ICEBREAKERS, Via The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker

“Icebreaker of the Week” is a recurring feature of the
newsletter The Art of Noticing (robwalker.substack.com). Some are icebreakers I made

up or experienced or found somewhere; many are submitted by TAoN readers. After
many requests, I am collecting & sharing all the icebreakers here.
If you find this useful or enjoyable, consider buying a copy of the book that spawned
the newsletter, The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways To Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration,
And Discover Joy In The Everyday. There's a whole section of the book with exercises
designed to help you converse with, listen to, and connect with others! Plus it makes
a great gift :) But if that’s not your kind of thing, maybe just consider subscribing to
the free newsletter spinoff of TAoN (robwalker.substack.com). Either way: Thanks!
My name is Rob Walker. I appreciate your interest. → Please submit your icebreakers
(whether you made them up or heard/read them somewhere), or your experiences
trying these, to consumed@robwalker.net.
[NOTE: This is a read-only document, please do not ask for editing

access! But feel free to just copy and paste the whole thing , and put it in
a new document that you can edit per your needs.]
August 8, 2022, TAoN No. 117
Today’s icebreaker comes from Alex Hidalgo / @ahidalgosre on Twitter:
Using only food: Where did you grow up?

I’ll say chicken fajitas, brisket, and fried shrimp. See others’ replies here. Unfortunately I do not
rememeber who brought this thread to my attention, but whoever it was: thank you!
June 27, 2022, TAoN No. 114
Today’s icebreaker comes from reader Elise Granata:

As a child, what was your third space – the space you
felt you belonged, that wasn't home or school? What
about as a teen? A young adult?
Elise adds: “This came out of me joking that the mall (more specifically, the Hot Topic t-shirt
section) was my third space as a teen. This was in close competition with the pet store in the
strip mall by my house that a friend and I would go to regularly after school, because we didn't
have to buy anything to be there, and we struck up an odd but friendly relationship with the
owner! Weird times.”
I love it. And for me the answer would probably be either the record store, or the house of a
certain friend.
May 16, 2022, TAoN No. 111
Today’s icebreaker is something I overheard randomly. I was listening to an Amazing Radio DJ

set from the musician Boyfriend (I'm a big fan). Mostly it’s music, but she always has a guest
mid-show. This time one of the guests shared an icebreaker that her organization uses in its
training process:
If you were a vending machine, what would you

dispense?
For the record, Boyfriend’s guests were two representatives of Plan C, a nonprofit project
focused on providing information about at-home abortion pill options. I don’t think this icebreaker
has anything to do with that (perfectly admirable, in my view) mission; it’s just a fun and kinda
weird icebreaker that works in any context!
April 18, 2022, TAoN No. 109
Today’s icebreaker is from reader Sofía:
If you could rule for a day, what would your first decree
be?
Actually Sofia made several suggestions, including: Who would win in a fight between Batman
and Terminator and why? What's your favourite cleaning product? And, Which is your favourite
Spice Girl and why? All fun! Thanks so much Sofía!
February 21, 2022, TAoN No. 104
In the spirit of this issue’s newsletter roundup, I’m going to adapt an icebreaker from a recent
issue of The Whippet. (Fingers crossed that The Whippet won’t mind!)
The context is an anecdote about someone who made a set of protest stickers that became
really popular, so popular that the person got contacted by an official government agency —
which wanted a few of the stickers to preserve for historical purposes! That’s obviously not a
turn of events the maker of protest stickers would have predicted … but it’s also kinda cool?
Leading to this question:
“Please tell me about a career milestone you achieved (or

you heard about someone else achieving) that is
weird/unusual/you would never have thought of until it
happened. Doesn’t need to be Nobel Prize level! Just a
marker of success, however you define it.”
There are some entertaining answers in The Whippet’s comment section.
January 24, 2022, TAoN No. 100
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Jackie Bayer:
What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given?

