have the ability to mute people in real life or fast forward through awkward situations?
  • Eat a sandwich with every condiment imaginable or a plain sandwich with no condiments at all?
  • Sneak into a private VIP party or accidentally photobomb every picture you’re not supposed to be in?
  • Have a personal theme song that plays loudly every time you enter a room or a drumroll before you speak?
  • Eat a bowl of cereal with ketchup or a peanut butter and pickle sandwich?
  • Dance like no one is watching whenever someone says your name or burst into song when you hear a specific word?
  • Be chased by a swarm of bees or a troop of angry squirrels?
  • Have a wardrobe that only consists of neon colors or mismatched socks every day?
  • Always have a piece of food stuck in your teeth or a perpetual bad hair day?
  • Communicate only through interpretive dance or have your life narrated by Morgan Freeman?
  • Have a pet rock that tells dad jokes or a pet cloud that makes puns?

Want to go further in this format? Stand up if is an effective icebreaker game that works in a similar manner to this or that icebreaker questions, but can be used to engage entire groups at the same time.

Stand up if   #icebreaker   #sharing   #opening   #energiser   #online   #remote-friendly   short, fun, energizing team activity

Icebreaker Questions for Work

Whether you’re running an all-hands meeting or training session at work, there are times when you may want to break the ice in your group and prepare them for the session ahead.

These icebreaker questions for work are especially effective at getting groups to start thinking about workplace culture and their role in an organization. Try bringing them your next culture workshop to get things started on the right foot.

  • What did you want to be when you were growing up?
  • If you could choose any historical figure to join the company, who would it be?
  • If you could change the name of the company, what would you change it to? 
  • What’s the first thing you do when you start work in the morning?
  • What’s the most unexpected skill or experience you’ve brought to your current role?
  • If you could redesign our office space, what changes would you make?
  • Share a challenge you’ve overcome at work and the lessons you learned.
  • If you had a work-related superpower, what would it be, and how would you use it?
  • What’s your favorite aspect of your job, and why?
  • If you could implement one new workplace policy, what would it be?
  • What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
  • Share a project or accomplishment that exceeded your expectations.
  • If you were the CEO for a day, what changes would you make?
  • What’s one thing you wish everyone knew about your role or department?
  • What’s the hardest thing about your role?
  • What was your worst ever job? 
  • What was your first job and what did you learn from it? 
  • Which of your competitors do you most admire and why? 

Workshops designed to improve workplace culture or bring a group together to solve key organizational challenges can especially benefit from questions like the above.

Such workshops also benefit from a clear structure and robust planning. Discover how to create and run an effective workshop in our comprehensive guide. 

A group of people looking at a poster with notes on it

Unique Icebreaker Questions

When we’re able to reveal something unique about ourselves to the people around us, it can pave the way for deeper connections and bonds. They’re also a great way to get people to think outside of the box and engage the creative part of their brain.

If you’re running an ideation workshop or brainstorming session, these questions a great way to warm up your group and help them to start thinking creatively. 

  • If you could have a conversation with any animal, which one would it be, and what would you talk about?
  • If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
  • What hidden talents or skills do you have that people might not expect from you?
  • If you could choose any historical era to live in for a week, which one would it be, and why?
  • Describe your job using only emojis.
  • If your life was a movie genre, what would it be?
  • Share a unique fact about your hometown or place of origin.
  • If you could have a dinner party with three fictional characters, who would they be?
  • How many countries have you visited and which was your favorite?
  • Describe your personality using three unrelated objects.
  • What’s your favorite word in a language other than your native one?
  • If you could be an expert in any field overnight, what would it be?
  • If you could have a conversation with any historical figure, but they had to wear a silly hat the entire time, who would it be?
  • Describe your current mood using only emojis.
  • If you could live in any fictional world, which would it be and why? 
  • Share a funny childhood nickname or a story related to your nickname.
  • If you were a flavor of ice cream, what would you be, and why?
  • If your life had a theme song that played every time you entered a room, what would it be?
  • Invent a holiday and describe its traditions and celebrations.
  • Share a made-up fact about yourself, and let others guess if it’s true or false.
  • If you could have a conversation with an alien, what’s the first thing you would ask them?
  • What’s your earliest childhood memory? 
  • If you were a punctuation mark, which one would you be, and why?
  • Share a talent you have that no one at work knows about.
  • If you could bring one fictional character to life for a day, who would it be, and what adventures would you have?
  • Describe your dream job title and what it entails.
  • If you were a type of transportation, would you be a hot air balloon, a submarine, or a hovercraft?
  • Share a unique item from your bucket list that others might find surprising.
  • If you could have a dinner party with any three people, living or dead, who would they be, and what’s on the menu?
  • Describe your work style using a weather metaphor (e.g., I’m a brainstorm with occasional creative thunderstorms).
  • If your pet could talk, what do you think they would say about you?
  • If you could swap lives with any fictional character for a week, who would it be, and why?
  • Share a strange or interesting fact about your hometown or place of origin.
  • If you had a magic remote control that could pause, rewind, or fast-forward your day, how would you use it?
  • Describe your ideal day off without using the words “work” or “responsibilities.”
  • Share a metaphor for your life using an object commonly found in a kitchen.
  • If you were a plant, what type of plant would you be, and why?
  • Invent a new word and provide its definition.
  • If you could have a conversation with your future self, what advice would you ask for?
  • Share a fictional scenario: If you were the protagonist in a movie, what would be your mission or quest?
  • Describe your dream house workspace—include colors, decorations, and any unique features.
  • If you could have a one-hour conversation with any animal, which one would it be, and what would you discuss?
  • Share a fun and unexpected use for a common household item. 

Running an event with various small groups? Try using the Common and Unique icebreaker to encourage participants to discover what they have in common and what is unique among members of the group. It’s a great way to help create team bonds and get people talking in breakout rooms too. 

Common and Unique   #get-to-know   #teambuilding   #icebreaker   Create groups of 4-5 people, and let them discover what they have in common, along with interesting characteristics that are unique to a person in the group.

Thought-Provoking Icebreaker Questions

When a team knows each other deeply, they tend to be more connected, resilient and able to support each other in their day to day work.

While fun icebreaker questions have their place for teams getting to know each other for the first time, with established teams, you may want to go further. These thought provoking icebreaker questions are a great method of creating space for deeper sharing, vulnerability and team bonding. 

  • If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?
  • Share a personal or professional goal you’re currently working towards.
  • If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
  • What’s the most challenging ethical dilemma you’ve faced at work, and how did you handle it?
  • What mentor figure had the greatest influence on your life? What did they tell you?
  • If you had to teach a class on any subject, what would it be?
  • Share a book, TED Talk, or podcast that has had a significant impact on your perspective.
  • If you could solve one global issue, what would it be and why?
  • What’s a lesson you learned from a failure or setback in your career?
  • If you could have a conversation with your role model, what would you ask them?
  • Share a quote that inspires or motivates you in your professional life.
  • What is your definition of success? 
  • What is your definition of happiness? 
  • What question would you like other people to ask you?
  • What’s something you’d like to do in life but don’t know how to start?
  • What do you most value in a relationship?
  • What cause or purpose do you deeply believe in?
  • What do you wish you understood better?

Stories about our lives and who we are as people have long been effective ways to bring people together and deepen the bonds between them .

Use an icebreaker game like Telling our Stories to take this concept further and build relationships and trust among your team members. 

Telling Our Stories   #hyperisland   #team   #teambuilding   To work effectively together team members need to build relations, show trust, and be open with each other. This method supports those things through a process of structured storytelling. Team members answer questions related to their childhood, young adulthood, and now; then weave them into a story to share with the rest of their team.

Icebreaker Questions for Virtual Meetings

While most of the questions above work equally well in an online setting, it can often be effective for workshop facilitators to use questions that reference the virtual environment or ask people to bring their experiences of working remotely to the table.

Shared experiences are a great way to bring people together . Opening a conversation about how to cope with the ups and downs of remote working can have a positive effect on team culture too! 

  • Share a virtual background that represents your ideal workspace and let us know why you chose it.
  • If your webcam froze on the last facial expression you made, what would your colleagues see?
  • What’s your morning routine when working from home? 
  • What’s one positive thing that happened to you this week, even if it’s small?
  • If you could swap offices with a colleague for a day, whose workspace would you choose?
  • Share a fun fact about your hometown or current location.
  • What’s the most interesting thing within arm’s reach of your workspace?
  • If you could choose a virtual background for the entire team meeting, what would it be?
  • Share a virtual meeting etiquette tip that you find helpful.
  • What’s the most unusual item in your home office?
  • If you had a virtual reality headset for work, how would you use it?
  • What’s the best thing about working remotely? 
  • Where are you calling from? 
  • What’s the favourite thing on your desk? 
  • What did you last eat and what are you going to eat next?

Running icebreakers and other activities in an online setting can sometimes require bespoke software or engagement tools. Check out our post on online tools for workshops and meetings to explore how you might enrich your tech stack and find the best tool for your needs. 

Looking for dynamic games you might run in an online setting? In this post, you’ll find dozens of effective virtual icebreakers you can bring to your next virtual meeting. 

Diversity and Inclusion Icebreaker Questions

A diverse and inclusive workplace is one which celebrates and champions every member of the team equally. While creating a diversity and inclusivity conscious organization is often the work of many workshops and changes in policy, bringing such topics into the awareness of your team can be a good way to start.

These questions can be an effective way of opening a diversity workshop or to engage your group in thinking about these important aspects of workplace inclusivity. 

With these questions, it’s absolutely essential that you consider the context of your session and the participants of the group. A wider conversation about inclusivity in a diverse group is one thing, but essentially asking people from minority groups to educate the rest of the team on their culture is a no-no. Bring in an expert facilitator where possible and consult people from across the team on topics of diversity and inclusion before jumping into the deep end.  

  • What does diversity mean to you?
  • What does inclusion mean to you?
  • What does equity mean to you?
  • Share a cultural tradition or celebration that is important to you.
  • What’s one thing you wish more people understood about your cultural background?
  • If you could travel to any country to experience its culture, where would you go?
  • Share a personal experience where you felt included and valued at work.
  • What’s one way we can create a more inclusive workplace for everyone?
  • What’s one thing you appreciate about the diversity in our team?
  • If you could attend any cultural festival in the world, which one would it be?
  • What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you believe promotes diversity and inclusion effectively?
  • Where did you grow up and how do you think it shaped you as a person?

Approaching inclusion in the workplace can be a challenging prospect without a solid knowledge of group dynamics, DEI and facilitation. Brush up on your facilitation skills in order to best lead a group through a productive discussion on DEI principles.

Photograph of a team alignment workshop

Wellness Icebreaker Questions

A common focus of many organizations is improving the wellbeing and general wellness of people on their team.

A dedicated workshop on various aspects of wellness can be an effective way to get people thinking more consciously about their wellbeing, and these wellness icebreaker questions can be a great way to get those sessions started! 

  • What’s guaranteed to make you smile? 
  • Describe your perfect relaxing day. 
  • Share a self-care ritual or activity that helps you recharge.
  • What’s your favorite snack or comfort food? 
  • If you could have a wellness day at work, what activities would you include?
  • Share a mindfulness or meditation technique that works for you.
  • What’s your go-to method for relieving stress during a busy day?
  • If you could have any wellness amenity in the office, what would it be?
  • Share a wellness goal you’re currently working on.
  • What’s your favorite way to stay active during the workweek?
  • If you could take a wellness retreat anywhere in the world, where would it be?
  • What’s one small change you’ve made to improve your overall well-being?
  • What book or podcast has had a positive impact on your wellbeing and what was a major takeaway? 
  • What’s a wellness technique that doesn’t work for you and why?

Emotional intelligence and our overall wellbeing often go hand in hand. When we are more self aware and able to recongise our emotions, we can then take action, whether that’s taking time to check-in with ourselves or practice self care.

This blog post on emotional intelligence techniques is a trove of effective exercises you can use to help a team build their EQ skills. Want to go further? You might even run a self awareness workshop to help your team practice and build those skills as a group! 

Tips for asking Good Icebreaker Questions

Whether you’re asking weird icebreaker questions about plans for the zombie apocalypse or going deeper, there are some best practices for asking effective questions that can help people feel safe, included and able to converse freely. Let’s take a look!

  • Know Your Audience: Tailor your icebreaker questions to the preferences and demographics of your audience. Consider their professional backgrounds, interests, and cultural diversity.
  • Balance Fun and Professionalism: Strike a balance between fostering a fun atmosphere and maintaining professionalism. Choose questions that are appropriate for the setting and the nature of the group.
  • Test the Waters: Start with less personal or intense questions to gauge the comfort level of the group. Gradually progress to deeper or more creative inquiries as the atmosphere becomes more relaxed.
  • Mix and Match: Incorporate a variety of icebreaker questions into your repertoire. This ensures that you have options suitable for different occasions and preferences.
  • Be Mindful of Time: Consider the time available and the overall agenda. Icebreaker questions should be engaging but not overly time-consuming, especially in a work-related setting. The icebreaker you run during a week long training course can (and likely should) be more involved than the one you run for a weekly stand-up, for example. 
  • Encourage Active Listening: Emphasize the importance of active listening during icebreaker activities. This fosters a culture of respect and attentiveness within the group. Remember that the purpose of these activities is to create connection and this requires the presence of others in the group. 
  • Create a Safe Space: Establish an environment where participants feel comfortable sharing. Emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers, promoting a non-judgmental atmosphere.
  • Make non-participation an option: Even when we know people quite well, we can’t possible know everything that’s going on for them or what has happened in their past. Some questions can be difficult or triggering for some people and in addition to carefully considering the questions you use, it’s also important that you leave space for people to non-participate or answer another question if they don’t feel comfortable.

By understanding what makes a good icebreaker question and following these tips, you can enhance the effectiveness of these prompts in your professional and social interactions.

Conclusion 

Creating a powerful connection with another person often begins with a single good conversation.

Icebreaker questions serve as valuable tools for creating connections, fostering collaboration, and building a positive group dynamic. Whether you’re running a virtual workshop , a conference or a recurring team meeting, we hope these questions help you get your session off to a fun, engaging start.

Want to go further? Explore our selection of team building activities to discover experiential ways of building group connections. You can also find more examples of icebreakers in our comprehensive collection of effective icebreaker games.

Was there a game or question style we were missing in this post? Let us know in the comments below!

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100 icebreaker questions to get the conversation started

An image of a four-part screen showing people interacting on a virtual meeting

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So… What’s your superpower?

Is it your ability to solve a Rubik’s Cube in 30 seconds? Or maybe make the world’s best lasagna? 

Whatever it is, is there a better superpower than watching your team bond over a couple of icebreakers you prepared before the meeting?  

Nope. We don’t think so, either. 

In fact, icebreakers help get the conversation going before any team meeting and even in classroom settings . They’re also wonderful activities to improve team communication and build team spirit.

If you’re looking for inspiration, we have 10 icebreaker categories to kickstart fun and productive meetings:

  • Team-specific icebreakers

Get to know your team icebreakers

Funny icebreakers, would you rather icebreakers, thought-provoking icebreakers, fun and light icebreakers, seasonal and holiday icebreakers, world travel icebreakers, music icebreakers, company-themed icebreakers, 5 tips to help break the ice.

These four icebreaker tips will help you navigate the start of group discussions and get the team comfortable and excited to answer questions. 

  • Whoever leads the meeting should answer the icebreaker question first. This helps break the tension and immediately opens up the conversation.
  • Listen actively, and ask follow-up questions if necessary. The goal is to unite the team and give each person the opportunity to answer.
  • Let people interact with one another. 
  • Allocate enough time, and don’t rush the team-building activity.
  • Consider the context of the meeting and the people involved when choosing your icebreaker question.

Team-specific icebreakers 

The benefit of using team-specific icebreakers is that everyone can have an open conversation about their thoughts and ideas regarding the dynamics and collaboration of a team. 

  • What is your favorite team memory?
  • Describe your team in one word.
  • What is your team’s biggest strength?
  • What are the top three must-have office items?
  • Best professional development book you’d recommend?
  • What is your most valuable soft skill for successful teams?
  • What is your favorite tool to use for team productivity?
  • How do you describe your job to a three-year-old?
  • What is your go-to office lunch?
  • What makes your team unique?

Our top pick: Describe your team in one word.

This question reveals what their team means to them and enables managers to spot the strengths of their team.

Related: Try these 25 icebreaker activities for virtual meetings

Use icebreaker questions to break barriers and understand the personalities and characteristics of each member. In the long run, it helps build compassion and relationships between team members, which results in improved communication and teamwork.  

These icebreakers are especially helpful when new employees join a team, as the questions enable them to meet each team member in a fun environment.

  • Where did you grow up?
  • What day in your life would you like to relive?
  • What is the kindest act you have ever done?
  • Describe yourself in three words.
  • What was your dream job as a kid?
  • What are the top three items on your bucket list? 
  • What movie scene is worthy of an Oscar?
  • Who would be the three guests at your dinner table?
  • What is your proudest achievement?
  • Five things that make you happy?

Our top pick: What is your proudest achievement?

This question unveils the events and achievements that are important to each individual. It gives insight into the personality and how each team member defines success.

Use funny icebreakers to lighten the mood. These icebreakers are great for Friday meetings ahead of the weekend or to bring laughter to the team after a rough week.

  • Do you consider yourself a lemon or a lime? Why?
  • What is your DJ name?
  • What is your superpower?
  • What three things would you do if you were invisible?
  • What is the best prank you’ve experienced or planned?
  • Tell us a weird fact you happen to know for no reason.
  • If you could take one prop from any movie set, what would it be?
  • Tell us your favorite joke.
  • If your pet could talk, what would they say?
  • If your life was captured in the “expectation vs. reality” meme, what would the two pictures be?

Our top pick: What is your superpower?

This is a fun way to ask your team members what their secret talents are and what they consider their strengths to be.

Would you rather questions are fun because they don’t put team members on the spot to come up with an answer; instead, they offer two options to choose from. This is helpful for teams that might be a bit shy or for new hires at the company.

  • Would you rather get free plane tickets or free accommodations for the rest of your life?
  • Would you rather spend a weekend in a tropical paradise or a snow haven?
  • Would you rather speak 10 languages or play 10 instruments?
  • Would you rather always be two hours early or 20 minutes late?
  • Would you rather sail or van life around the world?
  • Would you rather be able to control time or fly?
  • Would you rather read the end of every book or always forget the story’s ending?
  • Would you rather be a whale or a lion?
  • Would you rather have every traffic light turn green or always have the best parking spot?
  • Would you rather have slow internet or always forget your passwords?

Our top pick: Would you rather have every traffic light turn green or always have the best parking spot?

This question challenges employees to choose between practicality and patience. Both are important skills in the workplace and fun values to discuss. 

Thought-provoking questions are interesting ways to dig deeper into employees’ opinions and perspectives. However, they should only be asked when the team has already built a strong relationship with one another, as they require vulnerability and a safe space.

  • Why do we create art?
  • What subject do you wish was taught in every school?
  • If you could know the answer to any question, what would it be?
  • What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?
  • When do you feel the most courageous?
  • What piece of advice would you give to your 16-year-old self?
  • When was the last time you tried something for the first time?
  • What are the three values you treasure the most in a friendship?
  • What is the best piece of feedback you have ever received?
  • Where do you find inspiration?

Our top pick: If you could know the answer to any question, what would it be?

This is our favorite question as it reveals what deeper topics employees find interesting and what problems they'd like to solve. 

Fun and light icebreakers let employees bring out their creativity and have fun getting to know one another with questions that are unrelated to work.

