Icebreakers are helpful for starting a meeting in a way that’s not, well, bland. The right icebreaker questions get adults talking, build rapport, and help people connect so they can talk about the serious stuff later. They also inform the meeting leader about the team they’re leading. It’s good to have a few icebreaker questions for adults in your back pocket. Here are 200 icebreakers for adults for every type of meeting and tips on how to use them.
How To Choose Icebreaker Questions for Adults
To choose a good icebreaker, look for questions that don’t have right or wrong answers. Answering the question shouldn’t make anyone feel bad. On the contrary, they should help people connect, laugh, and realize new things.
Choose questions that anyone can answer.
Answer the question first to, well, break the ice.
Keep the conversation moving.
Have fun and encourage laughter.
Icebreaker Questions for the Beginning of the School Year
At the beginning of the school year, icebreaker questions should be light, quick, and help people talk about something fun that they’ll remember later as they get to know one another more.
If you were suddenly the size of a mouse, what would you do to draw attention to yourself?
What’s the last book you quit reading?
If you could give a Ted Talk on one thing, what would it be?
If you could either have wings or breathe underwater, which would you choose?
What do you think is the most important invention in history?
What’s the next item on your bucket list?
What is your guilty pleasure?
What hobby have you been meaning to take up?
Would you join the maiden voyage to Mars if you had the chance?
What do you put in your ideal sandwich?
What is a favorite book you read as a child?
If you could have just one weapon in a zombie apocalypse, what would you choose?
What song triggers nostalgia for you?
If you had to eat one food for the rest of time, what would it be?
What is your favorite school duty (lunch, recess, etc.)?
What is your favorite book to read aloud to your class?
If money were no object, what would you buy?
What is an activity that you do in class that you enjoy more than the kids?
What is your favorite lunch to bring or eat at school?
Icebreakers for Weekly Staff Meetings
Weekly staff meeting icebreakers can be a little more serious, as people get to know one another more and open up. But they’re still icebreakers and shouldn’t be too heavy. These questions get teachers thinking about things that aren’t school-related before you dive into announcements.
If aliens landed on Earth today and offered to take you with them, would you go?
If you could time-travel, where and to what time period would you go?
Which actor would play you in a movie of your life?
If you could live in any historical period, which would it be?
What Olympic sport would you like to compete in?
If you’re feeling down, what could someone do to cheer you up?
What’s something you couldn’t live without?
What’s one activity that is pure escapism for you?
If you could bring back a fashion trend, what would it be?
If you could choose to remain one age for the rest of your life, which age would you choose and why?
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
What “old person” habits do you have?
What was the moment that you realized you were officially an adult?
If you could be an animal, which animal would you be?
What is a popular book or movie that you can’t stand?
If you were traveling to Mars, what is one thing you would bring with you?
What is one thing that you changed your mind about recently?
What current fact about yourself would most impress your 10-year-old self?
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?
What do you find soothing?
What was your least favorite food as a child? Do you eat it now?
What was your favorite breakfast as a kid?
If you could eat one thing for breakfast every day for the rest of your life, what would you eat?
What did you rebel against as a kid?
What did you like to do as a kid?
If you had unlimited time and resources, what would you do with your days?
What is one thing you wish you’d been taught in school?
What’s an adult problem that no one prepared you for?
Icebreaker Questions for Professional Development Days
These icebreaker questions can help kick off a whole day of adult learning.
What is the worst fashion decision you ever made?
If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
What’s your biggest irrational fear?
Who was your first celebrity crush?
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
If you could teleport to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
What phrase or cliché do you most live by?
What do you like to do to unwind after work?
How do you get motivated to do things you don’t want to do?
What goals are you working on outside of work?
What fictional world would you like to visit?
If you could have an animal sidekick, what would it be?
If you could be a villain, what villain would you be?
What is the most useful item you’ve purchased this year?
What is the worst teaching advice you’ve received?
When you pack for a trip, what’s one thing you always bring?
What’s your favorite self-care activity?
Who is the last person you felt inspired by?
What is a simple thing that happened and still blows your mind?
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done?
What’s a favorite TV show you remember from your childhood?
If you could keep only one part of your morning routine, what would it be?
What’s the most useful thing you own?
What’s something from your childhood that you still love today?
Where did you grow up? What was it like?
What is something you never learned to do?
Where do you feel most at home?
What would you pick as a slogan for your life?
What’s a common word or phrase that you don’t use?
What question do you wish people would ask you?
What is one thing no one would guess about you?
What’s one thing you’d like to do but don’t know where to start?
What advice has stuck with you?
What cause do you deeply believe in?
What’s the best gift you have ever received?
What book or movie affected you so much that you still think about it?
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you at school?
What’s your favorite celebrity to follow on social media?
What is a weird fact that you happen to know?
Icebreaker Questions for PTA Meetings
PTA meetings require questions that resonate with parents and get the meeting off on a light note.
What’s a common phrase that you use in your family that no one else uses?
What’s your favorite family tradition?
Would you rather go into the past and meet your ancestors or go into the future and meet your great-great-grandchildren?
If you could give your child one piece of advice, what would it be?
What routine do you think goes well at your house?
What smell, image, or sound triggers nostalgia for you?
If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra 8 hours in the day?
What is the worst parenting advice you’ve received?
What is the most helpful thing you’ve done as a parent?