That’s a fun one! And I guess no further explanation required. Thanks so much, Jackie!
This week’s icebreaker is a bit of a special edition, as I’ll spell out below. It’s from reader
Katherine: “As a trainee English teacher and dabbling writer,” she explained, “I'd love to
contribute a metaphor-based icebreaker.”
What object, person, animal or situation is
happiness? What about grief? Hope?
(Emily Dickinson thought it was 'the thing
with feathers ...') How about fear?
Katherine wrote to me a little while back about an icebreaker-related project of hers.
“Frustrated by some years of dating incurious people, coupled with the annoyance of
pandemic-centred conversation” and a certain “bland” NYT list of 36 questions that (allegedly)
lead to love, she says, “I decided to make a massive (free) Google Sheet of interesting /
provoking / lols questions.” (Some of the questions are adult, as they say.) Check out a more
polished version of her project at interro.co.uk.
In her research she found the TAoN list — “I have recommended it to all my friends, and save it
for a languorous coffee break read whenever possible” — and asked me if she could include
some of its questions in her lineup.
Of course I said yes — with the friendly “condition” that she contribute one of her questions to
the TAoN collection. And that is is exactly what she did above.
“I think [this question] can unfold conversations about personal associations, memories, and
experiences without being too scary,” she continues. “And your interlocutor's willingness to go
beyond the literal would tell me a lot about their levels of comfort with openness, how happy
they are to think of themselves as creative and also just be really interesting! (I happen to think
absolutely everyone is creative, but we can unlearn how.) If anyone wanted to send me their
responses, I'd love to receive them! @kleedale.”
[“If my icebreaker is an example of cryptomnesia, I apologise whole-heartedly!” she adds. ;) ]
I love it! Thank you Katherine!!
December 13, 2021, TAoN No. 95
This week’s icebreaker is from reader Daniel Seymour:
What dream have you never forgotten and

why do you think this remains a conscious
memory?
Some people find dream talk boring, but I happen to find dreams fascinating. Or maybe I just
find my own dreams fascinating? Anyway, I like this question, it really made me think. Thank
you, Daniel!
November 22, 2021, TAoN No. 92
This week’s icebreaker is from friend (and featured noticer!) of TAoN Rob Kilner:
"What olympic event would you do, if you

could do any, no previous experience or
talent required?"
Actually, it turns out this question came from Rob’s dentist, who asked it mid-checkup. “I found
it tricky to respond whilst having my molars counted and prodded,” he says. “But the dentist
and dental assistant were having a laugh.”
Rob adds: “The dental assistant said she'd go straight in there for the 100m Men's Final, which
nearly made me spit out the dental vacuum cleaner lodged under my tongue.”
Understandable response! My thanks to Rob — he was featured in TAoN No. 33 (where, I just
now noticed, I refer to him at one point as “Kilroy,” sorry!), and I recommend his Workers
Lunchtime project.
This week’s icebreaker is from Lee Coursey:
"What is your most memorable experience

involving an animal?"
Naturally I was curious if Lee had an answer to this. The reply in part: “The first one that comes
to mind occurred on a trip to Glacier National Park. A female mountain goat and her kid met my
wife and I on a high, narrow trail. Apparently the goats had decided that the trail belonged to
them. They came right toward us and showed no signs of stopping or stepping off. Finally, we
had to gingerly step up a steep slope into some brush to let them pass. … Mountain goats have
a repertoire of highly evolved traits that make them excellent at stepping up and down steep
rocky slopes — but they chose to force us off the trail instead. It provided a stark reminder that
we humans are the interlopers and visitors in wild environments.”
Wonderful. Thank you Lee!
October 18, 2021, TAoN No. 88
This week’s icebreaker is from Elias Johnson-Youngquist:
"I learned a while back that they have

figured out how to cremate someone and
put their ashes into a vinyl record. So if
you had to be turned into a vinyl record,
what album or what songs would you want
to be on the record?"
“I'm a church worker and I am always on the lookout for unique and good icebreakers for group
events,” Elias says. “My favorite morbid icebreaker is this one I came up with. Hope it isn't too
weird, but it gets people talking about their own experiences with death and is a light entrance
to that. It also lets me know what songs or experiences are important to folks.”
Definitely not too weird — it’s just weird enough! Seriously, this is a great one. Thank you so
much Elias!
This week’s icebreaker is from reader David Krug:
Tell me about a person that you met only

