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Get to know you questions

Here are 100 get to know you questions for work, class, new teams and friends. Each list starts light and goes a bit deeper, and every question is tagged with the best way to ask it: as a word cloud, as a poll or out loud.

Sample

Word cloud

What did you want to be when you were ten?

Ask them live: short answers as a word cloud, set answers as a poll – free for 100 people.

Run it live with RiLiFi

Our Icebreaker slides template is a ready presentation for a first meeting: polls, a word cloud and a lucky spin, all answered from phones.

Use the Icebreaker slidesSee the template first

Free for 100 people per session

All 100 get to know you questions

For quick openers, see our icebreaker questions. For questions that go further past small talk, try the deeper getting-to-know-you questions.

Work: easy starters

  1. What did you want to be when you were ten?Word cloud
  2. Which app do you open first on a workday?Word cloud
  3. Are you a morning person or a night owl?PollAnswers: Morning person · Night owl · Depends on the day
  4. What’s your go-to drink to start the workday?PollAnswers: Coffee · Tea · Water · Something else
  5. Name one thing on your desk you’d never throw away.Word cloud
  6. How do you prefer to talk with the team?PollAnswers: Chat messages · Video calls · Phone calls · In person
  7. What’s the most unusual request you’ve had at work?Talk it through
  8. What was the best part of your first week here?Talk it through
  9. Which snack keeps you going on a busy afternoon?Word cloud
  10. Where do you do your best thinking?PollAnswers: At my desk · On a walk · On my commute · Somewhere quiet
  11. How do you like to take a break?PollAnswers: A short walk · A snack · A chat · Some music
  12. What would your job title be if it said what you really do?Talk it through
  13. What kind of task do you like to start the week with?PollAnswers: Something quick · Something creative · Planning the week · Clearing my inbox
  14. What’s a job you had that taught you something you still use?Talk it through
  15. What did you finish this week that you’re glad is done?Talk it through

Work: a bit deeper

  1. Which task would you happily do all day?Talk it through
  2. What’s a project you’re still proud of?Talk it through
  3. How do you like to plan your day?PollAnswers: A written list · My calendar · In my head · I don’t plan it
  4. What’s one thing people should know about working with you?Talk it through
  5. Who taught you the most at work, and what did they teach you?Talk it through
  6. What’s something new you’d like to try at work this year?Talk it through
  7. What does a good day at work look like for you?Talk it through
  8. Which value matters most to you on a team?Word cloud
  9. Which small routine helps you start the day well?Talk it through
  10. What do you hope people say about working with you?Talk it through

Class (13+): easy starters

  1. Which subject do you look forward to most?Word cloud
  2. Where do you usually get your homework done?PollAnswers: At a desk · At the kitchen table · In the library · Wherever I can
  3. What’s a book or film you’d recommend to the class?Word cloud
  4. What’s one thing you’re good at outside school?Word cloud
  5. Which school subject should adults still take?Word cloud
  6. How do you get to school most days?PollAnswers: Walk · Bus or train · Car · Bike or scooter
  7. What’s the best school trip you’ve been on?Talk it through
  8. Which of these would you most like to learn at school?PollAnswers: Cooking · Coding · First aid · Public speaking
  9. How would you rather share what you know?PollAnswers: Make a video · Write it up · Give a talk · Draw it
  10. What’s a hobby you picked up recently?Word cloud
  11. Which app or website taught you something useful?Word cloud
  12. Are you an early starter or a last-minute worker?PollAnswers: Early starter · Somewhere in between · Last-minute
  13. Who is the funniest character in a book or show you like?Word cloud
  14. Which country’s food would you like to try next?Word cloud
  15. What’s a talent of yours that might surprise the class?Talk it through

Class (13+): a bit deeper

  1. What’s something you learned this year that surprised you?Talk it through
  2. Who is someone you look up to, and why?Talk it through
  3. How do you like to learn something new?PollAnswers: Watching · Reading · Trying it · Talking it through
  4. What’s a goal you have for this term?Talk it through
  5. What helps you focus when work gets hard?Talk it through
  6. Which invention would you most like to understand?Word cloud
  7. What’s one thing you’d change about how we learn?Talk it through
  8. When do you feel most confident in class?PollAnswers: In group work · Working alone · Asking questions · Presenting
  9. What would you like your classmates to know about you?Talk it through
  10. What’s something you kept going with even when it was hard?Talk it through

New teams: easy starters

  1. Sum up your role in three words.Word cloud
  2. Which city would you move this team to for a month?Word cloud
  3. What’s the best way to reach you?PollAnswers: Chat · Email · A call · Drop by
  4. What time of day are you at your sharpest?PollAnswers: Early morning · Late morning · Afternoon · Evening
  5. What’s a team tradition you loved somewhere else?Talk it through
  6. What’s something you can help the team with straight away?Talk it through
  7. Where do you keep your to-do list?PollAnswers: On paper · In an app · Sticky notes · In my head
  8. How should we celebrate a team win?PollAnswers: Team lunch · A shout-out · Finish early · Cake
  9. What’s a topic you could talk about for ten minutes with no notes?Word cloud
  10. One word that describes how you work.Word cloud
  11. What did you do before this role?Talk it through
  12. How do you like meetings to run?PollAnswers: Short and focused · With an agenda · Walking meetings · As few as possible
  13. What’s one hobby the team should know about?Word cloud
  14. Do you plan everything or figure it out as you go?PollAnswers: Plan everything · Figure it out · A bit of both
  15. What question do you always get asked about your job?Talk it through

