Questions to Break the Ice

What Are Good Questions to Break the Ice?

Are you looking for questions to break the ice? Everyone faces a moment once in a while when they’re not sure what to say. It could be at a party when you’re introduced to someone new, or it might be when you first meet your girlfriend’s parents for dinner.

In these situations, we sometimes find ourselves speechless and without the tools, we need to keep a conversation going. To help create opportunities to break the ice and get the conversation flowing, I’ve listed below some of the best questions to ask.

These aren’t your typical “get to know you” questions, but ones that can spark a fun conversation and lead to new insights about a person’s personality or background. These are meant as a guide for beginners and they’re broken into multiple categories depending on the situation or who you are talking to.

Above all else, remember that these are meant to break the ice. Ask them in a light-hearted manner, and don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself after you ask one! If you feel silly asking these, preface the question by saying “I always have these awkward moments where I need to ask…” This will put the other person at ease and you’ll likely find they are happy to answer your question(s).

Questions to Break the Ice with Coworkers

Do you find it awkward when talking to coworkers? If you’re just starting a new job, or even if you’ve been there a while, it can be tough to break the ice with your colleagues. The good news is that getting familiar with others at work doesn’t have to be hard. Using icebreakers will help you become friends with your coworkers instead of just acquaintances. Here are some ice breakers that can help you get started.

• What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekend?
• Are there any crazy or funny stories about your job/boss?
• What’s your story?
• How long have you worked here?
• What are your plans for today/this week/after this project is over?
• How do you like working here?
• What are your hobbies outside of work?
• What was the last book that you read?
• Where is your favorite place to eat lunch?
• What do you like to do outside of work?
• What’s the most recent movie that you saw?
• Do you have any pets?

Questions to Break the Ice Online Dating

Online dating is the new way to find love. Many Internet dating services like OK Cupid and Plenty of Fish are used by millions of people across the country. If you’re interested in online dating, there are a few things that you’ll need to know. The first is how to break the ice with a potential match. Here are a few questions that will help you break the ice with your online matches before you even meet them in person.

• What is your favorite movie?
• When was the last time that you laughed?
• Can you cook? If so, what’s your specialty dish?
• What are two of your interests outside of work or school?
• What’s your favorite food?
• Do you have any pets?
• Where do you live?
• What’s a hobby that you enjoy outside of work or dating?
• Are you a morning person or a night owl?
• How did you spend last weekend?

Questions to Break the Ice with a Guy

Are you looking to break the ice with a guy that you like, but don’t know how to start a conversation with him? Here are some questions to ask a guy to break the ice and start talking with him.

• What is something that most people don’t know about you?
• Where do you go to school/work and what do you like about it?
• What are two of your favorite movies (past or present)?
• What’s your favorite hobby?
• If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
• If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
• Do you like cheese? If so, what’s your favorite type of cheese?
• Which superhero do you think is the most powerful?
• What’s your favorite animal and why?
• If you could be any cartoon character, who would it be and why?
• What was your best weekend ever?
• Have you traveled anywhere recently that you’d like to share with me?
• What does your ideal day look like?
• What is one of your biggest dreams that you’re working towards?
• Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
• How did you spend last weekend?
• What was the last movie that you saw, and would you recommend it?
• If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
• What are your weekend plans?
• What was the last concert that you went to?
• Are you an early riser or a night owl?

Questions to Break the Ice with a Girl

Is there a girl that you’ve spoken with but haven’t had the courage to go more in-depth? Whether she’s a friend of a friend or someone that you’ve met online, here are a few questions that will allow you to break the ice and start talking with her.

• What is your favorite food? What do you like about it?
• What are your plans for the weekend?
• Do you have any siblings? What are their names?
• Where do you see yourself in five years/ten years/the next ten months?
• Did you watch any TV shows last night? What did you watch and what was your favorite part of it?
• If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you want to live?
• Who is your favorite author, singer/band, or performer?
• Have you seen any good movies lately?
• What’s your favorite color?
• Who is the person that you’ve had the most phone conversations with in the past month?
• Is your hair naturally straight or curly?
• What’s your favorite holiday?
• What do you typically eat for breakfast?
• How did you spend last weekend?
• If you could have a personal chef prepare food for you, what would be their specialty dish?

Questions to Break the Ice Over Text

Have you ever been texting with someone and didn’t know what to say next or how to get beyond small talk? If so, these questions will help you break the ice over text.