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
What was your favorite subject in school?
What is your favorite time of day with your kids?
Where is one place you would like to take your kids?
What is your favorite school-run event and why?
What food do you think is gross but still feed your kids because it’s healthy?
If you were stranded with your kids on a desert island, what three things would you want to have with you?
What do you do while waiting in the carpool line?
Would You Rather … Icebreaker Questions for Adults
Would You Rather icebreaker questions are great for adults because they can inspire debate, which gets people engaged and talking.
Would you rather vacation on a beach or in the mountains?
Would you rather have all the school supplies or all your lessons planned for you?
Would you rather always have to stop at every red light or experience slow internet every time the sun goes down?
Would you rather be able to hear students’ thoughts or have students hear everything you say?
Would you rather always be cold or always be hot?
Would you rather only be able to whisper or only be able to shout?
Would you rather have the first day of school for a month or the last day of school for a month?
Would you rather have someone take a boring task off your to-do list or give you a project that’s of high interest to you?
Would you rather talk like Yoda or breathe like Darth Vader?
Would you rather be able to talk with animals or speak all human languages?
Would you rather get a shout-out in front of the whole school or a private note of thanks?
Would you rather spend three weeks visiting a different space each day or spend three weeks in one place?
Would you rather never hear music again or never be able to read again?
Reflection Icebreaker Questions for Adults
These questions are more reflective and may take longer to answer, so plan for additional time in the agenda. On the other hand, you’ll get to learn more about your coworkers.
When your students remember your class, what do you want to be remembered for?
If your students could remember one thing from your class, what would it be?
What’s something you’ve learned about yourself as a teacher?
If you could see yourself through the eyes of somebody else for a moment, which person would that be?
When was the last time somebody did something for you that you greatly appreciated?
Which teacher have you looked up to most in life?
What student do you remember most?
What has a fellow teacher done for you that you haven’t forgotten?
What’s a piece of teaching advice that you don’t agree with and why?
What strategies do you use to make teaching easier for you?
How do you prefer to start your day?
What motivates you most to come to work?
What’s the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
What’s one professional thing that you are working on?
What was your first teaching job?
What’s one thing that has surprised you about teaching?
What’s something you do each day that you feel goes unnoticed?
What are you most proud of?
What’s something you’ve learned about yourself in the last three months?
How do you recognize when you’re stressed?
What’s your guilty pleasure right now?
What’s a word or phrase in another language that you really like?
How do you get motivated to do difficult tasks?
What’s an underrated skill that everyone should be able to do?
What’s something that made you smile recently?
If you could know the truth to one question, what would you ask?
What’s something that sparked your curiosity recently?
If you could do something that is bad for you without any repercussions, what would you do?
How do you approach learning something new?
If your life were a movie, what genre would it be?
What is your favorite smell?
What sauce or condiment could you not live without?
If you were an action figure, what accessories would you come with?
What is something you will never eat, no matter how hungry you get?
What is something that gives you child-like joy?
If you were a kitchen utensil, which would you be and why?
What’s something that’s considered socially acceptable now but won’t be in 100 years?
Icebreaker Questions for Remote Meetings
They have to happen, so here’s how to ask icebreaker questions that will get adults thinking and participating online. These questions can be answered in the chat or over the mic.
If you could learn any language, which would you choose?
What’s your go-to teaching website?
What is nearby in your workspace that cheers you up?
If you could press a button and summon anything you wanted, what would you get?
What emoji do you use most?
What emoji sums up how you feel today?
What’s one skill that you have that helps you work remotely?
What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever worked from remotely?
Icebreaker Questions for Quick Meetings
When you don’t have a lot of time, you may still want to open with an icebreaker. Here are questions that don’t take a lot of time to answer.
What is one thing that you are known for?
What is your best party trick?
What’s your favorite cuisine?
What is a boring fact about you?
What is a weird fact that you know?
Are you more of an extrovert or introvert?
What good book have you read recently?
What is your favorite song?
Do you prefer the country or city?
What is your favorite season?
What is your favorite animal?
Who was your favorite school teacher and why?
What is the best place you have ever visited?
What’s a hidden talent that you have?
What’s your favorite cuisine?
What is your favorite amusement park ride?
What’s the best ice cream topping?
What trivia topic do you know a lot about?
Icebreaker Questions for Team Meetings
These questions are for groups with a level of rapport. They’re good to use with teams who know each other before they go into more complex work. Many of these questions ask the team to consider one another in their response.
Who’s most likely to make the first cup of coffee in the morning?
Who’s most likely to arrive with the students?
What’s something about your team that you appreciate?
Who’s most likely to bring home-baked goods for the staff room?
Who’s most likely to earn a side living off of Teachers Pay Teachers?
Who is most likely to go back to school for an advanced degree?
Who is the most likely to win a wellness challenge?
Who’s most likely to win the clean-desk challenge?
Who’s most likely to get into a friendly argument with the principal?
Who has the best teacher wardrobe?
What could you use help with that you haven’t asked for help with?
Who would you like to switch roles with for a day?
What would you do if you had a yearlong break from work, with pay?
What do you value most in a coworker?
How do you deal with stress?
What do you value most in a friendship?
What do you like most about teaching?
If you walked into a room with everyone you ever met in it, who would you look for first?
What would you change if you ran the world?
If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be?
Who is someone who changed your life but doesn’t know it?
Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?