once, and who is not related to you, that
really made an impact on you, and/or was
memorable.
Thank you, David!
September 20, 2012, TAoN No. 84
This week’s icebreaker is from reader Dan C.:
"When were you sure a bad outcome

would be your ruin, but in fact it turned out
to your benefit? Was it because you
turned lemons into lemonade, or was it
due to luck/grace/karma?"
Dan added that there’s a connection to “noticing” here. He writes: “When something ‘bad’
happens: Stop, Take a Breath, Notice. See if you can turn disasters into opportunity. Coppola
famously didn't let ‘bad weather’ screw up his shooting schedule; in fact, he would lean into /
run toward bad weather and extend shooting to include it. He called bad weather ‘the cheapest
special effects you'll ever have.’”
A great point about noticing opportunities in seeming disaster. Thank you Dan!
This week’s icebreaker is from Betsy, a librarian from a small school in far west Texas.
What is a food you’ve tried lately that you

really liked?
Betsy explains that she floated this question to a cashier at her regular grocery store. “He’s
been my quiet, MYOB cashier several times,” she says. “But now that we shared a moment
about the acquired taste of seaweed chips I hope we’ll have more of a rapport.”
This week’s icebreaker is from my wife, Ellen Susan.
“If you could erase from your brain one

piece of knowledge (memory, or fact/set of
facts) what would it be?”
A great one! Thanks so much, E.
This week’s icebreaker is from this post on conversation starters that I came across somehow.
“If you could travel anywhere tomorrow,

where would you go?”
This has been in my backlog for a while, but it seems like a good one right now.
July 12, 2021, TAoN No. 76
This week’s icebreaker is from reader Mallory Gilmore:
If you could be part of any world record,

what would it be?
The back story: Mallory says she was talking to friends about the recent record-breaking
temperatures in Canada — presumably a record most of us would prefer not to be part of. But
that led her to this question. “I think it would be a neat little insight into what someone thinks is
cool, and into their interests and personality,” she explains. “Do they want to break a solo, risky
record (e.g., highest dive), or a goofy one (e.g., most straws in the mouth), or a big group one
(e.g., largest round of ‘Ring Around the Rosie’), or a serious one (e.g., most patents owned)?”
I love all those examples, and I love this idea, a great one. Thank you Mallory!
June 28, 2021, TAoN No. 74
This week’s icebreaker is from reader Judi Kauffman:
Tell a lie and a true thing about yourself.

Let others guess which is which.
Judi explains that she taught college design and art courses for years, and on the first day of
class asked students “to tell a lie and a true thing about themselves, making it sound as if both
were true. Then the other students had to guess which was which, and defend their choice.”
(Those who had a hard time with the idea of lying could make it a “dream.”)
“Lots of laughter and a lot of interesting information emerged,” she continues. “Was that guy a
wrestler or a pig farmer? (Wrestler — but his grandfather raised pigs.) Was the quiet, older
woman who had wiped off her drafting table before she got settled a nurse or a pilot? (Pilot!)”
Judi would go first. “I said I had been the captain of my swimming team, and that I had been a
hair model,” she says. “Most people immediately guessed that I’d been a swimmer because I
was lanky, but I don’t leave the shallow end. That was the lie. But when I was a teen and a
college student I had very long hair that made me some very good money because it could be
teased and shaped any way a stylist envisioned. (Truth be told, I still imagine myself gliding
through water like a fish — but it’s never happened!)” I love it. Thanks so much, Judi!
June 16, 2021
This week’s icebreaker is from reader Keith Hester:
If you were alive in [time period X], what

do you think your line of work would have
been or how would you have earned a
living?
Naturally you can change up which time period you’re asking about. “I asked this in a meeting
and used the 1870s (aka Wild West),” Keith explained. “I think it provides interesting insight
into how people see themselves and their natural gifts/abilities.” (Depending on the period you
choose, he adds, you might want to specify ignoring gender/racial restrictions present of that
time. Or maybe not.)
As it happens, another reader, Rebecca M., had a similar suggestion some months back that I
never got around to using. But consider her variation, too:
Something I like to consider about people,

