Most teams want to feel connected with their colleagues. One way to build relationships is to facilitate a short icebreaker questions at the beginning of team meetings or even in the middle of a longer meeting. All you need is an interesting (and safe) question to learn new things about each other.
Icebreaker Questions can be thought-provoking, reflective, creative, or funny. Choose a question appropriate for your team meeting and invite everyone to answer. Here are some questions to get you started.
If you want to build trust and learn about each other in a meaningful way, choose a deep question. These questions are more serious and may require more time to answer. It may be helpful to share the question prior to the meeting, so the team members have time to think about how they will respond. Ideally, you give each person at least two minutes to respond during the meeting, including time for the team to ask follow up questions.
If you are looking for a quick, light-hearted icebreaker, choose a fun question. The responses to these questions will be shorter and possibly funny. They typically don’t require as much time to answer and there is not much, if any, need for follow-up questions. Use these when you want a fast-paced energizer.
A brief round-robin style icebreaker at the beginning of a team meeting can build rapport and energize your team. Choose a question that is appropriate for your team’s level of trust and also the amount of time you have in your meeting.
Source: These questions are adapted from the book, 300 Writing Prompts, published by Piccadilly Inc.
About the Author: Leigh Ann Rodgers, Founder of Better Teams and Forward, is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator with 20 years of experience in the human development field. Leigh Ann is a skilled meeting facilitator, trainer, and coach working across the globe to help leaders cultivate teams that are happy and high-performing.
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1 Comment
Really nice to know about these New set of Ice breakers.