Icebreaker Exercise Questions

Posted by
Joni Rose
May 28, 2008

One way for participants to get acquainted in a training session (workshop, conference or other gathering) is to provide them with questions and ask them to interview the other participants. The group can then come back together and share their most interesting answer.

An alternative is to send the questions to the participants in advance of the training session and ask them to reply with their answers. Then prepare cards or slips of paper with individual questions and the participant’s answer. Distribute the cards at the event and then ask participants to guess who gave that particular answer to the question. This can be a great icebreaker for people that work together and know each other a little bit, but not enough to predict their fellow participant’s answers easily.

Create a series of questions based on a theme.

Childhood

What did you dream of being as a child?
What was your favorite toy as a child?
What was your favorite activity as a child?
What frightened you when you were a child?
Where did you grow up?
Were your parents strict or lenient?

Hobbies and Interests

What do you collect?
What do you hate to shop for?
What is your favorite outdoor activity?
What is your favorite type of music?
What is your favorite movie (or book)?

Nutrition and Cooking

What do you like to cook?
What food do you refuse to eat?
What is your favorite food treat?
What food do you crave most often?

Be creative a pick a theme that makes sense with the topic of the training or something that is completely off topic to stir up the creative juices of the participants. A well planned icebreaker exercise can make a huge impact on the collaberation and teamwork that is demonstrated throughout the training.