and more specifically those with more
technologically deep professions, is: What
would (for example) my dentist be doing in
the 14th Century? Or a software coder in
the Wild West? An avionics engineer in
Ancient Egypt? Fish out of temporal
waters.
Fascinating that both versions cite the Wild West example! Anyway, you get the gist, so build
your own version with whatever time period you find interesting. Thank you Keith and Rebecca!
June 2, 2021
This week’s icebreaker is from Being Hear, a “book about being present and listening,” from
designer Scott Boms:
Do you believe in destiny, or in the power

of free will?
Scott sent me Being Hear way back in 2019, recognizing the many ways its themes overlapped
with The Art of Noticing book and newsletter. Beautifully illustrated by Fuchsia MacAree (see
below), it includes essays and meditations and exercises from multiple contributors, and it’s all
very enjoyable and thoughtful. One of my favorite sections is a big set of “questions to get to
know someone,” divided into two groups – starter questions, and “deeper” questions.
This one is my favorite of the “deeper” set. It’s something I think about a lot. There’s an awful
lot of compelling evidence that there is no free will, but I continue to believe in it anyway. I
guess that’s a form of faith. What about you?
Check out more of Scott’s terrific work, here. Very belated but very sincere thanks for Being
Hear, Scott!
May 17, 2021, TAoN No. 70
This week’s icebreaker is modified and adapted from a post some months back on the blog
Marginal Revolution.
What is your most trivial, useless, or flat-

out counter-productive superpower?
In the post, writer Tyler Cowen mentions his own prior assertion that “extremely talented
people are almost always extraordinarily good at one or more entirely trivial tasks.”
One of Cowen’s readers picked up on this and referred to such skills as “useless superpowers,”
offering the personal example of an “ability to pour nearly identical amounts of liquid [splitting
up a bottle of wine, for instance] without thought or effort.” Cowen asked his readers for their
examples.
Many aren’t actually that useless, but the train of thought interests me: Why not push a little
further and think about, in effect, negative super powers? I, for example, have learned that I am
capable of being completely invisible to bartenders. You?
May 3, 2021, TAoN No. 69
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Caleb Wright.
If you were a boat, what kind of boat would

you be? And why?
“A manager asked me this one time,” Caleb writes. “I’ve thought about the question a lot and I
use it all the time and get the most interesting answers. It could be a historical boat or just the
kind of boat. I said I wanted to be a speed boat because it would be fun to be really fast. My
manager said a pontoon so he could be the hangout spot for friends.”
Well I like this one because it seems really weird to me! And I love a weird icebreaker. (My
instinct is to say I’d be a container ship? Actually, maybe a junk — because that’s such a great
name.)
Thanks, Caleb!
April 19, 2021, TAoN No. 68
This week’s icebreaker comes from me:
What’s your favorite-ever celebrity

sighting? (And related follow-up: Have you
ever been truly star-struck?)
Inspired by this review of ex-Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz’s recent memoir Remain In
Love; Frantz has apparently had a lot of fun ones, including bumping into a startled Patti Smith
on a beach in the Bahamas: “I said, ‘It’s me, Chris Frantz from Talking Heads. Good to see you.’
” Something about that makes me chuckle.
April 5, 2021, TAoN No. 67
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Doug Fawcett:
What is your most vivid memory of a

historical event that occurred during your
childhood?
This one is easier for me to answer if the age range includes adolescence — I was a teenager
when The Challenger blew up, and have a very strong memory of learning about that from my
friend whose locker was next to mine. His class had actually been watching the launch live. That
said, Doug’s answer is kind of the standard-setter: the Kennedy assassination. But this is a great
suggestion — thanks, Doug!
March 22, 2021, TAoN No. 66
This week’s icebreaker comes from a Twitter thread from Dr. Amber Spry, brought to my
attention by reader Anna Martino, in São Paolo:
“Every year when I teach identity politics I

ask the same question on the first day of
class. Rather than the usual icebreakers, I
ask: ‘How does your family / your culture
cook rice?’”
The thread (which is worth reading) goes on to explain how Spry uses “this little question about
rice to transition to a more substantive discussion about how the same topic can mean many
things to different people, and the way we engage with difference matters.”
Anna adds: “I liked [the question] so much, I use it all the time in my creative writing classes.”
Indeed, it is a great question — and the way Spry uses it is invaluable. Her spirit is worth
emulating, perhaps more than ever.
March 9, 2021, TAoN No. 65
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Tammy Hunter:
What was your favorite activity as a 10-

