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Icebreaker Questions for Work: 70 Easy Examples
Icebreaker questions for work are short, low-stakes questions that help colleagues relax before a meeting or event. Pick a category, tap the button and ask the question you get, or browse all 70 below: team meetings, remote teams, new hires, fun and a few deeper (but still work-safe) ones.
A good icebreaker takes under two minutes, has no wrong answer and does not ask anyone to share something they would rather keep private. The questions here follow those three rules, and they are grouped by situation so you can match them to the room.
READY?
Choose a category, then tap the button.
All 70 icebreaker questions for work
Team meetings14 questions
- What is one small win from this week that you are proud of?
- What is the best piece of advice you have received at work?
- If you could automate one task in your job, which would it be?
- What is one tool or shortcut you could not work without?
- What is the most useful meeting you have ever been in, and why?
- Which skill would you like to learn this year?
- What is something on your desk or screen that you use every day?
- What does a perfect workday look like for you?
- What is one thing the team does well that we should keep doing?
- What was your first job, and what did it teach you?
- What is one thing you wish more people knew about your role?
- If you could swap jobs with anyone on the team for a day, whose would you pick?
- What is a work habit you picked up recently that helps?
- What is the best way to start the week, in your view?
Remote teams14 questions
- Where is your favourite place in your home to work from?
- What is the most surprising thing in your video call background?
- What does your morning routine look like before you log on?
- What is the best thing about working remotely for you?
- What is one thing you do to switch off after your workday ends?
- What is your go-to snack or drink during the workday?
- What is the view from your window right now?
- What is your favourite way to take a break between calls?
- What is one tip you would give someone new to working from home?
- If we all met in one city for a day, where would you pick?
- What does your pet, plant or favourite object on your desk say about you?
- What is the first thing you do when you start your workday?
- What is a small thing that makes your remote day better?
- What would you like to do together as a team, in person or online?
New hires14 questions
- What made you want to join the team?
- What is one thing you are looking forward to learning here?
- What is the most interesting part of your career so far?
- What is your preferred way of communicating: chat, call or email?
- What is one thing you would like us to know about how you work best?
- Which part of your last role will you miss, and which will you not?
- What are you most curious about at this company?
- What is a fun fact about you that is not on your CV?
- What did you do to celebrate getting the job?
- What would you like your first month to look like?
- Who has influenced the way you work, and how?
- What is one question you would like to ask the team?
- What helps you feel welcome in a new team?
- What are you hoping to be known for here in a year?
Fun and quick14 questions
- If you could have any superpower for the workday, what would it be?
- What is your go-to karaoke song?
- Which fictional workplace would you most like to work in?
- What is the best meal you have ever had?
- What three items would you take to a desert island?
- If you could live in any city for a year, which would you choose?
- What is the best movie you have seen this year?
- Would you rather have a four-day workweek or an extra week of holiday?
- What is a skill you have that has nothing to do with work?
- Cats, dogs or something else: which is your pick?
- What is the best gift you have ever received?
- What would be the title of your autobiography?
- If you had to eat one food for a week, what would it be?
- What is your favourite thing to do on a rainy day?
Deeper, still work-safe14 questions
- What is something you have learned from a mistake at work?
- What are you most proud of in your career so far?
- Who has made the biggest difference in your working life, and how?
- What makes you feel recognised at work?
- What does a good team mean to you?
- What is one thing you would like to try if you had no fear of failing?
- What motivates you on a tough day at work?
- What is one thing about our team culture that you value?
- What is the best compliment you have received about your work?
- What is one thing you would change about how we work together?
- What do you value most in a manager or colleague?
- When do you feel most energised at work?
- What is a value you try to bring to your work every day?
- What does success look like to you in the next year?
How to run an icebreaker at work
Ask the question yourself first. When the person leading answers honestly in one sentence, everyone else copies the length and the tone.
Give people a few seconds to think, and let them pass. A question that can be skipped without comment gets more honest answers than one that cannot.
In a large meeting, use a round-robin of one sentence each, or let people answer in the chat. For remote teams, name the order out loud so nobody talks over each other.
Which category to choose
Team meetings: short and work-related, good for the first two minutes of a recurring meeting.
Remote teams: about home, routines and the call itself, which gives distributed colleagues something to share.
New hires: easy, friendly, and focused on getting to know a person instead of testing them.
Fun: silly and quick, suited to an event or a social moment.
Deeper: a step further for teams that already trust each other, still safe for work.
More icebreakers and team games
If you want to turn the questions into an activity, try the office party game picker or read our guide to icebreaker games for adults. For a fun team moment with a bit of singing, Grab The Phone Karaoke is a free party game for 2 to 8 players.
Frequently asked questions
What are good icebreaker questions for work?
Good work icebreakers are short, safe and easy to answer in one sentence: "What is one small win from this week?", "What is your go-to snack during the workday?" or "If you could automate one task in your job, which would it be?". The list above has more, sorted by situation.
What are good icebreaker questions for team meetings?
Use quick, work-related questions such as the best piece of advice someone has received, a tool they cannot work without, or one skill they would like to learn this year. Open the Team meetings category above for more.
What are good icebreaker questions for remote teams?
Ask about the home workspace, the morning routine, or what people do to switch off after work. They give distributed colleagues something to share without requiring any personal information.
What icebreaker questions should I avoid at work?
Avoid anything about politics, religion, health, money, family plans or relationships, and anything that makes a person feel they must disclose something private. A good rule is that the question should be easy to answer with something the person would happily say in front of their manager.
How many icebreaker questions should I ask in a meeting?
One is usually enough. For a longer team event, run two or three rounds of different categories, and keep each round to a sentence per person so the activity stays under ten minutes.
Can I use these for new hires?
Yes. The New hires category is made for it: friendly questions about what drew someone to the team, how they like to work and what they are curious about, with nothing that feels like a test.
