Top Fun Icebreakers for Meetings to Boost Engagement

Meetings often feel like a necessary evil: a rigid agenda, a race against the clock, and a group of disconnected people staring at screens or a table. But what if a simple five-minute shift could transform that dynamic? The right opener can turn a stale meeting into an energizing, collaborative session where people feel seen, heard, and ready to contribute their best ideas. This isn't just about killing time; it’s a strategic move to build psychological safety, spark creativity, and help your team connect on a human level.

We've compiled a list of genuinely fun icebreakers for meetings that work for any team, whether you're in a conference room or scattered across time zones. These activities are your secret weapon for making every meeting matter from the very first minute. You'll find specific, actionable instructions for activities like Two Truths and a Lie, the Desert Island Scenario, and more, ensuring you can implement them immediately.

While these icebreakers are fantastic for kickstarting individual sessions, consistent engagement requires a bigger picture. To truly transform your team's dynamic, consider integrating broader interactive training methods into your overall strategy. For day-to-day scheduling, tools that bridge your primary communication platforms are essential. A platform like Be There is especially handy for companies that use both Slack and Google Calendar, simplifying the process of organizing and launching these engaging activities by connecting these two essential tools. This guide will give you the tools to get started right away.

1. Two Truths and a Lie

This is one of the most classic and effective fun icebreakers for meetings because it encourages creativity and helps colleagues learn surprising facts about one another. Each person prepares three statements about themselves: two that are true and one that is a lie. They share these statements, and the rest of the group votes on which one they think is the lie.

This activity is more than just a game; it builds rapport by revealing hidden talents, unique life experiences, and shared interests. The mystery and guessing component creates a lighthearted, engaging atmosphere right from the start.

✦How to Implement It

• For In-Person Meetings: Give everyone a minute or two to think of their statements. Go around the room, allowing each person to share. After they speak, you can ask for a show of hands to vote on the lie before the big reveal.
• For Virtual Meetings: This works perfectly on video calls. For larger groups, use the poll feature to gather votes. To save time, you can ask participants to write down their three statements in advance and add them to the meeting invitation.

✦Pro Tips for Success

• Model First: As the facilitator, go first to set the tone. Use an interesting and non-obvious lie to show others how to be creative.
• Encourage Uniqueness: Advise participants to avoid common facts like "I have two siblings." Instead, encourage them to share unique hobbies, past achievements, or funny personal stories.
• Use Breakout Rooms: For meetings with more than 10 people, split them into smaller virtual breakout rooms. This ensures everyone gets a chance to participate fully without the session running too long.
• Streamline with Tools: Coordinating icebreakers can be a hassle, especially for teams using multiple platforms. For companies that use both Slack and Google Calendar, a tool like Be There is incredibly useful. You can automatically add instructions for the icebreaker to your Google Calendar event and send a notification in Slack, ensuring everyone comes prepared.

2. Rose, Thorn, and Bud

This reflective icebreaker is a powerful way to foster empathy and connection by inviting participants to share on a more personal level. Each person shares three things: a "rose" (a recent success or highlight), a "thorn" (a current challenge), and a "bud" (something they are looking forward to or a new idea).

This activity builds psychological safety by creating a space for vulnerability and optimism. It helps team members understand each other’s current state of mind, making it one of the most insightful fun icebreakers for meetings, especially for regular check-ins like agile retrospectives or weekly team huddles.

✦How to Implement It

• For In-Person Meetings: Give everyone a moment to reflect on their rose, thorn, and bud. Go around the circle, allowing each person to share for about a minute. For a more visual approach, you can provide sticky notes for people to write or draw their three items and place them on a whiteboard.
• For Virtual Meetings: This works well in a main video call room or in smaller breakout sessions. Use the chat feature for participants to type out their answers, or have them share verbally. A shared digital whiteboard tool can also replicate the in-person sticky note experience.

