Icebreaker questions are perfect for better getting to know your new employees or colleagues.
In addition to being fun and informal, these questions help build relationships with your employees more quickly. When you take the time to show interest in them in this way, you are also clearly demonstrating that you care about them as people, beyond the work context.
Icebreaker questions are a good way to round out your onboarding and integration. Some staff management software even includes the option to ask questions to new employees hired by the company during the onboarding process.
Here’s a list of sample questions to ask your employees when they join your company.
Generic Icebreaker Questions
1. What’s your favorite sport?
2. What’s your favorite activity?
3. What’s your passion?
4. What’s your favorite book?
5. What’s your favorite movie?
6. What’s your favorite color?
7. What’s your favorite song?
8. Who was the first artist you ever saw in concert?
9. Who’s your favorite comedian?
10. What was the last show you went to?
11. Name three things you would bring to a desert island.
12. Which public figure (dead or alive) would you want to share a meal with?
13. What’s the best gift you ever received?
14. Do you have a hidden talent?
15. As a child, what job did you want to do when you grew up?
16. If you could make three wishes come true, what would they be?
17. If you won the lottery tomorrow morning, what would be the first thing you would buy?
18. Describe your ideal vacation.
19. What’s your favorite band?
20. What’s your favorite movie quote?
21. Who’s your favorite athlete?
22. Do you prefer the city or the country?
23. Do you dream of being famous?
24. Who’s your favorite superhero?
25. If you could have one superpower, which would you choose?
26. Which element (water, earth, wind, fire) best represents you?
27. Who’s your favorite Disney character?
28. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
29. What’s your favorite season?
Fun Icebreaker Questions
30. Who’s the most famous person you ever met?
31. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
32. What’s the worst hairstyle you’ve ever had?
33. If your car had a name, what would it be?
34. What’s the Halloween costume you’re most proud of?
35. What title would you give your autobiography?
36. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?
Personal-Life Questions
37. Do you have any brothers or sisters?
38. What’s your hometown?
39. Do you have a pet?
40. What was your first job?
41. What was your favorite TV show as a child?
42. What was your favorite subject in school?
43. What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?
44. What’s the worst advice anyone ever gave you?
45. Do you have any phobias?
46. What irrational fear did you have as a child?
Travel Questions
47. What’s your ultimate dream destination?
48. What city would you like to visit and why?
49. What was the first trip you ever made?
50. What’s your favorite activity when traveling? Would you like to explore the city with the Amsterdam Light Festival Canal Cruise or the Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour?
51. If you decided to move abroad, which country would you choose?
52. Do you prefer to travel during the summer or the winter?
53. What location would you like to visit again and why?
54. If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would be the first plane ticket you would buy?
Food-Related Questions
55. What’s your favorite meal?
56. What’s your favorite drink?
57. For or against pineapple on pizza?
58. If you were to invent a cocktail, what would you put in it and what would you name it?
59. What’s your favorite dessert?
60. Do you prefer salty or sweet foods?
61. What’s your favorite fast food?
62. What’s your least favorite food?
63. If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life (other than water), what would you choose?
64. What’s the most bizarre food you’ve ever eaten?
Questions for Millennials
65. What’s your favorite emoji?
66. What’s your favorite social media?
67. What’s your favorite meme?
68. Who’s your favorite content creator?
69. If you had to choose a video game to live in, which would you choose?
70. What would be the name of the Spotify playlist that best describes your life?
Icebreaker Questions Are a Fantastic Tool
The great thing about icebreaker questions is that they serve multiple purposes. They’re perfect for team-building activities as a way to stimulate team cohesion. They can even be very useful for identifying a personalized corporate gift to offer your team members.
With the list of questions we have just presented, you should have plenty of material for drumming up conversations with your employees for a long time to come!
