Work meetings are important because they help teams keep track of progress and ensure that each team member is on the right track. However, adopting an overly cold, strict business approach can significantly blow the quality of the meeting, impacting the creativity and productivity of the group.
Some team leaders have discovered that using a few minutes to ease tension, especially with a team still getting used to each other, can do wonders. That is why icebreaker questions are so important. This article will give some icebreaker questions you can use to start your meetings and some tips to ensure you are using them effectively.
Categories of fun icebreaker questions for work meetings
To use icebreakers effectively, you ensure you don't use them randomly. Icebreaker questions are usually subject-oriented and can fall into categories such as work, traveling, fun, and personal interests. Each category has different effects on the trajectory of the meeting, so you want to be careful how you utilize them. Here are the four significant categories of icebreaker questions that you can use in both physical and virtual settings:
Simple bonding icebreaker questions for remote team meetings
This icebreaking question is intended to connect co-workers by allowing team members to learn basic information about each other and build a character sketch about what their colleagues are like outside work. Some examples of simple bonding questions to break the ice include the following -
- What is your favorite holiday?
- What would your closest friend say about you?
- Are you a dog or a cat person?
- What is your ideal Christmas present?
- What are your favorite pastime activities?
- Would you rather go on a beach holiday or a ski trip?
- What is your favorite movie or movie character?
- What piece of advice changed your life significantly?
- What's one thing we don't know about you?
- What are five things on your bucket list?
Work-related icebreaker questions for team building
Unlike simple bonding questions, they can help team members understand their colleagues' work ethics and goals. This knowledge is important because it gives everyone an idea of what to expect from each other. As a leader, these questions can also give you insights into employee engagement and what it takes to motivate them. Here are some work related questions for team-building.
- What would you do if allowed to be the boss for one day?
- What business jargon do you find most offensive about the workplace?
- What are some milestones you have set for yourself professionally?
- What can you make in the office that will make work better for you?
- What is your dream job?
- What moves you to complete your tasks for the day?
- What skill do you think everyone should learn?
- How would you describe your role in the office to a five-year-old?
- What was the most memorable thing you did with your first salary?
- What is the most praise you've gotten from your superiors?
Fun icebreaker questions to get the conversation started
Sometimes, the atmosphere of the meeting can be too tense for bonding and working questions; in this case, you will need to start with Something lighter. Funny icebreaker questions can be very effective when new team members have not settled down. Such questions can make the meeting setting less intimidating, make them feel welcomed and involved, and improve communication. Here are some of the best questions for virtual team bonding.
- What reality show would you like to be on?
- What is one superpower you would like to have, and why?
- If you could trade lives with any fictional character, who would it be?
- Would you rather have a pet dragon or a pet dinosaur?
- What fictional world would you like to visit?
- What is the weirdest food you've ever eaten?
- If you had a time machine, would you go back in time or into the future instead?
- What is a simple dance move that you are bad at?
- What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
- What vegetable would you quickly mix with cheese?
Travel icebreaker questions
Asking questions about the traveling experience of your colleagues hits the icebreaking sweet spot because it allows you to get to know one another on a personal level without making them uncomfortable with personal questions. As many people enjoy discussing their traveling experiences and interests, you will make your virtual team comfortable in the meeting. Here are some traveling questions you can ask to help your team lighten the mood before the meeting.
- What is your favorite travel experience?
- Do you have any funny travel stories you'd like to share?
- Where would you be if you had to sleep on a beach anywhere?
- What is the best trip you've ever taken?
- What is the most interesting place you've ever traveled to?
- If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
- If you can organize a team retreat, where would you take us to? Why?
- What is the best thing you've ever eaten while traveling?
- Do you have any funny travel stories?
- What country did you visit that impacted you the most?
Five fun and engaging icebreaker activities you can also try
You don't have to limit icebreakers to just question and answer; you can also try other fun activities to ease team members into the meeting. Some of these fun activities can alleviate tension and spark creativity; here are a few examples:
- Take a Picture of… you invite team members to take a photo of the set topic within a set time and share it with team members. You can set aside some time for story-sharing.
- Capture This… put up a funny picture and show each image individually; give your team member a minute to choose a fitting caption. Share captions and vote for the most comical and fittest.
- Desert Island Game… this involves a bit of imagination. A team is set on a one-way ferry for a desert island, and they can bring three items. Give the team a list of eight pre-prepared items they can choose from, and watch them discuss the best items they can choose from.
- Draw Something… ask the players to pick a word, then take turns drawing a picture of their chosen word while others try to guess it. After the draw-and-guess session, the one with the most points wins.
- Name That Place… open Google Maps and select a location. Ask team members to spot and identify where the picture was taken. The person with the highest number of correct guesses wins the game.
Note: When planning icebreaker games and questions, keep these games from encroaching too much into meeting time. Always have a scheduled time frame when games can occur so that you can focus on the matter at hand.
Five tips to make your team icebreaker questions more effective
The sole purpose of using icebreaker questions is to reduce tensions and get everyone talking and comfortable. To ensure that you achieve this important goal, you want to observe the following tips about icebreakers:
- Keep the questions light and easy; do not pry too much on private matters of team members so you don't make them uncomfortable.
- Find out what your team is more interested in and ask icebreaker questions on those topics that would pique their interests.
- Know what works the most for the moment; this will influence your approach when choosing icebreaker activities.
- Feel free to mix the questions from different topics now and then; be flexible.
- Add structure to the meeting by deciding which questions you want to ask before the meeting. Depending on spontaneity may only sometimes work.
Final Words
Icebreakers are a good way to ease tension and slowly get to know your team's potential, creativity level, and work ethic. However, you will need to plan the kind of virtual team-building questions and games you initiate so that they can fulfill the purpose. Icebreaker questions can be personal, funny, or just about activities like work or travel. You can also initiate games that could inspire the team's creativity. This article shows more than 30 icebreaker questions and games known to work in physical and virtual meetings.
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