✦Pro Tips for Success

• Lead with Vulnerability: As the facilitator, share first to set a genuine and open tone. This encourages others to share honestly without fear of judgment.
• Set Clear Boundaries: Clarify whether the shares should be work-related or if personal topics are welcome. This helps everyone feel comfortable and share appropriately.
• Keep It Concise: Encourage participants to keep their share to 1-2 minutes to ensure everyone has a chance to speak without the meeting running over.
• Automate the Prep: For companies juggling Slack and Google Calendar, getting everyone on the same page can be a chore. Be There automates this by adding the "Rose, Thorn, and Bud" instructions directly to your Google Calendar invite and sending a prep reminder via Slack. This ensures your team arrives ready to connect without any manual coordination.

3. Would You Rather

"Would You Rather" is a fantastic icebreaker that sparks lively debate and reveals team members' personalities through simple, hypothetical choices. Each participant is presented with two options and must choose one, often explaining their reasoning. The questions can range from silly and imaginative to strategic and work-related, making it highly adaptable.

This activity is effective because it requires minimal preparation but generates maximum engagement. The ensuing discussions can uncover shared values, different problem-solving approaches, and a deeper understanding of what makes colleagues tick, all within a fun, low-pressure framework. It’s one of the most versatile fun icebreakers for meetings of any kind.

✦How to Implement It

• For In-Person Meetings: Prepare a list of questions beforehand. You can read one out loud and ask for a show of hands for each option, then invite a few people from each side to share why they chose as they did.
• For Virtual Meetings: Use the polling feature in your video conferencing tool to quickly gather and display responses. This visual element adds another layer of interaction and keeps everyone engaged. You can then call on individuals to elaborate on their poll answers.

✦Pro Tips for Success

• Prepare Your Questions: Have 5–10 diverse questions ready. Mix fun, lighthearted prompts with a few that are relevant to your team or industry. For example, "Would you rather have an unlimited PTO or a massive professional development budget?"
• Encourage Justification: The real value comes from the "why." Gently encourage participants to explain their choices, but don't force anyone who isn't comfortable sharing. This dialogue is what builds connection.
• Use Themed Questions: Align the questions with the meeting's theme. For a brainstorming session, you could ask, "Would you rather have a hundred good ideas or one brilliant idea?"
• Automate the Prep: Getting everyone on the same page can be tricky. For companies using Slack and Google Calendar, a tool like Be There is a lifesaver. It automatically adds your "Would You Rather" questions to the Google Calendar invite and sends a reminder through Slack, so the team can start thinking about their answers before the meeting even begins.

4. One Word Check-In

This is one of the most efficient and powerful fun icebreakers for meetings, designed to quickly gauge the emotional temperature of the room. Each participant shares a single word that describes their current feeling, mindset, or expectation for the session. It provides a simple yet profound snapshot of the group's collective energy.

This activity fosters psychological safety and empathy by creating space for genuine, concise expression. It is particularly effective for scrum masters in daily stand-ups or leadership teams starting strategic sessions, as it helps align the group and acknowledge everyone's present state of mind. By understanding the group’s pulse, facilitators can better guide the conversation and run effective meetings.

✦How to Implement It

• For In-Person Meetings: Ask everyone to think of their word for 30 seconds. Go around the room and have each person share their word. You can write the words on a whiteboard to visualize the group’s collective mood.
• For Virtual Meetings: Use the chat feature for participants to type their word simultaneously for a "waterfall" effect. Alternatively, go around the virtual room and have each person unmute and share. A shared digital whiteboard or document can also be used.

✦Pro Tips for Success

• Provide Clear Prompts: Guide participants with specific questions like, "What’s one word to describe how you're feeling today?" or "What’s one word for what you hope to get out of this meeting?"
• Allow Optional Explanations: Give attendees the choice to add a brief, one-sentence explanation to their word. This can provide valuable context without taking up too much time.
• Look for Patterns: As the facilitator, pay attention to any recurring themes or words. If you notice a pattern of words like "stressed" or "overwhelmed," it might be a cue to address team well-being.
• Automate the Prep: To make sure your team is ready, a tool like Be There is very useful for companies that use Slack and Google Calendar. It automatically sends the icebreaker instructions via Slack when you create the Google Calendar event, ensuring everyone has a moment to reflect on their word beforehand.

5. Show and Tell

This fun icebreaker for meetings brings a nostalgic, personal touch to the workplace by adapting the beloved childhood activity for adults. Participants share an object that is meaningful to them, whether it's a souvenir from a trip, a favorite book, or a photo on their phone, and explain its significance. This activity fosters deeper connections by revealing personal stories and values.

