Icebreaker questions
120 icebreaker questions for a video call with someone new
From easy openers to deeper questions, written for meeting strangers on video. Ask one, then follow up on the answer. That's the whole trick.
Chatingly's own deck
The 30 questions behind our icebreaker button
During a call on Chatingly, the icebreaker button drops one of these into the chat for both of you to answer.
- What's the best thing that happened to you this week?
- If you could live anywhere for a year, where would it be?
- What's a hill you're willing to die on?
- What's the most useless talent you have?
- Pineapple on pizza: yes or absolutely not?
- What song have you had on repeat lately?
- What's the weirdest food you've ever tried?
- If you had a warning label, what would it say?
- What's your go-to karaoke song?
- What's something you're irrationally afraid of?
- Which fictional character would you be best friends with?
- What's the best advice you've ever received?
- Morning person or night owl? Defend your answer.
- What's a small thing that instantly makes your day better?
- If you could master any skill overnight, what would it be?
- What's the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
- What would your dream job be if money didn't matter?
- What's the most spontaneous thing you've ever done?
- Cats, dogs, or something weirder?
- What's a movie you can watch over and over?
- What's the strangest dream you remember?
- If your life was a TV show, what would it be called?
- What's one thing on your bucket list?
- What's your most controversial food opinion?
- If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who?
- What's a trend you just don't get?
- What app do you waste the most time on?
- What's the best concert or event you've been to?
- Would you rather explore space or the deep ocean?
- What's something you're proud of but rarely get to talk about?
More questions
90 more, by mood
Light and easy openers
- Where are you calling from, and what's it like there right now?
- What does a normal day look like for you?
- What's the weather doing where you are?
- What did you have for dinner (or breakfast) today?
- Are you studying, working, or something in between?
- What's something you're looking forward to this month?
- How did you spend last weekend?
- What's the view from your window right now?
- What's the most-used app on your phone?
- What's your favorite time of day, and why?
- What word would your friends use to describe you?
- Do you have any pets? Can I meet them?
- What's a hobby you picked up recently?
- What's the best thing about where you live?
- Are you more of a planner or a last-minute person?
Funny and a little silly
- What's the most embarrassing song you secretly love?
- If animals could talk, which would be the rudest?
- What would you name a boat if you had one?
- What's the worst haircut you've ever had?
- If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?
- What's the silliest thing that has ever made you cry?
- If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- Which fictional world would you most want to live in?
- What would your superhero name be?
- What's the worst gift you've ever received?
- If you could only speak in quotes from one movie, which movie?
- What's your most irrational pet peeve?
- What's the weirdest thing in the room you're in right now?
- Which emoji do you use way too much?
- If you were a kitchen appliance, which one would you be?
Would you rather
- Would you rather always be 10 minutes late or 20 minutes early?
- Would you rather live without music or without movies?
- Would you rather speak every language or play every instrument?
- Would you rather have a rewind button or a pause button for your life?
- Would you rather be famous or be best friends with someone famous?
- Would you rather give up social media or TV for a year?
- Would you rather live in the mountains or by the sea?
- Would you rather travel to the past or the future?
- Would you rather have free food for life or free travel for life?
- Would you rather talk to animals or read minds?
- Would you rather lose your phone or your wallet?
- Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or a hundred duck-sized horses?
Travel and places
- What's the best place you've ever been to?
- If a free plane ticket appeared right now, where would you go?
- What do tourists always get wrong about your city?
- What's a food from your country everyone should try?
- What's the farthest you've ever been from home?
- Beach holiday, city break or road trip?
- What's a festival where you live that outsiders don't know about?
- What's the most beautiful place in your country?
- Have you ever lived somewhere else? What was it like?
- What's one thing about your culture you're proud of?
- Where do people in your town go on weekends?
- What's the travel story you always end up telling?
Music, movies and games
- What's the last show you binge-watched?
- Which song should play when you walk into a room?
- What's a movie everyone loves that you don't?
- What was the first song or album you were obsessed with?
- Which game have you put the most hours into?
- Which artist would you most like to see live?
- What's a book or movie that changed how you think?
- What's your go-to song when you need energy?
- Which TV character are you most like?
- What's one anime, K-drama or series you'd recommend to a stranger?
- What's the worst movie you've ever sat through to the end?
- What game were you unbeatable at as a kid?
Food
- What's the best street food where you live?
- Spicy food: how hot is too hot?
- What's a dish you can cook really well?
- What's the strangest food combination you love?
- What do people eat for breakfast where you are?
- Which snack would you take to a desert island?
- What's the best meal you've ever had?
- Sweet tooth or savory?
A little deeper
- What's something you changed your mind about recently?
- What's a goal you're working toward right now?
- What's the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you?
- What would you tell your 15-year-old self?
- What's something you're grateful for today?
- What does a perfect day look like for you?
- What's a fear you've overcome?
- What skill would you like to be known for?
- What's something people often misunderstand about you?
- If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
For language practice
- How do you say “nice to meet you” in your language?
- What's a word in your language that has no English translation?
- What's a phrase people say all the time where you live?
- Which language would you love to learn next?
- What's the hardest part of learning English (or your second language)?
- Can you teach me a tongue twister in your language?
How to use them
Make an icebreaker turn into a conversation
An icebreaker only gets you the first answer. What happens next is up to you. Three habits make the difference:
- Follow up on the answer. If they say their perfect day starts with cricket, ask who they play with, not your next question from the list.
- Answer it yourself. Share your own answer after theirs. It turns a quiz into a conversation.
- Match the mood. Start light. Save “what would you tell your 15-year-old self?” for when you've both been laughing for a few minutes.
When the conversation runs out, try a game instead of another question: This or That is seven quick choices that show how much you have in common, and Two Truths & a Lie gets people telling their best stories.
FAQ
Icebreaker questions: FAQ
What is a good icebreaker question for a stranger?
One that's easy to answer, a little personal but not private, and leads to a story. “What's the best thing that happened to you this week?” works far better than “how are you?”, which only gets “good, you?”.
How many icebreaker questions should I ask?
One or two, then follow up on the answers. Icebreakers start a conversation; the follow-up questions about what the person just said are what keep it going.
What questions should I avoid with strangers?
Anything about their body or looks, their exact location, school or workplace, their phone number or social media, money, and “asl?” (age, sex, location). They make people uncomfortable, and on a video chat they get you skipped.
Can I use these questions on Chatingly?
Yes. During a call, the icebreaker button drops a random question from the first list on this page into the chat for both of you. Or just ask any of the others out loud.
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