The 20 Ultimate Icebreakers in Any Situation

In our hyper-connected digital world, it seems to be increasingly difficult to break the ice when we face each other in real life. Networking event, meeting the new neighbors at the BBQ or a team-building exercise are all situations where you will meet people you don’t know. One of you needs to take the first step and break the ice.

Never fear! I have the 20 ultimate icebreakers for any situation to start a meaningful conversation with the people you interact with.

First impressions count

Yes, first impressions count. And while they say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, we really do need to take a deep breath, be authentic and go Nike—and just do it.

It’s always good to lead with questions, and open-ended ones that require more than a “yes” or “no” are always best. When you can get the other person talking, the pressure is off of you, and all you need to do is be an active listener. And, don’t forget to smile! They might forget the words you say, but a warm smile might just be the best icebreaker there is.

Icebreakers for one-on-one interaction

Here are some of my favorite icebreakers for one-on-one interactions. To ease you into it, let’s start off with the classics and gradually get a bit more bold.

• “Hello! I’m {name}, what brings you here today?”
• “Can you believe {talk about some interesting news}?
• Comment about something uncomfortable—long lines, cold or hot room, long day. 
• “Did you read {something making headlines}?
• “Did you catch the game last night?”
• If there’s food at the event, talk about it, “Have you tried the {insert food}?
• Remark about the location, “Do you know how long this place has been here?” “Have you been here before?” “I didn’t know about this place until this event, did you?”
• “How did you hear about this event?”
•  “WOW, we’re getting lots of information today. What’s your biggest takeaway.”
• “What do you see on the horizon for this year {business or industry specific}?”

Icebreakers by personality type or circumstance

• Wallflower: “Mind if I join you to people watch?”
• Introvert: “I can handle just about 30 minutes of this, and then I need to go somewhere quieter to regroup. How about you?”
• Comedian: “WOW, stay away from the {drink or food or location}.”
• Clueless: “Hey, is your name {insert name}?” It doesn’t matter if you really think you might have met this person before, a case of mistaken identity is always a good icebreaker.
• Life of the party: “Hey, do you mind if I join you over here? You seem to be a lot more fun than the group over there.”
• Lost: “Do you know where {the bathroom, breakout session, etc.} is?”
• Honesty: “I’m trying really hard to go outside my comfort zone and meet new people. Would you help?”

Icebreakers for a group event

In a group setting, people tend to gravitate to others they know or are comfortable with such as those in their same department. When you need to break down the walls in a group and get people talking to each other try one of these team-building icebreakers:

• Find 10 Things in Common: Number off everyone to get multiple groups of 5 or 6. Give each group 10-15 minutes to find out things they have in common such as hobbies, hometowns or favorite foods. HINT: It’s good to set a few ground rules before you start to prevent people from coming up with the obvious ones such as “We all have noses.” After the 10-15 minutes expire, get the larger group together and share what you found out about one another.
• Go nostalgic: Ask people to share something from their past. Describe their first car, first job, what extracurricular activities they did as a kid. There are always lots of chuckles and surprises when we go back and talk about our formative years.
• Go unusual: Ask people to share one thing others will probably not know about them. This opens things up for people and allows them to talk about their passions and hobbies outside of work.

This is my list of ultimate icebreakers in any situation. Feel free to simply copy it or use it as inspiration to come up with your own list. Some people find it really useful to print a list or store on in their phone as quick reminders for when they end up in a situation where they want to break the ice.

I would also love to hear from you about any other ice-breakers that have worked well for you. What’s your favorite? If it’s not on this list, tell me what I should add. 

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