In order to create a trusting and productive work environment, it is important for teams to be able to build trust between each other. However, this can be difficult when team members don’t know how to start the conversation.
Team-building questions might seem like they have nothing to do with work, but they actually provide insight into how someone thinks and solves problems. By getting to know each other on a personal level, team members can develop trust and confidence in each other which will carry over into the workplace.
So go ahead and ask your co-workers any of the below questions for team-building – who knows, you might even learn something new about them!
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What are team-building questions?
Team-building questions are designed to help team members get to know each other better and to promote communication and collaboration. However, not all team-building questions are created equal.
They can be used in team meetings, team-building exercises, or simply as icebreakers. While there are many different team-building questions that can be asked, some of the most popular include: “What is your favorite thing about working on this team?” and “What is your biggest challenge when working on this team?”
Asking group members these types of questions can help team members bond with each other and build a stronger sense of trust. Ultimately, team-building questions can help teams work together more effectively by fostering a greater sense of connection and camaraderie.
How do introduce team-building questions?
Introducing fun team-building questions can be a tricky business. On the one hand, you want to make sure everyone is on the same page and getting along. On the other hand, you don’t want to come off as too intense or like you’re trying to force things.
A good way to strike the right balance is to keep things light and fun. Make sure your team-building questions are mostly about getting to know each other better and building rapport. Once you’ve got everyone to loosen up a bit, you can start to introduce more challenging questions that will help the team bond and work together more effectively.
Either way, team-building questions can be a great way to bring your team closer together – just make sure to do it in a fun way!
Types of team-building questions
Team bonding questions can be a great way to get everyone on the same page. However, not all team-building questions are created equal. Here are a few of the most popular types of fun team-building questions, and how to use them effectively:
Personal Guilty Pleasure Icebreaker Questions
1. What is your all-time favorite guilty pleasure food?
2. What TV show do you love that others make fun of you for watching?
3. What celebrity do you have a major crush on, even though you know they’re not “good for you?”
4. Who is your favorite band or musician that you’re embarrassed to admit you like?
5. What one movie do you love that everyone else seems to hate?
6. What style of clothing do you love that other people think is tacky or ugly?
7. What hobby do you love even though it’s not considered “cool?”
8. What kind of food do you love that other person think is gross?
9. Is there a particular type of couple that you think is really adorable, even though others find them annoying?
10. Do you have any beauty products that you love even though they’re not fashionable?
Music, Movie, and Book-Related Icebreaker Questions for Work
1. What’s your favorite album right now?
2. Who’s your favorite musician?
3. Who would you want to play in a movie about your life?
4. What is your favorite cartoon character?
5. What’s your favorite song from a movie?
6. What’s your favorite character from the fictional world?
7. Who’s your favorite author?
8. What’s your favorite talk show?
9. Which fictional character do you most identify with?
10. How many books do you read in a year, on average?
11. What is your favorite genre of movie?
Travel-Themed Office Icebreaker Questions
1) Do you prefer to travel solo or with others?
2) What’s the furthest from your home you have ever been?
3)If you could hop on a plane right now, where would you go?
4) What’s the most interesting place you’ve been?
5) What was the best part of your last vacation?
6) What’s your dream vacation destination?
7) Have you ever had a less-than-stellar travel experience?
8) Who is your favorite travel companion?
9) What’s the best way to combat jet lag?
10) Are you a beach, city, or mountain type of traveler?
Weird and Outrageous Office Icebreaker Questions
1. If you could trade places with anyone in the world, who would it be?
2. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
3. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
4. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen?
