Breaking the Ice

Finish the sentence: “When I was in high school, you would have found me…”

How would you answer?

Every year my board of directors and their spouses gather together for a Christmas dinner. At occasions like this, I love to propose a question everyone answers around the table. Last year I used the one above.

The responses revealed a lot:

“Behind the P.E. shed smoking.”

“At the ice-skating rink after school.”

“Traveling with the debate team.”

“With my boyfriend.”

I love creative questions that “break the ice” and help people open up in intimate group settings. I use questions like this with teenagers in small groups. I even use them with my family around the table.

Some of my favorites:

“What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?

“What was the biggest lie someone told you?”

“What is one thing you can do, that you are pretty sure no one else in this group can do?”

“If you could cure one illness, what would it be?”

“What is the best birthday present you can imagine receiving and who would you want to receive it from?”

“What is the greatest song ever written, and by whom?”

“If they made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?”

What about you? What are some questions that you use that help “break the ice”?