“My name is Quinn, I’m a sophomore, I’m a public health major, and I’m from Portland, OR.” I can’t tell you how many times I have said that same sentence, whether it was at a club meeting, dorm event, or sports practice. It’s the dreaded get-to-know-you, where you go around the circle and state your name, year, major, hometown, and-- occasionally-- the answer to a “fun” question, like your favorite ice cream or color. Woohoo, how exciting. I’m here to save you from this dreaded repetition, and to introduce you to 10 icebreaker questions aimed at getting everyone out of their shell. The first few are suggested for groups that may be meeting for the first time, whereas the last few are recommended for closer communities.
1. What is a hidden talent you have?
This is my play-on a “fun fact”, but a bit more direct. I don’t want to ever hear another person say their fun fact is that they went to Canada last summer. No offense, but BORING! I want to learn something about that person, not take a look at their passport! A hidden talent can be something as small as “I can roll my tongue” to as big as “I can rotate my head 360 degrees like an owl."
2. Would you rather travel back to 1900 or travel forward to 2100?
Although this may seem like it would result in a single sentence answer, I’ve heard some compelling reasoning behind some people's choices.
3. Which character are you in Friends?
If anyone hasn’t watched enough Friends to answer this question— well— first of all, that’s just sad and second, it’s their loss. If you are speaking to a broader audience, you can generalize it to “Disney character” or “tv show character.”
4. Are you a pen or a pencil?
No further explanation needed. Let people just go with it.
5. What item of clothing (or accessory) would you never be caught dead wearing?
I’ve heard some, we’ll say, interesting answers to this question. It lets people use their imagination and reveal as much about themselves as they want.
6. If you were a dog, what breed would you be?
No need for extensive dog breed information for this one. Someone could answer with “I’d be one of those tiny yappy ones because I’m short and I talk a lot.”
7. If you were a pair of underwear, what would you look like?
People take this one in all different directions, whether they stay surface level (“I would be pink because it’s my favorite color”) or go deep (“I would have double knotted ties on the sides because it represents how hard it is for me to open up.”)
8. What’s the best pickup line you’ve heard?
This is better suited for those groups where everyone is comfortable speaking candidly.
9. What is one quality you see in others that you yourself lack?
This one can get pretty serious; again, some could say “I wish I was funny” whereas others may say “I wish I had high self-esteem.”
10. If you could go back in time and change one thing in your past, what would it be?
This is a question for a closer group, as many of the changes people make would involve a powerful experience or prominent issue in their life.
