Simona Cherneva
We've all been stuck in the loop of never-ending small talks during meetings & events at some point in our career.
To escape any awkward silence and go beyond superficial conversations, you need to break the ice, ask the right questions, and get the conversation going.
Here are 45 ideas for ice breaker questions for meetings & small groups.
Tip: Before you try these out in your meeting or group setting, ask them to yourself!
Ice Breaker Questions Around Personal Interests
Personal interests make great talking points. Use those questions at the beginning of your meeting to get people engaged. Sharing something personally will help meeting attendees feel more comfortable in the group.
Some example questions are:
- What's the best movie you've seen this year & why?
- What's the book you've gifted most often & why?
- Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight or night person & why?
- What was the last place you went for the first time?
- What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics & why?
- What's your favourite family tradition?
Rapid Fire Ice-Breaker Questions
Rapid-fire questions can create a powerful dynamic in your small group.
As the name suggests, the main idea is to have the moderator fire these questions one after the other and give the respondent only a few seconds to respond.
- Texting or calling?
- Coffee or tea?
- Last song you listened to?
- Cat or dog?
- Speak every language in the world or play every instrument in the world?
- Did you ever post a motivational quote on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter?
- Say a word in Spanish
- Cake or pie?
- What's the strangest family tradition you have?
- Modern sports car or old-timer?
- Starwars, Startrek or none of them?
- Giving presents or getting presents?
- Climb a mountain or jump out of a plane?
Deep Ice Breaker Questions
These work great if you already have a group of people that already know & trust each other. Deep ice breaker questions make great talking points not only during the meeting but especially after.
- What purchase of €100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months?
(People love specifics like brand and model, it's an immediate win for them) - What's an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?
- What's one mantra or motto that you follow in your life?
- In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life?
- What's the favourite part of what you do?
- Who would you love to have dinner with and what question would you ask that person?
- How did you meet your best friend?
- Pick something out of your pocket or purse and share with the group why it's important to you.
- What advice would you give a smart, driven University student about to enter the 'real world'? What advice should they ignore?
If you could... / If you were Ice breaker Questions
Mix it up a little by asking hypothetical questions.
These question types can spark up great conversations.
Here are a few examples:
- If you were one Disney character, what character would that be?
- If you could have an unlimited supply of something in your life (except money) what would it be and why?
- If you were a boxer, what would be your entrance song?
- If you had to delete all your apps from your smartphone, which apps would you keep?
- If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- If you had one super-power, what would that be?
Quirky Ice Breaker Questions for Meetings
Okay. These ones are slightly weird...
- What have you had for breakfast this morning?
- What's your favourite smell?
- Would you rather live on a tree or underground?
- Do you separate your laundry into colors or just throw it all in together?
- What type of coffee would you describe yourself as?
Work-Related & Professional Ice Breaker Questions
Sometimes, you need to be a little more professional...
- What do you think will be the next big thing in our industry?
- Will AI (Artificial Technology) take over? If yes, why? If not, why not?
- What's your favourite innovation in our field?
- What do you love the most about our industry?
- Your dream job in 5 years from now, what would it be?
- What do you appreciate most about your company?
Conclusion
When it comes to networking, socially or business-related, first impressions matter.
Kicking off meetings with fun ice breaker questions are a great way to get the engagement going.
Let's face it, the meetings that you remember forever are those with great conversations.
Book a meeting now , implement these fun icebreaker questions & kickstart your conversation.
