100 Ice-Breaker Questions for Any Group Gathering

Each week in our newsletter we include one question you can use as an ice-breaker for conversations with colleagues at the beginning of meetings, or to post on your internal workplace messaging platform. Some serious, some silly, but all with the intention of leading to further conversations and building community. With so many of us gathering with others for Thanksgiving meals this week, we thought it would be a perfect time to compile many of these questions together. Below are the questions we originally posted way back in 2020 and 2021. While some are work-related, the majority of them would work perfectly in any gathering of people. If you’re gathering with others this week, feel free to print these out, cut them up on strips of paper, and have people pick one out of a hat to answer:

• What’s something you enjoyed doing when you were a child? Have you done it recently?
• Have you ever moved into a very different culture than your own? What was that experience like?
• What’s an all-time favorite movie of yours? Can you recite a memorable line?
• Talk about a time you have been lucky over the last year.
• What’s something you do to relax?
• What’s a recent (non-work) accomplishment you’re proud of?
• Talk about a place you’ve been that you think others might not know about. Would you recommend going there?
• What was your first job? What did you learn from it?
• What’s something creative that you like to do?
• Name a long-running TV show you’ve seen every episode of. What kept you hooked?
• What’s the most unusual thing you’ve found yourself doing over the last week?
• What’s your favorite Spring activity?
• What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
• What’s an all-time favorite book of yours? What would you recommend about it?
• Do you pay attention to reviews of products online before purchasing something?
• If someone was making a movie of your life, what genre would it be?
• What’s your favorite Winter activity?
• What was something you enjoyed about your teenage years?
• How many countries have you lived in? Which one(s) did you enjoy the most? What are your fondest memories of each of them?
• Do you pay attention to movie reviews before deciding whether to see something?
• What’s your favorite Summer activity?
• If you were going to write a novel or kids book, what genre would it be?
• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
• Are you more of an early-morning person or a night person?
• What other states/provinces/counties have you lived in? Which one(s) did you enjoy the most?
• What’s one thing you think you have in common with everyone else on your team?
• What’s one unique thing about each member of your team?
• Would you want to go into space if given the chance? Why or why not?
• What’s a podcast you listen to that you think no one else in your group has heard?
• What’s a song lyric that’s been stuck in your head recently?
• What’s a book or movie you’ve been thinking about a lot recently?
• What’s one way you have been influenced by a public figure?
• Share a time you have felt “othered” – either at work or elsewhere.
• What’s a piece of art (book, movie, song, artwork) that has challenged you in some way recently?
• What’s something you did in an online community during Covid that you enjoyed?
• What’s something you do to relax or de-stress?
• What’s your favorite place to spend time in nature?
• What entertainers (actor, musician, or other) have inspired you in some way?
• What’s a product that you’ve never seen but that you think should exist in the world?
• What’s the busiest season of your work year?
• What’s a kindness you have received – or been a part of – recently?
• What’s a question you enjoy being asked?
• What’s the strangest combination of foods you’ve ever eaten?
• When is the last time you left the house without your phone?
• What’s an elected position you have run for at any point in your life, whether it’s the adult political world, a volunteer position, or in school? If you haven’t run for any, what’s a position you would like to run for?
• Share a story of when you felt labeled – as a hero, a jerk, or anything else – because of something you did.
• What’s something you like to do when you have ten minutes to spare before an appointment?
• What’s something you like to do to celebrate a team accomplishment?
• What contributions have others on your team made this year for which you are thankful?
• What aspect of your identity do you think about most often?
• If you could work from anywhere, where would you like to be working from right now?
• What’s something you’ve done recently for which you would like to be acknowledged?
• How tidy or messy was your bedroom as a child? Is it the same now that you’re an adult?
• What’s a challenging conversation you’ve had that you feel good about?
• On a scale of 1-10, how present are you at the moment? What else is on your mind?
• Share a time that someone gave you an idea for a project you were working on, and that idea they shared made all the difference.
• What’s something you know a lot about that others might not realize about you?
• What’s something you’ve learned about yourself over the last year?
• What’s a tough decision you’ve faced that you feel like you handled really well?
• What’s something you’ve learned in the last 24 hours? It could be a fact or a reflection, big or small.
• How soon after you wake up do you check your email? What is your morning routine like before that?
• What’s one thing from pre-pandemic life that you wish we could return to?
• What’s something physical that you do to de-stress?
• What’s something that you can easily distinguish between varieties of, that other people might not? (Examples might be trees, cars, dogs, etc.)
• What time do you usually wake up? Do you go to bed at the same time each night?
• Where have you seen new life recently? Where are you not seeing new life that you would like to?
• What’s a label you’ve given yourself that you’ve realized over time isn’t a true representation of who you are?
• What’s a habit or routine you’ve developed that makes your life easier?
• What groups are you a part of that support you, your passions, and your interests?
• Where do you feel most at peace? Is there a particular place that you can go to feel most at home or relaxed?
• What is a belief or opinion you’ve had that has changed over time?
• What are your favorite fruits or vegetables to eat fresh-picked?
• When is the last time you remember saying “oops” or “ouch” out loud?
• What’s the highest (or lowest) altitude you’ve ever been?
• Tell us about a community celebration you were part of as a child.
• If you could spend time with any kind of animal, what animal would you choose?
• What’s something you have read, seen, or listened to recently that you would recommend to others?
• What have been your experiences of seeing fireworks displays? Were fireworks a part of your culture growing up?
• Describe an experience where you’ve really enjoyed the work you’ve been doing.
• What’s a way someone has described you that has led to you seeing yourself differently?
• If you could compete in an Olympic sport, which one would you choose and why?
• What was a skill or sport that you were strong in at school? How much do you still practice that now?
• Have you tried revisiting a childhood hobby again as an adult? What was that experience like for you? Or if you haven’t, what do you think it would be like to try it again this week?
• What’s the last meal you cooked that you enjoyed? Do you have a favorite meal to cook?
• What’s the strangest or most unique thing you keep in your work space? How did it get there?
• Roughly how many times a day do you look in a mirror?
• What’s a fun memory you have of your high school years?
• What’s a favorite song of yours? Do you like hearing other versions of that song – remixes, live versions, cover versions – or just the original?
• If you were to write a non-fiction book, what would you write it about?
• If you could speak to your childhood self, what would you say to them?
• What’s a word you particularly like? It could be something you wish people used more, or just one that brings you joy when you hear it.
• What’s a tool or strategy you use when you’re feeling overwhelmed? What have you found helpful in the past?
• What’s a skill someone helped you learn recently?
• What’s the last thing that inspired you in some way?
• What’s something creative you’re working on at the moment?
• What’s been a high point of your day so far?
• Who was the first person you said ‘Thank you’ to today? What for?
• What’s a recent time when you felt truly capable at something, and excited for the result?
• When you were growing up, did your family have any unique holiday traditions? Have you continued them as an adult?
• What’s a question you’ve found yourself asking a lot this year?

If you use these this week, we’d love to hear from you to hear how it goes.

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