70 Icebreaker Questions for Any Meeting or Presentation

According to our 2023 State of Meetings report, more than half of meeting goers agree a meeting is likely to fail if the audience isn’t engaged from the get-go. That's where icebreaker questions come in. They can help to break down barriers, get people talking, and create a positive and energetic atmosphere. 

Whether hosting a virtual event, leading a team meeting, or presenting at a conference, icebreakers can help you make a great first impression. 

Icebreaker examples for meetings and presentations

So let’s get to our series of icebreakers. To make things even easier and more efficient for your next meeting we have broken them down into categories and even added in some free templates. You can download and use these templates with a click here and click there. 

• Business Icebreakers
• Icebreaker Questions for Large Groups
• Fun Icebreaker Questions
• Team-Building Icebreakers
• Virtual Meeting Icebreakers
• Icebreakers for Remote Teams
• Icebreaker Questions for Training Sessions
• Conference Icebreaker Questions

What are icebreakers and why do you need them?

Icebreakers are activities or questions used at the beginning of meetings or presentations to create a positive and engaging atmosphere, break down barriers between participants, and encourage communication and collaboration, making them an essential tool for any successful meeting or presentation.

Paul Axtell makes the point that “Icebreakers can create psychological safety and a sense of community, which leads to better collaboration and stronger relationships among team members.”

Business Icebreaker Questions

• What do you hope to achieve in your role here?
• What's one thing you're passionate about outside of work?
• What led you to pursue a career in [insert field]?
• What's one skill you'd like to learn or improve on this year?
• What's the biggest challenge you've faced in your current role?
• What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?
• What's the most interesting project you've worked on here?
• What's your go-to productivity hack when you're feeling overwhelmed?
• What's your favorite book or podcast related to your work?
• What's one thing you'd like to see change in the workplace culture here?

Icebreaker Questions for Large Groups

• What's the biggest challenge you've faced at work?

a) Managing competing priorities

b) Communication issues with colleagues or clients

c) Dealing with difficult personalities

d) Meeting tight deadlines

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how comfortable are you with giving and receiving feedback?

1 (not comfortable at all) | 5 (somewhat comfortable) | 10 (very comfortable)

• Which of these skills would you like to improve?

a) Public speaking

b) Time management

c) Leadership

d) Networking

• On a scale of 1 to 5, how much do you prefer working independently versus working in a team?

1 (strongly prefer working independently) | 3 (neutral) | 5 (strongly prefer working in a team)

• Which of these industry events or conferences have you attended?

a) TED Talks

b) SXSW

c) CES

d) Dreamforce

• On a scale of 1 to 7, how willing are you to take on tasks outside of your job description?

1 (not willing at all) | 4 (somewhat willing) | 7 (very willing)

• Which of these industry trends do you think will have the biggest impact on our work in the next 5 years?

a) Artificial Intelligence

b) Virtual Reality

c) Blockchain

d) 5G networks

• On a scale of 1 to 5, how comfortable are you with risk-taking in your work?

1 (not comfortable at all) | 3 (somewhat comfortable) | 5 (very comfortable)

• Which of these books have you read recently?

a) "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg

b) "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey

c) "Crucial Conversations" by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler

d) "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is work-life balance to you?

1 (not important at all) | 5 (somewhat important) | 10 (very important)

Fun Icebreaker Questions

• If you could time travel where would you go?
• Which phone brand do you use?

Apple

Samsung

Other

• What’s your coffee order?

Americano

Cappuccino

Latte 

Espresso 

A really fun and entertaining slide type, Pin on Image slides can produce a debate or some laughs. Think of it as a chameleon slide; it can fit any type of meeting. 

