Best ice breaker questions you've had or could come up with?

[Benzine]

Title. I have a bunch but am looking for more. I'm replacing the AI at work because I hate it's banal questions. My peers are clever and silly enough so most not rude questions (but I can filter these myself) should be good!

 

[Mark]

Start with the ethical questions and break it. Lead with the trolley problem.

 

[Benzine]

Oooh, I like the idea of having those sorta questions in the fold - except I won't be leading with it. Thank you.

 

[shortkut]

Start with the ethical questions and break it. Lead with the trolley problem.

View attachment 28527

 

[Smacktard]

I used to have a bunch of these to start off my classes. Here's a few. Tweak them as the conversation peters out, like the first example:

• Would you go live on Mars as one of the first pioneers? Tweak: What if your safety was 100% guaranteed? Tweak 2: What if there was no Internet speed delay?
• What superpower would you want and why?
• If you could be any animal, which animal and why?
• Would you want to be able to hear people's thoughts whenever you wanted? What about all the time?
• Would you slap your mother for $1m? What about $10m? What if you could NEVER tell her the reason you slapped her?
• What's your favorite PG swear word/phrase?

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Where were you on 9-11?

 

[shortkut]

Where were you on 9-11?

 

[A Baby Maker]

I dunno about best question, but the best answer I've ever heard was to "If you were in a shortstack of pancakes which would you be and why?"

"THE TOP ONE SO I WOULD GET ALL THE SYRUP FOR MYSELF"

As an immediate and excited response

 

[Gloom-is-good]

-What was the last argument you had with ____? (And then let people chime in on who is right)
-What is an irrational fear of yours? (It's gotta be something that isn't considered a typical phobia like... opening those Pillsbury containers that pop)

 

[Benzine]

I dunno about best question, but the best answer I've ever heard was to "If you were in a shortstack of pancakes which would you be and why?"

"THE TOP ONE SO I WOULD GET ALL THE SYRUP FOR MYSELF"

As an immediate and excited response

This is at the 95% range of what I’m looking for and this is definitely going in the list

 

[Quagmire]

Start with the ethical questions and break it. Lead with the trolley problem.

View attachment 28527

 

[A Baby Maker]

Another one I thought of:

"If you were in charge of a food blog, what would your main food of choice be?"

Someone once answered "I actually do have a food blog and it's about grilled cheese sandwiches"

 

[Kat]

Would you go live on Mars as one of the first pioneers? Tweak: What if your safety was 100% guaranteed? Tweak 2: What if there was no Internet speed delay?

I love that the two tweaks to this question are "you'll be safe" and "you'll have good Internet". Because let's be real, most people nowadays would probably rather be a bit unsafe than not have fast Internet.

(It's gotta be something that isn't considered a typical phobia like... opening those Pillsbury containers that pop)

My "party trick" is popping those solely with my hands/fingers (no spoon or counter edge). You should see people's faces! Apparently most people have been traumatized by those things, because they always look like they're convinced I'm about to die.

I don't have anything to contribute because I've never heard an interesting ice breaker, but I'm totally stealing the pancake stack one.

 

[Benzine]

My "party trick" is popping those solely with my hands/fingers (no spoon or counter edge). You should see people's faces! Apparently most people have been traumatized by those things, because they always look like they're convinced I'm about to die.

I don't have anything to contribute because I've never heard an interesting ice breaker, but I'm totally stealing the pancake stack one.

are you saying you can open a crown cap with just your hands? that is impressive. i can do it with anything except my hands (although if i was committed enough i probs could).

i've taken the ice breakers over at work because they were so boring. i don't even necessarily contribute, but i'm basically trying to show that i'm a fun guy

 

[Kat]

are you saying you can open a crown cap with just your hands? that is impressive. i can do it with anything except my hands (although if i was committed enough i probs could).

What's a crown cap? I mean these things:

 

[Benzine]

oh right. i mean a glass bottle top that doesn't screw off and would typically use a bottle opener for.

 

[Kat]

Ohh. No, I use a bottle opener even for screw caps because I'm pathetically weak.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Ohh. No, I use a bottle opener even for screw caps because I'm pathetically weak.

it's just easier sometimes. I have one mounted to my wall. Don't even need to pluck it out of a drawer.

 

[Gloom-is-good]

I dunno about best question, but the best answer I've ever heard was to "If you were in a shortstack of pancakes which would you be and why?"

"THE TOP ONE SO I WOULD GET ALL THE SYRUP FOR MYSELF"

I asked the lead singer of my favorite band last night this question. He said the bottom because of all the syrup and I told he was wrong

 

[shortkut]

I asked the lead singer of my favorite band last night this question. He said the bottom because of all the syrup and I told he was wrong

I guess it depends on how much syrup. If it overflows, the bottom gets to soak it all up and stays syrupy the longest, also eaten last

 

[Kat]

I'd pick the bottom pancake because the other pancakes would become a syrupy weighted blanket. Imagine how cozy it is.