  • What is your favorite cereal?
  • Which two companies would you like to be sponsored by?
  • What was your last Netflix binge?
  • If you could be a character in any movie, what character and what movie would it be?
  • If you invented an ice cream flavor, what ingredients would it have, and what would it be called?
  • If you could make an office rule that everyone had to follow for a day, what would it be?
  • What is the best concert/ festival you have ever been to?
  • A genie grants you one wish; what do you wish for?
  • What would you title your biography?
  • What three items would you bring with you on a deserted island?

Our top pick: If you could be a character in any movie, what character and what movie would it be?

This reveals what characters employees admire, which is a fun way to understand a person! 

Related: Try these icebreakers for smaller groups

Get your team in the holiday mood with seasonal icebreakers. These are great for celebrating the change of seasons and building holiday spirit in the workspace.

  • What is your favorite season?
  • What’s your favorite holiday?
  • Do you over or under-decorate for the holidays?
  • What is your favorite summer activity?
  • What is your favorite winter meal?
  • If you could add an additional holiday to the calendar, what would it be and when?
  • Do you have any special traditions for the new year?
  • Do you create a New Year’s resolution list?
  • What is your favorite holiday movie?
  • What is your favorite holiday song?

Our top pick: Do you create a New Year’s resolution list?

This is a great opener to discuss each individual's New Year’s resolutions and to create a team New Year's resolution list.  

After any vacation, travel icebreakers are a great way to bring out stories and understand what type of activities and experiences your team enjoys outside of work. 

  • If you had to sleep on a beach anywhere in the world, where would it be?
  • If you could live in a different country for a year, which country would you choose?
  • What is your favorite travel story?
  • What is the most underrated city you have ever visited?
  • What country impacted you the most?
  • What is your favorite travel hack?
  • If you could organize a team retreat, where would it be?
  • Who is your favorite travel buddy or group?
  • What is more important for you when traveling, comfort and relaxation or energizing new experiences?
  • Who is the most interesting person you’ve met while traveling?

Our top pick: What is your favorite travel story?

Traveling always creates new memories and stories. It's a great question to understand how employees overcome challenges, their goals during their time off, and how they learn from their experiences.

Music questions are helpful for teams in the early stages of getting to know one another because they are lighthearted and fun to share without needing to get too personal. 

  • What song brings back childhood memories?
  • Which artist would you like to meet?
  • Which band would you join? And what would your role be?
  • If you could name a band, what would it be called?
  • What song has the most beautiful lyrics?
  • How has your taste in music changed in the past 10 years?
  • What is your go-to karaoke song?
  • What movie has the best soundtrack?
  • What song would be the anthem of your life?
  • If you were a genre of music, what would it be?

Our top pick: What song would be the anthem of your life?

This is a creative question to see how your employees would describe their lives and to inspire discussions over the answers.

Company-themed questions are helpful and relevant icebreakers before any company event, like an all-hands meeting. They keep the attendees on track and focused on the company discussion.

  • If you could swap roles with anyone at the company for one day, who would it be?
  • What advice would you give a new hire at the company?
  • What do you most enjoy about your job?
  • How do you define success at the company?
  • What is your favorite company value?
  • What do you think is your company's biggest strength and weakness?
  • Where do you see the company in a year?
  • If you could change the company's name, what would it be?
  • If the company had a mascot, what would it be and why?
  • Who has influenced your work ethic the most?

Our top pick: What is your favorite company value?

This creates an insight into what value each employee finds the most important and chooses to live by. 

Now you’ve broken the ice...what’s next? 

Once the ice is broken, it’s time to get your team to collaborate through plans, strategies , and development. 

However, starting a meeting with an icebreaker doesn’t automatically mean your team will continue to collaborate effectively. They will still need the support of collaboration tools and continuous team spirit to maintain the trust they’ve built .

That’s where a tool like Mural can step in, helping facilitate teamwork with a collaboration platform to express ideas, share thoughts , and plan together. 

Take a peek at how our virtual whiteboards can bring your team’s imagination to life.

About the authors

Bryan Kitch

Bryan Kitch

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Icebreaker Questions for Work: The #1 List

By: Carly Hill | Updated: December 09, 2023

You found our list of the best icebreaker questions for work.

Icebreaker questions are prompts you include at the beginning of a work meeting or activity to facilitate quick introductions and team building. For example, the prompt might be “Share your name, role, and what you usually eat for breakfast.” The goal of these questions is to have fun, create points of connection between participants, and build confidence in speaking in front of the group. You can use icebreakers in meetings with coworkers, college students, and other groups. Other common spellings for these prompts are “ice breaker questions” and “ice breakers questions.”

These questions are similar to get to know you questions and can be great for virtual team building , as a team building activity for conference calls , or as part of The 8% Rule .

icebreaker-questions

This list includes:

Random Icebreaker Generator

Fun icebreaker questions, funny icebreaker questions, good icebreaker questions.

  • Best Questions for Meetings
  • Icebreaker Questions for Work
  • Icebreaker Questions for Adults

Fun Team Icebreaker Questions

  • Icebreakers for Students

Weird Icebreaker Questions

Community building questions, inappropriate icebreakers, holiday icebreaker questions, icebreaker questions for kids.

So, let’s get to it!

Press the button to generate random icebreaker questions.

  • Do you fold your pizza?
  • What fictional family would you most like to join?
  • Would you rather be reincarnated as a cat or a dog?
  • Pull out your phone; what is your most used emoji?
  • Who was your famous childhood crush?
  • Imagine you are a professional baseball player. What is your introduction song?
  • What celebrity do most people say you look like?
  • If you could try any food, what would it be?
  • What movie do you wish you could watch again for the first time?
  • You can only eat one food again for the rest of your life. What is it?
  • What is your go-to karaoke anthem?
  • What is your favorite type of sandwich?
  • Pick your favorite decade. Tell us why.
  • You are stranded on a remote desert island. Are you alone or with your worst enemy?
  • What is the best thing you have bought so far this year?
  • Who is the most interesting Disney character?
  • What is the best superpower?
  • What dog breed would you be?
  • Have you ever met your idol?
  • What bucket list item do you most want to check off in the next six months?
  • Imagine you can instantly learn any language. Which would you choose?
  • Do you prefer big dogs or small dogs?
  • Show us your most-used emoji.
  • Show us your phone background and tell the story behind why you picked this image.
  • Show us the weirdest thing you have in the room with you right now.
  • What emoji best describes how you are feeling right now?
  • What is a weird fact that you know?

list of funny icebreaker questions

  • Does your car have a name? What is it?
  • Choose one famous person from history you want on your team during a zombie apocalypse.
  • What was the most unique style or fashion trend you ever embraced?
  • Tell us about your worst haircut ever.
  • What weird fashion trend would you bring back?
  • What simple food will you never eat?
  • Would you go in the mother-ship with aliens if they landed on Earth tomorrow?
  • What actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
  • Would you want to have an imaginary friend today? Did you have one as a child?
  • What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
  • Would you rather have a pet sloth or a pet parrot?
  • Which trap in Home Alone was the best?
  • Which movie made you laugh hard?
  • Have you ever been to a funny comedy show?
  • What is the best romantic comedy?
  • Is Hugh Grant funny?
  • What is the most obscure superpower you would want?
  • Which superpower would you give to your archenemy?
  • How would you rate your laugh out of 10?
  • What was your best class in school?
  • Who is your favorite author?
  • What is an easy item on your bucket list that you haven’t done yet?
  • What was the last thing you ate?
  • What is your favorite holiday?
  • What is your favorite part of working from home?
  • What is the most interesting book genre?
  • What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
  • What is your most used phone app?
  • What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
  • Are you more productive in the morning or at night?
  • What is something interesting we would not know about you just by looking?
  • If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
  • If you could live in any country, which country would you pick?
  • What do you usually eat for a quick lunch?
  • What is your #1 recommendation in this city?
  • What is the best kitchen gadget?
  • Which song could you listen to over and over again?
  • You can visit any fictional time or place. Which would you pick?
  • Which show do you remember most from your childhood?
  • What is the earliest book you remember?
  • What is your favorite season?
  • What is your favorite seasoning?

Best Icebreaker Questions for Meetings

  • What is the best piece of advice you have ever gotten at work?
  • Imagine you no longer have to work. How would you spend a Tuesday?
  • What person from history would you add to Mount Rushmore?
  • What is your go-to TV show to watch at night?
  • What is your favorite mythical creature?
  • Who was your most unique pet?
  • If you could be great at any Olympic sport, which would it be?
  • What was the worst job you ever had?
  • What is your favorite holiday tradition?
  • Do you prefer funny stories or dramatic ones?
  • What would it take to give up your smartphone for a month?
  • What is the best dessert?
  • Where is your favorite vacation spot?
  • Do you know how to speak more than one language?
  • Who is the most famous person you have met?
  • What is your favorite musical instrument?

Good Icebreaker Questions for Work

  • Would you rather live close to work or at work?
  • How would you describe your job to a five year old?
  • What do your family and friends think you do all day?
  • What was your first job?
  • What is your earliest memory of this job?
  • What is your standard office lunch?
  • What did you want to be when you grew up?
  • Do you prefer working from home or the office?
  • Is it better to be late for work or to leave early?
  • What is the most unusual job you have heard of?
  • Would it be better to start work five years later or end five years earlier?
  • Would you support “National Avocado Day” as a work holiday?
  • What is something you did at work that no one noticed?
  • What is the best work holiday?

Great Icebreaker Questions for Adults

  • What was the first way you made money?
  • Which beverage goes best with pizza?
  • How do you top your burgers?
  • What is your “When I was your age…” story?
  • What is a current trend that you just don’t understand?
  • What piece of advice would you share with your younger self?
  • Beach holiday or ski trip?
  • What movie defined your generation?
  • Which song do you remember most from prom?
  • When you are alone in the car, what volume is the music at?
  • What is your hobby?
  • If you had to move to another country, which one would you choose?
  • When did you start liking/hating mushrooms?
  • Would you rather stay at a hotel or an Airbnb?
  • Do you take your PTO all at one time or another way?
  • Which of your teachers is most memorable and why?
  • Which fictional team is the best team of all time?
  • Which real team is the best team of all time?
  • Would you rather be an Avenger or a Power Ranger?
  • Would you rather join Metallica or Backstreet Boys?
  • Were the Spice Girls a good team?
  • What is your earliest memory of teamwork?
  • What is something you accomplished as part of a team?
  • What was the first team you were part of?
  • Have you ever won something as a team?
  • Would you rather do a large project independently or as part of a team?
  • On a scale of 1 – 10, how much of a team player are you?
  • Can lone wolves be part of a team?

Here is a full list of team building questions and one with team bonding questions .

Icebreaker Questions for Students

  • What was your first online screen name?
  • Which class is both difficult and fun?
  • Which class do you wish the school offered?
  • What was the best childhood gym activity?
  • What do you miss about kindergarten?
  • If you had to write a textbook, what would it be on?
  • Do you prefer a quick pop quiz or an end-of-year exam?
  • What career do you want?
  • What is your “I almost missed an exam” story?
  • How did you choose your college?
  • What do people not understand about being a student?
  • Do you prefer online classes or in-person?
  • Should college be mandatory?
  • What is something you are grateful for as a student?

list of weird icebreaker queestions

  • What is a weird food you have tried? Would you eat it again?
  • Show us your cell phone wallpaper. Is there a story behind it?
  • If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
  • Would you let aliens beam you up if they came to Earth?
  • What season would you be?
  • What is a simple dance move that you are bad at?
  • What is your favorite song to sing?
  • What vegetable is best with cheese?
  • You are the best criminal mastermind in the world. What crime would you commit if you knew you would get away with it?
  • If you could be any supernatural creature, which would you pick?
  • What reality show would you want to be on?
  • There is a free, round-trip shuttle to Mars. The catch: it will take one year of your life to go, visit, and come back. Are you in?
  • Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now?
  • Would you want to have a personal assistant follow you around everywhere and do what you asked of them?
  • Pick any band to play at your funeral.
  • What is a good way to give back to the community?
  • What is an easy way to do something nice for someone?
  • Who is someone in your community that makes a difference?
  • Would you rather live in a city or a town?
  • What is the best example of a community you have seen?
  • Would you join a community in space if it was permanent?
  • Would you rather live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
  • How much money do you make?
  • Who is your office crush?
  • What was the most difficult thing about your childhood?
  • Have you ever seen a therapist?
  • What is your mother’s maiden name?
  • How did you get your worst scar?
  • What is the worst advice you have been given?
  • What is the first gift you remember receiving?
  • What is your earliest memory of Christmas?
  • Have you ever told someone Santa is not real?
  • How do you like your potatoes?
  • What is the best holiday or winter treat?
  • What is a simple holiday tradition you like?
  • What is your New Year’s resolution?
  • Would you rather live at the North Pole or the South Pole?
  • Which holiday song is your favorite?

Here are more holiday icebreaker questions .

  • What is your favorite color and why?
  • Which superpower do you want?
  • Which are better, cookies or brownies?
  • What is your favorite type of ice cream?
  • Do you prefer hot chocolate or tea?
  • Do you have an imaginary friend?
  • What is something you like?
  • Which month were you born?
  • What do you call your grandparents?
  • How tall are you?
  • What size shoes do you wear?
  • What is your favorite movie?
  • What do you do for fun?
  • What is something you find funny?

How to run good icebreaker questions

Running good icebreakers is more difficult than most people think, especially for adults or at work. You have likely been to a conference or meeting where you are prompted to “say your name and what you hope to get from the session.” This question is boring.

Instead, start with a fun or interesting question so that people want to listen to the answer. Then, have the host prompt with the icebreaker, name who will go next, and then give their own answer as a demo. If the participants are in a circle, you can continue in that direction, and in online meetings, each person can nominate who goes next before sharing their answer. This format helps make it clear who should speak and win, which also removes anxiety for some folks sharing.

Most importantly, choose the best icebreakers for your group. Factors to consider include group dynamics, familiarity, the setting, how much time you have, and your goals. If you are in doubt, then choose a unique question over a common one.

Final Thoughts

Asking group icebreaker questions are a fun and easy way to increase engagement at work, meetings, and events. You can spend just five minutes on this activity and learn a lot about your coworkers; it is worth it!

Next, check out these icebreaker questions for virtual meetings and our question generator for more ideas.

You may also be interested in five minute team building exercises , most likely to questions , this or that questions , would you rather questions , and question games .

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FAQ: Icebreaker Questions

Here are some common questions about icebreaker questions for work, and the answers.

What are icebreaker questions?

Icebreaker questions are prompts you include at the beginning of a meeting or other activity to help facilitate introductions. The tone of the questions can by fun, silly, serious, quirky or otherwise. These questions tend to reveal personal information about participants, which may be as simple as a favorite food or movie. You can use these icebreakers for work meetings to get to know your coworkers better, at college to connect with your fellow students, or in any group setting.

What makes the best icebreaker questions so good?

Good icebreakers tend to reveal small elements of personality. For example, you might ask your coworkers their favorite paint color or what they liked most about college. The best icebreakers will prompt answers that are fun and memorable and that your team can later bond over. Also, do not be afraid to use weird or humorous questions, which are more unique and quirky. Asking, “What song do you remember from your high school prom?” is more interesting than, “What is your favorite song?”

How do you do icebreaker questions successfully?

Start with simple and fun icebreakers that any participant can give a quick answer for. For example, any adult can answer how they like their coffee. Then, make it clear which order of people you are going in so that participants can prepare. As your group becomes more comfortable with each other, you can increase the difficulty of questions from easy to hard to make it more interesting.

Should you ask funny icebreaker questions?

Whether you should ask funny questions depends on the setting and tone. For example, using a fun or silly question at the start of a work meeting can help raise spirits, while you would want the opposite at a wake. If you aren’t sure about the tone, then you can still make your questions interesting by choosing ones that are a little weird or unique.

Author avatar

Author: Carly Hill

Operations Manager at teambuilding.com. Carly has a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Communication Arts and Political Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 127 best icebreaker questions to ask anyone.

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We've all been there: you're with a person or group of people you don't know very well, and no one knows what to talk about. So you fall back on the cliches: How was your weekend? Any plans for tonight? How about that weather?! These questions are boring, but icebreakers don't have to be! Our guide has 127 of the very best icebreaker questions, for any situation. Whether you're looking for funny icebreaker questions, questions to ask on a first date, good ice breaker questions for coworkers, and more, we've got you covered, so you never need to stress about what to talk about.

What Are Icebreaker Questions? When Should You Use Them?

Icebreaker questions are questions you ask to get to know someone better. The person you're asking might be a new date, a coworker, or even just the person sitting next to you on a plane or at the bar. They're a great way to strike up an interesting conversation and learn more about someone. Ice breakers can get a bad rap though, because they need to tread a fine line: not be boring, but also not be too personal (you don't know this person very well, after all!). When you ask a great icebreaker question, you can fall into an easy conversation and learn more about someone. They're great for all kinds of situations, so use them whenever you're struggling to find something to talk about. While icebreakers are mostly used in situations when you're meeting someone new, a lot of these are great to ask friends and family members, too.

Icebreaker questions don't need to be deep or profound to start good conversations. In fact, it's often better if they're not because many people are reluctant to really open up to someone they don't know well. Even seemingly-simple questions can start great conversations.

For example, if you were to ask me my most irrational fear, I'd tell you that it's being eaten by a Komodo dragon. Why? When I was a kid, I watched a TV show with a very intense reenactment of a person getting killed by Komodo dragons, and I've since learned that they're basically the perfect predator. ( Oh, you want some evidence? They can take down creatures as big as water buffaloes, outrun humans, swim, climb trees, and have extremely venomous saliva that can eventually kill you even if you manage to escape being eaten.) But then, as I learned more about them, I realized Komodo dragons are endangered and often smuggled and killed for traditional medicine. I got into more of the conservation side of it, and now I want to save Komodo dragons! Just from that simple question, someone could have learned a lot about me (and also have a new and deeply unsettling fear of Komodo dragon attacks). So try out a lot of icebreaker questions, you never know what the answer will be!

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Good Ice Breaker Questions for All Situations

These icebreaker questions are safe and fun to use for anyone, at any time, and any place. Get asking!

  • What's your earliest childhood memory?
  • If you could time travel, would you go back in time to meet your ancestors, or forward in time to meet your descendants?
  • Would you rather win an Olympic medal or a Nobel prize?
  • What book do you own but have never read?
  • What's something on your bucket list?
  • What's your favorite animal?
  • Would you rather listen to country or classical music?
  • Have you ever been mistaken for someone famous?
  • What's your cellphone wallpaper?
  • If you had your own talk show, who would your first guest be?
  • What's one place you have no interest in traveling to?
  • What's your most irrational fear?
  • What's one thing you're really bad at?
  • What's your biggest pet peeve?
  • What's one thing you'll never do again?
  • If you could have any new skill instantly, what would you choose?
  • Do you ever think your parents gave you the wrong name?
  • If you could choose to remain an age forever, what age would you choose?
  • If you could only have three apps on your phone, which would you choose?
  • What breed of dog do you think you would be?
  • What's the most spontaneous thing you've ever done?
  • What's the last new thing you tried?
  • What's an unusual skill you have?
  • Would you like to be famous? What for?
  • Have you ever won a contest?
  • What would you do if you had an extra hour in the day?
  • What's the last song you listened to?
  • Do you believe in ghosts?
  • If you had to spend $10,000 today, how would you spend it?
  • If you could go to outer space for free, as a tourist, would you do it?
  • On an airplane, do you prefer the window or aisle seat?
  • If you had to spend a day as a fish or a bird, which would you choose?

Funny Icebreaker Questions

Want to lighten the mood? Sharing a laugh with a new acquaintance is a great way to feel closer, so try out these funny icebreaker questions!

