Remote or in person, the first five minutes of a meeting usually set the tone for the conversation to come. A short quiz gets everyone participating at once, gives quiet people a voice and loosens the room. The ideas below take under ten minutes to run.
Why a quiz?
In the classic “introduce yourself” round the talkative ones stand out. In a quiz everyone answers at the same time under a nickname, which lowers the barrier even for a shy person. When the results show up on screen, a natural place to start talking appears.
Idea 1: A get-to-know-the-team quiz
Ask participants in advance for small details (favorite movie, first job, a city they have never visited but want to) and turn them into questions: “Who on this team had their first job in a café?” People guess, the right person explains, and everyone gets to know each other a bit better. Avoid asking for private details that could make someone uncomfortable.
Idea 2: Open with a poll
A scale question like “How is our energy this week?” or a poll like “What stretches our meetings the most?” is an opening with no right answer that collects opinions. Because results appear instantly, they connect straight to an agenda item. (Poll and scale questions are included in Plus and Pro.)
Idea 3: A domain-knowledge round
To reinforce information about a new product or process, use a mini contest of three to five questions. Internal terms, product features or last quarter’s results make good material. The goal is not to test anyone but to keep important information in mind.
Idea 4: A general-knowledge round
Sometimes the best icebreaker is a fun trivia round unrelated to work. Five or six light questions guarantee someone on the team shouting “I knew it!” You can start from a template or an AI draft and add the team’s own in-jokes to the questions.
Tips for running it
Keep it short: the quiz is not the point of the meeting. Do not take the score seriously; if there is a prize, make it symbolic. In remote meetings post the PIN in the chat and wait a minute or two until people connect. Short answer times keep the pace up and the team’s attention alive.
An example ten-minute flow
You can open a weekly team meeting like this:
- 0–2 min: share the PIN, wait for everyone to join, state a short rule (“this is for fun, the score does not matter”).
- 2–4 min: two poll questions: “How is your energy this week?” and “What do you expect from this meeting?”
- 4–8 min: a four-question get-to-know-you or domain-knowledge mini quiz.
- 8–10 min: a brief look at the results and on to the agenda.
Remote and hybrid meetings
A quiz is especially valuable in a remote meeting: even with cameras off, everyone is doing something at the same time. Post the PIN in the chat and show the lobby by sharing your screen (the host runs the game from the Android app); participants join from their own devices with a browser. In hybrid meetings, letting people in the office and people at home compete in the same space reduces the distance between the two groups.
Connection problems can happen. In the first quiz leave plenty of time, wait a few minutes and run the game around anyone who cannot join. Do not open a quiz in a meeting for the first time without trying it; run a small test game beforehand.
Keep everyone included
Icebreaker questions should leave no one out. A new joiner may not know the team’s old jokes; instead of questions that rely only on the past, choose ones everyone can answer. If you ask for personal details, get permission from participants beforehand and never press for something they do not want to share. For people who feel competition anxiety, open in a way that hides or downplays the score.
In short
A small quiz can change the mood of a big meeting. See the Features page for the list of ready-made templates.