This icebreaker is excellent for humanizing team members and building empathy. Hearing the stories behind everyday objects offers a unique window into colleagues' lives, sparking conversations that go beyond typical work topics and strengthening team bonds.

✦How to Implement It

• For In-Person Meetings: Ask participants to bring a small, meaningful item from their desk or bag. Go around the room, giving each person a few minutes to present their object and its story.
• For Virtual Meetings: This works seamlessly on video calls. Participants can show an item from their home office or share their screen to display a meaningful photo. A popular variation is a “workspace tour,” where each person highlights one unique item on their desk.

✦Pro Tips for Success

• Provide a Theme: To guide participants, suggest a theme like "an item that inspires you," "your favorite travel souvenir," or "a memento from a proud moment."
• Set Time Limits: Keep the activity moving by setting a 2-3 minute time limit per person. As the facilitator, go first to model the expected length and tone.
• Give a Heads-Up: Send a reminder before the meeting so people have time to think about what they want to share. This avoids putting anyone on the spot.
• Automate Reminders: For companies using Slack and Google Calendar, coordinating icebreakers like this is simplified with a tool like Be There. It lets you automatically add instructions and a reminder to your Google Calendar event and sends a notification in Slack, ensuring everyone arrives prepared.

6. Speed Networking/Speed Meeting

Adapted from the speed dating concept, Speed Networking is one of the most efficient and fun icebreakers for meetings where the primary goal is to get a large group of people acquainted quickly. Participants engage in a series of brief, timed, one-on-one conversations, rotating partners every few minutes. This format breaks down barriers and ensures everyone interacts with multiple colleagues in a short period.

This activity is perfect for large-scale events like company-wide town halls, new employee orientations, or cross-departmental mixers. It energizes the room and builds a broad network of connections, laying the groundwork for better collaboration. For more large-group activities, check out these team bonding event ideas.

✦How to Implement It

• For In-Person Meetings: Arrange two rows of chairs facing each other or have one row of seated participants and another row that rotates. Set a timer for 2-3 minutes. When the timer goes off, the people in the rotating row move one seat down to meet their next partner.
• For Virtual Meetings: Use your video conferencing platform's breakout room feature. Assign two people to each room for a set time. After the time is up, automatically shuffle the rooms so everyone gets a new partner for the next round.

✦Pro Tips for Success

• Provide Conversation Starters: To avoid awkward silences, provide a simple prompt for each round, such as "What's a skill you'd like to learn?" or "What's the best professional advice you've ever received?"
• Set Clear Time Limits: Stick to short intervals of 2-3 minutes. This keeps the energy high and ensures participants meet as many people as possible without conversations dragging on.
• Play Music During Transitions: Use upbeat music during the rotations to maintain a lively and fun atmosphere while people are moving to their next conversation partner.
• Automate the Logistics: For companies that rely on both Slack and Google Calendar, managing the logistics of a virtual speed networking event can be chaotic. Be There simplifies this by sending out instructions and prompts directly through Google Calendar and Slack, ensuring participants know what to expect and can join the meeting ready to connect.

7. Human Bingo

Human Bingo is a dynamic and interactive icebreaker that gets people moving, talking, and discovering unique commonalities. Participants are given bingo cards filled with various traits or experiences, such as "has traveled to Africa" or "prefers tea over coffee." The goal is to mingle, find colleagues who match the descriptions, and get their signature in the corresponding square.

This activity excels at breaking down barriers in larger groups, making it ideal for conferences, onboarding sessions, or company-wide retreats. It transforms networking from a daunting task into a structured and fun game, encouraging even the most introverted team members to engage.

✦How to Implement It

• For In-Person Meetings: Print out bingo cards ahead of time. Give everyone a card and a pen, explain the rules, and set a timer for 10-15 minutes. The first person to get a "bingo" (a full line) wins a small prize.
• For Virtual Meetings: Use an online bingo card generator and share the link with participants. Utilize breakout rooms to facilitate smaller, more manageable conversations. Participants can type the name of the person who matches the square directly onto their digital card.