  • If you had to swap your legs with the legs of any other animal, which animal would you choose?
  • What's the strangest gift you've ever received?
  • What's your favorite joke to tell?
  • If you had to eat a crayon, what color would you choose?
  • What's the worst idea you've ever had?
  • How long do you think you'd last in a zombie apocalypse?
  • Have you ever eaten an entire pizza by yourself?
  • What's your biggest guilty pleasure?
  • How do you feel about clowns?
  • What's the worst haircut you've ever gotten?
  • What's your favorite meme or viral video?
  • What are you hilariously bad at?
  • What song or jingle always gets stuck in your head?
  • What's the weirdest food combination you enjoy?
  • What assumption have you made that went very wrong?
  • What's your favorite useless fact?
  • What's the worst advice you've ever been given?
  • What's something you're kind of snobby about?

Icebreaker Questions for Work

People often especially hate coworker/team icebreaker questions because they're often straight-up boring or weirdly personal to share at the office. These icebreakers, some of which pertain to work and others to outside-the-office life, are great conversation topics for coworkers , whether they know each other well or not.

  • What's the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?
  • What's the most recent project you put 100% into?
  • What's the best book or article you've read this year?
  • What's the strangest thing that's ever happened to you in a meeting?
  • If the company had a mascot, what do you think it should be?
  • What do you think is the best workplace snack?
  • If you could be on any game show, which would you choose?
  • What's the smelliest food to cook in the office microwave?
  • What time of day are you most productive?
  • What was your first job?
  • What activity helps you relieve stress?
  • What do you do during your commute?
  • What is the most awkward thing that ever happened to you during an interview?
  • What class you took in school has been most useful for your job?
  • If there was no dress code, how would you dress for work?
  • Where's your favorite place to go for lunch?
  • Have you ever met anyone famous?
  • If you could have any view out your office window, what would you choose?
  • If you had to be a famous person's personal assistant, who would you choose?

body_firstdate

Icebreaker Questions for Dates

There's nothing worse than being on a first date where neither of you know what to talk about, and an awkward silence settles heavily over the two of you. Avoid that by using these icebreaker questions. They're a bit more personal than the others, but still light enough to discuss with a person you've only just met.

  • What's your love language?
  • What's your middle name?
  • Where are you a regular at?
  • What's your go-to drink order?
  • What's the weirdest Wikipedia rabbit hole you've stumbled down?
  • What's the dorkiest thing about you?
  • What's one goal you have for this year?
  • Have you ever played hooky?
  • What's your best travel story?
  • Who was your celebrity crush growing up?
  • Among your friends, what are you best known for?
  • Shark diving, bungee jumping, or skydiving?
  • What's your typical Sunday like?
  • Did you have a nickname when you were growing up?
  • Would you be more worried introducing your date to your family or your friends?
  • What's the best dish you make?
  • What movie do you never get tired of watching?
  • How did you meet your best friend?
  • Would you rather spend a year living in an RV or on a sailboat?
  • Have you returned any purchases recently?
  • Do you collect anything?
  • What's your favorite holiday tradition?

Icebreaker Questions for Teens

Good ice breaker questions for teens are those that aren't dumbed-down, but are still fun and help the youths get to know each other better.

  • What's the best animal sound you can make?
  • Which emoji do you use the most?
  • What's your best study tip?
  • Who has been your favorite teacher, and why?
  • Would you rather live in the ocean or on the moon?
  • Have any of your teachers ever sworn in class?
  • What kind of texter are you? (Fast? Slow? Lots of little texts? Perfect spelling and grammar?)
  • How old were you when you got your first cell phone?
  • What's your favorite Disney movie?
  • What career do you think you would hate the most?
  • What's the craziest dare you've ever taken?
  • What's the most embarrassing thing your parents have ever done?
  • Do you secretly think you're your parents' favorite child?
  • What's the best dessert you've ever had?
  • Which three emojis would you use to describe yourself?
  • What's the worst movie you've ever seen?
  • What's the first thing you do when you get home from school?
  • What would be your ideal time to wake up every day?

Icebreaker Questions for Adults

It's good to avoid more R-rated topics with people you've just met, so these icebreaker questions for adults aren't raunchy, just more focused on life experiences and memories of lost youth.

  • What was your dream job as a child?
  • What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever emailed or texted someone?
  • What was your favorite food as a child?
  • What's the most embarrassing fashion trend you participated in?
  • Where do you want to retire?
  • What was the first concert you attended?
  • What wastes the most time in your day to day life?
  • What's a social cause you care about?
  • What's a New Year's Resolution you made but never kept?
  • What's the biggest risk you've ever taken?
  • What was your favorite book growing up?
  • Is there a household chore you actually enjoy doing?
  • How did you spend your first paycheck?
  • What do you wish was illegal?
  • What big problem do you think technology will solve next?
  • What slang word you are happiest went out of style?
  • Who has been your strangest or most annoying neighbor?
  • Which sport do you think is the most boring to watch?

body_laughing

What's Next?

Telling a joke is also a great way to break the ice.  We've collected 119 of the best jokes sure to make anyone laugh!

Writing a research paper for school but not sure what to write about?   Our guide to research paper topics   has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you. 

A quick, fun, and easy game to play is This or That. Here’s a huge list of This or That questions that will keep you entertained and laughing for hours!

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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29 best Icebreaker questions for team introductions

Dare I ask? Are you bored of your team? Are communication barriers causing friction? Do you want to drive team-building activities that really get the job done? To help you, we've compiled a list of 25 great team-building questions that all business leaders should ask their team members. These are guaranteed to get everyone excited about learning, working together, and most importantly, helping each other succeed.

  • What do you do to beat stress?
  • What’s the most random thing in your purse/wallet?
  • If you were sent to live on a space station for three months and only allowed to bring three personal items with you, what would they be?
  • Spring, summer, fall, or winter?
  • If you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be?
  • Describe the worst movie you’ve ever watched?
  • Do you make your bed in the morning?
  • What’s your idea of a great day?
  • Tell us a story of an embarrassing thing that happened to you.
  • What is the very first thing you would do after winning a million dollars?
  • What commercial jingle gets stuck in your head all the time?
  • What was your funniest or worst experience with a dentist?
  • Breakfast or dinner?
  • What’s your guilty pleasure movie?
  • What was the worst/weirdest haircut you have ever had?
  • What’s one productivity tool you couldn’t live without, and what makes it indispensable?
  • If you had an extra hour per day, what would you do?
  • Do you have any pets?
  • Did you attend college? If so where, and what was your major?
  • What do you value most in a friendship?
  • If you could start any business in the world, what would you start?
  • Say you’re independently wealthy and don’t have to work, what would you do with your time?
  • If you had to use a fake name, what fake name would you make up?
  • What drains you outside of work?
  • What is the best trip you ever took and why?
  • If you could teleport anywhere in the world, where would you go right now?
  • What ingredients would go on your perfect sandwich?
  • Are there any interesting things your name spells with the letters rearranged?
  • If you could safely eat any inedible object, what would it be?
  • If you were featured on the local news, what would you most likely be on there for?
  • What color best describes your personality today?
  • What are some strategies that you’ve found to be helpful for your recent work?
  • What is something you do that you don’t like to do?
  • How into tech are you? Why?
  • Have you ever gotten super lost? What happened?
  • Do you believe in luck?
  • Do you play any musical instrument, and which?
  • Do you prefer big dogs or small dogs?
  • Looking back at when you were younger, what was your silliest fear?
  • What are you currently reading?
  • If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would you choose?
  • What is the earliest book you remember?
  • What is the most brainless thing you ever did while sleep-deprived?
  • What’s the worst advice you’ve been given?
  • What’s the biggest adventure you’ve been on?
  • What’s something you simply could never eat?
  • If you could replay a fun (or deep or big) moment in your life, what would you choose?
  • If you could guest star on any television show, what would it be? Who would you play?
  • If you had unlimited time and resources, how would you spend your days?
  • What childish things do you still do as an adult?
  • Who is someone in your community that makes a difference?
  • Do you work better with or without music? What are you listening to while you work?
  • Do you love or hate surprises?

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Not many people play this game, mostly because it's too hard. But I've played it with my whole team and we've had a blast. Here are a few Icebreaker questions you should ask before you start playing.

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Either or breaker is a great type question that presents two alternatives. Use them to prompt your players into making a quick decision.

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How to introduce yourself so you’ll be unforgettable (in a good way!)

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If you can move beyond the boring basics when you’re asked “What do you do?”, you’ll set yourself up for new relationships, opportunities and revelations, says introduction expert Joanna Bloor.

Mingling at a work event inevitably means being asked the question “What do you do?” over and over again. After years of repetition and conditioning, most of us respond with “I’m job title X at company Y.” And while this is the answer people expect, it’s also likely to linger in your new acquaintance’s mind only until it’s replaced by what the next person says to them.

“Answering with your title and company is the cultural norm. But when you do, you’re missing out on an opportunity for the other person to know who you actually are. You are not just your job,” says Joanna Bloor , CEO of Amplify Labs. She specializes in helping people discover and articulate what makes them distinctive so that they can form deeper connections with others.

And it all starts with how you introduce yourself.

Bloor’s own answer demonstrates the power of an original response. If she answers “I’m CEO of Amplify Labs,” her questioner will probably go on to ask about what it’s like to be a CEO or what is Amplify Labs. But those lines of conversation don’t really allow a person to really know Bloor. So, when she’s asked “What do you do?”, she replies: “Do you like your own answer to the question ‘What do you do?’?” People invariably admit they don’t. She then says, “I know — everyone struggles with it, yet the answer can have massive impact. I work with people on crafting an answer that is bold, compelling, authentic and unique. I help you tell people why you’re awesome.”

Introducing yourself this way isn’t just about standing out in a crowded room or cutting through extraneous jargon and chitchat. By naming your special sauce upfront, says Bloor, you’re increasing the chances that the other person will bring up an opportunity, relationship, business or idea that could help you. As Bloor puts it, “When you get your introduction right, the opportunity is not only to genuinely connect with people, but you’ll also be allowed to do the work you really want to do.”

Be warned: crafting your intro takes a bit of time and effort. But as the world of work continues to change in ways we can’t anticipate, knowing what sets you apart from the pack is crucial. Here, Bloor tell us how you can come up with your new response to “What do you do?”

1. Go beyond your title.

The first thing you need to do is figure out who you actually are. Bloor asks her clients, “What is it you would like to be known for?” It’s an uncomfortable question, but she finds it jolts people out of their comfort zones. Rather than relying on previous accomplishments, you’re forced to consider what you’d like your impact to be.

Bloor used this tactic on me. My typical response to “What do you do?” is “I’m a journalist and playwright.” But after she asked me what I loved about these professions and what I hoped to accomplish through them, she helped me craft a much deeper and more compelling response: “The world can be an overwhelming place, so I help people connect to each other by telling stories as a journalist as a playwright.”

2. Think about the problems that only you can solve.

Bloor believes that everyone, no matter their job or industry, is essentially a problem solver. So when she interviews people to help them discover their unique story, she’s also trying to find out the problems they’re particularly good at solving.

Use this tactic on yourself. What problems do you solve at work? And what makes you especially effective at doing so? Framing yourself as a problem-solver may trigger an instant reaction when you meet someone new. “I have that problem, too!” they could say. Figure out how to deliver your capabilities in a single sentence. For example, instead of saying “I’m a lawyer who specializes in X type of law,” you could say, “I think the biggest problem about the justice system is A. As an attorney who focuses on B, I’m helping find solutions through doing C.”

3. Ask your friends and colleagues for input.

It’s often hard for people to see their own skills. “The thing you are fantastic at can be as natural to you as breathing, so you don’t value it,” says Bloor. If you’re having a difficult time identifying your talents, she suggests you turn to the people who know you well and ask them “What is it you see that I do well and that I’m unaware is really special?” You’ll generally find common themes or language in their responses, says Bloor, even if they’re people from different parts of your life.

4. Flash back to your childhood.

Still stumped? Step into a time machine, and think back to your eight-year-old self. What were you great at during that age? According to Bloor, that special skill can often apply to your present and future selves and help you see how you’re different from everyone else. For example, when Bloor was eight, she had a great sense of direction and easily memorized routes while hiking with her father. That skill translated into her previous career of building software for companies — she could visualize 3D maps of software architecture.

5. Show a little vulnerability.

Finding people that we connect with can be elusive, especially at work-related events. “I think a lot of the angst in the workplace and angst with each other is because we don’t talk about who we really are as people,” says Bloor. So, take a chance, open up in your opening remarks, and reveal something honest about yourself. Use phrases, such as “I’m really passionate about X” or “What excites me most about what I do is Y,” which can communicate your emotion and enthusiasm and prime others to respond in kind.

6. Gather some feedback on your introduction.

After you’ve crafted your opener, practice it on five people you know well. Then, a few days later, ask them ‘What do you remember most about my intro?” Their few-days-later response will tell you what is most memorable about your opener, what you could alter, and what you might try to lean into when meeting new people.

7. Blame it on someone else.

When you first start trying out a new way of introducing yourself, you’ll probably feel nervous. Bloor suggests prefacing it with, “I’ve just learned a new way of introducing myself and I’m experimenting with it. Can I try it out on you?” People love to be asked for their advice or input.

8. Resist going back to the same-old intro.

The truth is, it will always be easier to say the stilted “I’m job X at company Y,” stumble through small talk, and then move on to the next person and glass of wine. In addition, when you give a nontraditional introduction, you will inevitably run into some staid folks who don’t get it.

But Bloor urges people to persist. She recently coached a woman named Rumi, whose standard intro was “I’m a copywriter.” After the two women worked together, Rumi realized what her secret strength is: her ability to be the other person in her writing. What’s more, the process of crafting a new opener made Rumi realize that “the part of me that I am ashamed of — being the perpetual outsider — is the very place from which my bulletproof power springs forth.”

Like Rumi, you may find that coming up with an authentic, personal introduction leads to deeper revelations in your life. “We all want to learn and figure out why we matter on this planet and in this life,” says Bloor. “And it can start with being able to answer the question ‘What do you do?’ better.”

Watch Joanna Bloor’s TED talk here:

About the author

Kara Cutruzzula is a journalist and playwright and writes Brass Ring Daily, a daily motivational newsletter about work, life and creativity.

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31 Great Icebreaker Questions for Introductions

Everyday Icebreakers , Icebreakers

Introductions don't need to be boring! These 31 great icebreaker questions spur great conversation and provide points of connection.

“Alright, everybody go around the room and introduce yourself.”

“Please tell us a little about yourself – how many kids you have, your husband’s name, and how long you’ve been attending First Baptist Church.”

My eyes always gloss over by the time the fourth person shares. Six kids. Four years. Two boys. What’s her husband’s name?

My head is swimming with numbers.

Surely there’s got to be a better way to do introductions at your next women’s ministry fellowship, small group, event, or Bible study.

I believe there is.

Great introductions:

  • Provide points of connection between all members of the group.
  • Include personal information that wouldn’t normally be shared during an initial conversation.
  • Are memorable.
  • Highlight experiences and preferences.
  • Feature a personal opinion.
  • Encourage creative and thoughtful responses.

I tend to favor two-part icebreaker questions for introductions. They encourage group members to go a bit deeper and reveal a bit more about themselves.

Take note, these are purposefully not spiritual questions so as not to cause discomfort.

How to use these 31 icebreaker questions for introductions:

The next time you instruct a group to introduce themselves, ask them to share their name and the answer to one of the questions below .

Some people will appreciate the question written on the board before the request is made as it gives them time to think through their response.

Either way, give them time to think by answering the question yourself first and then ask for a volunteer to go next.

Click the button below to access the PDF with the 31 questions.

  • If money were no object, what would you do with your life?
  • What’s one of your pet peeves?
  • If you could host a talk show, who would be your first guest?
  • What are you most passionate about?
  • What is your favorite thing to spend money on?
  • What is your favorite color and how does that color make you feel?
  • Which household chore do you dread the most?
  • What’s your favorite time of day and why?
  • What’s one of your favorite movies and which character in the movie is most like you?
  • What are three of your favorite foods?
  • What is your favorite outdoor activity?
  • If finances and time were not an object, what hobby would you adopt and why?
  • What is a favorite memory you have from high school?
  • What was your favorite class in school and why?
  • Share one thing that you love to do that you get to do nearly every day.
  • What is one important skill every person should master?
  • What is your favorite local restaurant and the meal you most enjoy eating when there?
  • If you could live in any sitcom, which one would it be?
  • How would you spend 1 million dollars?
  • Name two things you consider yourself to be very good at.
  • What’s the best dessert you’ve ever had?
  • What are your three favorite smells?
  • If you were in the Miss America talent competition, what would your talent be?
  • If you had one extra hour of free time a day, how would you use it?
  • When was the last time you did something for the first time? What was it?
  • If you could be anywhere, doing anything right now, where would you be and what would you be doing?
  • If you joined the circus, what act would you most want to perform?
  • What aspect of your daily routine do you look forward to the most?
  • What is your favorite day of the year?
  • What is something you have that is of sentimental value?
  • What one thing (modern convenience) could you not live without?

As your group shares seemingly random information with each other, you’ll be amazed at the conversations it spurs and the connection points that are uncovered.

Want to easily print off these questions? Click here for a free PDF.

You may also want to read: Why Women’s Ministry Events Need Great Icebreakers Why I Don’t Do Bible Games 10 Things Icebreakers Should Not Do Master List of Icebreakers and Games

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January 15, 2024 at 3:36 pm

This question list for women is depressing. We can’t think of anything better to ask than what chore you hate, what you like to shop, smell and eat? Don’t forget beauty pageant questions or joining the circus. Jeez. These questions set us back 20 years.

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January 16, 2024 at 12:21 pm

Hi Amy, feel free to pick and choose the best questions for your specific group of women. 🙂 As I mention in the post, these questions are for introductions as they provide points of connection between all members of the group, include personal information that wouldn’t normally be shared during an initial conversation, are memorable, highlight experiences and preferences, feature a personal opinion, and encourage creative and thoughtful responses. I pray you’ll find some of my other resources more helpful!

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July 13, 2023 at 10:46 am

I recently was asked to be on the Women’s Ministry team in a Berean Church in Grenada, Ca. I didn’t know any particulars about WM. I am not afraid to jump in and help. Shortly after joining the team, two seasoned leaders resigned. That left the team with three new leaders and an active missionary member (absent due to mission). Your information from the podcasts has given me serious hope! There is a season of rediscovery, rebuilding and reframing this team. I am ready to approach our pastor with confidence when it comes to WM. My downfall is getting an idea, PRAYING over the idea, then waiting for HIS lead/response. Thank you for your podcasts and many free resources!

July 21, 2023 at 4:21 pm

Debbie, thank you for your sweet note! I am glad to hear you’ve found my resources to be helpful. Praying the Lord will continue to direct your steps!

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August 24, 2022 at 4:10 pm

For a window’s group something fun and funny!

August 25, 2022 at 7:16 am

Dolores, you’ll find a complete list of the icebreakers on my site here – https://womensministrytoolbox.com/icebreakers-games/ .

Fun, in part, relies on the person that’s leading the icebreaker game. While there are often laughs, my goal with these games is for women to make connections through sharing experiences and personal preferences.

I’d suggest checking out Night at the Museum and Road Trip.

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October 16, 2021 at 9:51 pm

I was getting stressed preparing for another new Bible study to start. Even though I’ve been doing this for several years, I was feeling ill-prepared and uncertain about the first meeting tomorrow. I’m thanking God for directing me to your Ice Breaker section. There are some really great questions that I would not have thought of otherwise. I’m looking forward to some laughter and fun get-to-know-each-other time before getting into the study. Thank you so much!!!

October 18, 2021 at 11:01 am

Linda, I’m so glad you found some great icebreaker questions to launch your new Bible study. 🙂 Praying God will bless your time in the Word together!