5. Have you ever had a dream that came true?
6. What’s the funniest coincidence that’s ever happened to you?
7. If you could travel back in time, where would you go?
8. If you could be reincarnated as anything, what would it be?
9. If money was no object, what would you do with your life?
10. What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled?
Food-Related Office Creative Questions
1. What’s your favorite breakfast food?
2. Do you like to eat at your desk or away from it?
3. What is the weirdest food that you’ve ever eaten?
4. What’s your favorite food that you can cook as well?
5. Pretend you’re the team leader for a day, what food would you order for the break room?
6. What’s your favorite potluck dish to bring to work parties?
7. What would be your dream office lunch – free reign on anything! 8. Are there any foods you refuse to eat?
9. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
10. What’s your favorite food-related story? (Could be about a time you tripped over while carrying a plate of cookies, or the best restaurant you’ve ever been to, etc.)
Unique Icebreaker Questions for Dream Job
1. What is the best thing about your job?
2. What is on your bucket list?
3. What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
4. What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?
5. What are the most common misconceptions about your job?
6. What is the best advice you’ve ever received about your job?
7. What is the worst advice you’ve ever received about your job?
8. If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
9. What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your job?
10. What are some of the highlights of your job?
11. What are some of the lowlights of your worst job?
History-Themed Team-Building Icebreaker Questions
1. If you could relive any moment in history, what would it be?
2. If you could trade places with any historical figure, who would it be?
3. If you could meet any figure from history, who would it be?
4. What is your favorite historical figure from history?
5. What is your favorite movie about history?
6. What event in history would you like to have witnessed?
7. Pretend that time travel is possible. Where and when would you go?
8. What do you think life was like for people in the past?
9. What current event do you think will be considered historical someday?
10. Do you have any family members or ancestors who were alive during a momentous time in history? If so, what do they remember about it?