✦Pro Tips for Success

• Customize the Squares: Tailor the bingo squares to your team or industry. Include a mix of personal and professional prompts, like "has led a remote team" or "knows how to code in Python," to make it more relevant.
• Keep it Inclusive: Ensure all prompts are inclusive and appropriate for a professional environment. Avoid items that could be too personal or exclusionary.
• Facilitate a Wrap-Up: After the game, ask participants to share the most surprising or interesting thing they learned about a colleague. This reinforces the connections made during the activity.
• Automate Coordination: For companies using Slack for communication and Google Calendar for scheduling, Be There is very useful. It can distribute digital bingo cards and instructions in your Google Calendar invite and send a reminder through Slack, ensuring everyone is ready to play. It's one of many great employee engagement activities to energize your team.

8. If You Really Knew Me

This powerful icebreaker moves beyond surface-level facts to foster deeper connection and psychological safety. Participants complete the sentence, "If you really knew me, you'd know..." encouraging them to share something meaningful about their experiences, values, or personality. It's an excellent choice for teams ready to build authentic trust.

This activity is more than a simple game; it creates a space for vulnerability and empathy. By revealing a more personal side of themselves, colleagues can strengthen their bonds, improve communication, and build a more cohesive and supportive team environment. It is one of the most impactful fun icebreakers for meetings focused on team development.

✦How to Implement It

• For In-Person Meetings: Arrange chairs in a circle to create an intimate and inclusive setting. As the facilitator, explain the prompt and the importance of respectful listening. Give everyone a few moments of quiet reflection before going around the circle to share.
• For Virtual Meetings: This works best in smaller groups or main sessions where trust has been established. Ask participants to turn on their cameras to foster connection. Everyone can take a turn sharing, or you can ask them to type their response in the chat simultaneously for a different dynamic.

✦Pro Tips for Success

• Model Vulnerability: As the facilitator, go first to set the tone. Share something authentic but appropriate to demonstrate the desired level of openness and make others feel more comfortable.
• Make It Optional: Acknowledge that sharing personal information can be difficult. Clearly state that participation is voluntary, and it's perfectly okay for someone to "pass."
• Establish Ground Rules: Before starting, set clear guidelines for confidentiality and respectful listening. Remind the team that this is a judgment-free zone.
• Automate the Prep: For a more sensitive activity, clear communication is key. If your company uses Slack and Google Calendar, Be There is a handy tool. It lets you add instructions and ground rules directly to the Google Calendar invite and sends a Slack reminder, so everyone arrives prepared and knows what to expect.

9. Desert Island Scenario

This classic hypothetical question is one of the most revealing and fun icebreakers for meetings, as it uncovers personality, priorities, and problem-solving skills in a creative way. Each participant imagines they are stranded on a desert island and must choose three items to bring with them.

Popularized by the long-running radio show Desert Island Discs, this activity sparks interesting conversations about what people value. The choices, whether practical (a multi-tool) or sentimental (a family photo), provide a fascinating window into each colleague’s way of thinking.

✦How to Implement It

• For In-Person Meetings: Give everyone a minute to jot down their three items. Go around the room and have each person share their choices along with a brief explanation for each. This encourages active listening and follow-up questions.
• For Virtual Meetings: Have participants add their choices to the chat or use a virtual whiteboard tool where everyone can post their answers simultaneously. You can then call on a few people to elaborate on their selections.

✦Pro Tips for Success

• Set Clear Parameters: Be specific about the rules. For example, "Choose one book, one luxury item, and one practical tool." This structure can help guide thinking and make comparisons more interesting.
• Create Work-Themed Variations: Adapt the question to a professional context, such as, "If you were starting a new project on a 'desert island,' what three resources or tools would you bring?"
• Encourage Brief Explanations: The "why" is more important than the "what." Ask participants to explain the reasoning behind their choices to reveal their thought processes and values.
• Automate the Prep Work: For teams working in Slack and Google Calendar, ensuring everyone is prepared is easy with Be There. You can add the "Desert Island" prompt directly to the Google Calendar invite and send an automatic reminder in Slack, so your team arrives ready to share without any extra effort from you.

