---
title: "Icebreaker question polls for Slack (fun work polls)"
url: "https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/icebreaker-questions/"
description: "Fun icebreaker polls for Slack channels. Copy-paste this-or-that polls, open questions with reactions, and ideas for a weekly poll that people answer."
---

# Icebreaker question polls for Slack

When to use it: When a channel is all work and no chatter, a new team is forming, or remote teammates need an easy way to get to know each other.

How often: Weekly

A good icebreaker poll takes three seconds to answer and gives people something to talk about in the thread. This-or-that questions get the most votes. Open questions get the best conversations. Alternate them.

## Example polls

Paste any of these into the message box in Slack.

```text
/poll "Coffee, tea, or neither?" "Coffee" :coffee: "Tea" :tea: "Neither" :droplet:
```

A classic this-or-that. Three seconds to answer. *Free.*

```text
/poll "Early bird or night owl?" "Early bird" :sunrise: "Night owl" :owl: "Depends on the deadline" :clock3: limit 1
```

One pick each, so the result is a real split. *Premium: vote limits.*

```text
/poll "What is the best thing you ate this week?" short text :heart:
```

An open question. People react with a heart to their favourite answers. *Free.*

```text
/poll "Which skill would you learn instantly if you could?" "A new language" "An instrument" "Cooking like a chef" "Woodworking" allow-options
```

A starter list, and people can add their own skill. *Free.*

## What makes one work

Low stakes, no wrong answer, and nothing that sorts people by money, religion, politics or drinking. "Coffee or tea?" is a good icebreaker. "Where did you go on holiday?" makes the people who didn't go anywhere sit it out.

Keep the options short and add an emoji to each: `"Coffee" :coffee:`. Emoji make a poll quick to scan and it looks like a game, not a survey.

## Question ideas

- Coffee, tea, or neither?
- Early bird or night owl?
- Best snack for a long meeting?
- Which decade has the best music?
- What was your first job?
- What is a small thing that made your week better?
- What are you reading, watching or listening to right now?
- Which skill would you learn instantly if you could?
- Desk setup: tidy or chaos?
- What is the most useful thing you learned this month?

## Open questions with votes

For open questions, use a `short text` poll with a reaction, like `short text :heart:`. Everyone writes an answer, and people can react to the answers they like. Add `order-results-by-votes` and the best ones rise to the top. It works well for "What is the best thing you ate this week?" or "Recommend one podcast".

## Make it a ritual

Same day, same time each week, for example Friday after lunch. Set it up as a recurring poll in Slack (Premium) and swap in a new question each time, or rotate who picks the question. The person who picks it answers first in the thread; that gets the conversation going.

## FAQ

### How often should I post icebreaker polls?

Once a week is a good default. Daily works in social channels; in work channels it starts to feel like noise.

### Can people suggest their own answers?

Yes. Add `allow-options` and voters can add options to the poll.

### Should icebreakers be anonymous?

Usually not. The point is getting to know each other, so names on the votes help. Use `anonymous` only if the question touches something people may feel shy about.

## Used by

- [Slack polls for remote teams](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/remote-teams/)
- [Polls for Slack communities](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/slack-communities/)

## Related

- [Team mood check-in poll for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/team-mood-check-in/): When you want an early, honest signal on how the team is feeling, before it shows up as missed deadlines or resignations.
- [Book club pick poll for Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/templates/book-club-pick/): When your book club needs to choose its next read and wants everyone to have a say, not just the person who always suggests first.
- [How to make an emoji poll in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-make-an-emoji-poll-in-slack/): "Emoji poll" means two things in Slack. One is a message where people vote by reacting with an emoji, which needs no app. The other is a proper poll where each option carries an emoji, which reads faster and still counts votes properly. This page covers both, plus the poll emoji themselves.
- [Slack polls for remote teams](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/remote-teams/): On a remote team, Slack is the office, and a lot of what an office does for free has to be asked for on purpose: who is around when, how people are doing, where to meet up once a year. Polls are how you ask without scheduling another call.
- [Polls for Slack communities](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/slack-communities/): A Slack community is not a company. Nobody has to answer you, half the members are lurkers, and a careless @channel reaches thousands of people who did not ask for it. Polls work well here because they are the lowest-effort way for a quiet member to take part: one click, no message to write.

## Sources

- [How can I use my own emoji?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/40-how-can-i-use-my-own-emoji)
- [Cultivating culture](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/141-cultivating-culture)

---

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