Updated: January 25, 2023

17 Zoom Breakout Room Questions

Here is our list of the best Zoom breakout room questions.

Zoom breakout room questions are prompts that break up your online meeting and allow team members to express their thoughts and ideas. Examples include company trivia, icebreaker questions, and networking questions. The purpose of these activities is to increase employee engagement, brainstorm ideas, and give all team members time to speak.

These ideas are similar to team breakout session ideas, conference breakout session ideas, and large group icebreakers.

zoom-breakout-room-questions

This list includes:

  • breakout room discussion topics
  • breakout room icebreaker questions
  • funny Zoom breakout room questions
  • serious Zoom breakout room questions

Let’s get started!

List of Zoom breakout room questions

Incorporating questions into your Zoom breakout room is a great way to gather employee feedback, insights, and ideas. Here are our top Zoom breakout room questions for your next meeting.

1. Breakout room icebreaker questions

Icebreaker questions are a great addition to any team breakout session. The objective of icebreaker questions is to help team members find similarities with their coworkers.

Here are some icebreaker questions to get you started:

  • What is the best piece of advice you have received at work?
  • How would you describe your job to a child?
  • What was your favorite subject in high school?
  • What was your college major?
  • What is your favorite sport to play?
  • What is your favorite sport to watch?
  • What is your hidden talent?
  • What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
  • What is your favorite lunch spot?

Check out our complete list of icebreaker questions for work.

2. Funny Zoom breakout room questions

If you want to lighten the mood in your Zoom meeting, then we recommend posing funny questions to the group. From classic pranks to hilarious jokes, these questions will surely make your coworkers laugh.

Here are some funny questions to ask team members:

  • What is the funniest prank you have ever pulled on a coworker?
  • Which celebrity would you like to crash our next Zoom meeting?
  • If you won the lottery tomorrow, what is the first thing you would buy?
  • What is the silliest thing you believed when you were a child?
  • What is the most embarrassing post you have ever made on social media?
  • If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?
  • If a genie granted you one wish, what would you wish for?
  • What is the funniest joke you have ever heard?

Funny questions can help you break up your meeting and make employees laugh.

Explore more fun question games.

3. What if questions

If you are looking for serious Zoom breakout room questions, then what if questions are a great option. These questions can encourage employees to think deeply about what they would do if certain scenarios took place.

Here are some what if questions to consider:

  • What if you had to make a presentation to the CEO tomorrow?
  • What if you never had to attend another Zoom meeting?
  • What if no one was allowed to work from home anymore?
  • What if all technology stopped working?
  • What if you could redo job interviews?
  • What if you could host the company Christmas party?
  • What if you were the boss for one day?
  • What if you could work from any country in the world?

Check out more what if questions.

4. Team building questions

Team building is all about getting to know your coworkers so you can effectively collaborate. Asking questions related to this topic can help you promote bonding and togetherness.

Here are a few team building questions:

  • How do you manage deadlines?
  • How do you resolve conflicts at work?
  • What is your best way to stay organized at work?
  • What is one lesson you have learned in your career?
  • What is your dream job?
  • What do you hope to achieve in your career?
  • What is one thing you want to accomplish in the next five years?
  • What is the most surprising fact about your industry?

Find more team building questions.

5. Work from home questions

When working from home, some team members have yet to meet each other in person. One of the best ways remote employees can open up and relate to each other is by sharing their work from  home experiences.

Here are some fun work from home questions:

  • What does your home setup look like?
  • What is your morning routine like when you work from home?
  • What is your end-of-day routine?
  • Do you dress casually or professionally for work?
  • What is your biggest distraction at home?
  • What is your favorite part of working from home?
  • What is your least favorite part of working from home?
  • If you could work from anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
  • What songs are on your go-to work playlist?
  • What snack is always on your desk?

Check out more work from home team building questions.

6. Networking questions

One of the best activities to host in your Zoom breakout room is a networking session. During this time, give team members a chance to chat with colleagues. We suggest creating a list of breakout room icebreaker questions for networking.

Here are our suggestions for networking questions:

  • What was your first job?
  • What is the best gift of career advice that you have ever received?
  • If you were not working in this field, what do you think you would be doing?
  • Describe your ideal work day.
  • Do you have any side hustles apart from your day job?
  • What excites you about your job?
  • What are some of your hobbies outside of work?
  • What is the most interesting fact about yourself?
  • What is the secret to your success?
  • How long have you been working in this industry?
  • What is your preferred method to keep in touch with friends?