Pop Culture-Themed Team-Building Icebreaker Questions
1. If your life were a movie, what would the soundtrack be like?
2. If you could instantly be fluent in any language, what would it be?
3. What reality TV show would you most like to compete on?
4. What character from a movie makeover would you like to have?
5. Who would you want to play in a movie about your life?
6. What was your favorite cartoon character growing up?
7. If you could trade places with anyone in the world, who would it be?
8. What’s your favorite comic book or graphic novel?
9. Who was your first celebrity crush?
10. Are unicorns real? Why or why not?
"Would You Rather" funny Icebreaker Questions
1. Would you rather have superhuman strength or the ability to read people’s thoughts?
2. Would you rather be able to fly or be able to turn invisible?
3. Would you rather have a pool full of jellybeans or a pool full of cake batter?
4. Would you rather live in a world with no music or a world with no color?
5. Would you rather have a pet unicorn or a pet dragon?
6. Would you rather be able to speak any language fluently or be able to teleport?
7. Would you rather have a heart of gold or a mind like a steel trap?
8. Would you rather have a talking pet or a pet that understands human speech?
9. Would you rather live in the past or the future?
10. Would you rather be able to talk to animals or talk to plants?
11. Would you rather have the worst enemy describe your morning routine to the whole world or spend a year in jail?
Hobby-Themed Team-Building Icebreaker Questions
1. What’s your favorite hobby?
2. How long have you been doing it?
3. What made you start?
4. Are there any other hobbies you’re interested in trying out? Why haven’t you started yet?
5. What’s the most challenging thing about it?
6. What are the benefits of doing it?
7. Have you ever competed in anything related to your hobby? If so, how did you do?
8. Do you follow any blogs, YouTube channels, or Instagram accounts dedicated to your hobby? Who are your favorites?
9. What was the most recent project you worked on related to your hobby? Can we see it?
Debatable Team-Building Icebreaker Questions
1. Do you think that extraterrestrial life exists?
2. Do you believe that everyone has the ability to be happy?
3. Is it better to live in a big city or a small town?
4. Would you rather have superhuman strength or the ability to read people’s thoughts?
5. Do you think that money can buy happiness?
6. Do you believe that fate or destiny governs our lives?
7. Is it better to know as much as possible or to never know anything at all?
Holiday-Themed Team-Building Icebreaker Questions
1. What is your favorite holiday?
2. What is your favorite holiday food?
3. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
4. What is the best gift you’ve ever received for a holiday?
5. What was the worst present you’ve ever received for a holiday?
6. What is your favorite holiday-themed movie?
7. What is your holiday-themed favorite song?
8. What is the best Christmas/Hanukkah/etc. a party you’ve ever been to?
9. The worst Christmas/Hanukkah/etc. a party you’ve ever been to?
Meeting Team-Building Icebreaker Questions
1. What’s something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done yet?
2. Do you have any pets? If not, what kind of pet would you like to have?
3. Who is your hero or personal role model? Why?
4. What are your favorite sports teams?
5. Do you have any siblings or children? How many and what are their ages/names/etc.?
6. What is your favorite board game?
7. Where did you grow up/where do you live now?
8. Did you go to college/trade school/etc.? What did/do you study/major in there?
9. What kind of work do you do now and how long have you been doing it (or how long did you do it for if you don’t currently work there)?
10. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done?
11. Are you comfortable with a one-on-one meeting with your remote teams?
Trivia Questions for Team Building Activity
1. What is the capital of Latvia?
2. What is the world’s largest desert?
3. What country is both the smallest by land area and has the smallest population?
4. Which ocean has more coastline on it: the Atlantic or the Pacific?
5. How many time zones does China have?
6. What is the smallest country in the world by population?
7. The international date line runs through which ocean?
8. What is the driest place on Earth?
9. How many continents are there?
10. Mount Everest is located in which mountain range?
Values and Sense-of-Purpose Questions for Team Building
1. What is your team’s definition of success?
2. What are your team’s core values?
3. What is your team’s sense of purpose?
4. What motivates your team to achieve its goals?
5. How does your team work together to accomplish tasks?
6. How do team members provide support for one another?
7. What is your team’s communication style?
8. How does your team handle conflict?
9. How does your team deal with adversity?
10. What makes your team unique?
Problem-Solving Team Builder Questions
1. What is the best way to deal with a difficult customer?
2. How do you handle being assigned a project you know nothing about?
3. You’re working on a team project and one team member isn’t pulling their weight. What do you do?
4. One of your coworkers is constantly gossiping and causing drama. How do you deal with this person?
5. You’re feeling overwhelmed by your workload. What do you do?
6. You’re having a disagreement with a coworker about how to complete a task. How do you resolve the situation?
7. A team member confides in you that they are struggling with personal lives. How do you support them while still maintaining boundaries?
8. One of your coworkers is constantly making racist, sexist, or homophobic remarks. How do you confront them about this behavior?
9. You’re assigned to work on a project with someone you don’t get along with. How do you make the best of the situation?
10. Your company is going through layoffs and you’re worried about losing your job. What do you do?
Team Builder Questions about Personal Tastes, Hobbies, and Pastimes
1. Do you like to be surrounded by people or have some alone time?
2. How do you like your coffee?
3. Do you prefer the city or the country?
4. Do you prefer sweet or savory food?
5. What’s your favorite thing to do on a weekend?
6. Do you prefer hot or cold weather?
7. Do you have any morning routines?
8. What’s your favorite activity outside of work?
9. Do you prefer spending time with friends or family?
10. What’s your favorite family tradition?
11. What is your favorite video game?
12. Are you a dog person or a cat person?
13. Which is the latest fashion trend do you follow?
Hypothetical fun icebreaker Questions
1. If you could be any animal, what would you be?
2. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
3. If you could travel to any place in the world, where would it be?
4. If you could eat only 1 food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
5. If you could meet any person, living or dead, who would it be?
6. If you could own any pet, what would it be?
7. If you could have dinner with the most famous person, who would it be?
8. If you could explore any lost civilization, which one would you choose?
Virtual Work ice-breaker Questions
1. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
2. What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled with your remote team?
3. What’s your favorite movie quote?
4. What would be your dream vacation spot?
5. What’s your favorite piece of advice?
6. What’s the best way to procrastinate?
7. What are three things you would take with you if you were stranded on a desert island?
Throwback ice-breaker Questions
1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
2. If you could have any job in the entire world, what would it be?
3. What is your favorite TV show from childhood?
4. Who was your first celebrity crush?
5. What is your entrance theme song?
6. What is your favorite earliest childhood memory?
7. If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would be the first thing that you’d do?
8. If you could go back in time and relive any moment, what would it be
9. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
10. What is the best piece of advice your grandparents ever gave you?
11. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
12. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?