• Map of the World - Where are you from?
• Penalty Kick - Help him score
• A Rainbow - What’s your favorite color?
• Harry Potter or Game of Thrones Houses - Where do you belong?
• Where’s Waldo

Team-Building Icebreaker Questions

• What aspect of your personality adds most to the team?
• How do you prefer to work in a group?
• What makes a good boss and why?
• What do you value most in a good teammate or co-worker?
• What is one thing we do well as a team?
• What is one thing we as a team could do better?
• How many meetings per week do you think is optimal?
• What do you think is the first thing you need to do when starting a new project?
• What is the main quality of a good leader?
• Is there anyone here you think deserves special recognition for their work?

Virtual Meeting Icebreaker Questions

• Where in the world do you most want to visit?
• What country has the best cuisine?
• What foreign language do you want to learn?
• Who is the best band ever?
• What’s your favorite app?
• Which is the best movie series?
• What’s the best season?

Spring

Summer

Winter

• What’s your ideal type of holiday?

Beach trip

Skiing

City getaway

• What is the best type of pet?

Cats

Dogs

Fish

• What’s your favorite sporting event?

Icebreaker Questions for Remote Teams

1. What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful team?
2. What's one effective strategy for dealing with a difficult team member?
3. How do you ensure everyone on the team is heard and their ideas are valued?
4. What do you think are the benefits of having a diverse team?
5. How do you prioritize and delegate tasks to ensure everyone is working efficiently?
6. What is the most important factor for effective team collaboration?

A. Communication

B. Trust in team members

C. Clear roles and responsibilities

D. Shared goals and vision

E. Flexibility and adaptability

• Which of the following best describes your team's approach to decision-making?

A. Consensus-driven

B. Majority vote

C. Expert or manager-led

D. Data-driven

• Which of the following best describes your team's approach to conflict resolution?

A. Collaboration and compromise

B. Mediation by a third party

C. Avoidance or ignoring

D. Escalation to management or leadership

• Which of the following factors do you think most impacts a team's productivity?

A. Clear objectives and goals

B. Good communication

C. Supportive team culture

D. Effective time management

E. Access to necessary resources

• Which of the following agile methodologies has your team found most effective for managing projects?

A. Scrum

B. Kanban

C. Lean

D. Extreme Programming (XP)

Icebreaker Questions for Training Sessions

• What is your favorite training topic?
• What motivates you to learn?
• What skill do you want to develop the most?
• What was the most useful training you've attended?
• What word comes to mind when you think of successful learning?
• What is one skill you hope to develop through this training, and how do you plan to apply it in your work?
• Share a story about a time when you learned something new and how you applied that knowledge to your work.
• What training do you think has been most beneficial to you in your career so far, and why?
• What are some ways you think you can continue to develop your skills beyond this training?
• How do you plan to use the information and skills gained from this training to improve the team's overall performance?

Conference Icebreaker Questions

• Tell me one fact about the person to your left
• Write down one thing you have in common with the person sitting next to you
• What is the job title of the person who is on your right?
• How do you feel about today’s event?
• What do you already know about this topic?
• What expectations do you have about today?
• Where do you prefer to work from?
• Where was the last place you traveled to?

F.A.Q

How can one measure the effectiveness of an icebreaker in improving team collaboration and meeting engagement?

To measure the effectiveness of an icebreaker, one can observe the level of engagement during the meeting, the ease of conversation flow afterwards, and gather feedback from participants about their experience.

Are there specific icebreaker activities recommended for teams that have been working together for a long time, as opposed to new teams?

For teams that have been working together for a long time, icebreakers that delve deeper into personal insights or challenge common knowledge about each other could be more effective, fostering a new level of connection and understanding.

What adaptations can be made to these icebreaker questions to make them inclusive for remote participants in virtual meetings?

For virtual meetings, icebreakers can be adapted by utilizing online collaboration tools, encouraging participants to share something from their remote work environment, or using breakout rooms for smaller group discussions to ensure everyone has a chance to participate.

Free presentation icebreaker templates

Did you find something that you liked in those icebreakers? If you didn't then there is no need to worry because we have plenty more on our website. You have seen some of our templates included throughout the article but just click the link below and browse through our full collection of icebreaker templates.

Be sure to explore the rest also!