Top 9 Fun Icebreakers Comparison

Activity	Implementation Complexity 🔄	Resource Requirements ⚡	Expected Outcomes 📊	Ideal Use Cases 💡	Key Advantages ⭐
Two Truths and a Lie	Low - simple rules	None	Builds storytelling, active listening, rapport	Groups of 5-20, new or established teams	Easy, fun, reveals personal facts, inclusive
Rose, Thorn, and Bud	Moderate - structured sharing	Minimal (optional visuals)	Emotional intelligence, empathy, insight	Established teams, retrospectives, regular check-ins	Balances positives/negatives, fosters empathy
Would You Rather	Low - flexible facilitation	None	Quick personality reveal, engagement	Any group size, virtual meetings, large groups	Fun, versatile, quick, low prep
One Word Check-In	Very low - very simple	None	Quick mood snapshot, equal participation	Time-constrained meetings, daily standups	Extremely fast, accessible, good for introverts
Show and Tell	Moderate - requires prep	Objects, possibly tech for virtual	Deep personal sharing, visual interest	Small-medium groups (5-15), team building, virtual	Personal, memorable, cross-cultural, engaging
Speed Networking/Meeting	High - requires coordination	Timer, possibly tech tools	Rapid connections, large group networking	Large groups (15+), conferences, networking events	Efficient, dynamic, everyone meets everyone
Human Bingo	Moderate - prep needed	Printed cards, pens	Facilitated mingling, fact discovery, energized	Medium-large groups (15+), in-person networking	Movement, purposeful conversations, culturally versatile
If You Really Knew Me	High - needs skilled facilitation	None	Deep trust, vulnerability, psychological safety	Established teams, leadership, retreats, 5-15 people	Builds genuine connections, high empathy
Desert Island Scenario	Low - easy scenario setting	None	Reveals priorities, problem solving, personality	Any group size, new & established teams	Fun, creative, insightful, easy to follow

Turn Icebreakers into Lasting Connections with Be There

You now have a powerful toolkit of fun icebreakers for meetings, from the introspective "Rose, Thorn, and Bud" to the energetic "Human Bingo." We've explored how these activities can transform a standard meeting introduction into a genuine opportunity for connection, whether your team is gathered in an office or collaborating across different time zones. The key takeaway is that the right icebreaker, chosen with intention, does more than just fill a few minutes; it sets the tone for psychological safety, encourages active participation, and reminds everyone of the human element behind their professional roles.

However, the true value of these exercises isn't found in a single, perfectly executed activity. It's built through consistency. Making connection a regular, effortless part of your team's rhythm is what turns a group of colleagues into a cohesive, high-performing unit. The secret lies not just in what you do, but in how easily you can do it.

✦From Good Idea to Great Culture

The greatest barrier to consistent team building is often logistical friction. For companies that use both Slack and Google Calendar, juggling schedules between the two, sending reminders, and tracking attendance creates administrative overhead that can discourage even the most enthusiastic managers. This is where great ideas for fostering connection are often abandoned.

This is precisely the problem we designed Be There to solve. It is a very useful and handy tool for companies that live in Slack and run on Google Calendar, making the coordination of these connection moments seamless.

✦Streamline Your Team Engagement with Be There

Imagine you want to start next week’s project kickoff with the "Two Truths and a Lie" icebreaker. For a team that uses both Slack and Google Calendar, the process can be disjointed. Be There integrates them perfectly.

• Create Events from Slack: Schedule your meeting directly in Slack, where your team is already communicating.
• Sync with Google Calendar: The event is instantly synced to everyone’s Google Calendar, eliminating the need to switch apps or send manual invites.
• Boost Participation with Slack Reminders: Automated reminders are sent through Slack, where they are most likely to be seen, ensuring high participation.
• Manage RSVPs Easily: Team members can RSVP with a single click in Slack, giving you an immediate headcount without chasing responses.

By removing the logistical hurdles between your core communication and scheduling tools, Be There transforms organizing fun icebreakers for meetings from a chore into a simple, repeatable habit. You spend less time coordinating and more time building a connected, engaged, and collaborative team culture. It makes it so easy to organize these moments that they become a natural part of your company’s DNA.

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Ready to turn great ideas into consistent team rituals? Be There bridges the gap between Slack and Google Calendar, making it effortless to schedule engaging events, from all-hands meetings to virtual happy hours. Try Be There for free and see how simple it is to keep your team connected and energized.