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Having employees who know how to work together as a team is an important part of your company’s success.
When you have employees who are able to collaborate on projects or cooperate on a day-to-day basis, this helps boost employee morale overall.
Team building questions offer an effective way to help your employees get to know each other and establish a rapport, which helps build trust in the workplace.
So in this article, we will briefly list 45 questions you can use to break the ice at work.
But first, let’s start with a quick definition.
What are Team Building Questions?
How much do you know about your employees? How much do your employees know about each other?
Getting to know each other is an essential part of bonding and creating an environment that encourages employees to work as a team.
Team building questions provide simple ways to break the ice and get employees to talk about themselves. From work-related questions to questions about personal interests, you can use these to develop a teamwork mindset.
When you’re thinking of team building questions to ask as icebreakers, keep in mind that you should avoid any that might be too personal or stressful.
For example, avoid asking employees about their failures and weaknesses or what they would change about their job or workplace. These questions can have the opposite effect and cause employees to avoid opening up or participating.
There are different types of team building questions you might consider asking your employees. These can range from “what if” and “either/or” questions to serious, humorous, or background questions.
The following 45 icebreakers can help you get started on coming up with team building questions to ask.
45 Team Building Questions and Icebreakers
- What was your dream job when you were a kid?
- What was your favorite childhood vacation?
- What TV shows did you love watching as a kid?
- What was your first pet?
- What was your favorite class in school?
- If you were stuck on a desert island, what three items would you want with you?
- If you could have any historical figure as a co-worker, who would be on your team?
- If you could star in a movie, what would it be about?
- If you could invent a new flavor of ice cream, what would it be?
- If you wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
- Would you rather go on a cruise or stay in a mountain cabin for vacation?
- Do you prefer spring or fall?
- Are you more of a coffee drinker or a tea drinker?
- Would you rather curl up with a book for hours or binge a TV series?
- Do you prefer board games or video games?
- Would you rather sing or dance?
- What was your most memorable birthday?
- What is your favorite type of breakfast food?
- If you could pick one album to listen to on repeat for a day, what would it be?
- Can you play any musical instruments?
- What kinds of toppings do you love to order on pizza?
- Have you ever met a famous person?
- If you had to decorate your home in one color, what would you choose?
- Have you ever traveled by boat or train?
- What was the last concert you went to?
- How many siblings do you have?
- What is your favorite quote from a show or movie?
- Who has been your biggest inspiration?
- If you could take up a new hobby, what would you choose?
- What superhero power would you want?
- What is the most unusual food combination you’ve ever had?
- What is the best advice you’ve ever heard?
- If you had an extra hour every day, what would you spend it doing?
- Where are your favorite local places to go for outdoor recreation?
- What scent do you like the most?
- Are you more of a morning person or a night person?
- If you were able to master a skill instantly, what skill would you choose?
- What is one of your biggest pet peeves?
- What are you most grateful for in life?
- What is your favorite part of your workday?
- What accomplishment are you the most proud of in your life?
- If you could have any car, what would you drive?
- Do you know any other languages?
- What is your favorite holiday tradition?
- Do you prefer cooking meals or baking desserts?
Final Thoughts on Team-Building Questions
Now that you have an idea of what kinds of team building questions to ask, where and how should you use them?
You can use these questions at formal team building events that your workplace holds, but you can also use them in a more casual or informal setting.
Consider writing one question per day on a whiteboard that everyone can see, or ask a few of these questions at meetings to help employees feel more comfortable with each other.
You can also include team building questions in workplace newsletters or daily emails. Your overall goal is creating a workplace environment filled with trust.
Hope this article helps your team take that next step toward building that trust.
And if you're looking for more ideas, be sure to check out these articles:
- 99 Fun Two Truths and a Lie Game Examples & Ideas
- 17 Team Building Problem Solving Activities & Exercises
- 31 Team Building Activities for Teens to Build Camaraderie
Finally, if you want to ask better questions, then watch this short, 20-minute course to learn how to have a great conversation with virtually anyone.
