Icebreakers

Icebreakers for networking events

Questions to open a conversation with someone you have just met at an event — better than “what do you do?”, and with a polite way out.

10 questionsAn event, conference or meetup where you are talking to strangers.
Other occasions

The questions, and why each one works

  1. What are you working on at the moment that you are excited about?
    • It gets to the same information as “what do you do?” but people answer it with more energy.
  2. What brought you here today?
    • Everyone has an answer, and it tells you what they are hoping to find.
  3. Who would you like to meet while you are here?
    • If you know that person, introduce them. It is the most memorable thing you can do at an event.
  4. What is the best session you have been to so far?
    • Shared ground at a conference, and you might learn which talk to catch.
  5. What problem are you trying to solve right now?
    • People like talking about a real problem, and you might be able to help.
  6. How did you get into your line of work?
    • Most people have a better story than their job title suggests.
  7. What is something you would like to learn this year?
    • Forward-looking and positive, and often leads somewhere.
  8. Have you been to this before? What is it usually like?
    • Perfect for first-timers: it lets the other person be the expert.
  9. What keeps you busy outside work?
    • A way off work talk when it runs dry, and a route to things in common.
  10. Who else should I talk to while I am here?
    • The polite way to end a conversation — and you often get a useful introduction.

How to run it

Ask one question, then listen properly. People remember being listened to far longer than what you said.

If you are running the event, put questions on cards and ask pairs to swap every five minutes. A question in hand removes the awkward start.

End with “who else should I talk to?” It gives both of you a graceful exit.

What to leave out

Leading with “What do you do?”

Fine, but it pushes the answer to a job title and the conversation to a dead end.

Pitching in the first minute

People back away. Ask first; there will be time to say what you do.

Holding someone too long

Five to ten minutes is plenty. Both of you came to meet more than one person.

Questions

What is a good question to start a networking conversation?

“What are you working on at the moment that you are excited about?” It invites a longer answer than a job title.

How do you end a networking conversation politely?

Ask who else you should talk to while you are there. It ends the talk and often leads to an introduction.

What if I am an introvert?

Ask one good question and let the other person talk. Listening is the part introverts are best at.

Icebreakers for other meetings

Team meetingsQuestions for the start of a regular team meeting — short enough for a weekly habit, and useful enough that the answers matter.Virtual meetingsIcebreakers built for video calls: ones that use the camera and the chat, survive a bad connection, and do not leave long silences.Welcoming a new team memberIcebreakers for the week someone joins: they help the new person learn how the team works, without putting them on the spot.Workshops and trainingIcebreakers for the start of a workshop or training day, chosen because the answers tell the person running it what the room needs.Large groupsIcebreakers for thirty people or more — all-hands, town halls, big classes — where going round the room is impossible.One-on-onesOpeners for one-on-one meetings between a manager and a member of their team — questions that start a real conversation rather than a status report.

Every occasion →

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