17 Low-Stress Ice Breakers for Work Meetings & Social Settings

11 Great Ways to Start off a Meeting

July 8, 2025 | Relationships Teamwork & Career
By Adam Gragg

Starting a meeting—whether with your team, family, or friends—can feel a bit awkward, especially when emotions or expectations are high. That’s where simple icebreakers can help.

A thoughtful question or quick activity can ease tension, build connection, and set a positive tone for the entire meeting. These small moments make a big difference.

How Ice Breakers Help Events & Meeting

Setting a positive tone for the meeting
They build team camaraderie
They set the stage for open and positive communication
You learn new and interesting things about your group
They make things fun and can get people laughing (for the right reasons)

I’ve led icebreakers for many business gatherings. Here are 11 of my favorites.

17 Team Building Ice Breakers

1. Laugh So Hard

Have you ever laughed so hard that your stomach hurt, cried, or even rolled on the floor? Everyone shares an experience that made them laugh. Keep it clean.

2. Select a Coin

Bring some change in a cup. Everyone selects a coin, reads the date, and shares something significant that happened, personal or historical, that year.

3. Teach A Skill

Everyone has unique skills. Some are great at cooking or baking, others know how to public speak, and some are good at golf. Each person takes 1 – 2 minutes to teach the group a few tips on a skill. (e.g., cooking, golf, flying, fixing something, etc.)

Everyone answers the following five questions and share 2 of their answers. Those who wish to share their answers should do so briefly. If you have more time, people can ask questions.

Where did you grow up?
Where do you fall in birth order?
What was your first job?
What was your worst job?
What was a childhood challenge?

5. Favorite Quote or Poem

Share something significant to you and what makes it impactful. Here are three of my favorite poems.

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6. Positive & Excitement

When I wake up most days, I write down 5 things that happened in my life the day before that were positive. This helps me have a healthy perspective. Participants do this as a group. Everyone shares something in their life that happened yesterday that was positive and something they’re excited about later that day.

7. Fact or Fiction

Each person writes down two true statements and one false statement about themselves on an index card. The leader reads off what’s on each person has listed, and the team votes on which statement is false.

8. Question Cup

Several light-hearted questions are placed in a jar; each person pulls out a question and answers it. If they don’t like the question, they pick another one instead.

Want to Create a Question Cup? Start Here.

Here are 50 Fun Relationship-Building Questions. Cut out the 50 numbered squares at the bottom of this PDF, toss them in a cup, and you’re ready to go.

5O FUN RELATIONSHIP BUILDING QUESTIONS

9. Top Goal

Everyone shares one top personal or professional goal they want to achieve over the next 90 days and a next step to achieving this goal.

10. Strength & Growth Area

Everyone shares one strength that helps them at home or work. Everyone shares one area in their life where they desire improvement. The more you risk opening up, the better this activity gets, and the more others open up.

11. Stop, Start, Continue

Share one behavior you want to start, one behavior you want to stop, and one you want to continue. For example, I want to start delegating more, stop my caffeine addiction, and continue to go to bed by 10 pm.

12. What If

“What if” scenarios are hypothetical situations used to explore potential outcomes of different choices or events. They allow people to think outside the box and share their wildest and funniest thoughts. Everyone shares their answers to one “what if” scenario. Here are examples.

What if you could only communicate by breaking out into song?
What if you could play the perfect prank? What would it be? Share the details.
What if food could talk? What would one of your meals from last week say?

13. Would You Rather

This encourages team members to think about their choices, their reasoning, and allows them to connect. They can be funny, serious, or thought-provoking.

Would you rather lose your sense of taste or your sense of smell?
Would you rather be covered in hair, head to toe, or completely bald?
Would you rather go to the beach in the summer or ski in the winter?
Would you rather raise chickens for eggs or sheep for wool?
Would you rather live on a houseboat or in an RV?

14. Commonalities

Everyone finds three things they have in common with others in the group. (Where they grew up, foods, sports teams, color, past jobs, hobbies, etc.) Each person then shares what they discovered.

15. RV Adventure

If you were required to go on a 2-week RV adventure, by yourself, to clear your head, what 3 places in the US would you make part of your trip?

16. Hope & Fear

Each person shares something they hope for in their life over the next year. Each person shares something that they’re afraid of happening in their life over the next year.

17. Obstacles & Opportunities

Everyone shares 2 opportunities they have over the next 5 years (e.g., relationships, career, travel, hobbies, etc.). Then each person shares an obstacle that could keep them from pursuing that opportunity. Do you focus more on the obstacle or the opportunity?

Creating a safe environment is essential for these activities to “break the ice”.
I recommend the team leader go first in sharing, as “everyone takes their cues from the leader”. It’s not acceptable to criticize or embarrass others when they share, and don’t pressure someone to participate. Stay upbeat, even if others are negative, as most will eventually join in on the fun.

Have the courage to try an icebreaker at your next staff meeting, business event, or family meal.