30 Great Questions to Use to Humanize Your Meetings

We forget that, in addition to getting things done, the purpose of meetings is also to:

Build team and

Get people fired up

Do yours accomplish those things?

You might be surprised how much a quick question posed at the start of a meeting can build team over time.

So, why not try to personalize things a bit by asking a question for everyone to answer? Here are a few that I like and aren’t dumb and are open-ended and that I have actually used in work settings (no “celebrity crush” or “choose what type of bird you’d be” questions)

Pick one and give it a try at your next meeting:

1. What’s something you do around here that nobody knows about or notices?
2. Which of your tasks drain you?
3. Which of your duties energize you?
4. If you could choose one rule for everyone in this company to obey, what would it be?
5. Did you ever consider a different career path? If so, what was it?
6. What’s something you’ve learned about yourself this year? About the company?
7. Fill in the blanks: People think I”m ____________ but really I’m ___________.
8. Are you an optimist, a pessimist, or a realist?
9. What’s a memorable gift you’ve received?
10. What’s something you do outside of work, and what interests you about it?
11. What is a pet peeve of yours?
12. What’s one challenge you faced before you were 20, and how did you deal with it?
13. What are 3-5 words that describe you well?
14. What’s a goal you have this year, either personally or professionally?
15. What’s an important value you learned from your family of origin?
16. What does it take to succeed in this company?
17. What’s a piece of work advice you’d give to your younger self?
18. What piece of work feedback has been hardest for you to hear?
19. Who is one of your favorite people to interact with at work, inside or outside the company?
20. What’s a great piece of advice you’ve received from a mentor?
21. What is one weakness you have that affects the team negatively?
22. What are three strengths you have that help our team?
23. Which of your DISC dimensions do you find hardest to control? D, I, S, or C? Which aspect of it?
24. If your house was on fire, which three objects would you save?
25. Who is one of your “influencers?” Online personality, author, or someone you know personally?
26. What negative moods do you experience at work, and what triggers them?
27. What’s a bright spot at work for you at the moment?
28. What are you grateful for? Personally? Professionally?
29. What’s something you’ve been good at for as long as you can remember?
30. Name a personal or professional highlight from the past 12 months.

Getting ahead is about getting started. Try something new and get a different result!