Icebreaker Games For A New Team: 18 First Meeting Ideas

A first meeting has one job: making it slightly less awkward to speak up in the second one. That's it. An icebreaker that tries to do more than that usually makes it worse.

These are ordered from lowest pressure upwards, so you can pick to suit the room.

Lowest pressure - one sentence each

• Name, role, and one thing you're good at that isn't work.
• Where you are right now and what the weather's doing - dull on paper, works on a call.
• One word for how the week is going. No explanation required.
• What you'd be doing if you weren't doing this job.
• Your first ever job, and how long you lasted.

Name games that actually help

• Name plus a fact starting with the same letter - Priya who plays padel. People remember it.
• The name chain: each person repeats everyone before them. Ten people maximum.
• Photo names: everyone's photo on a slide, spend two minutes learning them, then a quiz.
• Preferred name and pronunciation, said twice by the person themselves. Small, and it matters.

Getting people talking to each other

• Pairs for three minutes, then introduce your partner to the group. Easier than talking about yourself.
• Two truths and a lie, everyone votes.
• Common ground in small groups: five non-work things everyone shares.
• This or that - tea or coffee, early or late, beach or mountains - people physically move to a side of the room.
• Desert island disc: one song, one reason, thirty seconds.

Icebreakers to avoid

• Anything asking about family, relationships or home life. It excludes people and it's not your business.
• 'Share something nobody here knows about you' - a trap for anyone with a private life.
• Physical contact games. Never, in a work setting.
• Anything that takes longer than the meeting it's opening.
• Making the newest, most junior person go first. Go last to first, or volunteer yourself.

Shop thank you and leaving cards

How to write it so it lands

• Go first yourself and keep your answer short - you set the length.
• Never ask about home life.
• One round only. Icebreakers are a warm-up, not the meeting.

Where to shop next

• Work team building games
• Remote and virtual team games
• Games for an away day or conference
• Games for a leaving do or retirement party
• Games for a work BBQ or family fun day
• Two-minute games to start a meeting
• Work quiz rounds (non-Christmas)
• Training day games adults won't hate
• Office games HR won't object to
• Office Christmas party games
• Board games hub
• Quiz questions and rounds
• Free feel good tools
• Shop leaving and thank you cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What's a good icebreaker for a first team meeting?

Name, role and one thing you're good at that isn't work. It takes thirty seconds per person, gives everyone something safe to say, and usually produces one genuinely interesting fact.

What icebreakers work for a shy team?

Pairs before the group - three minutes talking to one person, then introduce each other. Speaking about someone else is far easier than speaking about yourself, and it means nobody addresses the room cold.

What icebreaker questions should you avoid at work?

Anything touching family, relationships, health, money or 'something nobody knows about you'. Keep it to work history, preferences and hobbies so nobody has to decide how much to disclose on the spot.

How long should an icebreaker take?

Five to ten minutes for a team of ten. If the icebreaker is longer than the first agenda item, you've got the balance wrong.

Do you sell team building kits or games?

No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. Every game here runs with what's already in the room, and the only products on this page are our own cards.