Virtual Ice Breakers: 50 Questions to Ask Your Remote Team

by Kelsey Arrington on May 26, 2022

It can be challenging to get to know your team members in a virtual environment. After all, remote employees have the unique challenge of communicating and collaborating across varying time zones and geographical locations. For most virtual teams, asynchronous communication is the norm, while synchronous chatter is typically reserved for virtual meetings; leaving little time to get to know one another. Sound familiar? Those who work on remote teams can find it rather difficult to connect with others on a personal level – which is why virtual team building is so important! In this post, we’ll explain the significance of remote team building and provide 50 engaging virtual ice breaker questions for you to share.

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5 Reasons Why Team Building Is Important

Each employee is unique and contributes something different to the company culture – which is why it’s important to really get to know your remote team members. Do you want to get to know your remote team members on a deeper level? Taking time to engage in a virtual team-building activity or ask an ice breaker question can make all the difference at your next virtual meeting. But, you already know that! It’s why you’re here.

The real question is, do you know why virtual team building is important? Beyond getting to know things about a team member’s personal life, hosting the occasional virtual team-building activity can have numerous benefits for your entire remote team. So, keep reading. Here are five reasons why team building is important for employees working remotely.

Virtual team building offers the opportunity for virtual team members to get to know one another.
Fun ice breaker questions can lead to interesting team-bonding moments.
Team building questions can help a new team member feel more integrated into the group – as folks tend to bond over commonalities.
Engaging ice breaker questions encourage team members to discuss their personal accomplishments and share them with the group.
Virtual games and other team-building activities can help remote teams keep creative juices flowing.

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10 Virtual Activities for Remote Teams

If you need to boost team morale, consider playing a virtual game or asking ice breaker questions during your next conference call. Better yet, plan an activity! If you don’t know where to start, that’s okay. Here are 10 ideas to get you going:

Engage in a debate over a mundane but controversial topic like if pineapples belong on a pizza. The outcome is sure to reveal a lot about your virtual team.
Share your favorite work-appropriate jokes, allowing each remote worker to have a turn.
Plan a virtual book or movie club and host a virtual meeting to review the content your team chooses to read or watch.
Play virtual bingo during your next video call. Set the stakes even higher by having a prize for the winning participant.
Host a virtual coffee chat or tea party and engage in casual conversation as folks prepare their favorite beverages.
Play the nostalgic game Simon Says.
Host a show-and-tell to learn more about each team member’s personality.
Divide your remote team into groups and try to solve riddles in a pre-determined amount of time or host a virtual scavenger hunt.
Craft a story with your remote team, with each member adding a word or two at a time.
Play virtual Pictionary, Charades, or a similar game that relies on visual or auditory clues.

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50 Engaging Virtual Ice Breaker Questions

What is the weirdest food you’ve ever tasted?
If you could talk to a historical figure or fictional character, who would it be and why?
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
What is your favorite juice?
Do you have a secret talent? If so, would you mind sharing it with the team?
What inspires you? How do you brainstorm?
What activities do you engage in to de-stress from the workday?
What is the worst movie you’ve ever seen?
If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
What song drives you insane? Name a tune that you hate.
What is your favorite book?
Do you have any new hobbies that you want to dedicate time to?
What is a strange food combination that you love?
What is the most embarrassing fashion trend that you’ve participated in?
How many countries have you been to?
How many cups of coffee do you drink on a daily basis?
Did you have an imaginary friend growing up?
Do you have a bucket list? If so, have you crossed anything off on your bucket list?
What does your morning routine consist of?
Name your favorite movie. How many times have you viewed that movie?
What new skills do you want to learn in the next 2-5 years?
If you had to pick a vegetable to describe your personality, which vegetable would it be?
If you were a shoe, what type would you be and what color?
What song(s) do you know by heart?
Do you prefer coffee or tea?
What’s one food that you’ll always love?
What’s one food that you refuse to eat?
What television shows are you watching at the moment?
Do you celebrate Halloween? If so, what’s your favorite costume to date?
Who was your first celebrity crush?
What do you love most about working remotely?
What’s your go-to podcast?
What’s one new professional skill that you want to learn in the coming year?
What does your dream house look like?
Are you a cat person, dog person, or iguana person?
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Do you prefer a cone or a bowl of ice cream?
What was your favorite class in high school?
Do you watch reality tv shows? If so, which ones?
What quarantine purchase are you most proud of?
What is your all-time favorite food?
If you had to be a superhero, who would you be?
What quarantine purchase are you most embarrassed about?
If you were a supervillain, who would you be?
If you could teleport right now, where would you go?
If you could have dinner with anyone in the world tonight, dead or alive, who would it be?
Would you rather give up social media or give up coffee?
Describe the perfect pizza. What toppings would you put on it?
What’s your favorite word in your native language and what does it mean?
Would you rather be rich or famous?
What is the most thoughtful gift you’ve ever received?