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August 16, 2020 at 3:19 pm

I love this website because he’s right get all my ideas for questions for my group. I have a small group but let me tell you it’s saved my life I have no more friends around where I live they all moved away and went on with their lives. Now here I am so thank you????????????????‍♀️

August 17, 2020 at 10:23 am

Terri, thank you for your sweet note! <3 I am so sorry to hear that your friends have moved. Praying God will connect you with a new group of friends soon!

July 16, 2020 at 5:06 pm

Your questions are fabulous! I do three questions a day every day so I’m running out of questions and then I found you Thank you????

July 27, 2020 at 9:32 am

Terri, you are so very welcome! Glad I could help! 🙂

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March 27, 2019 at 2:46 am

I loved reading through all your games and ideas. Thank you for sharing such wonderful items!

March 27, 2019 at 4:51 pm

Thank you, Kandee! <3

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The Only List of Icebreaker Questions You’ll Ever Need

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Awkward silences, tense meetings, busy work days. These are all situations that can benefit from fun icebreaker questions !

Designed as simple team building activities to help ease employees or groups into a little team bonding, icebreaker questions don’t need to be as scary – or boring! – as they seem. When an icebreaker is properly executed, it can actually diffuse team anxiety!

Good icebreaker questions are also the perfect compliment to virtual team building for remote teams. When you start a video call with a quick round of team building icebreaker questions for work, you give your people a chance to connect on a personal level.

Check out our list of virtual team building ideas for more ways to connect virtual teams.

Here at Museum Hack, we know that not all icebreaker questions are created equal. That’s why we’ve collected the best icebreaker questions we could find and put them into this blog post.

These check in questions are relaxed, fun and simple but will also encourage your employees to give meaningful answers. Icebreakers are great for starting everything from meetings to events because they involve hardly any planning. Save or print this epic list of icebreakers for easy access. Keep it at your desk or post in it the office for everyone to use. Once you get into the rhythm of warming up with good icebreaker questions, your team will expect them and be excited about them!

Below you’ll find our favorite virtual icebreaker questions, funny icebreaker questions, great icebreaker questions to provoke thoughtful insight, the best icebreaker questions for meetings in the workplace, awkward icebreaker questions, and ‘If You Could’ icebreaker questions. We’ve even added some of our favorite ‘Would You Rather’ questions, which always have the potential to spark great conversation!

Virtual Icebreaker Questions

Funny icebreaker questions, great icebreaker questions, best icebreaker questions for meetings, awkward, weird icebreaker questions, if you could icebreaker questions, would you rather icebreaker questions, icebreaker questions for high school students, icebreaker questions for college students, icebreaker questions for kids, christmas icebreaker questions.

Here are fun introduction questions for virtual meetings, which are sometimes called Zoom icebreaker questions. These questions are especially useful during quarantine.

  • Do you love working from home or would you rather be in the office? Is there a balance of both that you like best?
  • What’s the hardest part about working virtually for you? The easiest?
  • Do you have a dedicated office space at home?
  • Show us your office space!
  • Where do you work most frequently from at home? Your office? Your kitchen table? The backyard? Your bed?
  • Be honest, how often do you work from bed?
  • What did you eat for breakfast?
  • What does your morning routine look like when working from home?
  • What’s your number one tip for combating distractions when working from home?
  • How do you stay productive and motivated working virtually?
  • What does your typical work from home uniform look like?
  • How many cups of coffee, tea, or beverage-of-choice do you have each morning?
  • Are you an early bird or night owl?
  • What about showers? Do you prefer morning or night?
  • What’s one thing we could do to improve our virtual meetings?
  • What’s your favorite flower or plant?
  • What’s your caffeinated beverage of choice? Coffee? Cola? Tea?
  • What’s your favorite scent?
  • What’s the last great TV show or movie you wanted?
  • Best book you’ve ever read?
  • Best professional development book you’ve ever read?
  • If you could learn one new professional skill, what would it be?
  • If you could learn one new personal skill, what would it be?
  • What’s your favorite way to get in some exercise?
  • If you could write a book, what genre would you write it in? Mystery? Thriller? Romance? Historical fiction? Non-fiction?
  • What is one article of clothing that someone could wear that would make you walk out on a date with them?
  • The zombie apocalypse is coming, who are 3 people you want on your team?
  • What is your most used emoji?
  • What was the worst style choice you ever made?
  • What was the worst haircut you ever had?
  • Who was your childhood actor/actress crush?
  • If you were a wrestler what would be your entrance theme song?
  • Have you ever been told you look like someone famous, who was it?
  • If you could bring back any fashion trend what would it be?
  • What’s the most embarrassing fashion trend you used to rock?
  • What did you name your first car?
  • Does your current car have a name? What is it?
  • You have your own late night talk show, who do you invite as your first guest?
  • If a movie was made of your life what genre would it be, who would play you?
  • If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
  • You have to sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
  • What was your least favorite food as a child? Do you still hate it or do you love it now?
  • If you had to eat one meal everyday for the rest of your life what would it be?
  • If you were left on a deserted island with either your worst enemy or no one, which would you choose? Why?
  • If aliens landed on earth tomorrow and offered to take you home with them, would you go?
  • 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s: Which decade do you love the most and why?
  • What’s your favorite sandwich and why?
  • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
  • When you die, what do you want to be remembered for?
  • What is your favorite item you’ve bought this year?
  • What would be the most surprising scientific discovery imaginable?
  • What is your absolute dream job?
  • What would your talent be if you were Miss or Mister World?
  • What would the title of your autobiography be?
  • Say you’re independently wealthy and don’t have to work, what would you do with your time?
  • If you had to delete all but 3 apps from your smartphone, which ones would you keep?
  • What is your favorite magical or mythological animal?
  • What does your favorite shirt look like?
  • Who is your favorite Disney hero or heroine? Would you trade places with them?
  • What would your dream house be like?
  • If you could add anyone to Mount Rushmore who would it be; why?
  • You’re going sail around the world, what’s the name of your boat?
  • What fictional family would you be a member of?
  • What is your favorite television network?
  • What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics?
  • Who is the better businessman or business woman and why? (Example: Justin Timberlake or Justin Bieber?)
  • What was the worst job you ever had?
  • You can have anyone fictional as your imaginary friend, who do you choose and why?
  • What would your superpower be and why?
  • Which band / artist – dead or alive would play at your funeral?
  • As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  • What’s your favorite tradition or holiday?
  • What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
  • What is your favorite breakfast food?
  • What is your favorite time of the day and why?
  • Coffee or tea?
  • Teleportation or flying?
  • What is your favorite TV show?
  • What book, movie read/seen recently you would recommend and why?
  • What breed of dog would you be?
  • If you had a time machine, would go back in time or into the future?
  • Do you think you could live without your smartphone (or other technology item) for 24 hours?
  • What is your favorite dessert?
  • What was your favorite game to play as a child?
  • Are you a traveler or a homebody?
  • What’s one career you wish you could have?
  • What’s your favorite place of all the places you’ve travelled?
  • Have you ever met your idol or someone you revere greatly?
  • Have you ever completed anything on your “bucket list”?
  • Do you have a favorite plant?
  • What did you have for breakfast this morning?
  • What was the country you last visited outside of United States?
  • What’s is one thing we don’t know about you?
  • What is your favorite meal to cook and why?
  • Are you a morning person or a night person?
  • What is your favorite musical instrument and why?
  • Are you a cat person or a dog person?
  • What languages do you know how to speak?
  • Popcorn or M&Ms?
  • What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?
  • What’s the most out-of-character thing you’ve ever done?
  • What is your cellphone wallpaper?
  • You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what is it? Sushi? Scotch Tape?
  • What’s your best scar story?
  • Would you go with aliens if they beamed down to Earth?
  • Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight, or nighttime? Why?
  • What season would you be?
  • Are you a good dancer?
  • What fruit or vegetable would you most want to be?
  • If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why?
  • If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?
  • If you could commit any crime and get away with it what would you choose and why?
  • If you could choose any person from history to be your imaginary friend, who would it be and why?
  • If you could see one movie again for the first time, what would it be and why?
  • If you could live in any country, where would you live?
  • If you could choose any two famous people to have dinner with who would they be?
  • If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you choose to be?
  • If you could do anything in the world as your career, what would you do?
  • If you could be any supernatural creature, what would you be and why?
  • If you could change places with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
  • If you could rename yourself, what name would you pick?
  • If you could have someone follow you around all the time, like a personal assistant, what would you have them do?
  • If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?
  • If you could be guaranteed one thing in life (besides money), what would it be?
  • If you had to teach a class on one thing, what would you teach?
  • If you could magically become fluent in any language, what would it be?
  • If you could be immortal, what age would you choose to stop aging at and why?
  • If you could be on a reality TV show, which one would you choose and why?
  • If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be and why?
  • If you could go to Mars, would you? Why or why not?
  • If you could have the power of teleportation right now, where would you go and why?
  • If you could write a book that was guaranteed to be a best seller, what would you write?
  • Would you rather live in the ocean or on the moon?
  • Would you rather meet your travel back in time to meet your ancestors or to the future to meet your descendants?
  • Would you rather lose all of your money or all of your pictures?
  • Would you rather have invisibility or flight?
  • Would you rather live where it only snows or the temperature never falls below 100 degrees?
  • Would you rather always be slightly late or super early?
  • Would you rather give up your smartphone or your computer?
  • Would you rather live without heat and AC or live without social media?
  • Would you rather be the funniest or smartest person in the room?
  • Would you rather be able to run at 100 miles per hour or fly at 10 miles per hour?
  • Would you rather be a superhero or the world’s best chef?
  • Would you rather be an Olympic gold medallist or an astronaut?
  • Do you play any sports?
  • Do you play any instruments?
  • If you could donate a million dollars to any charity, what cause would you choose?
  • Do you have any hidden talents?
  • What school subject is your favorite?
  • What school subject is your least favorite?
  • What are you most excited about this year?
  • What song or album could you listen to on repeat?
  • If you could live in one fictional universe, which one would you choose?
  • Name one cool feature you would add to your dream house.
  • Describe a time you laughed so hard you thought you would cry, or when you did cry. What was so funny?
  • If you could have your own TV show, what would it be about?
  • What is one thing you want older generations to know about teenagers today?
  • What is your favorite memory with your best friend? (Your best friend can be an animal!)
  • What is the best dish you can cook?
  • What is your major?
  • If that wasn’t your major, what would your major be?
  • What most surprised you when you first arrived on campus or first started classes at this school?
  • If I visited your hometown, what local spots would you suggest I see?
  • What is your favorite midnight snack?
  • What is your best study tip?
  • What is the strangest habit you have?
  • What is the most amazing story about your family?
  • What movie do you think everyone should watch?
  • What is the last TV show that you binge-watched?
  • What is one thing we would never guess about you?
  • Name an imaginary college class you wish this school offered.
  • What current fact about your life would most impress your five year old self?
  • Besides graduating, what is your number one goal for your remaining time at college?
  • Describe the best teacher you have had so far.
  • If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be?
  • If your pet could talk, what do you think it would say?
  • Would you rather explore outer space or the bottom of the ocean?
  • Would you rather visit a volcano or a rainforest?
  • If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
  • If you could choose any name besides your name, what would you choose?
  • If you had a million dollars, what would you buy first?
  • Who is your favorite Disney character?
  • If you could switch lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?
  • What is your favorite color?
  • Which cartoon character do you wish was real?
  • If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
  • What is your best idea for a new invention?
  • If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
  • What is your favorite ice cream flavor and ice cream topping?
  • What is your earliest holiday memory?
  • How old were you when you learned that Santa – gasp – doesn’t exist?
  • Do you prefer gingerbread people or houses?
  • Would you rather get coal in your stocking, or pizza?
  • What is your favorite Christmas carol?
  • If you could spend the holidays in any location, where would it be?
  • Does your family have any holiday traditions?
  • Would you rather eat a candy cane that tastes like turkey, or a turkey that tastes like candy cane?
  • Which of Scrooge’s ghosts was the most effective?

These holiday-themed questions are perfect for virtual Christmas parties .

More team building icebreaker questions for work

Looking for even more of the best icebreaker questions to warm up your group? Check out the The #1 List of Icebreaker Questions .

You can compile your own list of good icebreaker questions too.

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330+ Icebreaker Questions to Try with your Team

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Icebreaker questions can engage your team and get everyone in the right mood for your meeting.

That’s why we’ve curated a list of 330+ icebreaker questions . These prompts help build camaraderie and invite different and surprising viewpoints. It’s time to make your meetings more fun and inclusive.

📌 We have reviewed all of these icebreakers to ensure they are inclusive of diverse groups.

What are good icebreaker questions?

There’s a big difference between good and bad icebreakers . Whether it’s two truths and a lie or being asked to state “an interesting fact about yourself,” there are some icebreakers that make your team die a little inside. We don’t want that happening!

creative introduction questions

Here are four tips for asking good icebreaker questions:

  • Choose icebreaker questions that allow for self-expression , don’t have a wrong answer, and anyone can answer. Good news! All icebreakers on this list do just that!
  • Answer your own icebreaker question first to create a psychologically safe space .
  • Keep it simple to keep the conversation moving along quickly.
  • Make it fun and optional to participate so you can build better relationships and a stronger culture.

Spark great conversations!

Quickly jump to the best icebreaker questions here.

All these questions are inclusive, reveal valuable insights about team members, and encourage self-expression. None of them have right or wrong answers or are likely to make anyone feel inadequate.

  • ❤️ Favorite icebreakers
  • 🃏 Easy and fun icebreaker questions
  • 🤣 Funny icebreaker questions
  • 💼 Icebreaker questions for work
  • 🤝 Get to know you questions
  • 🎄 Holiday icebreaker questions
  • 🤔 Deep icebreaker questions
  • 💬 Icebreakers for small groups
  • ☕ More icebreaker and meeting resources

Favorite icebreakers

The questions below are our personal favorites and most popular among users of our online meeting tool , which has built-in icebreakers!

  • What’s something new you’ve learned about yourself in the last three months?
  • If you had to describe how you’re feeling right now as an amusement park ride, what ride are you on?
  • How would you describe your communication style in three words?
  • How do you recognize when you’re stressed?
  • If you were coming out onto a stage, what would your entrance theme song be?
  • If you could bring back a fashion trend, what would it be and why?
  • If you could live in another historical period, would you? If so, which one?
  • If you were reincarnated as an animal, what would you choose and why?
  • What’s one thing you are unbeatable at?
  • How would you spend your days if you had unlimited time and resources?
  • How do you get motivated for difficult tasks?
  • What’s something on your desk, a nearby wall, or out the window that cheers you up during the day?
  • Do you have any mentors or people you look up to? Tell us about one of them.
  • What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
  • You’ve been teleported to the Middle Ages. How would you make a living there?
  • Suppose you were going to be frozen tomorrow for a one-way 1,000-year interstellar voyage. What would you most want to communicate (and to whom) before you leave?
  • If you could have an animal sidekick, what would it be? Why?
  • What looks easy-peasy lemon squeezy but is actually difficult difficult lemon difficult?
  • You’ve died, but instead of entering the afterlife, you’ve entered Earth 2.0. What are some things that make Earth 2.0 better?
  • If you could go back in time 10,000 years ago and make a cave painting to confuse everyone in the future, what would you draw?
  • A genie appears and grants you a wish for someone else in the world. Who and what do you make a wish for?
  • If you had a magic button on your desk to bring you whatever you wanted, what would it summon?
  • What’s the last thing you did for the first time?
  • What smell, image, or sound triggers nostalgia for you?
  • What’s one thing your parents or guardians constantly nagged you about?
  • Tell us about a stranger you still remember. What made them memorable?
  • What ice cream flavor sums up your personality today?
  • You’ve been granted a one-way ticket to another country of your choice. Where are you going?
  • What’s something you’ve drawn inspiration from recently?
  • It’s your first day on the job as an evil villain. What’s the first piece of mischief you commit?
  • If buying groceries were a game, what would one of the loading screen tips be?

Easy and fun icebreaker questions

Fun is guaranteed with the answers to these icebreaker questions. These icebreaker questions are great for new teams who need to break the ice and build more psychological safety with each other. If you feel you’re ready for something more advanced, check out the deep icebreaker questions below!

  • What animal best represents you today and why?
  • If you could have one superpower today, what would it be, and what would you use it for?
  • What thing from nature, excluding animals, best describes you today?
  • If you had to sing karaoke right now, which song would you pick?
  • What is the most used emoji on your phone right now?
  • What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up today?
  • Which do you prefer, oceans or mountains? Why?
  • What’s one of your favorite recent memories?
  • What’s the best phrase or piece of slang people in your hometown use?
  • What’s your guilty pleasure right now?
  • What book would you like to live in?
  • If you could be famous for one thing, what would it be?
  • What’s a word or phrase in another language (or your own) that you really like?
  • What’s the best topping for ice cream?
  • If you’re at trivia night, what would category would you know most about?
  • What’s an album you recommend that has no bad songs?
  • What’s the worst haircut you ever had?
  • What’s your most successful dance move? Do you dare show it?
  • What’s an obscure TV show or movie that everyone should watch?

Funny icebreaker questions

These are the funniest icebreakers that make you laugh out loud just from reading them. Prepare for some hilarious answers, too!

  • What’s the weirdest thing in your fridge right now?
  • If you were setting off to Mars and could take only one luxury item with you, what would it be?
  • If you could become a supernatural creature at night, what would it be, and why?
  • Which fictional character would you want by your side during a zombie apocalypse?
  • If you were a cocktail, which one would you be?
  • If your home was packed full of golf balls, how would you remove them?
  • Would you rather talk like Yoda or breathe like Darth Vader?
  • Would you rather speak all languages or be able to talk with animals?
  • What would you do if you came home and found a penguin in your freezer?
  • What takeaway food represents you today and why?
  • If you could invent a holiday, what would it be, and what would you call it?
  • If your car had vanity plates, what would they say?
  • What is the best bird?
  • Do you have a favorite dinosaur?
  • You’ve been chosen to represent your country in a global competition. What sport or activity are you doing?

Icebreaker questions for work

The questions in this section will help you bond more closely with your team-mates, colleagues, or new people who have hopped on board! Consider using them in your weekly 1:1s or as part of team meetings to build psychological safety and trust.

Icebreakers for meetings

These icebreakers are perfect for kicking off any meeting at work.

  • If you had to describe how you’re feeling right now as a weather pattern, what’s your forecast?
  • What’s an under-rated skill everyone can benefit from?
  • What’s something you’re worried about (professionally)?
  • What’s got your attention today and why?
  • What was your favorite recent book or article, and what did it inspire?
  • Heard any good tips lately?
  • What color best describes your personality today?
  • What’s one project you could stop doing to give yourself more focus?
  • What are you excited about this week?
  • Do you have any routines you use to improve your energy and focus?
  • What’s one thing you wish could be automated in your job?
  • What’s one thing you’ve been procrastinating on and can’t finish?
  • What’s the last thing you completed that you’re proud of?
  • Have you learned any useful productivity hacks recently?
  • What’s one productivity tool you couldn’t live without, and what makes it indispensable?
  • What’s one recent thing or experience that exceeded your expectations?
  • What are you grateful for today?
  • What’s something that made you smile recently?
  • What fruit or vegetable represents your mood today?
  • What small thing would improve your day today?
  • What’s something that puts you in a state of flow?
  • What’s one possession or tool that enhances your daily life?
  • What’s a simple life hack that everyone can benefit from?
  • What’s one of the best ideas our company has come up with?
  • What’s something you want to get better at?
  • What’s your favorite song or soundtrack for doing focused work?

Icebreaker questions for virtual meetings and remote work

These questions will make any virtual meeting a little less, hmm, zoomy ?