year-old?
“I have always had great responses to this when I have led meetings,” Tammy says. It’s a fun
one! Thanks so much, Tammy!
February 22, 2021, TAoN No. 64
This week’s icebreaker comes from friend of TAoN Jenna Sherry.
What activities, realizations, or new ways

of doing things will you (try to) keep from
this past year?
“It's a question you could ask any year, but it is particularly interesting now when there is so
much focus on things we are missing being able to do,” Jenna writes. “It seems to spark a
moment of reflection about what we have learned about ourselves in a challenging time, and as
well as a reflection that some new habits might have come out of necessity, but contributed to
better quality of life.”
It’s such a valuable thought; thanks so much, Jenna!

Feb 8, 2021, TAoN No. 63
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Vedika.
What is the dumbest thing you made your

parents buy for you as a kid?
Actually, Vedika sent my ten icebreakers. So many of them were fun that I am going to add two
more this week. (No charge!) I really like this one:
What topic do you wish was a college

major but isn't?
And then there’s:
Have you ever had an Internet friend?

I would modify that one — because I assume everyone would answer yes, right? — to ask who
is the best Internet friend you’ve ever made. (Could be someone you later met IRL, or an
Internet-only friend. At this point I can think of lots.)
Thanks so much Vedika!!
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Jessica:
What is your earliest childhood memory?

If it’s something "mundane," why do you
think it stuck in your memory? If it’s
something unusual/unique, what do you
remember most vividly about it?
Jessica explains that this came up in a “reunion with my mates” a few months back that
stretched into an eight-and-half-hour hangout. This question stood out because “I got to peek
into a part of them from way before we even met.” Fun one — I especially like those add-on
questions that encourage the conversation to get a bit deeper. Thanks Jessica!
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Karla Strambini:
What is your favorite compliment of all the

compliments you've ever received?
Karla adds: “It's too easy to hoard hurtful insults, so as an antidote, I try to collect compliments
instead. (I'm thinking of turning them into labels & stitching them into my clothes.)” I love it.
And what a nice note to start the new year!
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Mikah.
What are you looking forward to right

now?
This suggestion came in a few months ago, but you can imagine why it jumped out now. The
question “seems to center the conversation on hope,” Mikah wrote. “It's a good way to find
things to celebrate and move toward in our lives.” That seems particularly salient now.
If you use this icebreaker, push beyond the obvious — of course we’re all looking forward to
the pandemic ending, so seek specifics about what your icebreakee (just coined that) most
looks forward to when that happens. Thanks Mikah!
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Prado.

What would you write on a gigantic
billboard?
Responses that Prado got on Twitter are here. As a side note, I can’t remember the exact
details, but this reminded of reading a piece that asked various artists what space they’d most
like to work with, and one of them said “all the billboards between two towns.” I think about
that on every road trip I take, to this day. Thanks for sending this one my way, Prado!
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Clare Robinson, in Belfast:
What random stranger from your life do

you think about or (even talk about)
regularly?
“Mine is a guy on a street in Tokyo who grimaced with his entire face and did the most
dramatic, overblown sneeze I've ever heard, and then two more after it,” Clare says. “Whatever
you are imagining, I promise it was even more ridiculous. He was walking with his partner (I
guess?) and she didn't even blink.”
There are several prompts in the book that have to do with strangers, so naturally I’m very into
this one. And as Clare added in subsequent correspondence: “I always wonder if I've ended up
the stranger in someone else's story!” Indeed; we are all someone else’s random stranger, are
we not? Thank you, Clare!
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Candice Serafino.
What famous masterpiece painting or

sculpture would you like to own?
“I am a career advisor/administrator at a university and sometimes we use various icebreakers
in workshops or staff meetings/retreat,” Candice explains. That includes questions about your
little-kid career dream, and the famous person you’d most like to have lunch with. She hasn’t
used this quetion above, but I think it’s pretty great! Thanks, Candice!
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Diane Burns.
If you went into the witness protection

plan what identity would you like to
assume?
I asked Diane if I could link to a site or social media account of hers, and she replied: “My best
site is my local coffee shop. My favorite social media is a cup of coffee and conversation.”
Also: She actually sent close to 20 icebreakers, this one just happened to be my favorite.
(Runners up included: What food would you recommend to visitors to your home town? and If
you could only be one of these things, which one would you choose: rich, smart or beautiful?
and If you decided to run away, where would you go?, among others.) It was hard to choose!
Maybe I’ll surface another one of hers later. Thank you, Diane!
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Alexandra Carter.
What is a boring fact about yourself?