The objective of these networking questions is to encourage team members to learn more about each other. Ideally, participants should also keep in touch after the networking breakout room session is over.

Read more networking icebreaker questions.

7. Have you ever questions

Have you ever is a fun question game where team members can talk about their experiences in the workplace. The objective of this game is to ask employees if they have ever completed any of the actions in your list of questions.

Here are some questions for your game:

  • Have you ever made a best friend at work?
  • Have you ever gone on a work trip?
  • Have you ever worked overtime?
  • Have you ever sung in your car on the way to work?
  • Have you ever missed an important meeting?
  • Have you ever created time blocks on your calendar?
  • Have you ever forgotten to eat lunch?
  • Have you ever drank too much coffee in the morning?
  • Have you ever been late for a Zoom meeting?

The have you ever question game is a great way to start conversations where employees can bond over shared experiences.

Check out more have you ever questions for work.

8. Team bonding questions

Team bonding questions help teammates open up and share their experiences and opinions. Incorporating these questions in your breakout room can help team members understand each other better, which can lead to effective workflows and increased productivity.

Here are a few team bonding questions:

  • How do you define success?
  • What book would you recommend to coworkers?
  • What do you value most in a friendship?
  • What is one thing you do not tell most people?
  • What is one thing you wish more people know about you?
  • What is one risk you are glad you took?
  • What was your favorite job?
  • How do you handle criticism in the workplace?

If you want to bring your team closer together, then including team bonding questions in your meeting is a great way to boost positivity and engagement.

Check out our list of team bonding questions.

9. Get to know you questions

Get to know you questions can help team members learn more about their coworkers in a calm and fun setting. These questions are great for casual Zoom breakout rooms.

Here are some question examples:

  • Where is your hometown?
  • What is the biggest professional risk you have ever taken?
  • What is the biggest personal risk you have ever taken?
  • Do you have any pets?
  • What is your definition of success?
  • Do you work better independently or on a team?
  • What was your first job?
  • What is the biggest mistake you have ever made at work?
  • What is your dream job?
  • What motivates you at work?
  • What is your favorite way to spend a day off?

Read more get to know you questions.

10. Question of the day

If you are looking for fun ways to begin your Zoom meetings, then we recommend implementing a question of the day. This activity is a great way to encourage employees to think critically.

Here are some question of the day examples:

  • What is the most inspirational quote you have ever heard?
  • What celebrity would you choose to play you in a movie?
  • What is the best memory you have in your life?
  • If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
  • What is the best way to spend a rainy day?
  • What do you look forward to each day?
  • Who is your biggest role model?
  • What accomplishment are you most proud of in your life?

Read our complete list of the best questions of the day for teams.

11. Holiday icebreaker questions

The holidays are a great time to bring teammates together for bonding and team building. Asking questions about holiday traditions and celebrations is a great way for team members to open up and begin conversations.

Here are a few fun holiday icebreaker questions:

  • What is your favorite holiday dessert?
  • Do you have any holiday traditions? If so, what are your traditions?
  • What is the best gift you have ever received?
  • What is the best gift you have ever given?
  • What are your top three accomplishments from the past year?
  • What are your resolutions for the new year?
  • What is your favorite holiday movie?
  • What is your favorite outdoor winter activity?

Check out more holiday icebreaker questions.

12. Well-being questions

Practicing effective health and mental well-being can have a positive effect on employees personally and professionally. We recommend asking questions related to this topic in your next breakout room.

Here are a few examples of questions related to wellness:

  • How do you decompress and de-stress?
  • Do you participate in yoga or meditation?
  • What is your number one tip to practice effective mindfulness?
  • What hobbies make you happy?
  • How do you overcome stress from your job?
  • How do you overcome stress from your personal life?
  • What are some of your healthiest habits?

Asking questions related to health and well-being is the best way to encourage employees to take care of themselves in and out of the workplace.

13. Virtual water cooler questions

Virtual water coolers are online spaces where employees can get together casually. Team members often use virtual water coolers as a way to chat about topics unrelated to work.

