160 Essential Ice Breaker Questions for Your Team

This activity is short, but delightfully telling — you’ll find out where your team members were born without needing to ask and having everyone take a turn. You’ll create a physical map where your teammates can place a pin on their birthplace. As the map fills up with pins, people will learn about how diverse their teammates might be.

Have someone write down well-known names on sheets of paper and then hand them off one at a time to a team member. They’ll have to act out the behaviors, facial expressions, or even the iconic “I’m flying” scene from Titanic. If a player can identify their own celebrity correctly, they can remove the label from their backs and continue mingling if they wish.

Bowl of Questions

The leader of the icebreaker will then yell out a random number under 10. Every person mingling will then have to quickly form a group in the size of the number called. For this game, you’ll need to prepare by purchasing two identical jigsaw puzzles. Divide your large group into teams of two and set a timer to see which group can work together to make the most progress on their respective puzzles.

Rotate who chooses the icebreaker at the next team meeting, so everyone feels more included and can select the ones that interest them. This wholesome question encourages a virtual space filled with gratitude and positivity. There’s no right or wrong answer here, but set a time limit for answers, so everyone gets a fair turn to share what they’re thankful for.

Best icebreakers for office and virtual team meetings

As some members might feel uncomfortable showing their feelings on camera, it is much better to do it via text or even poll-based activity. For example, if you have a large group, you can break everyone up into smaller group and utilize theZoom breakout session rooms. This can really add to the intimacy factor you’re your large team might be missing when working from home. By encouraging this behavior, you demonstrate to employees that you notice their hard work and provide them a chance to shine in front of their peers.

Even post-pandemic, icebreakers for virtual meetings teams and virtual communication will become more common than ever. 65% of virtual teams have never participated in virtual icebreakers or trust building activities during meetings. So next time you’re running a remote meeting, why not introduce a virtual icebreaker game to liven the mood. While virtual icebreakers lack in-person contact, performing virtual team building activities online has some significant benefits. By utilizing technological features, you can create the optimal environment for icebreakers.

Company timeline

Your team members can display their personalities by captioning a picture on their screens. Set a timer for 30 seconds and review everyone’s submissions by reading through the chat when the time runs out. Amp up the hilarity by picking a meme or two if you’ll caption a group of pictures. People sometimes feel awkward about chiming in during a meeting because they’re not together in person.