Alexandra says this came from a teacher friend, who used it with students in part to “help
mitigate privilege inherent in ‘what is one interesting fact about you’ or ‘what did you do over
the summer’" sorts of questions. ("I won X championship with my horse, Nibbles," etc.) Asking
about boringness is more of an equalizer. Besides:“This gets kids talking, which is fun — real
mundane stuff like ‘my favorite sandwich is club’ or ‘I prefer dogs to cats’ ends up being a nice
way to make connections — and can be sometimes surprising, actually.”
I can only add that coming up with a suitably boring fact may be more of a creative challenge
than coming up with an interesting one. I love it. Thanks, Alexandra!
This week’s icebreaker is a recent submission from reader Andi Foster.

If you had to survive as a fruit, what would
it be?
Couple of notes about this one. First, I adore this kind of question. I know there are those of
you who will find it too weird. I find it just weird enough. Second, Andi attributes this to “my
college roommate.” Credit noted! Third, Andi clarifies some important extra parameters: “You
are just surviving, you cannot move as the fruit. I heard [my roommate] ask this question many
times and I always end up changing up my answer. Currently I want to be a banana, because
then I would be with friends!”
This week’s icebreaker comes from a tweet by writer and friend of TAoN Ben Greenman:
Dark question, but what song would you

like to be played at your funeral?
Check out the answers he got, here. And check out Ben’s work in general, he’s brilliant!
This week’s icebreaker comes from Wm Henry Morris:
Which book did you read in college or

high school that was actually interesting
enough that you still think or talk about it
sometimes?
He adds: “This has the advantage of not only interesting talk about whatever nonfiction and
fiction books the folks in the conversation mention, but, in my experience, it also leads to talk
about favorite teachers and classes, the merits and demerits of assigned reading (and formal
education, in general), post-formal education reading habits, reading recommendations, what
makes a book or work of art memorable, etc.”
This week’s icebreaker comes from an anonymous reader:

If you had one opportunity to permanently
change someone's life (better or worse)
who would it be and how would you
change it?
That probably doesn’t need any further explanation. Although maybe I would add something
like: “politicians excluded”!
This week’s icebreaker comes from Yael, on Twitter (via swissmiss).
Without using the title of your job, tell me

what you do.
As swissmiss notes, some of the responses are very fun. More about Yael (not someone I know)
at Patreon and on Twitter. A great one! (And yes, it’s from 2019 — another product of my
notebook dive.)
I’ll get back to the backlog next time I promise, please be patient if you sent one in that I
haven’t used yet.
July 25, 2020, from TAoN No. 49
In a recent installment of Dan Ariely’s WSJ advice column, a reader’s asked how to improve
Zoom work-team happy hours. Ariely replied:
“The problem isn’t that your co-workers are unusually boring; rather, it’s the social
norms for your meetings. Research has found that people usually gravitate toward
small talk even when they crave connection because sharing important things
about ourselves can be socially risky. Talking about unimportant things carries zero
risk, but it also doesn’t offer much personal or social benefit.”
Indeed, Ariely’s Irrational Labs conducted experiments via networking events, testing the payoff
of using unusually “probing” questions, such as (I’ve modified slightly):
What’s something you would not tell
someone about yourself on a first date?
“The results, showed that those who asked deeper questions had more meaningful
discussions,” Ariely writes. “You could try something similar in your Zoom happy hours by giving
everyone a question to ask their colleagues.”
Irrational Labs has sets of “No Small Talk” question cards. And, as you may recall: A central
collection spot for all of this newsletter’s icebreakers to date is here, and there’s a free
Icebreaker Slack app based on that list, here. (Back story on that here.)
July 13, 2020, from TAoN No. 48
This week’s icebreaker comes from Sandeep Chakraborty. It requires no preamble:
If you could rename yourself, what new