New teams: a bit deeper

  1. What does a great teammate do that others don’t?Talk it through
  2. What helps you do your best work?Talk it through
  3. How do you like to handle a disagreement?Talk it through
  4. What drains your energy at work, and what gives it back?Talk it through
  5. How can we tell when you could use some help?Talk it through
  6. What’s a strength of yours that might not show on day one?Talk it through
  7. Which of these helps a new team most?PollAnswers: Clear goals · Regular check-ins · Time to get to know each other · A shared laugh
  8. What would make this a great team to be on six months from now?Talk it through
  9. What’s one working habit you’re trying to change?Talk it through
  10. What’s a work moment you’d love to repeat?Talk it through

Friends: easy starters

  1. Pick a snack for movie night.PollAnswers: Popcorn · Chocolate · Nachos · Fruit
  2. What’s a song you know every word to?Word cloud
  3. Which film could you watch again and again?Word cloud
  4. On a trip, are you a planner or a see-what-happens person?PollAnswers: Planner · See what happens · A bit of both
  5. What’s a food you hated as a kid but love now?Word cloud
  6. Which board or card game do you always win?Word cloud
  7. How do you like your eggs?PollAnswers: Scrambled · Fried · Boiled · No eggs for me
  8. What’s a trend you never understood?Talk it through
  9. What’s the strangest food you’ve ever tried?Talk it through
  10. What’s the last thing you learned from a video?Talk it through
  11. Are you always early, right on time or a little late?PollAnswers: Always early · Right on time · A little late
  12. What’s a smell that takes you straight back to being a kid?Talk it through
  13. If you started a podcast, what would it be about?PollAnswers: Comedy · Food and cooking · Travel · Interviews
  14. What hobby would you try if time were no issue?Talk it through
  15. Which trip sounds best to you?PollAnswers: Road trip · City break · Beach week · Hiking trip

Friends: a bit deeper

  1. What’s something you’re proud of but rarely talk about?Talk it through
  2. Who has shaped the way you see the world?Talk it through
  3. What’s a change of plans that turned out for the best?Talk it through
  4. What makes a friendship last, in your view?Talk it through
  5. If you could ask everyone here one question, what would it be?Talk it through
  6. What’s an opinion you held as a teenager that you’ve since let go?Talk it through
  7. What’s a dream you haven’t told many people about?Talk it through
  8. How do you like to be cheered up?PollAnswers: Talk it out · A distraction · Time alone · Good food
  9. What’s a small decision that turned out to matter a lot?Talk it through
  10. What’s something you want to do more of next year?Talk it through

How to use get to know you questions

  1. Pick three to five questions from the list that fits your group.
  2. Start with an easy one that everyone can answer in a few words.
  3. Ask one deeper question once people have warmed up.
  4. Let people pass. Nobody should have to answer a question they’d rather skip.

Which way to ask each question

  • Word cloud. For answers of one to three words. Everyone’s answer appears on screen, and the most common ones grow bigger.
  • Poll. For questions with set answers. They are quick to answer, and the chart gets people talking.
  • Talk it through. For questions that need a sentence or a story. Ask them in pairs or small groups.

Get to know you questions for each group

At work, keep to how people like to work, what they enjoy and what they are proud of. Leave out health, money, religion, politics and family.

In class, the easy starters suit the first week of term, and the deeper ones suit a group that has been together for a while.

With a new team, pair one light question with one about working together. With friends, the deeper list makes for a long dinner.

FAQ

Questions about get to know you questions

What are good get to know you questions?
Questions anyone can answer, with room to say more, such as “What did you want to be when you were ten?” Each list above starts with easy ones and ends with deeper ones.
What are good get to know you questions for work?
Ask about how people like to work, what they enjoy and what they are proud of, such as “Which task would you happily do all day?” Skip health, money, religion, politics and family.
How many get to know you questions should I ask?
Three to five is plenty for a meeting or a class. Start light, and save one deeper question for the end.
What is the difference between get to know you questions and icebreakers?
Icebreakers are quick openers that get a room talking. Get to know you questions go a step further and help people learn about each other. Our icebreaker questions page has more of the quick kind.
Can I ask get to know you questions live?
Yes. In RiLiFi, short answers run as a live word cloud and set answers as a poll. People join from their phones with a PIN or QR code. The free plan covers 100 people per session.

Ask these questions live

Open the Icebreaker slides, or add your own questions as word cloud and poll slides. People join with a PIN or QR code, no app needed.

Use the Icebreaker slidesSee the template first

Free for 100 people per session