Garen's Icebreakers 2021

If you've ever been in the same room as me, you know I'm all about connecting.

I start every meeting with an ice breaker. It's as much for me as it is for the audience. It allows everyone to let loose, connect as humans, create some trust and psychological safety and mostly, it's fun! 

For those of you who feel your meetings are getting boring, redundant, lack energy or psychological safety, here's Garen's list of great questions.

I'll come back and update these regularly. Feel free to modify them as you see fit. I rarely follow a script, neither should you.

TIP: the best questions are those that are asked by the audience. That's why I ask all my clients to come to a session prepared with a great question to spark the conversation. I highly recommend you do the same ;)

ENJOY!!

• You can have any superpower, what do you choose?
• You can ask God [or have the answer to] any one question, what do you ask?
• You can time travel to any year, past or future. What year do you visit?
• If you could have a four day work week, which day would you take off?
• You can solve one mystery, which do you choose?
• You can learn any one language instantly, which do you learn? 
• Favourite chocolate bar
• You’re heading to a desert island. What/who do you bring?
• • One person
  • One food/dish
  • One book
  • One album
• What’s your most treasured memory? Why?
• What’s the best advice you’ve ever given someone?
• What’s the best advice anyone has given you? Who gave it?
• If you can give yourself permission to do anything you wanted, what would it be?
• If you could eliminate (or add) one thing from your daily routine, what would it be and why?
• Which movie or TV character most resembles you?
• Which movie or TV character would you like to be for a day?
• If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be?
• What’s the most embarassing story you’re willing to share with anyone?
• What’s the scariest moment of your life?
• What was one of the most exciting/happiest moments of your life?
• What’s the next thing to do on your bucket list?
• Favorite dessert?
• Favorite TV show?
• Favorite band?
• Favorite movie?
• Favorite sandwich?
• What do you miss most about being a teenager?
• Who would you like to have lunch with and what would you ask them?
• Name one strength and one growth opportunity for yourself
• If you can delete any one thing from earth, what would it be and why
• What’s your biggest What If?
• What would someone from the 1500s be most impressed of today?
• If you were to meet your future self one year from now, what would impress you the most about a personal achievement?
• What do you do out of love and fear?
• What’s holding you back? What’s propelling you?
• If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, which would it be?
• Your doctor says you have to stop eating everything you enjoy for a year. What’s your last meal?
• What would you do if you were not in your current career?
• What’s your greatest “what if” question? (Ex: what if we are the universe experiencing itself on a quest of self-awareness and self-understanding, and the purpose of life is to answer the question “who am I” on behalf of the universe because we are the universe?)
• Remember when you wanted what you currently have. What memory stands out? What did you have then that you don’t have now?
• If you could say one sentence to your 21 year old self, what would you say?
• If you had a time machine, which would you visit? Past or future? Why
• If you can change one thing in the course of human history, what would it be?
• If you can change one thing about humanity, what would it be?
• Which false expectation was the cause of your greatest disappointment in life?
• If you were starting college today, what program would you consider?
• If you could change one things about your current reality, what would that be?
• What’s one change that occured in your lifetime that resulted in a positive outcome?
• Think of the last time you went through a major transformation. What was the catalyst?
• If you had a code of excellence, what 10 words would be at the top of the list?
• Think of a great suffering in your life, how have you grown from it?
• If you can change only ONE thing about your reality, what would it be?
• What is your greatest achievement?
• What advice would you like to give yourself today?
• You find out that there’s no life after death. How does your life change?
• Reincarnation by choice exists. What do you come back as?
• You find out that there is life after death. How does your life change?
• You can be the world’s greatest at any one thing. What would it be?
• If you could be a Master at any one thing, what would that be?
• You are mandated to spend $1B towards the betterment of the world. What do you do?
• You can change one thing about your life that isn’t wealth. What would you change?
• What would your occupation be if you had followed your childhood dreams?
• If life expectancy expanded to 150 years, what’s one thing that would change about life?
• If you were filthy rich, what completely unnecessary but cool/strange thing would you buy?
• What invention has done more harm than good?
• What invention has had the most positive impact?
• What would it take to make you 100% happy?
• If you had to sell something you can make or do (product or service) for others, what would it be?
• Who is one of your heroes? Why? If you could apply one of their traits to your life, which would it t be?
• When you think of _____, what one belief/perception/truth comes to mind? Why?
• What did you love to do between the ages of 7 and 12? (good for retirement activity discovery)
• Name something that improved your life so much, you wish you did it sooner.
• What’s the best decision you ever made?
• What one decision or change of attitude changed the course of your life?
• What struggle invigorates you?
• You travel to the past and you meet your grandparents: what do you tell them? Ask them?
• You travel to the future and meet your great great grandchildren: what do you ask them? Tell them?
• What is a perfectly rational sentence that you might say today that, if said 20 years ago, would be considered insane?
• What life-changing item can you buy for less than $100?
• If you were transported to the year 1900, what could you invent with the knowledge you have now that would make you successful?
• Ice cream vs sorbet. Fav flavour
• Dog vs cat
• Coffee or tea
• Teleportation or flying
• Salt vs sweet. Favourite food from selection?
• House on beach or mountainside
• One year paid vacation or double your salary for a year?
• In full safety, Space shuttle to the moon or submarine to Mariana trench?
• Morning, mid-day, afternoon or evening?
• Beer, wine, hard or none?
• If you can only choose one, would you choose to be great at what you do or passionate about it?
• Which do you prefer, Diversity or Mastery? Quantiy vs Quality (Careers, Relationships etc) What would Mastery look like for you?
• One year paid vacation, lifetime free food and drinks or $75k cash
• What cartoon from your childhood will always have a special place in your heart?
• Name a food (other than hotdogs) that seems perfectly fine until you realize how it's made… 
• What brings you joy?
• What do you dip your fries in?
• Growing up, which person in your age group did you think was a leader? Why?
• What’s one thing that you love…about you?