• What’s something that you’ve never done but want to try?
• If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
• What was your favorite subject in school? What did you like about it?
• Do you like horror or comedy movies better? If so, what’s one of your favorites?
• What’s your favorite TV show?
• What kind of music do you like the most and what artist is your favorite?
• If you were a superhero, what would be your superpower and why?
• What was the last book that you read and would you recommend it to me?
• Are you an early riser or a night owl?
• How was your weekend?
• How was your day today?
• What are you up to this weekend?
• What’s the best concert you’ve been to recently?
• What was your favorite part of your day today?
• What’s your favorite season and why?
• What was your best vacation?
• If you were given $1,000, what would you do with it?
• Do you prefer cats or dogs?
• What kinds of movies do you like to watch?
• Did you go out this weekend or stay in?
• What’s a great restaurant that you’ve recently tried?
• Who is your favorite author, band/performer, or TV show?
• Have you read any good books lately?
• Do you have any upcoming travel plans? If so, where are you going and for how long?
• What do you think of the weather right now?
• If money wasn’t a factor, what would you do every day for fun?

Funny Questions to Break the Ice

Sometimes when things get too serious, it helps to break the ice with a funny question. Whether you’re hanging out with a friend or talking with someone you’ve been trying to date, these questions will give everyone a laugh and make it easier to move past small talk.

• When’s the last time that you laughed so hard that tears came out of your eyes?
• When you were a kid, what did your parents think was your funniest quality?
• What’s the most embarrassing thing that you’ve done in public?
• What was your funniest moment in school?
• What’s an inside joke that you’ve had with one of your friends?
• What’s the last prank that you pulled?
• What’s a funny story about one of your siblings or friends?
• Do you have any embarrassing photos from high school or college that might come out if I go through all of your old Facebook posts?
• What’s the funniest thing that you caught one of your friends doing?
• Who is your favorite stand-up comedian and why?
• What’s something funny or weird that happened to you today?

Questions to Break the Ice in an Interview

Whether you are applying for a job or interviewing someone to work on your team, these questions will help you break the ice and get to know each other. These interview questions aren’t just good for job interviews – they’re great for getting acquainted with new colleagues, business partners, classmates, or just a first date.

• If you were an animal, which animal would you be and why?
• What’s the best compliment that anybody has ever given you?
• Who is your favorite historical figure?
• What is a hobby of yours outside of work hours?
• What’s your favorite season and why?
• How do you like living in this city?
• What are some of your long-term goals?
• What’s the best book you’ve ever read?
• Do you have any hobbies or special interests? If so, what are they?
• What do you like most and least about your job?
• What did you want to be when you were a child and why didn’t that work out?
• If we’re going to be working together, I’d like to know the real you. What’s your favorite movie and why?
• Why did you choose the career that you’re in now?
• What’s the last great book that you read?

Would You Rather Questions to Break the Ice

Would you rather questions are a great way to break the ice because everyone has an opinion on them. These questions are even better than normal “get to know you” questions because they’re more personal and specific.

• Would you rather live in a world without books or live in a world without electricity?
• Would you rather lose your sense of sight or lose your sense of hearing?
• Would you rather have the power to fly or have the ability to become invisible?
• Would you rather live in a world without art or live in a world without nature?
• Would you rather be rich but lonely or poor but happy?
• Would you rather always be cold or always hot?
• Would you rather never go to sleep again or never wake up again?
• Would you rather have a million dollars or true love?
• Would you rather eat pizza every day for the rest of your life or never be able to drink soda again?
• Would you rather live 20 amazing years and then die, or live to be 100 but in terrible pain for the last 30 years?
• Would you rather always be sweaty or never be able to shower again?
• Would you rather live in a world where everyone has to be naked or live in a world where everyone has to wear business suits?

Questions to Ask to Break the Ice in a Meeting

If you’ve ever been stuck in a meeting that you weren’t prepared for, you know how awkward they can be. Whether you are an attendee or the meeting organizer, you’ll love these suggestions for questions to ask during your next meeting.

• Who are the people here that I don’t know yet?
• What did everybody do this weekend?
• Where is the best place to go out to eat around here?
• When is the last time we all did something fun outside of work together?
• What should we do for our next office social event?
• What’s the best way to keep everybody engaged during this meeting?
• What are some ways that we can improve the next meeting?
• Where should we go for our next team outing?
• How did you all meet each other and get started working here?
• What’s your favorite thing about this company and why?

Whenever you find yourself in a situation that you’re not familiar with, it can be hard to break the ice. Using questions like these will help people get to know you and give them something fun to do while they wait for a meeting or class to begin.

Do you have any favorite icebreaker questions? Feel free to share them in the comments below.

Related Posts about Conversation

• 6 Ways to Keep a Conversation Going Even if You Have Social Anxiety
• How to End a Conversation in 6 Easy Steps
• How to Manage Conversation Anxiety

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Questions to Break the Ice