  • Show us something in your space that you really like.
  • What’s one skill that helps you successfully work remotely?
  • Do you have a favorite mug? Let us see it and explain why you love it.
  • Look around and assess how satisfied you are with your physical workspace. What’s one thing you love about it?
  • What boundaries have you set to ensure that you unplug from work?
  • What’s normal where you live but might seem weird to the rest of the world?
  • How do you like to sit in a chair? Let us see it.
  • What’s the strangest thing that could unexpectedly appear on screen with you during this meeting?
  • How do you avoid or recover from Zoom fatigue?
  • What’s the strangest thing that has ever happened to you during a virtual meeting?
  • What’s your favorite place for doing virtual meetings?
  • What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever done a virtual meeting from?

Team building questions

If you want your team to get to know each other and bond, these are the icebreakers to get the job done.

  • What’s something about the next teammate you appreciate?
  • What help could you most use that you haven’t asked for?
  • When was the last time you felt unbounded optimism?
  • Is there any topic lately that you would like to be mentored on?
  • Are there any aspects of your personality that hold you back? How do you adapt?
  • When you’re feeling stressed, how do you deal with it?
  • What criteria help you decide whether to say “no” to something or commit to it?
  • Who has made a positive difference in your life recently?
  • What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
  • What’s something you’re looking forward to and why?
  • You’re cooking for the whole team. What is your signature dish?
  • Do you work better with or without music? What are you listening to while you work?
  • What was your first-ever job?
  • What’s a strategy you’ve found helpful in your recent work?
  • What’s one of the biggest risks you’ve taken in your career? How do you feel about having taken it?
  • Would you rather receive a shoutout from the CEO at a company all-hands meeting or a private word of thanks from them?
  • Would you rather someone took a boring task off your to-do list or invited you to participate in a project of great interest to you?
  • What’s a time when someone did something you appreciated (at work or in another context), but you didn’t let them know? What held you back?
  • Do you have a non-work goal you’re working toward right now? What is it?
  • What’s an organization or private company you admire and why?
  • What’s something our team is good at?
  • Who on the team would you like to swap jobs with for a day?
  • Who’s an ex-colleague from this job or another that you still think about?
  • What’s one thing that brings you energy and joy?
  • What’s something you admire about the people on our team?
  • What’s a signal you look for that indicates good company culture?
  • What makes you feel safe?
  • What is a red flag from an employer that you might not immediately recognize as one?

Informal and funny icebreaker questions for work

Here’s a collection of icebreaker questions that are fun and suitable for work.

  • What emoji represents you today and why?
  • If you could be one other person, who would that person be and why?
  • If you could safely eat any inedible object, what would it be?
  • If you could pick up a new skill in an instant, what would it be?
  • What’s something people don’t know about you?
  • What’s the most useful item you’ve purchased this year?
  • What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given? And why was it so bad?
  • If you could teleport anywhere, where would you go right now?
  • What’s the last book you quit reading and why?
  • If you could be fluent in another language instantly, which would you choose and why?
  • Name a TV show you think is underrated. Describe it in a sentence.
  • What’s the next item on your bucket list?
  • What’s your guilty pleasure when you have free time during the week?
  • What’s your favorite thing about the place where you live?
  • What’s a hobby or side project you’ve been meaning to take up?
  • What do your family or other loved ones think you do for work?
  • When you’re packing for a trip, what’s one thing (other than clothes) you always bring?
  • If you had to put together a PowerPoint presentation about anything, what would it be about?
  • What profession did you have in a previous life?
  • What flavor of tea represents you today?
  • What would you do if you had a fully paid year-long break from work?
  • What’s the worst job you ever had?

Get to know you questions

These questions let you break the ice and get to know each other a little better, too. They’re perfect for one-on-one calls or individual coaching sessions.

  • What’s something new or interesting you’ve learned recently?
  • What was your favorite recent meal and why?
  • What’s your favorite self-care activity?
  • What was the last thing you fell in love with?
  • Who was the last person you felt inspired by?
  • What simple thing still blows your mind?
  • Have you been pleasantly surprised by anything recently?
  • What are you reading right now?
  • What’s one country you would love to visit and why?
  • If you had to give a lecture on one thing, what would it be?
  • What’s something you couldn’t live without?
  • What season would you be? Winter, spring, summer, or autumn?
  • What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Why?
  • Which bucket list item do you most want to check off this year?
  • What’s an unusual family or national tradition you have?
  • What was your favorite subject in school? Why?
  • If you could keep only one part of your morning routine, what would it be?
  • Have you ever experienced a culture shock? Where was it, and what happened?
  • What’s an adventurous thing you’ve done?
  • What’s a TV show you recommend to everyone?
  • Where did you grow up, and what was it like?
  • What’s the most useful thing you own?
  • Would you rather spend a three-week trip visiting multiple interesting destinations or just one?
  • Make a choice: Never hear music again or lose the ability to read?
  • What’s something from your childhood that you still love today?
  • What’s a favorite movie you always recommend to people? Why do you love it?
  • What do you value most in a friendship?
  • What’s something that you’ve never learned to do?
  • Where do you feel most at home?
  • What’s one characteristic you admire in others?
  • What’s the best concert you ever attended?
  • What was the first concert or gig you ever attended?
  • What’s something you do to relieve anger or stress?
  • What’s a thing you do that seems strange to others?
  • What’s one of your pet peeves?
  • What’s one of your earliest memories?
  • What item do you never travel without?
  • What’s a common word or phrase that you don’t like/won’t use?
  • What’s in your ideal sandwich?
  • What is your favorite book from childhood?
  • What’s a song or album that triggers nostalgia for you?
  • What’s the most memorable live music or theatre event you’ve been to?
  • What is a popular movie that you just can’t stand?
  • What’s something that improved your quality of life so much, you wish you had done it sooner?
  • What’s one thing you’ve changed your mind about lately?
  • What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
  • What musical instrument would you play in a band?

Funny get to know you questions

Having a good laugh brings every team closer together. Here are some strange or funny get to know you questions.

  • If you did not have to sleep, how would you spend the extra eight hours?
  • What fictional world would you most like to live in?
  • If you could live with any fictional character, who would you choose?
  • What is your favorite smell and why?
  • If you could describe your life as a movie, what genre would it be?
  • Name a healthy food you enjoy and an unhealthy one you find hard to resist.
  • What age do you wish you could be permanently?
  • If you were forced to watch reruns of a favorite show, which would you choose?
  • Would you rather take a cold shower every day or always sleep an hour less than you need?
  • What drink best describes you today?
  • If you had to eat only one dish for the rest of time, what would it be?
  • What current fact about your life would most impress your five-year-old self?
  • What’s something you are craving right now?
  • What healthy food tastes just as good to you as unhealthy food?
  • What’s an unusual skill you’d love to master?
  • You’re on a desert island and can bring one luxury with you – what is it?
  • What’s a sauce, condiment, or dressing you couldn’t live without?
  • What’s something you like to do whenever you travel to a new country?
  • How would your best friend describe you?
  • What is something you will never eat, no matter how hungry you get?
  • If you were on a reality show, what would be your catchphrase?
  • What’s the title of a podcast you would never listen to?
  • If you were an action figure, what two accessories would you come with?
  • What question would you ask a psychic?
  • What’s the best present someone could bring to your housewarming party?
  • You can be reincarnated for a day as any living or historical famous person. Who do you choose and why?
  • What’s something that always gives you child-like joy?
  • What’s your culture’s most underrated food?
  • If people came with a warning tag, what would yours be?
  • If you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be and why?
  • What would the title of your autobiography be?

Have you ever questions

“Have you ever…” is a surefire starter for anecdotes, tips, and bonding. Here are some variations to consider as icebreakers. Don’t forget the why, what, or where addition to avoid yes or no answers, a characteristic of bad icebreakers.

  • Have you ever done something extremely scary? What or why (not)?
  • Have you ever successfully conquered a fear?
  • Have you ever stayed up for an entire night without sleep? When or why not?
  • Have you ever been away from home for longer than a month? Why (not)?
  • Have you ever disconnected from phones and the internet for longer than 24 hours? How did it feel?
  • Have you ever gone way out of your comfort zone? Tell us about it!

Holiday icebreaker questions

There’s nothing like a festive or seasonal icebreaker to bring the mood of the room up. Here are some of our best icebreakers for connecting at Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving,  Diwali, and the Lunar New Year!

Christmas icebreaker questions

  • What’s an unusual Christmas tradition you or your family have?
  • What’s the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received? Why?
  • If you could get anything for Christmas, what would it be?
  • What are your plans for this Christmas?
  • Do you celebrate Christmas? Why (not)?
  • What’s the most annoying Christmas song ever?
  • You’re singing Christmas karaoke! What song do you pick?
  • Which Christmas song would you pick if you had to listen to it for the rest of your life?
  • If you were a Christmas gift, what would you be and for whom?
  • If there’s one thing you could change about Christmas, what would it be?

Halloween icebreaker questions

  • What’s your scariest Halloween experience or one that you have heard about?
  • How will you dress up this Halloween? If you’re not dressing up, why not?
  • Do you celebrate Halloween and why (not)?
  • What would you be or make if you could dress up as anything this Halloween (regardless of the required cost or effort)?
  • What’s your favorite Halloween movie?
  • What’s the best treat you’ve ever received at Halloween?
  • If there’s one thing you could change about Halloween, what would it be?
  • What will kids receive who show up at your door this Halloween?
  • If you could change Halloween’s symbolic pumpkin to another fruit or vegetable, what would it be and why?
  • What’s an urban legend or ghost story local to the place you live or grew up?

Thanksgiving icebreaker questions

  • What’s an unusual Thanksgiving tradition you or your family have?
  • Do you celebrate Thanksgiving and why (not)?
  • If there’s one thing you could change about Thanksgiving, what would it be?
  • What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish and why?
  • What’s one thing you are thankful for this year?

Diwali icebreaker questions

  • What’s your favorite part of Diwali celebrations?
  • How will you celebrate Diwali this year?
  • Does your family have any unusual Diwali traditions?

Lunar New Year icebreaker questions

  • Do you celebrate Lunar New Year and why (not)?
  • What’s your favorite Lunar New Year dish and why?
  • If there’s one thing you could change about Lunar New Year, what would it be?
  • What’s your most embarrassing Lunar New Year moment ever?
  • What’s your most best Lunar New Year memory?
  • What is the farthest or longest you’ve ever traveled to get back home for Lunar New Year?

Deep icebreaker questions

When you’ve developed psychological safety with your team, it’s nice to go a bit deeper. These questions are designed to help you take relationships with others to the next level.

  • What’s something you’ve recently learned about yourself?
  • What’s a new habit or practice you’re trying to cultivate?
  • What’s the most important thing to remember every day that you haven’t been able to?
  • What sparked your curiosity in whatever you’re most curious about now?
  • If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?
  • Which question can you ask to find out the most about a person?
  • If you could do something that you don’t because it’s bad for you, but you could do it without repercussions – what would you do?
  • What’s one small thing or practice that has vastly improved your quality of life?
  • How do you approach learning something new?
  • What’s your favorite word and why?
  • What’s something you find soothing?
  • If you had a time machine, would you go back in time to meet your ancestors or forward to meet your descendants?
  • What’s one thing many people hate but you love?
  • What’s something you would change if you ran the world?
  • If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be?
  • What is your favorite habit?
  • What do you enjoy most about what you spend your time on?
  • If you could go back in time and make a minor change in your childhood, what is one thing you’d learn, so you could be an expert at it today?
  • What does friendship mean to you?
  • What’s a book, video, or poem that means a lot to you?
  • What are you doing when you feel most alive?
  • What does it feel like to be you right now?
  • How have you changed in the last year?
  • What’s the quality you cherish most about one of your closest friends?
  • What’s something that’s considered socially acceptable now but won’t be in 100 years?
  • Who is one person who changed your life but doesn’t know it?
  • If you were handed a megaphone and could blast out one message for the entire world to hear, what would you say?
  • If you walked into a room with everyone you’ve ever met in it, who would you look for?
  • What’s something you learned the hard way over the past year?

Icebreakers for small groups

Just can’t get enough of icebreaker questions? We’ve got you covered. Here are many more for small groups, adults, and a list of random questions for when you’re indecisive.

Icebreaker questions for small groups

  • What’s your one piece of advice to everyone here?
  • What question do you wish people would ask you?
  • What is one thing we would never guess about you?
  • What’s one thing you want to do in life but don’t know where to start?
  • What’s a cause or purpose you deeply believe in?
  • What’s a book that affected you so profoundly (emotionally or intellectually) that you still regularly think about it?
  • What’s something that doesn’t deserve the hate it gets?
  • What’s a piece of advice that has stuck with you?
  • What’s something you wish you understood better?
  • What is one thing your parents or guardians did right? And what’s one thing you wish they’d done differently?

Icebreaker questions for adults

These icebreaker questions are great for when you want to learn about your colleagues’ or team-mates’ past lives. Look back together on growing up, adolescence, or prior experiences.

  • What was your least favorite food as a child? Why did you dislike it?
  • As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  • What was your favorite breakfast as a kid?
  • What’s something you rebelled against as a kid?
  • What were some of your favorite activities as a kid?
  • What’s a landmark, popular destination, or local hangout spot that you either frequented or avoided when growing up?
  • What are you nostalgic about recently?
  • What’s something you were really into as a kid?
  • What is a small act of kindness you were once shown that you’ll never forget?
  • What’s something you wish you’d learned earlier in life?
  • What was the last thing you did that gave you child-like joy?
  • What’s one activity that grants you pure escapism?
  • What cartoon would you get up early to watch when you were young?
  • What’s a food that always reminds you of childhood?
  • What is one thing you wish you’d been taught in school?
  • What’s an adult problem nobody prepared you for?
  • What is a lesson you feel you learned too late in life?
  • What’s a personal side project you’re working on or want to work on?
  • How would teenage you describe your job?
  • What factor of your childhood impacted you the most as a person?
  • Who was your favorite teacher as a kid and why?

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Aristotle's Cafe

  • 150+ Icebreaker Questions for Amazing Group Discussion (2023)

Small Group Discussion Topics are our specialty at Aristotle’s Cafe.

The biggest reason is because of the way we facilitate these conversations!

They are all generated from the participants themselves.

That’s right, we let the users decide, if you want to our tried and test techniques for these discussions check out our courses here.

Many Facilitators struggle with coming up with the best group discussion topics to inspire their participants to engage with one another. But not with this technique…

When you allow the individual participants to write their own group discussion question and then vote on which one to start with you’ll soon have an endless supply of great discussion topics that you can use anywhere.

If you’re looking for the very best icebreaker questions, what if questions, questions for small groups, group questions, and funny conversation topics look no further.

There are over 150+ Great Icebreakers Questions right here for you.

Share this resource and write a comment to let me know the great icebreaker questions you have.

All of the following icebreaker questions come from participants of our weekly small group discussions that have been running for 14 years with over 10,000+ people!

Want to skip the article? That’s okay, go straight to the Amazing Icebreaker Question Cheat Sheet (FREE DOWNLOAD)

Virtual Icebreaker Questions

Icebreaker questions on art.

  • Icebreaker Questions for Youth

Travel Icebreaker Questions

  • Icebreaker Questions for Girls

Icebreaker Questions on Culture

Icebreaker questions on choice, icebreaker questions on empathy.

  • Icebreaker Questions Education

Icebreaker Questions on Fear

Icebreaker questions on happiness, what would you do icebreaker questions.

  • Icebreaker Questions on Past, Present, and Future
  • Icebreaker Questions on Perspective
  • Icebreaker Questions on Personal Development and Mindfulness

Icebreaker Questions on Success

  • Icebreaker Questions Technology

Icebreaker Questions on Opinions

Icebreaker questions on favorites, icebreaker questions for couples, funny conversation topics, what if questions.

  • Questions for Small Groups on Government or Politics
  • Questions for Small Groups on Good and Bad
  • Questions for Small Groups on Love and Relationships

Questions for Small Groups on Ethics

  • Questions for Small Groups on Religion
  • Questions for Small Groups on Society
  • Questions for Small Groups on the World

icebreaker-questions-small-groups

Icebreaker Questions for Small Groups

Not every group question is appropriate for an icebreaker question.

The very WORST thing you can do when getting a group to warm up to each other is to ask the group questions that make people feel uncomfortable.

“How much is your yearly salary?”

Is an example of a group question that will stop anyone from answering and puts people on the defensive.

The secret to great icebreaker questions…

It should be a combination of an interesting conversation topic and also one that isn’t extremely personal or revealing.

Here is a roundup of the best icebreaker questions for small groups that participants have submitted over the past year of discussions.

  • Can everyone point up, point to the left, point to the right?
  • Can everyone point to me? (This will make a cool visual effect because many times as a video host you will not be in the same place for everyone, so you will see everyone pointing in a different direction than you would think)
  • Can everyone choose one thing in your room that you would like to share that represents something about you?
  • What is your favorite way to connect online?
  • What’s the best online meeting story that you have?
  • If you want some great inspiration, check out playmeo.com and their database of virtual icebreakers.
  • Does art have the power to cure?
  • What is art?
  • Is art still valuable in the world?
  • Do you find a painting changes as you step forward or backward to view it?
  • Can art influence your attitude?
  • Do you favor certain colors in a painting?
  • What art forms are you familiar with?
  • What art forms have you yourself tried?
  • Do you think the arts should be supported?
  • Do you think art has an important place in our schools?
  • Would you be willing to try your hand at something new?
  • Can you see art in your daily surroundings?
  • Do you think art has medicinal value?
  • Do you think anyone can learn an art form?
  • Do you think there is enough appreciation for the arts?
  • Is it okay for a museum to have a controversial art exhibit?
  • What are the benefits of art in your life?

Icebreaker Questions For Youth

  • Do you feel like you have all the time in the world to do what you want?
  • From your childhood, are there experiences that stand out?
  • Did you have a favorite holiday and why?
  • Are you responsible for your own life?
  • Do you have a plan?
  • Can we still have a good life like our parents or grandparents?
  • Does your success depend on if you have a degree from a university ?
  • Do you feel pressure to take a certain path in life?
  • Have your friends been good or bad influencers in your life?
  • Are their times you felt you had to stand up against authority?
  • Are you anxious to grow up or not?
  • Can you accept advice or do you need to experience it yourself?
  • Can you stand up against peer pressure?
  • Are there any adults that you respect and confide in?
  • Is home a safe place for you to ask questions?
  • Do you have opinions that differ from your family?
  • Where have you traveled?
  • What places would you like to revisit?
  • Where would you jump at the chance to visit?
  • What’s important to know before you choose your destination?
  • What factors are involved in your trip destination?
  • Would it appeal to you to travel at the last minute to an unknown destination?
  • What is the longest trip you would be willing to take if you had the time and money?
  • Are there places that you would be afraid to venture?
  • Have you ever traveled alone?
  • Does a tour group appeal to you?
  • Which is your favorite mode of transportation?
  • Would you consider a volunteering vacation?
  • What do you desire to accomplish by your trip?
  • What kind of traveler are you?
  • What do you try to see or do in a new place?

Icebreaker Questions For Girls

As a special note, we actually asked a girl to write these. That’s really the best way to get the best icebreaker questions for girls. Would you agree?

Also, just in case it wasn’t obvious – any of the questions throughout this entire article would be great icebreaker questions to ask a girl.