name would you choose, and why?
For years I have wondered if I should have adopted a more unusual, memorable name — better
branding for a writer;)
Thanks much Sandeep!
June 29, 2020, from TAoN No. 47
This week’s icebreaker comes from Bethany Crystal. It requires no particular preamble:
What’s the most expensive habit you’ve

started as an adult that you now wish you
could break?
Here are answers she got when she tweeted this question — an experiment she tried “because
it occurred to me that, the more you know, the better quality you grow to expect.” This is why
I’ve resisted learning too much about wine ;)
Bethany (who admitted to developing some “expensive tastes” around candles) continued:
“What was fun about asking this question was that it also lends itself to a lot of easy follow-ups.
(When did you start that habit? Any fond memories you can share?)” Agree, this is a fun one.
Thanks, Bethany!
This week’s icebreaker comes from Tony Brent. It requires no particular preamble:
If you could sing like any famous singer

in the world (living or dead), who would
it be?
I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to choose. I’m not even sure which Beatle I would
choose. Maybe that’s just me. Anyway: Thanks, Tony!
This week’s icebreaker comes from a reader who modestly deflects credit to “the wonderful
training team in Bristol City Council, England.”
Describe something that’s made you

smile today.
“You get a huge range of responses,” my correspondent says. “Everyone smiles along with the
stories, and you get a short glimpse of the personal story behind each response.”
Yes. And maybe this is a particularly good one to ask right now, when smiles are scarce but
valued. Thank you!
May 18, 2020, from TAoN No. 44
A couple of weeks ago I got a very surprising email from reader Stephen Chisa, who caught my
interview on the Hurry Slowly podcast, checked out the newsletter, and became a fan of the
icebreaker series. He wrote:
I built a Slack app that lets people shuffle through a list of icebreakers and post
those icebreakers so their whole team can give their answers. It's been a fun
project, I've always loved icebreakers, and they seem extra relevant now when
more teams are trying to preserve their water cooler conversations in a remote
setting and trying to find other things to talk about than the pandemic.
He sent along a “super short video snippet" demonstrating how it would work, and asked if it
would be okay for the app to draw on the TAoN icebreaker list, with credit. We had a short back
and forth. After all, most of the icebreakers have come (with credit!) from you readers, so my
first instinct was to be protective. But Stephen is not trying to profit off this — it’s free!
Plus he’s spreading a message that, obviously, I believe in: These icebreakers are an enjoyable
way to connect with others, and connecting with others is central to a whole section of The Art
of Noticing. Also, connecting with others may be harder and yet more vital than ever right now.
And I never would have thought of Slack as a venue. So: all good! I hope you agree.
You can read more about & download the free Icebreaker Slack app here.
But one more thing: Stephen mentioned that he was also including his own favorite icebreakers
in the app’s mix. So I asked if he could share a few with TAoN. He did, and they’re great, so here
goes:
What was the first R-rated movie you saw?

How old were you?
“I enjoy this question because it creates many different points of possible discussions:
the movie itself, your parent’s parenting philosophy, and the rating system in general,”
Stephen explains. “The first R-Rated movie I saw was Starship Troopers in a random
motel in Wisconsin when I was 7. We were on a family vacation to visit my Mom’s aunt.
It was the first time my parents let us purchase a movie at a hotel, which only added to
the occasion. Yes, I did have nightmares but no I have no regrets.”
What was your first concert? How did you

get there?
“This question is often asked by hosts at Sofar concerts but it always sparks some great
nostalgia, sharing of what parents were like, and maybe even some devious ways of
getting there.”
What is your favorite body of water? Why?