Here are a few questions for your virtual water cooler:

  • What is a unique fact about yourself?
  • What is one place where you would love to travel?
  • What is one language you would like to learn?
  • What is the last TV show you binge-watched?
  • What is your top book recommendation?
  • What is your top podcast recommendation?
  • What never fails to make you laugh?
  • What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you at work?

Check out more virtual water cooler ideas.

14. Company trivia questions

If you want to quiz employees on their knowledge of the workplace, then we recommend using company trivia questions for your breakout room. These questions should focus on information about your company, such as historical facts and company policies.

Here are some example company trivia questions:

  • What year was our company founded?
  • Who is the current CEO?
  • How many employees do we have?
  • Where is the company headquarters?
  • What is the company slogan?
  • What is the company’s PTO policy?
  • What are the company’s logo colors?

You can also make your company trivia questions into a friendly competition by awarding a prize to the team member who answers the most questions correctly.

Check out more trivia questions for work meetings.

15. This or that questions

This or that is a fun question game in which players choose between two options. You can incorporate funny or serious themes into the game, making the topics difficult for players to make a choice.

Here are some fun this or that questions for your meeting:

  • Phone calls or text messages?
  • Email or Slack?
  • Cats or dogs?
  • Work from home or work from the office?
  • Webcam on or off?
  • Work early in the morning or work late at night?
  • Video or in-person interview?
  • Take risks or play it safe?
  • Coffee break or happy hour?
  • Work solo or group project?

This or that is an engaging way to learn about your coworkers’ likes and interests.

Explore more this or that questions.

16. Would you rather questions

If you are looking for funny Zoom breakout room questions, then we recommend playing would you rather. These questions encourage employees to choose between two different scenarios.

Here are some would you rather questions:

  • Work independently or with a team?
  • Have short meetings every day or a long meeting once a week?
  • Have an office view of the city or the countryside?
  • Have a four-day work week or work weekends only?
  • Win the lottery or own a business?
  • Retire early or change careers?
  • Work with clients or manage projects?
  • Make more money or work in your dream job?
  • Drive or take public transportation to work?

Would you rather is a fun game to help you lighten the mood during your meeting.

Check out more would you rather questions.

17. Breakout room discussion topics

When putting together your Zoom breakout room, you should come up with innovative ideas and topics. We suggest exploring ideas that encourage creativity, energize participants, and inspire team members to get to know their coworkers.

Here are a few ideas and topics to consider:

  • Friendly workplace competitions
  • Company trivia questions
  • Weekly reflections and recaps
  • Team breakfast meeting
  • Lunch and learn
  • Guest speaker Q&A
  • Skill development workshop
  • Employee feedback questionnaire

These ideas and topics work seamlessly with breakout room experiences. Plus, you can come up with different questions to ask employees for each topic, making these ideas a great addition to your breakout room questions.

Explore more out of the box meeting ideas and topics.

Conclusion

Choosing the right questions for your breakout room can be difficult. However, questions are a great way to keep employees engaged during Zoom meetings. In addition, questions are great thought starters to inspire fun conversations and team bonding. When creating a breakout room in your meeting, we suggest creating a list of questions so team members can actively communicate and chat with one another.

Next, check out our lists of team meeting ideas, virtual team building activities, and team building activities for conference calls.

You can also use our random question generator tool to create unique and one-of-a-kind questions for your Zoom breakout rooms.

FAQ: Zoom breakout room questions

Here are answers to common questions about Zoom breakout room questions.

What are Zoom breakout room questions?

Zoom breakout room questions are conversation starters that break up your meeting and get team members to think critically. These questions encourage collaboration, creativity, and employee engagement.

What are some good questions for Zoom breakout rooms?

The best questions for Zoom breakout rooms give employees an opportunity to bond with coworkers. We suggest incorporating a variety of questions related to different topics.

Here are a few examples of question topics for your Zoom breakout rooms:

  • Icebreaker questions
  • Company trivia questions
  • Networking questions
  • Funny questions
  • Serious questions
  • Would you rather questions
  • This or that questions
  • What if questions
  • Have you ever questions
  • Get to know you questions

Choosing the right questions is the best way to promote employee engagement and participation.

Why should teams ask questions in breakout rooms?

Asking questions in Zoom breakout rooms can help you get valuable insights and feedback from team members. Breakout rooms are also a great opportunity to give employees the opportunity to speak and make their voices heard during team meetings.

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Author:

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.
Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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