Free icebreaker tool
Icebreaker Questions for Work, Class and Teams
Filter 90 questions curated by setting and depth, pull a random one, copy it, or open it as a live question your group answers from their phones. No signup.
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90 questions match
Press Random question to draw one from the current filters.
What is within arm's reach of your keyboard right now that does not belong to work?
Remote teamLight#desk#show-and-tell
Which browser tab have you had open the longest this week, and why is it still there?
Remote teamLight#funny#work
What is the best sound you can hear from where you are sitting?
Remote teamLight#senses#one-word
If your video call background could be any place in the world today, where would it be?
Remote teamLight#places#one-word
What is your go-to snack for a long afternoon of meetings?
Remote teamLight#food#one-word
Pick one word for the weather outside your window right now.
Remote teamLight#weather#one-word
What is one small habit that makes your remote workday better?
Remote teamMedium#habits#work
What part of working from home do you wish you could bottle up and share with the team?
Remote teamMedium#work#perks
When do you do your best thinking: morning, afternoon, or late in the day, and what helps?
Remote teamMedium#work#habits
What is one thing you do to switch off at the end of the day?
Remote teamMedium#balance#habits
Which tool or app has quietly made your week easier lately?
Remote teamMedium#tools#work
Describe your ideal team video call in three words.
Remote teamMedium#meetings#one-word
What is something you miss about working in the same room as others, and something you do not?
Remote teamDeeper#reflection#work
When did you last feel really connected to this team, and what was happening?
Remote teamDeeper#connection#story
What is a boundary you set for yourself in remote work that you are glad you did?
Remote teamDeeper#balance#values
What do you wish teammates understood about how you work best when you are remote?
Remote teamDeeper#working-style#values
What is one thing the team could do differently so that quieter voices are easier to hear in calls?
Remote teamDeeper#inclusion#feedback
What has working remotely taught you about yourself?
Remote teamDeeper#reflection
What is the best thing you have eaten in the last week?
In-person teamLight#food#one-word
If our office had a theme song, what would be playing right now?
In-person teamLight#music#fun
What is your most useless talent?
In-person teamLight#funny#skills
Which would you rather give up for a month: coffee or your phone?
In-person teamLight#would-you-rather#funny
What is one word for how your commute went today?
In-person teamLight#commute#one-word
What object on your desk has the best story behind it?
In-person teamLight#desk#story
What was the first job you ever had, and what did it teach you?
In-person teamMedium#career#story
What is a skill you picked up outside work that turned out to be useful at work?
In-person teamMedium#skills#work
Which meeting habit would you keep forever, and which would you retire?
In-person teamMedium#meetings#work
What is something you are proud of that does not appear on your resume?
In-person teamMedium#pride#story
What is one thing in this building you wish more people knew about?
In-person teamMedium#place#work
Who taught you something at work that you still use, and what was it?
In-person teamMedium#mentors#story
What is a risk you took at work that you are glad you took?
In-person teamDeeper#risk#story
When have you felt most supported by a colleague, and what did they do?
In-person teamDeeper#support#story
What is something you are working on getting better at, and how could this group help?
In-person teamDeeper#growth#feedback
What do you want people to say about working with you a year from now?
In-person teamDeeper#values#reflection
What is a mistake that taught you more than any success has?
In-person teamDeeper#failure#reflection
What kind of recognition actually lands for you, and what feels empty?
In-person teamDeeper#recognition#values
If you could have any animal as a class pet for a day, which would you pick?
ClassroomLight#animals#one-word
What is the best thing about your favorite lunch?
ClassroomLight#food#fun
Would you rather be able to fly or breathe underwater, and why?
ClassroomLight#would-you-rather#fun
What is one thing you did this weekend that made you smile?
ClassroomLight#weekend#story
Pick one word for how you feel at the start of today.
ClassroomLight#feelings#one-word
If our classroom had a secret door, where would it lead?
ClassroomLight#imagination#creative
What is something you are good at that people might not guess?
ClassroomMedium#skills#strengths
What is one thing that helps you focus when work gets hard?
ClassroomMedium#learning#habits
What is a question you have been curious about lately?
ClassroomMedium#curiosity#learning
Describe a time a teacher or a friend explained something so well that it finally clicked.
ClassroomMedium#learning#story
What would make this class a place where you feel comfortable asking questions?
ClassroomMedium#community#norms
What is one word for how you like to learn best?
ClassroomMedium#learning#one-word
What is something you used to find hard that now feels easier?
ClassroomDeeper#growth#reflection
What does a good group partner do, and what is one thing you try to do yourself?
ClassroomDeeper#teamwork#values
What is one goal you have for this term that is just for you?
ClassroomDeeper#goals#reflection
When did you last change your mind about something, and what changed it?
ClassroomDeeper#reflection#thinking
What is something you wish the adults around you understood about school right now?
ClassroomDeeper#feedback#values
What is one thing you could do this term to help someone else in the room do well?
ClassroomDeeper#community#values
In one word, what is on your mind as you walk in?
Workshop kickoffLight#one-word#mood
What is the last thing you learned that surprised you, big or small?
Workshop kickoffLight#learning#story
Pick a snack that would make today's session better.
Workshop kickoffLight#food#one-word
What would you rather be doing right now if you were not here, in one sentence?
Workshop kickoffLight#funny#honest
Which better describes you at the start of a project: planner or improviser?
Workshop kickoffLight#working-style#fun
What is one word for the energy you brought into the room?