  • Do you have a plan for your future?
  • Are you comfortable with meeting new people?
  • Do you find yourself comparing yourself to others?
  • Do you find yourself restricted to what society expects of you?
  • Are you confident when you walk into a room?
  • Are you able to hold your own in a discussion?
  • Do you feel peer pressure when it comes to your appearance?
  • Do you feel sisterhood with others?
  • Have you felt pressure from boys?
  • Are there any males in your life that make you feel safe?
  • Do you feel you can become whatever you want in your life?
  • Can you envision yourself in the future as a grownup?
  • Do you feel safe in your daily life?
  • Can you discuss freely ideas with family or friends?
  • Do you feel like there are double standards when it comes to rules for boys and girls?
  • Does your family have certain expectations of you?
  • In some cultures they wear black for 1 year when someone they love dies, do you think this is a good ritual? What do you do to show respect for those who have passed away?
  • Globalization is inevitable – how can we make sure people who don’t want to participate can preserve their culture?
  • How do you know if something is “normal”?
  • It’s a very different culture. What do people need to know when they move to Thailand?
  • I am a mixed-raced child. Will any country ever accept me as one of their own?
  • Have you ever encountered a food that was hard to swallow but you didn’t want to offend someone?
  • What’s the best way to experience a new culture for you?
  • What would be disrespectful in one culture but okay in another?
  • As a woman, would you be willing to wear traditional Moslem clothing and withstand the restrictions on women while traveling in a Moslem country?
  • What elements of a culture do you look forward to when traveling?
  • Do you think cultures can learn from each other?
  • How do you blend in when you are trying to experience a new culture?
  • What makes up a culture?
  • What makes a culture better than another culture?
  • Is it fair to judge someone’s culture good or bad?
  • If you could be anyone in this world, other than yourself, who would you be?
  • If you could create one life, what would it be?
  • When does free will end and fate begin?
  • If you were mayor of your town, what would you do?
  • What is something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t got around to doing?
  • What is the best advice you were given but did not take?
  • Is there such thing as a “wrong” choice?
  • Have you ever made what you thought was a wrong choice, but it turned out to be the right choice?
  • Have you ever felt you had no choice?
  • Have you ever felt there were too many choices?
  • Does freedom mean more choices?
  • Do more choices mean more opportunities?
  • What does choose wisely mean to you?
  • What are the important choices you have had to make in your life?
  • What do you think is the disadvantage of having too much empathy?
  • What careers require some empathy in order to be successful?
  • Are their certain people you have trouble feeling empathy towards?
  • Could too much empathy cause problems?
  • How do you show empathy?
  • How do you teach empathy?
  • Do you think your government is empathetic towards citizens?
  • When does empathy interfere with your job?
  • What does “walking in someone’s shoes” mean to you?
  • Can you learn or be taught empathy?
  • How can I best help someone who is battling with depression?
  • How far can excuses like trauma and psychological issues go? When do you put the responsibility on the person?

Icebreaker Questions on Education

  • How can we revolutionize education for the 21st century and beyond?
  • What is the point of formal education?
  • What do you think about your country’s education system?
  • Should philosophy be taught earlier in school to inspire children to question more?
  • What kind of effects are dire warnings about nationalism, global warming, terrorism, and more having on today’s youth?
  • How does “knowing too much” benefit or harm you?
  • Who was your favorite teacher and why?
  • Do you think there are benefits to educating boys and girls in separate schools?
  • What would you like to see included in the curriculum in high school?
  • How early would job shadowing be beneficial in the school system?
  • Should schools change their schedules based upon the research that shows children will benefit?
  • What foreign languages do you think should be required by the high schools?
  • How early do students need to choose what route they will follow after high school graduation?
  • Should education be free for all?
  • Do you think wearing uniforms in school is beneficial?
  • What characteristics are important in a teacher?
  • How much responsibility should parents take for the education of their children?
  • Should school curriculums include sex education?
  • How can a school involve the community?
  • What does a good education mean to you?
  • What are the elements of a good education?
  • Is it true that an educated person less judgemental?
  • Is homeschooling a valuable way to receive an education?
  • How could education become more relevant?
  • What courses in high schools would you like to be required for a good education?
  • Is it possible at all to live your life without fear?
  • Do you admire people who have no fear?
  • Why is the concept of “no fear” becoming popular?
  • Do we let fear drive our choices?
  • Is it unusual to have no fear in being jobless?
  • What does fear feel like?
  • When has fear got in your way?
  • How do you fight fear?
  • Is fear learned?
  • Are their basic fears?
  • Scary movies, scary rides, haunted houses…….what are the attractions?
  • Can you conquer fear?
  • Do your fears change as you age?
  • Are there people who control others by fear?
  • Can you think of places where people live in fear?
  • What would you do differently without fear?
  • Can you agree there are times having fear is a healthy emotion?
  • Would owning a gun calm your fears?
  • Do you think fear can be contagious?
  • Is fear about certain things inherited?
  • What are examples of irrational fear?
  • What are examples of spreading fear?
  • How do you contain fear?
  • How do you feed fear?
  • What techniques do you use to hide your fear?
  • What are some circumstances that require you to hide your fear?
  • Do you think males more than females are required to act fearless?
  • Do you believe in God that you need not fear?
  • Why is there fear of the unknown?
  • Why is there fear of the stranger?
  • Why is there fear to take the next step?
  • Why should there be fear for what’s around the corner?
  • Would we be happier if we were living closer to nature?
  • What defines happiness?
  • What is happiness?
  • Does happiness mean the same thing to everyone?
  • Is there a key to happiness?
  • How does happiness feel?
  • Can you look for happiness?
  • Would you recognize happiness if you had it?
  • Do you need sadness to know happiness?
  • Is happiness learned?
  • Do you think happiness is an illusion?
  • Would you like to be in a state of constant happiness?
  • Are you afraid of too much happiness?
  • Do you sabotage your happiness for others?
  • Do you let others take away your happiness?
  • Can you find happiness in the moments?
  • Is happiness found in a pill?
  • What do you need to feel happiness?
  • Is happiness a lost cause?
  • Do you need to feel happiness every day?
  • Do you think happiness equals good health?
  • Can you buy happiness?
  • What area of your life brings you the most happiness?
  • What area of your life do you need to find happiness?
  • What do you do when you find yourself stuck?
  • When you have to make a tough decision, do you make your decision based on what is right OR what feels right?
  • What will you do when you feel empty?
  • Not including deadlines, how do you motivate yourself to get stuff done?
  • How would you deal with the hurt of betrayal?
  • How do you deal with people who disagree with you?
  • Do you usually say what you mean? Why?
  • How should we deal with frustrations?
  • What drives you crazy (about a friend, colleague, or family member)? How do you deal with it?
  • How can you be self-compassionate without being self-biased?
  • Peoples’ attention spans are shorter now – how can we catch them?
  • How can I come up with an interesting question?
  • What does it mean to “be yourself”? Do you think you are these days? How can you be more yourself?
  • How can we think outside the box?

Icebreaker Questions on  Past, Present, and Future

  • Will the future of humanity rely more on innovation, or more on mindfulness?
  • Is the present better than the past?
  • What should self-driving cars should factor in when it comes to decision making?
  • Do you believe in fate?
  • What direction is modern society headed towards?
  • What is the biggest challenge facing the next generation?
  • Are farming techniques of the past better than modern techniques?
  • Is there a time period or era that appeals to you?
  • Do you think your past determines your present or future?
  • What advice would you give your past-self for your present or future?
  • What can you do about the past to make your present or future easier?
  • What benefits are there to reliving the past?
  • Is it better to forget the past?
  • Can your planning for the future have you missing out on the present?
  • How do you rewrite your past?
  • What figures into determining your future?
  • Can you break free of the past?
  • Is the future bright?
  • What advice would you give someone planning for the future?
  • What positive characteristics do you carry that will see you through successfully in the future?
  • Are there negative characteristics that could hinder your future?
  • What items are important to possess to build a stable present and bright future?
  • Is your future already determined?

Icebreaker Questions on  Perspective

  • Some of the world’s most important people have many negative traits. What is the best way to deal with these people?
  • What are some examples of justified violence that you can accept?
  • If I love someone and they don’t love me back, how can I turn that into a positive?
  • What are the three best things about you?
  • If life for you were to end now would you be happy with what you’ve done until now?
  • Are we taking things too seriously?
  • What is cute?
  • How much has childhood shaped who we are today?
  • What is healthy?
  • Have we become too connected?
  • How often during your week do you stop to look around in awe of natural beauty?
  • Are you a cat person?
  • Anger, jealousy, hate. How should we deal with negative emotions?
  • Should we respect all the opinions and ideas even if they are harmful?
  • Is shutting down your brain by watching TV or doing something “not productive” that reduces your stress – negative or positive?
  • Should people try to be non-judgemental or should we judge others on their actions and thoughts?
  • Do morals restrict or benefit humanity?
  • Is racism or prejudice a natural survival instinct or a choice?
  • How much money does a person need to survive from birth to death?
  • When do you think that a lie is a better option than honesty?
  • Why do you think some people lie about things, even when it’s not needed?
  • How positive is the impact of readily available information for youth in developing countries?
  • Given a limited amount of time on Earth, what impact do you want to leave?
  • What are your views on people who try to contrive, manipulate, and control circumstances in their environment but then try to evade the natural consequences that arise from it?
  • What is depression and why does it exist?
  • Is it selfish to have children?
  • Is it important to be a risk taker?
  • Do you think that to give with an intention is equal to giving with no intention?
  • How do you feel about leaving your comfort zone?
  • What are your thoughts on shifting from a reactive mindset to a more proactive mindset?
  • When does a victim become a victim?
  • Are our wedding expectations unrealistic?
  • Is there any difference between thinking, feeling, or talking from the heart or from the mind?
  • What separates man from beast?
  • Why do people have so much trouble accepting differences?
  • Why do manipulators succeed in gaining control?
  • What are we doing here?
  • How to make the most from listening?
  • What are you looking for?
  • Where does music come from?
  • How to preserve one’s integrity?

Icebreaker Questions  Personal Development and Mindfulness

  • How can I find passion?
  • How can you balance life? And what is balance?
  • How have you gained dignity following a crisis?
  • Is it possible to “know thyself”?
  • How important is it for you to be able to define yourself?
  • What’s the difference between a good boss and a good leader?
  • How do you determine if someone’s successful in life?
  • What is your thought on keeping “work life” and “personal life” separate?
  • Is motivation important? How do you motivate yourself?
  • I love helping people with their communication skills, but how do I get paid for my trainings?
  • Is it natural to be happy then sad in your career? Or is there such thing as work nirvana?
  • Where do you want to be five years from now?
  • How do you deal with pressure from your boss, co-workers, or customers?
  • What do you think of opening a business with passion but without market research?
  • Is willpower a skill that can be learned and improved, or do you think individuals have natural limits?

Icebreaker Questions on  Technology

  • Will artificial intelligence eventually become a God?
  • What could be the next scientific discovery to disprove current thinking?
  • Thinking of the idea of humans possibly living in a virtual reality – does that affect our morals?
  • Is technology something to appreciate or fear?
  • What is the difference between augmented reality and personal perspective?
  • Do you think regrets can be a good thing?
  • Is a good deed that goes unappreciated worthless?
  • They say “curiosity killed the cat” how much curiosity is healthy?
  • Is life just a game?
  • What is your favorite question to ask a stranger?
  • What are your favorite books to read right now?
  • What is your favorite question to ask someone you just met?

icebreaker questions couples

Icebreaker Questions for couples are really about diving deep into a relationship between two people. They’re different than our standard icebreaker questions for small groups. (We also have an article devoted to deep questions about life if you want even more of these)

These questions should be asked when you have privacy and time to get more personal.

  • Do you remember what caught your eye about her/him?
  • What do you like about her/him?
  • What do you like to do together the most?
  • What would you both like to try to do together that you haven’t yet?
  • Is there a city or country you could see being together and starting a new life?
  • Are there differences of opinions that impact your relationship?
  • Is it ok to go to bed angry with each other?
  • When is compromise not okay?
  • Can you support your partner in spite of family pressure?
  • Is love the glue to a relationship?
  • What does love look like to you?
  • Can you forgive and forget?
  • Are there good fights?
  • Is it better to walk away and discuss another day?
  • Do you know what buttons to push
  • Do you know what subjects to avoid?
  • Can you grow old together?
  • What are the benefits of a long relationship?
  • Is it worthwhile to keep working on a relationship?
  • What is most important for you in a partner?
  • What do you need from your partner?

funny-conversation-topics

Funny conversation topics are a category all on their own because they don’t have to just be used as icebreaker questions.

These questions can be asked in a variety of different situations.

Everyone needs a good laugh every now and then.

So mixing it up a bit with a little silliness is sometimes called for. Of course, choose the situation and timing – be careful what you ask your boss, mother-in-law, or professor.

  • Would you want to live forever as a machine in human body form like Battlestar Galactica?
  • If you could, would you move to Mars?
  • Is B.o.B. right, is the Earth Flat?
  • What has been your most embarrassing moment?
  • Would you rather be raised by wolfs until the age of 18 or thrown into a pack of coyotes at age 35?
  • Why do 24-hour stores have locks on the doors?
  • What’s the most outlandish fact that you know?
  • What’s your most embarrassing favorite song?

questions-for-discussion-what-if

What if questions are a lot of fun. Typically you would ask something like:

“ What if hundred dollar bills magically came into your pocket…”

Then there’s always a consequence of that action…

“…but every time you pulled the hundred dollar bill out someone in the world died.”

What if questions are great for humorous conversations or to see where people’s choices lie. I don’t want to limit your creativity so I’ll leave it up to you to fill in the other part of the questions listed here.

  • What if aliens exist?
  • What if you woke up as your favorite celebrity?
  • What if you could live anywhere on the planet?
  • What if you only had 1 hour left to live?
  • What if in the future people have to pay for privacy?
  • What if money was never an issue?
  • What if you could be President for 1 week, what would you change?

questions-for-small-groups-danger

Questions for Small Groups – Danger Zone

Proceed with CAUTION!!!

Not all questions for small groups are created equal. When’s the last time you had a casual conversation with someone about politics…

I thought so.

Tread lightly with these icebreaker questions – they are only to be used by the experienced facilitator, teacher, or host.

The reason why…

These questions are POLARIZING, meaning there is normally very little grey are when it comes to people’s opinions. They are either strongly for or against something.

When that happens you can bet that emotions will run high . Make sure to pay special attention to body language and be prepared to be a calming force if you want the discussion to continue.

Questions for Small Groups on  Government or Politics

  • To what degree should the government help people affected by a hurricane?
  • Can community-based, grassroots movements take place with no funding and money involved?
  • What is the best way to build bridges between political parties?
  • Does the United States have the best form of government?
  • Should there be any limit to freedom of expression? If so, what should be limited?
  • How does the travel ban make you feel?
  • Should everyone have the right to vote?
  • What do you think about Communism?
  • It’s easy to say “borders shouldn’t exist”, but do borders have a purpose?
  • When immigrants move to a new country should they keep their culture, adapt to the new culture, or should the country change?
  • How do you feel about the increase in mass surveillance?
  • Are we living in a disguised dictatorship?
  • How is it possible that in the US, Heroin deaths increased 533% since 2002?

Questions for Small Groups on  Good and Bad

  • Is charity bad?
  • Should we express all of our feelings, or should we keep bad feelings inside?
  • Are you a good person? What is it that makes you a good or bad person?
  • Why do many cultures think that tattoos are dirty or bad?
  • Do victims sometimes support bad things to happen?
  • When is Nuclear war good?
  • What makes a good mentor?

Questions for Small Groups on  Love and Relationships

  • Do you believe in a real friendship between a woman and a man?
  • Do we need love to be happy?
  • What should you do when your partner is completely opposite?
  • Is it okay for foreign, young people to be busking or begging for money in Southeast Asia?
  • What’s wrong with “not changing” and “staying the same”?
  • How do you change from “no one” to be “someone” – and from “someone” to be the “only one”?
  • Why do we care so much about being judged?
  • What are we really looking for?

Questions for Small Groups on   Religion

  • Does religion do more harm than good?
  • Why did many major world religions develop around the same time?
  • Do we need religion?
  • Are we making a mistake by ignoring religion and faith?

Questions for Small Groups on  Society

  • Does society need a real crisis to get itself back together?
  • What is society for?
  • Are we as divided and fragmented as a society as we’re being told?
  • Is a jobless person considered a burden to society? What about Monks?
  • 1 in 10 older people experience abuse every month – why?

Questions for Small Groups on the  World

  • Is right now a better world than the past?
  • How can you find truth in a “post-fact” or “alternative-fact” world?
  • Can empathy save the world?
  • How can I be myself in a world full of excessive consumerism?
  • With so much turmoil now, will World War III bring peace?
  • Are people currently upset by the worlds political climate actually suffering or just having identity issues?
  • Can hope change the world?
  • How is the world going to end?
  • What is the most effective way to help health, life, and the environment?

Share, Share, Share

Questions are the beginning of a path towards understanding.

They won’t do any good if only kept to yourself.

Share this resource and start a great conversation with someone that you care about, or maybe that you want to learn more about.

These are great icebreaker questions, which include funny conversation topics, perfect group questions, and if you really want to reveal someone’s creativity, offer up a “what if icebreaker question.”

“Icebreaker Questions, How Can I Use This For my Next Group Discussion?”

I created a FREE icebreaker question cheat sheet and easy-to-clip question page so you can quickly use the information from this post at your next group.

Click below to download it.

icebreaker-questions-group-discussion

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creative introduction questions

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  • Inspire & Impact Collection |
  • 110+ icebreaker questions for team buil ...

110+ icebreaker questions for team building

Julia Martins contributor headshot

Icebreaker questions help you learn who your teammates are as people—beyond just their work habits. This team building activity focuses on answering fun questions, and is a simple way to build trust and morale. Get started with these 110+ prompts, which range from favorite knock-knock jokes to existential questions (e.g. is a hot dog a sandwich?).

How much do you know about your team members? You probably know how they work, their strengths and weaknesses, and what times they’re online and available. But do you know their favorite movie, or where they’re from? How about what artist they listened to the most this year, or their favorite local bakery?

So whether you want to start with some icebreaker games to get to know your new team members, some quirky questions to heighten your teamwork , or some team building activities to connect with your remote team, try the best 110+ icebreaker questions to encourage team building.

Funny icebreaker questions

Make sure you aren’t just asking “intense” icebreaker questions—throw some funny icebreaker questions into the mix, too! The funniest icebreakers are lighthearted questions that open up the conversation and help your team warm up to one another. Then, once your team is more connected, you can bust out the more “serious” questions.

[inline illustration] Icebreaker question on knock-knock jokes (example)

1. Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met? Tell us the story of how you met.

2. What’s your guilty pleasure?

3. Looking back at when you were younger, what was your silliest fear?

4. What is your current desktop or cell phone wallpaper? Why did you choose that image?

5. Tell us about your worst hair day.

6. If you had to give your car a name, what would it be?

7. What’s your favorite knock-knock joke?

8. If you could host a talk show, which one would you pick?

9. What was your best Halloween costume? Worst?

10. Tell us a story of an embarrassing thing that happened to you.

11. What’s the last thing you got in “trouble” for?

12. What would the title of your autobiography be?

13. If you could add a word to the dictionary, what would you add and what would it mean?

14. If you could bring back any fashion trend or old slang, what would it be?

15. If you had to talk like a cartoon character for the rest of your life, who would you choose? Do an impression of them now.

16. What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

17. If you had to eat a crayon, what color would you choose?

Unique icebreaker questions

If you’ve tried icebreakers in the past, you may have struggled to come up with uncommon icebreaker questions. Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered! Use these questions to learn something completely new about your teammates. 

18. What game show do you think you could win?

19. If you could only use one emoji for the rest of your life what would it be?

20. What’s your favorite movie quote?

21. What’s something you think is totally overrated?

22. If you were an athlete, what would you choose as your walkout song?

23. What book do you wish you could read for the first time again?

24. Name one movie you think should have a sequel.

25. If you had to email the CEO an emoji right now, what would it be?

26. What was the first thing you thought about this morning?

27. What has been the best day of your life so far?

28. If aliens landed on Earth, who would you recommend they talk to?

29. Is a hotdog a sandwich?

“Would you rather” icebreaker questions

In a “would you rather” icebreaker question, you pose a scenario to your team members and ask them to pick from one of two fun options. These questions are pretty engaging, and they’re a great way to dig deeper into team preferences. To get a good conversation going, ask your team members why they chose the option they did.