13. What is the best piece of advice your parents ever gave you?
14. If you could have any career in the world, what would it be?
15. What are some of your favorite movies from childhood?
16. 20 years from now, what do you see yourself doing?
Funny team-building Questions
1. If a chicken did not have any legs, would it still be able to swim?
2. If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
3. Why do we put shoes on our feet but not on our heads?
4. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
5. If you could take only ONE food item with you on a deserted island, what would it be?
6. How do they get the deer to cross at that yellow road sign?
7. What did Elmer Fudd say when he saw footprints going in circles in the woods?
8. Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
9. Do people in Australia call the rest of the world ‘upside down? Or do they just think we’re weird?
10. How come Superman could stop bullets with his chest but always ducked when someone threw a pistol at him?
11. What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
12. If all those calories I burned while jogging came back…would I be thin or simply better fed than before?!
13. Why doesn’t glue stick to its own container!?
14. Is my wheelbarrow breaking or am I just getting softer??
15. If money doesn’t grow on trees then why do banks have branches???
Common icebreaker team-building questions
1. How much does a swimming pool cost?
2. How often should I change my oil?
3. How many years does a car last?
4. What is the difference between all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive?
5. Should I buy a house or rent an apartment?
6. Is a college degree worth the cost?
7. How much money do I need to retire?
8. When should I start collecting Social Security benefits?
9. What is the best way to invest in retirement?
10. How can I reduce my taxes?
11. Are you a morning person or a night person?
12. Are you fine with late-night talk?
Growth and Development team-building Questions
1. What are some things you can do to encourage growth and development in your employees?
2. What are some techniques you can use to identify areas where employees need development?
3. How can you create a plan for employee development?
4. What are some ways you can measure the success of an employee development program?
5. What are some common obstacles to employee development?
6. How can you overcome these obstacles?
7. What role does management play in employee development?
8. What are some things managers can do to support employee development?
9. What is the difference between training and development?
10. What are some examples of training and development activities?
Aspirational team-building questions
1. What is your team’s ultimate goal?
2. What would your team be willing to do to achieve that goal?
3. What are your team’s core values?
4. What is your team’s biggest challenge?
5. What is your team’s greatest strength?
6. How can your team use its strengths to overcome its challenges?
7. How can your team become even more effective?
8. What is your team’s biggest opportunity?
9. How can your team best capitalize on that opportunity?
10. What is your team’s biggest threat?
11. How can your team mitigate that threat?
12. What else should we be asking ourselves?
Gratitude Team Building questions
1. What’s the best thing that happened to you this week?
2. What are you most grateful for rest of your life?
3. What was your biggest accomplishment this week?
4. Who helped you out this week?
5. What are your top 3 goals for next week?
6. What did you do for someone else this week?
7. What are you grateful for in your work?
8. Who has made the biggest impact on your life? Why?
9. What are you most proud of in your work?
10. What has been your biggest challenge at work? How did you overcome it?
11. Who do you admire most at work? Why?
12. How can expressing gratitude improve your life and work?
Feedback Team Building Questions
1. What was the last time you gave or received feedback that made you feel uncomfortable? How did you handle it?
2. What are some ways you think we could improve the way we give and receive feedback on our team?
3. What do you think is the biggest obstacle to giving and receiving feedback openly on our team?
4. What do you think would be the biggest benefit of giving and receiving feedback more openly on our team?
5. If you were feeling really struggling with something at work, who would you feel most comfortable going to for support and why?
6. Who do you think is the best at giving and receiving feedback on our team and why?
7. Is there anyone on our team whose feedback you really value and why?
8. Are there any topics that you feel are off-limits for giving or receiving feedback about? If so, why do you feel that way?