Workshop kickoffLight#energy#one-word
What do you hope to walk out with by the end of today?
Workshop kickoffMedium#goals#expectations
What is one thing you already know about this topic that you could teach someone here?
Workshop kickoffMedium#expertise#learning
What is a question about this topic you would love answered today?
Workshop kickoffMedium#questions#learning
What is the biggest obstacle to doing this well back at your desk?
Workshop kickoffMedium#obstacles#work
Describe the best workshop or training you have ever been to in one sentence.
Workshop kickoffMedium#experience#story
What would make today a waste of your time, and how can we avoid it?
Workshop kickoffMedium#expectations#honest
What is something you have tried before on this topic that did not work, and what did you learn?
Workshop kickoffDeeper#failure#learning
What would you do differently at work if you were not worried about what people would think?
Workshop kickoffDeeper#courage#reflection
What is one assumption about this topic that you suspect might be wrong?
Workshop kickoffDeeper#thinking#questions
What do you need from the rest of the group to do your best thinking today?
Workshop kickoffDeeper#needs#norms
Whose perspective is missing from this room, and how could we bring it in?
Workshop kickoffDeeper#inclusion#thinking
What is one commitment you are willing to make by the end of today?
Workshop kickoffDeeper#commitment#goals
What name would you give a band made up of this team?
New teamLight#funny#creative
What is your coffee, tea, or other drink order?
New teamLight#food#one-word
Which city would you most like to visit next?
New teamLight#travel#one-word
What is a small thing you bought for yourself that you still enjoy?
New teamLight#story#fun
What is a small thing that always makes your day better?
New teamLight#happiness#one-word
What is your preferred way to be contacted: chat, email, a call, or a tap on the shoulder?
New teamLight#working-style#fun
What is the best way for us to give you feedback?
New teamMedium#feedback#working-style
What is a project from your past that you are proud of, and what made it work?
New teamMedium#pride#story
What time of day do you like to do focused work, and when do you prefer to be interrupted?
New teamMedium#working-style#habits
What is a team you have loved being part of, and what made it great?
New teamMedium#teams#story
What should we know about how you like to communicate under pressure?
New teamMedium#working-style#stress
What is one thing you would like to learn from someone on this team?
New teamMedium#learning#connection
What helps you trust a new teammate?
New teamDeeper#trust#values
What is something that tends to frustrate you at work, so we can avoid doing it by accident?
New teamDeeper#working-style#honest
What does a good week look like for you here, and what does a hard one look like?
New teamDeeper#working-style#reflection
What do you want from this team that you have not had on a team before?
New teamDeeper#hopes#values
What is a strength you bring that is easy to overlook?
New teamDeeper#strengths#reflection
How would you like us to handle disagreement when it comes up?
New teamDeeper#conflict#norms
How to pick the right icebreaker
Start with the room, not the question. A group that already knows each other can handle a story prompt. A group of strangers, or people with a power gap between them, does better with something about preferences, objects or opinions. If the first question feels risky, people give safe answers and the exercise teaches nothing.
Match depth to time and trust. Light questions suit the first five minutes of any meeting. Medium questions work when the group will keep working together for weeks. Deeper questions need a few minutes of discussion and a group that has some history, so save them for retrospectives, offsites and the middle of a workshop rather than the opening.
Connect it to the work when you can. A question about how people like to receive feedback sets up a project kickoff better than one about favorite movies. The filters above are grouped by setting for that reason, and the tags let you narrow to things like working style, learning or teamwork.
Time boxes that keep it useful
Icebreakers go wrong when they run long or end without a point. These are starting guides, so adjust for your group:
- Up to 10 people: about 30 seconds each, so 5 minutes with a light question.
- 10 to 30 people: collect written answers for 2 minutes, then read out a handful. Around 5 minutes in total.
- Over 30 people: written answers only, shown on screen, with two or three volunteers expanding. 5 minutes is plenty.
- Deeper questions: allow 10 to 15 minutes and use pairs or small groups before sharing back.
Tips for remote and hybrid groups
On video calls, going around the room favors whoever is quickest to unmute. Ask everyone to type an answer at the same moment, then react to what appears. This is where Run this live helps: the question opens in the poll creator, you share the link or QR code, and everyone answers on their own device. A word cloud makes patterns obvious right away, and open text lets you read a few answers aloud.
Keep cameras optional, give people thirty seconds of thinking time before asking for answers, and use the chat as a second channel. In hybrid sessions, have the people in the room answer on their phones too so that remote participants are not the only ones typing.
Finish by connecting back to the session. One sentence such as 'a lot of us said we do our best work early, so let's put the hard decisions first' shows people their answer mattered.
Frequently asked questions
Are these icebreaker questions free to use?
What does Run this live do?
How many icebreaker questions should I ask in one session?
How do I run an icebreaker with a large or remote group?
What if some people do not want to share?
Are the questions suitable for school?
Can I use these questions in my own materials?
Run your icebreaker live
Open the poll creator, share a link or QR code, and let everyone answer at once. Starts a fresh room each time.
Create a live questionMore free tools and guides
Free tools
Every page with a free tool you can use right away, no room needed.
Use cases
See how teams, classes and event hosts run live sessions.
Word cloud generator
Collect one-word answers from a group and see them as a cloud.
Random group generator
Split people into breakout groups after the icebreaker.
Random order generator
Pick a speaking order when everyone answers aloud.