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25 questions

Quick icebreakers for team meetings

A weekly meeting does not need a long warm-up. It needs one quick question that gets every voice into the room before the agenda starts. People who have spoken once early in a meeting are much more likely to speak again when it matters.

These questions take a word, a number or a sentence to answer, so a team of eight can get through one in about three minutes. Several of them also tell a manager something useful, such as how much energy people have or where they are stuck.

Describe your week so far in one word.

All 25 questions

  1. Describe your week so far in one word.
  2. What is one win, big or small, from the past week?
  3. On a scale of one to ten, how full is your energy tank today?
  4. What is something you are looking forward to this week?
  5. What is one thing you learned recently?
  6. Which emoji sums up your mood today?
  7. What is the best thing you read, watched or listened to this week?
  8. What is one thing you would like help with this week?
  9. If today were a weather forecast, what would it be?
  10. What is a small thing that made you smile recently?
  11. What is one task you are proud of finishing lately?
  12. Coffee, tea or neither?
  13. What is the last thing that made you laugh?
  14. Who on the team deserves a thank you this week, and why?
  15. What is one thing you would change about how we work, if you could change it today?
  16. What are your plans for the weekend, or what was the highlight of the last one?
  17. Which meal would you happily eat every day for a week?
  18. What is a skill you would like to get better at this quarter?
  19. What is the best decision you made this week?
  20. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
  21. What is one thing that slowed you down this week?
  22. What is the most useful shortcut or trick you know for your daily work?
  23. What would your theme song be today?
  24. What is something new you tried this month?
  25. Finish the sentence: "This week I want to..."

Tips for using these questions

  • Use one question per meeting, not three.
  • Rotate who asks it. It spreads ownership of the meeting across the team.
  • Listen for the useful answers: low energy or a request for help is worth a follow-up after the call.

Need a speaking order or groups? The team generator and turn picker makes them in one click. For more ideas, read how to run an icebreaker that people actually enjoy.

Questions people ask

How many team meetings questions should I use in one session?

One question is enough for a regular meeting. For a workshop or a team's first session, two or three work well. Save the rest for later meetings so they stay fresh.

What if someone does not want to answer?

Let them pass, without comment. A forced answer makes the whole group less comfortable, and the point of an icebreaker is the opposite.

Can I print this list?

Yes. Print the page from your browser, or copy the questions into your own slides or notes.

More icebreaker questions