Now I know that great teams use icebreakers because the first five minutes of the meeting matter most. When we prepare an icebreaker for a networking event, we call it a conversation starter, and that’s what icebreakers do for teams.
In my Essential Skills for Effective Meetings course, I explain exactly how to lead several kinds of excellent meeting openers. Of these, the simplest and most popular is the single-question go around. It gets everyone engaged quickly (and off their cell phones) and sets a positive collaborative mood for the meeting.
The 28 questions below come from teams all over the world that use a single-question icebreaker in their business meetings.
Basic (Safe) Questions
- What’s one thing you hope to accomplish in this meeting?
- What has been the highlight of your day so far?
Clearing Questions
These questions give everyone an opportunity to clear their mind of other concerns so they can focus on the meeting. Clearing is not about solving problems; it’s just to get those preoccupations out so they can be put aside.
- Please take one minute to share: What’s top of mind for you at work right now? Then take one minute to share: What’s top-of-mind for you on the personal front?
- Let’s take one minute each to clear anything currently on our minds that could make it hard to focus. Is there anything on your mind that you’d like to clear?
- What would it take for you to be fully present in this room?
Questions About Working Together
These questions create insights into each person’s working style and their perspective regarding the task at hand.
- What are you seeking to learn and contribute here today?
- What gifts do you have that could be helpful to this group? And what can the group do that will help you stay engaged?
- Do you think to talk or talk to think? (This is an interesting way to build awareness around the different ways introverts and extroverts engage.)
- How do you prepare when it’s time to do your best focus work?
- If it were up to you, what are your ideal working hours?
- What gives you absolute joy in terms of a hobby or activity–something you do where you get fully absorbed and lose track of time? (This one opens up a conversation about the concept of flow.)
- What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
- What’s one important lesson you’ve learned at work in the past year?
- What has become clear to you about this work since we last met?
- What has been the best team experience for you and why?
Questions for Getting to Know One Another Better
These questions create insights into each person’s background, preferences, culture, and dreams, making it easier to connect as fellow humans.
- If you could pick up a new skill in an instant, what would it be?
- What are you reading right now?
- What was your favorite band in school?
- What do you wish you spent less time doing?
- What is one of the best compliments you’ve received?
- What is one of the most beautiful places you’ve visited?
- What’s your favorite first meal of the day?
- What do you want to try for the first time in the year ahead?
- Who was one of your heroes growing up?
- What was the first significant thing you bought with your own money?
- Do you collect anything?
- What personal passion project are you working on right now?
- In what ways do you consider yourself fortunate?
Bonus question! I led a workshop last week where participants had a chance to test these and other questions. The crowd favorite was:
What are your current favorite pair of shoes and why?
Wishing you fabulous meetings in shoes that make you happy,
Elise
Elise runs an online course which includes more about this technique and the other essential skills. You can access it here: https://school.lucidmeetings.com/p/essential-skills-for-effective-meetings
And you can find further guidance on icebreakers here