30. Would you rather go on a relaxing vacation or an adventure hike?

31. Would you rather be a member of the Avengers or the Justice League?

32. Would you rather star in a romance-based or adventure-based reality TV show?

33. Would you rather have a theme song for your life or a constant soundtrack playing in the background?

34. Would you rather be a superhero or the world’s best chef?

35. Would you rather compete in the Olympics or direct a movie that was nominated for an Oscar?

36. Would you rather sing karaoke with the head of our department or be on a group call with the CEO and your parents?

Team icebreaker questions

If you have a small team, consider asking more open-ended questions and following the discussion where it leads. Instead of being rapid fire questions, these team icebreaker questions are designed to spark a conversation among team members.

[inline illustration] Icebreaker questions about beating stress (example)

37. What’s your favorite local restaurant and why?

38. What’s something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done yet? Why not?

39. When was the last time you did something for the first time?

40. What do you do to beat stress?

41. What’s the most surprising thing that’s happened to you in another state or country?

42. Tell us something about yourself that would surprise most people who know you.

43. Describe an experience in life that changed your values.

Virtual work icebreaker questions

Connecting with and motivating remote teammates during virtual meetings can feel even harder than team building in the office—but it doesn’t have to be. Use these virtual work icebreaker questions to connect with your team.

44. Do you have any “coworkers” (partners, roommates, siblings, parents, pets)?

45. Have your working hours changed as a result of remote work?

46. Do you prefer working remotely or working in an office?

47. What’s your best WFH accessory?

48. What’s your go-to WFH beverage? Do you prefer coffee? Tea?

49. Is there a spot in your house where you feel most productive?

50. If you could have any upgrade to your WFH setup, what would it be?

51. What’s your morning routine?

52. How often do you work in your PJs?

Throwback icebreaker questions

Getting-to-know-you questions are a fun way to learn more about your teammates. People usually like talking about their past, so these questions can be an easy place to start if your team is new to using icebreaker questions. Plus, knowing where your teammates come from is a great way to start understanding them more personally.

53. Do you have any siblings? Are you the eldest, middle, or youngest child?

54. Where did you grow up?

55. Did you have any pets as a kid? Did you want any pets?

56. Did you play sports as a kid? Do you play any sports now?

57. Do you speak any other languages?

58. What’s your favorite place in the world?

59. What was your first job?

60. What was your favorite cartoon as a kid? What was your favorite cartoon character? If they weren’t the same, why not?

61. Who in life has inspired you the most?

62. What’s one family tradition you want to pass down to your kids?

63. What’s a piece of advice your parents or grandparents gave you that you want to pass on?

64. What were your favorite subjects in school?

65. Did you have an imaginary best friend when you were younger? What were they like?

66. Have you ever been mistaken for someone famous?

Common icebreaker questions

Want to make sure you’ve covered your bases? Try some tried-and-true icebreakers. Curious about what your teammates’ favorite TV show is? Or, how about what’s on their bucket list? These common icebreakers include go-to questions for getting to know your team better.

67. What book are you currently reading? What’s your favorite book?

68. What’s your favorite TV show?

69. What’s your favorite movie?

70. What’s your favorite song?

71. What was your first concert? What was the best concert you’ve ever been to?

72. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book or object would you bring?

73. If you could have dinner with one historical figure, who would it be? What about one currently living celebrity?

74. What’s the greatest gift you’ve ever received? What about the best gift you’ve ever given?

75. Do you have any hidden talents?

76. When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

77. If you were granted three wishes, what would you wish for?

78. If you won a million dollars, what’s the first thing you’d do?

79. What are you passionate about outside of work?

80. If you had an extra hour per day, what would you do?

81. What’s your favorite genre of music?

82. Are you a dog person, a cat person, or both?

83. What’s on your bucket list?

Travel icebreaker questions

Whether your teammates love traveling or prefer finding local gems, talking about travel is a great way to take a break from work and get to know your team on a personal level. Travel icebreaker questions are also a great way to learn more about who your teammates want to be. You can learn a lot from people’s favorite trips and top travel destinations.

[inline illustration] Icebreaker question about traveling (example)

84. What’s your #1 travel destination?

85. What’s your favorite place?

86. Have you ever traveled outside of the country?

87. Mountains or ocean?

88. Snow or sand?

89. Where did you go the first time you traveled (or remember traveling)?

90. What is your favorite thing to do locally?

91. If you were to move to another country, where would you move?

Food icebreaker questions

Food icebreaker questions are a great way to dig into your team members’ pasts and preferences. If you’re a team lead —take note! You can always use these preferences to bring a special touch to future team lunches, happy hours, and celebrations.

92. What’s your favorite breakfast food?

93. What are your favorite pizza toppings?

94. What’s your favorite type of ice cream?

95. What’s your favorite happy hour drink?

96. If you could name a cocktail, what would you call it?

97. Spicy or sweet?

98. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?

99. Was there ever a food you didn’t want to eat, but you loved it once you tried it?

Hypothetical icebreaker questions

Hypothetical icebreaker questions are things that will probably never come to pass but can be fun to brainstorm anyway. To take team bonding to the next level, make a game out of explaining your answers in great detail. The team member who commits most passionately wins!

100. If you had to live in a video game, which one would it be?

101. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

102. If you could remove one word from the dictionary, what would it be?

103. If you could be any animal, which would you be?

104. If you could control one element (air, water, earth, fire), which would it be and why?

105. If you had to live in one Disney movie, which would you choose?

106. If you could send a message out to the entire world, what would it be?

107. If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?

108. If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

109. If you were a potato, how would you like to be cooked?

110. You have 20 minutes to plan for the zombie apocalypse—what do you do? What if you had 24 hours?

Additional team building activities

Icebreaker questions are great because they’re so short—you can throw in an icebreaker before your weekly team meeting to start creating strong team bonds. But to take your team building to the next level, try more involved team building games , like:

Team trivia

To host a team trivia event, ask each team member to submit trivia questions about themselves. Consider giving them a list of prompts, like:

What’s your least favorite food?

What did you want to be when you were younger?

Do you have any secret talents?

What’s your pet peeve?

The easiest way to turn these questions into a trivia game is to come up with “fake” answers and ask your team to guess which is correct. For example, you could ask: What candy does Brian hate: Skittles, Mars Bars, or Laffy Taffy?

Keep track of everyone’s answers during the trivia event. Then, the team member who guesses the most right answers wins a small prize—maybe they get to host the next team trivia!

Virtual games

If you’re working from home, you still have plenty of team building opportunities. There are a variety of online games you can play. Usually, these games will have a “room” that everyone joins. Then, get everyone on a Zoom call while you play for some trash talking and encouragement—you know, team building essentials. Try online games like:

Scattergories

Coffee chats

Not all team building activities need to revolve around carefully planned activities. Sometimes, the best way to bond with a team member or group of team members is to grab coffee from a nearby cafe. Take the time to get to know each other outside of a work context, while also enjoying a nice cup of coffee (or tea).

Working virtually? Schedule a virtual coffee chat with a coworker. This is a great excuse to get yourself some specialty coffee or brew your favorite at home.

Break the ice and boost team collaboration

Nearly 50% of knowledge workers believe engaging and enjoyable work is the #1 factor in achieving their best work. Team building is a great way to do just that. Build lasting relationships and boost team collaboration with icebreaker questions and team building activities. Or if your team is feeling bold, try inventing your own!

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Frantically Speaking

Ultimate 35+ Best Self-Introduction lines (With Examples)

Hrideep barot.

  • Presentation , Public Speaking

self-introduction lines by a man

Hey! I am Hrideep Barot, founder of Frantically Speaking. In this blog I’ll try to give you a comprehensive idea of 35+ best self-introduction lines, so…um..yea, stay tuned?

Now If you are wondering who introduces themselves in such a bizarre way?

We are here to tell you, almost everyone!

Try to remember the first time you were asked to introduce yourself in front of your class, do you think you did a good job?

If yes, kudos to you!

But mostly, we all fumbled, had no idea what to say, and ended our self-introduction with either “Yep that’s it?” or “I guess that is me!”

But as we grow up, we realize how important it is to be able to introduce ourselves in the most dynamic way possible. Because a lot many times these self-introduction lines help you make your first impression and can even make or break your life in terms of job opportunities or relationships.

Self-introductions are your way of introducing yourself to people . It is a gist of what you do? Where do you come from? And everything else that might be important for the listener to continue the conversation with you.

On average, self-introductions are about a minute long. But they can range from about 30 seconds as in the case of an elevator pitch to 2 minutes for interviews.

Before diving into self-introduction lines, let’s first understand a few things which will help you frame the perfect self-introduction lines of yourself!

Why is self-introduction important?

Self-introductions are very important because:

1. Helps you interact with others

Self-introductions are an effective way to begin a conversation with someone you may or may not know.

2. To make a good first impression

As discussed, self-introductions help in communicating and interacting with new people. This would also mean that self-introductions help in forming a good first impression on people if done properly.

3. Let others understand your background

Self-introductions are not just about stating your name and profession but also about your other basic details. These would include the place you come from, your educational background, or your interests. All of these provide an opportunity for the other person to understand you better .

4. Helps to break the ice

Often, on the first day of school or college, we are asked to introduce ourselves. Why do they do it? Because self-introductions act as ice breakers and would help you interact with your classmates effectively later on.

Things to avoid in your self-introduction lines

There are a few things that you must avoid when you are giving a self-introduction. To understand this better let’s take a look at the first few lines of this very blog and point out the mistakes!

1. Lack of information

The first thing that you’ll observe in the above example is how little information you have about the speaker.

There is nothing you know beyond the fact that I am the founder of frantically speaking. And, if you are visiting our website for the first time, you might not even have a clear idea of what frantically speaking offers!

Thus, providing very little information is something that you must avoid at all costs. It steals the opportunity for the readers or listeners to understand where you come from or relate to you.

A revised version of the above example would be something like,

Hey! I am Hrideep Barot, founder of Frantically Speaking, an organization that works to help you be a more confident communicator and public speaker. Self-introductions happen to be one the most crucial things in any form of communication and so here we are with a perfect guide comprising of more than 35 self-introduction lines that you can use the next time you have to introduce yourself! 

2. Filler words

Be it a casual conversation or a professional interview, using filler words shows that you are either unprepared or too nervous, both of which come in the way of effectively communicating.

So, try to avoid using filler words as much as possible

3. Less confidence

Self-introductions are like short quick speeches about the easiest and most convenient topic ever, Your own self!

Be honest with what you are saying and be confident. So, when in the example above, I use “ I’ll try to give a comprehensive idea on 35+ self-introduction lines,” the word try is what shows my doubt or poor confidence in my ability to provide you with the necessary information as it indicates an attempt.

4. Overconfidence

If you think you can overcome the limitation of being underconfident by being a little extra confident, reconsider!

Overconfidence would make you boast about yourself or ramble on and on about yourself , and no one is interested in either.

So, try to be confident in yourself but also consider what others would be expecting from your self-introduction.

To avoid making these mistakes while introducing yourself, you can try to structure your self-introduction prior hand. Or keep these structures in your mind so that you can use them to frame a self-introduction on the spot.

Point, Reason, Example, Point is what PREP stands for. But what does that mean?

Simple, you begin by making a point, then you give a reason for stating that particular point. Now because we are practical beings, we always look for credibility which you give to your listeners by introducing an example that strengthens your reason. Once you have given an example, you might want to restate the point either directly or by paraphrasing to end it on an impactful note.

WWW stands for, Who you are? Why do you do what you do? and Where are you going from here?

An example of WWW for self-introduction is given below

Hey I am Reshma, the founder of fitee, your one stop destination for fitness styling. We belive that it is very important for you to feel confident and comfortable in your clothes when you are working out. I founded the brand after struggling to find good althetisure that would not only be comfortable but also help me look glamnourous. We look forward to reaching every nook and corner of the country and help all the fitnes enthusiats to put their best fit forward!

Check out the YouTube video to get an in-depth understanding of the concepts we just discussed.

Now let’s look at the 35+ self-introduction lines we talked about!

Self-introduction lines

Self-introduction lines for interviews.

Woman being interviewed

Interviews, be it for college or job, require you to follow a professional code of conduct and language . You cannot use slang words or show up to the interview in your t-shirt and shorts.

Understand that self-introduction only adds to the first impression that the interviewer forms of you. Even before you start speaking, a basic judgment has already been made by observing the way you are dressed and the way you greet everyone.

Groom yourself accordingly.

Now when it comes to self-introductions, you must understand that most interviewers start with “Tell me about yourself” . It helps them understand a few basic things like your communication skills and confidence .

The most popular way of structuring self-introductions for interviews is in the PPF format.

PPP stands for Past Present and Future.

1. Give a basic introduction of yourself

Giving a very basic introduction of yourself would look something like

Good morning, I am Aisha Beidi. I recently graduated from XYZ college and have since been working as a Research intern at Researctack. 

2. Talk about your past

When it comes to talking about your past, you are free to very briefly talk about your educational background or your family. You can also talk about some extra courses you had taken or internship experience. An example of this would be

In my first year of college, we were introduced to research writing which I found interesting. After realizing my interest in the field, I took up extra online courses and gained a precise understanding of both quantitative and qualitative research writing and analysis.

3. Talk about how your past shaped your present decision

Linking your past to your present decision would help in maintaining a flow in your self-introduction. An example of this using the above example would be:

The courses I had pursued in my undergraduation made me realize that I’d want to pursue the field further by gaining practical experience. Soon after graduating, I was able to my hands on a wonderful internship with Researctack. I have been working with the team for 3 months now and have specialized in the domain of customer analytics.

4. Talk about your future plans

No, you don’t have to talk about your retirement plans here!

When you talk about your plans make sure that it is in line with the ideologies of the company you are interviewing for.

But I would like to dive deeper in the field of market research analytics with your esteemed organisation. I realize that this opportunity brings with it not only possibility of professional growth but also personal growth which is something I looked forward to.

Self-Introduction lines for freshers

Freshers lined up for their mock interview

As freshers, you might feel that you don’t have enough to talk about when it comes to self-introduction, but that isn’t the case.

A list of things you can include in your self-introduction lines as a fresher is:

  • Hobbies like art, cooking, video editing, and more
  • Academic achievements like being a school topper or class topper
  • Extra-curricular activities like representing your college in competitions and conferences
  • Internship experiences
  • Leadership roles
  • Extra courses

Examples of self-introduction lines for freshers

Good morning, everyone, thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself. I am Jim, and I graduated in business analytics from XYZ College, Bombay. At present, I am interning as a customer analyst with Limelight. Besides Analytics, I have an immense interest in art. I find it easy to communicate effectively and learn anything quickly. Being in the very early phase of my career, I understand the importance of constant learning and I believe that working with your esteemed organization would provide me the opportunity to constantly learn and upskill myself.
Good morning, I am Arya and I recently graduated from XYZ college. Growing up I had always found immense interest in art and crafts. With the support from my parents and teachers in school, I was able to represent my school in various competitions and was also ranked first in a state-level art competition. My love for art motivated me to pursue liberal arts in my bachelor’s. In my first year of college, we were introduced to website designing and I was intrigued by it. I then pursued a few online courses in website designing. Further, I helped design websites for a local bakery store in my locality and the cultural committee of my college. I now look forward to contributing my skills and honing them with your esteemed organization.

Self-introduction lines for Experienced professionals

A professional introducing herself in an interview

If you are an experienced professional, you probably have a lot many things you might want to talk about. However, the task for you is to give a short, quick, and crisp self-introduction.

A list of things you can include in your self-introduction lines as an experienced professional is:

  • Years of work experience
  • Companies you worked with
  • Projects you worked on
  • Leadership positions and responsibilities
  • Statistics or data that prove you are effective in your job. This would also include awards and recognition received.
  • Additional professional courses taken

Examples of self-introduction lines for professionals

Sure, I am Jay D’sa, an MBA graduate of XYZ university batch of 2014. After successful college placements, I was able to work with a renowned Consulting company based out of Bangalore for 5 years. Post that, I landed my job at a start-up in Pune and have been working there for 3 years. I believe the experience and skill set that I was able to gain from working in both, an MNC as well as a start-up will come to its best use in your esteemed organization and am therefore looking forward to being a part of the team.
Good Morning, I am Nysa Jain, an engineering graduate from XYZ College, Mumbai. I began my career as a marketing intern with A company and later switched to the role of an analyst with B company. I have been working here since 2018. Over the years I have gained expertise in analyzing the competitive market nature of the company’s clients, identifying business opportunities, and recommending penetration strategies to elevate the ROI of our clients. My proven market analysis has allowed me to achieve long-term success for my company clients which I believe is in line with your company motto “Providing a guaranteed solution to our clients.”

15 Self-introduction quotes for interviews

Although it isn’t recommended to use quotes in your self-introduction for interviews, if you are still tempted to add a quote in your self-introduction lines, then check out the examples given below!

Quotes are the best ways to give 1 line self-introductions.

Self-introduction quotes you can use while switching careers or finding jobs after a break.

1- I don’t think switching careers is unusual. In fact, I’d like to quote my favorite actress Angelina Jolie here, “ Some people say you are going the wrong way when it’s simply a way of your own .”

2- As Harvey Fierstein said “ Accept no one’s definition of your life but define yourself ,” I was trying to define myself by taking up various courses and understanding the field I really enjoy rather than directly jumping into the job market.

3- “Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.” is what Oprah Winfrey said and is my exact answer to your question, “Why am I looking for a career change despite majoring in biology?”

On the other hand, if you are someone who always has a plan, you can use the quotes below to show that you are a very structured person and always plan ahead.

Self-introduction quotes you can use to show you are a structured person

4 – I agree with Derek Sivers that Only dead fish go with the flow and thus like to plan out my work at all times.

5- As Benjamin Franklin said, By Failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail , I always come prepared for my job.

6 – If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else said Yogi Berra and that is something I truly believe and it reflects on my work as well.

Self-introduction quotes to highlight soft skills

Perfectionism

7- I am a core believer in Thomas Edison’s words, “There is a way to do it better — find it.”

8- Abraham Lincoln once said, “Whatever you are, be a good one.” I try to do that every day.

9- Judy Garland had very rightly said, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.” And all I try to do is be a better version of myself every day.

Not procrastinating or time management

10- I don’t believe in procrastination. In fact, I believe in Thomas Jefferson’s words, “Never put off for tomorrow what you can do today.”

11- John F. Kennedy had rightly said, “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”

12- I believe in stitching in time to save nine.

13- “Great things in business are never done by one person; they’re done by a team of people.” said one of the most successful businessmen in the world, Steve Jobs and I don’t think anyone can disagree with that.

14- I believe in personal growth alone but also that of my team members. I’d like to quote Brian Tracy who very beautifully said “Don’t aspire to be the best on the team. Aspire to be the best for the team.”

15- I am very comfortable working in teams, in fact, I agree with Chuck Page when he says, “ A single leaf working alone provides no shade.”

Self-introduction lines for students

A student in uniform

Be it on the first day of your school or while presenting your assignment or even participating in a competition, giving a good self-introduction is very important.

Let us dive directly into examples that can help us understand how to frame the best self-introduction lines for you!

Best self-introduction lines for students

For your first day, try to keep your self-introduction very short and sweet. Do not ramble upon anything or take up too much time as it is likely that other students to have to introduce themselves.

5 self-introduction in 2 lines for students

1- Hello everyone! I am Emily; I am originally from Texas but recently moved here to LA with my family. I love to sing and hope to join the school choir soon. Glad to meet everyone!