9. Do you think there are different rules for giving or receiving negative vs. positive feedback? If so, what are they?
10. What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone who’s struggling with giving or receiving feedback effectively?
Team- Building Questions about improving your company/department
1. How can we increase productivity to make a million dollars?
2. How can we better utilize our resources?
3. How can we improve communication?
4. How can we better motivate employees?
5. How can we foster a more positive work environment?
6. What other improvements would you like to see?
7. How can we reduce waste?
8. How can we better meet the needs of our customers or clients?
9. How can we increase sales or revenue to million dollars?
10. How can we reduce costs?
11. How do our competitors do it better than us?
12. What would our customers or clients say about us if they were asked for feedback?
13. What would happen if everyone took a longer lunch break?
14. What if we had more team-building activities in the next meeting?
15. What if we banned all forms of communication except virtual meetings?
16. Would it be possible to eliminate cubicles altogether?
17. How would our workdays be different if we started at 10 am instead of 9 am?
Helpful Discussion Questions for Team-Building Activities
1. What are some things you’re passionate about?
2. What motivates you to keep going when things get tough?
3. What are your favorite quotes or sayings?
4. What would be your dream job?
5. What are some of your hidden talents or skills?
6. What are some of your biggest accomplishments?
7. What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
8. What is your favorite place to go on vacation?
9. What are some of your hobbies or interests?
10. Tell me about a time when you were proud of yourself?
11. What do you like about your younger self?
Company Culture and Motivation Team- Building Questions
1. Do you feel like your opinion is valued at work?
2. What motivates our team to do their best work?
3. How do we reward employees for going above and beyond?
4. What makes our company culture unique?
5. How do we foster a sense of collaboration and teamwork?
6. How do we encourage new ideas and creativity?
7. How do we handle conflict within the team?
8. What kind of social activities do we have to build camaraderie?
9. How open are we to feedback from employees?
10. What career development opportunities are available for employees?
11. What motivates you to come to work each day?
12. What was your favorite thing about your first job?
13. What is the best thing about our company culture?
14. How do you feel about our company’s core values?
15. Do you feel like you have a good work/life balance?
16. How do you feel about our communication style?
18. Do you feel like you have the opportunity to grow and develop within the company?
19. Do you feel like our company is making a positive impact on the world?
Questions to address challenges, roadblocks, and concerns
1. Why is it taking me so long to achieve my goals?
2. Why do I keep procrastinating?
3. How will you know if you’ve successfully solved the problem?
4. How can I get out of my comfort zone?
5. How can I stay motivated for my morning routine?
6. How can I overcome my fears?
7. How can I learn from my mistakes?
8. What can I do to make things easier/better/simpler?
9. What are the consequences of the problem?
10. What are your options for solving the problem?
11. What are the pros and cons of each option?
12. What is the best course of action?
13. What are the risks and potential challenges associated with that course of action?
14. What are your contingency plans if something goes wrong?
How to Use Team Building Questions: Activities and Games
Trying to get your team to gel can sometimes feel like herding cats. You know it’s important for everyone to work together, but getting everyone on the same page can be a challenge. That’s where team-building questions come in.
By asking the right questions, you can get your team talking and start to build the communication and collaboration skills that are so essential for success. Of course, simply asking a question is not enough. You also need to make sure that you’re asking the right kinds of questions. Here are some tips to get you started:
1. Make sure that your questions are open-ended. That way, people will feel comfortable sharing their opinions and ideas.
2. Avoid yes or no questions. Instead, ask questions that require people to elaborate on their thoughts.
3. Try to ask questions that will get people thinking about their new team members in a different light. For example, you might ask them to share something they admire about another member of the team.
4. Be sure to encourage everyone to participate. No one wants to feel like they’re being put on the spot, so make it clear that everyone’s input is welcome and valued.
By following these tips, you can start using funny team-building questions to help your team work better together. And who knows? Maybe you’ll even have some fun in the process!