2- Hi, My name is Alian, If I had to describe myself in two words, then it would be football and Anime. I am also the captain of the college football team and we are looking for new students to join the team, if you think you’ll be a good fit, let’s chat!

3- Hey, I am Naomi. I am a nerd for psychology and philosophy and look forward to majoring in the subjects. Might as well learn to read your mind by the end of the year!

4- Hello, I am Riya. I grew up in this very school, right from nursery to here in 10th grade. Art is something I find solace in but I mostly indulge In drawing portraits. I am also well versed with every nook and corner of this campus, so let me know if you are looking for the perfect spot to have your lunch!

5- Hey, I am Abram, I’m excited to be a part of this class. I am a foodie and have been told that I am a great listener too. In college, I look forward to making new friends and a ton of memories!

If you are looking for ways in which you can introduce yourself for your school presentation or competition, then jump to the section on self-introduction lines for presentations .

Self-introduction lines for nursery students

Nursery students with their teacher

Teaching your kids how to introduce themselves when they are young as 4 years old can be a task. They might not be able to recall or might not even want to talk in the first place!

What you can do is try to break their self-introductions into small chunks . Make use of words and relations they find easy to remember . Try to not exceed more than 10-15 lines , as it would make it very challenging for them to introduce themselves in the way you might have imagined.

Few things you can add to the self-introduction for nursery students

  • Parents’ names or occupation
  • Name of siblings and class they study in
  • School they study in
  • Their favorite thing. It can be their favorite food, hobby, cartoon character, or even their favorite game.

5 self-introduction lines for nursery students

1- I am Rizal Syed. I am 4 years old. I live with my mom, dad, and older sister. My dad is an engineer. My mom is a lawyer. I study at Monte Carlo Junior kids. I love buzz lightyear. Like buzz, I want to be an astronaut!

2- I am Jenkin. I am 5 years old and study at XYZ school. I live in Mumbai with my mom and dad. Rihaan from school is my best friend. We love playing football.

3- My name is Alisha. I am 5 years old.  I have 2 dads. They work in real estate. We also have a dog. Her name is mini. She is very tiny. I love playing hide and seek. And also love swimming. I want to be a swimmer when I grow up.

4- I am Kelso; I live with my mom and my grandma. My Mother is a teacher. I study at XYZ School. My class teacher is Ms. Rebbecca. I love going to the park and the beach. I want to be a teacher like my mom one day.

5- Hey! I am Milana, I am 6 years old. I live with my mom and dad. Recently I became a big sister. I study at little angels school. I love to sing and dance. Soon I’ll move to the first grade and make new friends. I’m very excited about that!

Self-introduction lines for presentations

Self-introductions for presentations are a little different than the ones we discussed so far.

Self-introductions for presentations require you to use formal language. Also, they are short and quick and don’t usually exceed 30 seconds, as a long self-introduction would mean less time for you to present your topic!

A few things that you must remember before introducing yourself for your presentations are:

Keep it short . Keep it simple and to the point. Make sure to pause after you are done introducing yourself and before you start with your topic.

Give warming to your audience if required .  Warming like “I’m sorry for the voice, I have been a little sick” Or “I’m   sorry but I am facing some network issues and might get logged out in the middle of the presentation in which case do not leave, I’ll join back as soon as possible.”

In case you are presenting in front of a large crowd, you may want to start with an attention grabber like a quote, story , rhetorical question , or even a prolonged pause before jumping into introducing yourself. However, this might not be necessary in the case of small group presentations.

Examples of 5 line self-introductions for presentations

Hello everyone, I am Sasha, a volunteer at climatin. At Climatin our main motto is to try and do our level best to fight human forces and activities that are leading to rapid climatic changes. Climate change is here and in no time it will drown us to death! Today, I am here to inspire you to contribute your tiniest efforts to work towards a better planet for your future generations.
Hello and good evening everyone. I am Neville and this is my team, Aisha, Tom, Harry, and Noman. We are in our senior year majoring in industrial psychology. Today we would like to talk about the 5 main Psychological factors that impact any organization’s overall performance.

Funny self-introduction lines

Giving a funny self-introduction is not for everyone, but if you are really interested in doing so, we’ve got your back!

6 funny self-introduction lines

Self-introduction lines inspired by famous dialogues

1- Hey I am Raj, Naam toh suna hoga (You must’ve heard the name?) (Bollywood movie)

2- Hey, I am Jack, how you Doin? (Friends)

3- If someone has introduced themselves to you and asks you to introduce yourself, you can say “Who am I? You sure you want to know?” (Peter Parker)

Funny pick-up lines

4- Hey, I am Raj. Here I brought you some water. I believe you might need it after constantly running through my dreams.

5- Hey, I am Alisha. I am sad to inform you that I’ll have to report you to the police for stealing my heart from across the room.

6- Hi, I am Zeeshan! I was wondering if you could help me find my inhaler cause you just took my breath away .

Check out one of the funniest self-introductions you will come across on youtube given by a Chinese student!

He begins by taking the most hilarious dig on himself. Check out what he says below

In today’s global economy i’m sure many of you know the product that is m.i.c. Made in China. But today I’d like to introduce you to a new product that is made in China…ME!

How to Introduce yourself to a group?

If introducing yourself to one person was not daunting enough, imagine introducing yourself to a group of people?

The idea behind introducing yourself to a group of people is to connect with them or even be a part of the group.

So the best way to introduce yourself to a group is to briefly talk about yourself and then try to initiate a conversation with them. You can do that in any of the following ways:

1. Talk about relatable topics

Try to understand if there is anything common between you and the group you want to introduce yourself to?

Do you and the group come from the same background? area of study? locality? university? have the same interests?

Once you figure that out, you can then try to add the topic in your self-introduction. This will prompt the others to not only respond to you but will also make them interested in getting to know you.

So for instance if you have to introduce yourself to a group of people outside a concert, you might want to say something like:

Hi, I am Ren. I’ve been following the band for a year now. It just felt like you all have known the band for some time now. How long have you known this band?

2. Talk about generic topics

Talking about generic topics is the most convenient way to give a self-intorduction and begin a conversation with the group.

Generic questions will involve asking questions related to their profession, area of study, Interests, family, and friends.

A few generic questions that you can add to your self-introduction are:

  • What brings you to (the event/place)?
  • Did you go to XYZ school as well?
  • How is the (new place/ job/ school) treating you?
  • What do you do for a living?

3. Add to the Conversation

Now let’s assume you find a group of people talking about something that you have ample knowledge about or interest in. This would make it very easy for you to introduce yourself to the group as you can add to their conversation by putting across a different point of view. You can also simply agree with their already existing views.

An example of adding to the conversation while introducing yourself to a group is given below:

Hello! I’m sorry for interrupting but I overheard your conversation and couldn’t help but add to it. My name is Zack, I am a school counselor at St Stephen High School. As you (points to someone) rightly said, it is indeed getting very difficult for students to cope up with the ever increasing competition and the need for academic validation. But unlike you, I’d suggest giving them enough space and an open, loving enviornment to be vulnerable in rather than being authoritative as it can prove to be more beneficial.

Popular Self-Introduction lines

Famous self-introduction lines or popular self-introduction lines are the ones we use casually or in our everyday conversation.

A few ways in which you can introduce yourself in everyday life are given below:

Introducing yourself in 2 lines to a new colleague or neighbor

Hey there! I am Dan, I live next door. I saw you moved in yesterday so thought I should come over and introduce myself to you. Let me know if there is anything I can help you out with.
Hey, aren’t you the new intern? I am Piyush from the Accounting department by the way. It’s really nice to meet you, hope the office is treating you right!

More informal ways of introducing can sound like “Hey Raj, Riya here, Alisha’s friend!” or “good morning! I don’t think we have met before, I am Ayan by the way!”

Creative ways to introduce yourself

Creative self-introductions are the ones that are online than any other. They are unique and help you stand out. A few out-of-the-box ideas to introduce yourself are given below.

1. Self-Tag

Self tags are a creative way to introduce yourself. It also encourages the other person to make a conversation with you.

A typical self-tag includes writing your name on a sticker and pasting it on your shirt so that everyone can see it.

There are people who make it more creative by wearing t-shirts with a couple of lines that describe them.

An example of a self-introduction line you can get printed on your t-shirt is “Hi! I am James and I love mountain bikes. Do you?”

2. Sing a song

On my first day of college, a classmate of mine ended up singing a song, describing himself and that has stuck with me to this day! Singing a song is a very unusual way of introducing yourself.

But it would obviously require you to have the skills of singing well. Else your self-introduction may turn out to be a disaster.

If you are not good at singing, you can try your hands at spoken word poetry, stand-up, an advertisement with a small jingle in the end , or absolutely anything else that comes easy to you!

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Final Words

Self-introductions form a very crucial part of any form of communication. It is the gist of your own self.

You don’t have to go into great depths to come up with a self-introduction that suits perfectly for you, just having a clear idea of the points you want to highlight. Also, make sure to keep it short and crisp. Don’t make it too lengthy by focusing too much on details or ramblings on and on about yourself.

Understand the situation in which you are introducing yourself. Self-introduction for an interview should be formal and more structured. While for a casual conversation, you can add slang words and maintain a free flow.

Lastly, just be yourself, because that is what self-introductions are all about!

Hrideep Barot

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Create images with your words – Bing Image Creator comes to the new Bing

Mar 21, 2023 | Yusuf Mehdi - Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer

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Image of user asking Bing to create picture of astronaut

Last month we introduced the new AI-powered Bing and Microsoft Edge, your copilot for the web – delivering better search, complete answers, a new chat experience and the ability to create content. Already, we have seen that chat is reinventing how people search with more than 100 million chats to date. We’ve seen people use chat in a variety of ways, from refining answers to complex questions to using it as a form of entertainment or for creative inspiration. Today we’re taking the chat experience to the next level by making the new Bing more visual.

We’re excited to announce we are bringing Bing Image Creator, new AI-powered visual Stories and updated Knowledge Cards to the new Bing and Edge preview. Powered by an advanced version of the DALL∙E model from our partners at OpenAI, Bing Image Creator allows you to create an image simply by using your own words to describe the picture you want to see. Now you can generate both written and visual content in one place, from within chat.

We know from research that the human brain processes visual information about 60,000 times faster than text , making visual tools a critical way people search, create and gain understanding. Based on Bing data, images are one of the most searched categories – second only to general web searches. Historically, search was limited to images that already existed on the web. Now, there are almost no limits to what you can search for and create.

For those in the Bing preview, Bing Image Creator will be fully integrated into the Bing chat experience, rolling out initially in Creative mode. By typing in a description of an image, providing additional context like location or activity, and choosing an art style, Image Creator will generate an image from your own imagination. It’s like your creative copilot. Just type something like “draw an image” or “create an image” as a prompt in chat to get creating a visual for a newsletter to friends or as inspiration for redecorating your living room.

Chat experience with Bing Image Creator

Bing Image Creator preview will also be available in Microsoft Edge, making it the first and only browser with an integrated AI-powered image generator. To use Bing Image Creator in Edge, simply click the Bing Image Creator icon in the sidebar to create your image or invoke from Bing chat in Edge.

image of asset creator in edge

At Microsoft, our teams are guided by our Responsible AI principles and the Responsible AI Standard to help them develop and deploy AI systems responsibly. To curb the potential misuse of Image creator, we are working together with our partner OpenAI, who developed DALL∙E, to deliver an experience that encourages responsible use of Image Creator. We have ensured OpenAI’s safeguards, plus additional protections, have been incorporated into Image Creator. For example, we have put controls in place that aim to limit the generation of harmful or unsafe images. When our system detects that a potentially harmful image could be generated by a prompt, it blocks the prompt and warns the user. We also make it clear that Image Creator’s images are generated by AI, and we include a modified Bing icon in the bottom left corner of each image to help indicate that the image was created using Image Creator. We continue to work closely with OpenAI to build, test and review mitigations for our integrations.

Since making the new Bing available in preview, we have been testing it with people to get real-world feedback to learn and improve the experience. People used it in some ways we expected and others we didn’t. In this spirit of learning and continuing to build new capabilities responsibly, we’re rolling out Bing Image Creator in a phased approach by flighting with a set of preview users before expanding more broadly. We will initially only include Image Creator in the Creative mode of Bing chat and our intention is to make it available in Balanced and Precise mode over time. We are also working on some ongoing optimizations for how Image Creator works in multi-turn chats. We continue to believe the best way to bring these technologies to market is to test them carefully, in the open, where everyone can provide feedback.

New AI-Powered Visual Stories and Knowledge Cards

To support the growing demand for more visual search experiences, we are also making Stories and Knowledge Cards 2.0 available to all Bing users. Stories provide a more engaging way to search and interact with content, offering images and short videos. Also new to Bing users today, Knowledge Cards 2.0 is an AI-powered infographic-inspired experience that provides fun facts and key information at a glance. It’s been updated to include interactive, dynamic content like charts, graphs, timelines, visual stories and more. With these updates and more coming, our goal is to deliver more immersive experiences in Bing and Edge that make finding answers and exploring the web more interesting, useful and fun.

knowledge card showing information about corgis

Availability

Bing Image Creator integrated into Bing chat will begin to roll out to Bing preview users on both desktop and mobile starting today. For those not in the new Bing preview, the preview experience of Image Creator is now available at bing.com/create for Bing users around the world in English. We will add more language support over time.

Bing Image Creator is also available in Microsoft Edge from the Image Creator icon in sidebar for both desktop and mobile starting today for Edge users around the world in English. We will also soon integrate Image Creator into Edge from the new Bing button in chat mode in the preview version of Edge.

If you’re not yet in the new Bing preview, you can sign up for the waitlist today. We’re adding more people every day. Thanks for your continued feedback and we look forward to sharing more updates soon.

Tags: AI , Bing , Bing Image Creator , Microsoft Edge , search

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IMAGES

  1. Self-Introduction for Kids: Worksheets & Activities (Printable PDF)

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  3. How to Introduce Yourself Confidently! Self-Introduction Tips & Samples

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  4. How to Introduce Yourself in English

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  5. How to Introduce Yourself Confidently! Self-Introduction Tips & Samples

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  6. Teaching your students creative expository introductions is a lot easier when you use q

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VIDEO

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  2. Speaking module#idioms #understanding #explore #grammar #lexicalresourceparameter #englishtutor

  3. Creative Introduction 2

  4. How to introduce yourself in the Ibibio language. #ibibio #learnibibio #languagelearning #akwaibom

  5. Psychology: Essential Introduction Questions by Sanju Sangwaan Ma'am #bstc #reet2024

  6. INTRODUCE YOURSELF! (How to INTRODUCE YOURSELF in an INTERVIEW JOB INTERVIEW TIPS!)

COMMENTS

  1. 221 best icebreaker questions for creating genuine connections

    Icebreaker questions are conversation starters designed to break down social barriers, encourage interaction and help individuals get to know one another. When chosen well, icebreaker questions can help supercharge a team building process and open up conversations that can create bonds and connections. They are particularly useful when people ...

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    Icebreaker questions. What's the best thing you've got going on in your life at the moment? What incredibly common thing have you never done? What has taken you the longest to get good or decent at? What food do you love that a lot of people might find a little odd? If you could start a charity, what would it be for?

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    This is a creative question to see how your employees would describe their lives and to inspire discussions over the answers. Company-themed icebreakers. Company-themed questions are helpful and relevant icebreakers before any company event, like an all-hands meeting. They keep the attendees on track and focused on the company discussion.

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    Superlative Icebreaker Questions (The Best, Worst, First, Last, etc.) Nothing tells more about a person than the superlatives in their life. What they consider the most important, best, least, oldest, worst, and newest tells a great deal about them. Use our superlative icebreaker questions to find out just how much!

  5. Icebreaker Questions for Work: The #1 List

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  9. How to introduce yourself so you'll be unforgettable (in a good way!)

    Use phrases, such as "I'm really passionate about X" or "What excites me most about what I do is Y," which can communicate your emotion and enthusiasm and prime others to respond in kind. 6. Gather some feedback on your introduction. After you've crafted your opener, practice it on five people you know well.

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    Here's a list of some better icebreaker questions to consider. I've broken them into mild, medium and hot so you can go deeper as your palate allows. Play with what works for you in various ...

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  12. 31 Great Icebreaker Questions for Introductions

    Encourage creative and thoughtful responses. I tend to favor two-part icebreaker questions for introductions. They encourage group members to go a bit deeper and reveal a bit more about themselves. Take note, these are purposefully not spiritual questions so as not to cause discomfort. How to use these 31 icebreaker questions for introductions:

  13. The Only List of Icebreaker Questions You'll Ever Need

    Corporate September 17, 2021. Awkward silences, tense meetings, busy work days. These are all situations that can benefit from fun icebreaker questions!. Designed as simple team building activities to help ease employees or groups into a little team bonding, icebreaker questions don't need to be as scary - or boring! - as they seem.

  14. 330+ Icebreaker Questions to Try with your Team

    Try our Free Icebreaker Generator. Icebreaker questions can engage your team and get everyone in the right mood for your meeting. That's why we've curated a list of 330+ icebreaker questions. These prompts help build camaraderie and invite different and surprising viewpoints. It's time to make your meetings more fun and inclusive.

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    As the semester begins at college campuses around the country, new activities, classes and clubs start up as well — and that means meeting a lot of new people. Here are 100 icebreaker questions designed to help students make new friends or learn more about their classmates. For the Classroom . What made you choose (insert university)?

  16. 500 Good Questions to Ask

    Here is my ridiculously long list of good questions to ask. Use them to get a conversation going or as a fun way to pass the time with friends or loved ones. With 500 questions to choose from, I'm confident that everyone can find plenty of good questions to ask! Try to be creative as you can and have fun with the questions.

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  18. 20 Creative Ways to Introduce Yourself

    9. Just start talking. It's likely the person you're introducing yourself to feels a little nervous and awkward as well. Dare to dive right into conversation and see where it goes. They might feel relieved you talked first and relax immediately. 10. Keep it relevant. Pay attention to your surroundings.

  19. 15 Creative Self-introductions to Make a Positive Impression

    Here are 15 creative self-introductions that you can use to start a conversation with another person and exchange information: 1. Use a name tag. If you attend an event, such as a conference or a networking event, where most people don't know each other, attendees may wear name tags. While you can simply write your first name, consider making a ...

  20. 55 Top "Get to Know You" Questions for the Workplace

    Discovering your team's weaknesses and strengths. Increasing your employees' overall happiness at work. Helping new employees feel more comfortable and part of the team. Building positive relationships with your coworkers or employees. Allowing your staff to get to know you better. Acting as an icebreaker for employees and managers.

  21. 110+ icebreaker questions for team building

    January 16th, 2024 8 min read. Summary. Icebreaker questions help you learn who your teammates are as people—beyond just their work habits. This team building activity focuses on answering fun questions, and is a simple way to build trust and morale. Get started with these 110+ prompts, which range from favorite knock-knock jokes to ...

  22. 100 Funny Icebreaker Questions

    100 Funny Icebreaker Questions. Social situations don't have to be awkward. Avoid the long periods of silence by asking fun questions to get people talking. Icebreaker questions are the perfect way to start meetings, initiate conversations and to get people talking in any setting. Once you've got the conversational ball rolling, this will put ...

  23. Ultimate 35+ Best Self-Introduction lines (With Examples)

    Examples of self-introduction lines for freshers. 1 -. Good morning, everyone, thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself. I am Jim, and I graduated in business analytics from XYZ College, Bombay. At present, I am interning as a customer analyst with Limelight.

  24. Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab

    The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue.

  25. Create images with your words

    For those in the Bing preview, Bing Image Creator will be fully integrated into the Bing chat experience, rolling out initially in Creative mode. By typing in a description of an image, providing additional context like location or activity, and choosing an art style, Image Creator will generate an image from your own imagination.

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