“It’s interesting to hear why people pick what they pick—maybe it’s historically
interesting, childhood vacation nostalgia, or maybe even because it has a lake monster
and monsters are cool.”
I really like these! Big thanks for sharing, Stephen. Nice work!!
May 4, 2020, from TAoN No. 43
This week’s icebreaker came in recently. It’s from Ryan Kushner. The subject heading was
“Zombie icebreaker,” and I had a feeling it was just what I needed.
If you had to make your own zombie

movie, what would your zombies be like?
How would they be different from
stereotypical zombies? How would they be
similar?
“It's fun to hear the different things people come up with,” Ryan writes, “and they always seem
excited to get to share some creativity and ideas of adventure. (My answer is always that in my
movie, the zombies can get full after a big meal.)”
And he adds: “Hope it helps other people out there looking for some common things to think
and laugh about." Agreed!
April 20, 2020, from TAoN No. 42
I’ve mentioned friend of TAoN Ingrid Fetell Lee’s appealing book, Joyful. Recently, she wrote on
her terrific related blog, Aesthetics of Joy, about “joyful ways to change the subject.” You know,
if there’s some all-consuming subject that you’re tired of but nobody seems to be able to stop
going on about.
One way, in short, is to start another conversation. Ingrid suggests a couple of examples, drawn
from her Joyful Conversation Starters Guide, a set of “36 prompts to help you change the
subject and bring more light and laughter to your conversations.” Here’s one that might be
particularly interesting now — although it might not change the subject, so much as reframe it:
What’s something new you’ve learned

about yourself in the last three months?
“This question offers a gentle way to zoom out from what’s happening in the moment and
reflect,” Ingrid writes. Read the rest of her post here, and download her (free) Joyful
Conversation Starters guide here. Her book is Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to
Create Extraordinary Happiness.
I want to stay short and upbeat, so let’s go with this one, submitted a while back by friend of
TAoN Daniel S Dunnam.
Have you been pleasantly surprised by

anything recently?
A good time to ask that question, even of yourself.
Before I get to this week’s icebreaker: A recent writeup in Forge takes on the subject of
conversation in this moment when we are all obsessing about the virus — “How To Talk About
Literally Anything Else.” It includes lots of conversation-starter prompts, some of which
obliquely respond to the moment, but in ways designed to uplift; other prompts avoid current
events altogether. So if you’re hungry for that, check it out.
But this week’s icebreaker comes from a casual friend in New York, and it is absolutely inspired
by this weird era of quarantine and lockdown. I don’t want to make that a habit, but this really
made me think, so I’ve decided to share it:
Have you had any unanticipated

quarantine-specific cravings for comfort
foods (and if so, what)? Have you
rediscovered any old passions?
I know that looks like two questions — but I see them as variations on the same idea.
March 23, 2020, from TAoN No. 39
This week’s icebreaker comes from Mary Aviles, who got it from a TEEN Hype event last year:
What’s one word you would use to
describe yourself as a teenager?
My own answer, with no hesitation, is “jackass.” I was a difficult kid.
Anyway, it’s a fun question!
March 9, 2020, from TAoN No. 38
This week’s icebreaker comes from Amy Varga, who calls it her go-to:
If you had to describe how you're feeling

right now as a weather pattern, what's
your forecast?
She adds: “Another riff I also often use is: If you had to describe how you're feeling right now as
an amusement park ride, what ride are you on?”
A two-fer! I like them both, and even more I like Amy’s underlying thinking: “The invitation to
use a metaphor really inspires more reflection and creativity.” Very nice!
February 24, 2020, from TAoN No. 37
This week’s icebreaker is from … me!
What’s the worst prediction you ever

made?
Okay, this is a bit of a cheat, but I can’t resist. Here’s the deal. I saw a reference the other day to
some online debate about whether Leonardo DiCaprio was really “a star” before Titanic. It
reminded me of something that, if you know me, you may have heard me talk about: My worst-
ever prediction.
The reason this is a cheat is that I’ve actually mentioned it before in the TAoN newsletter, in a
little riff on “being wrong” back in issue No. 17. But I didn’t make it an icebreaker — and now I
realize it should definitely be on that list. (I also now think it’s better to frame this as being
about a bad prediction, rather than just “being wrong.”) So whether you’re new here, or just
need a reminder, the back story is:
E and I were at the movies one night long ago, and up came a trailer for a forthcoming aspiring
blockbuster: Titanic. I thought it looked horrible, a surefire flop. I leaned over to E and said,
referring to DiCaprio, who was an up-and-coming star, but not a superstar: “Well, that’s the end
of that guy.”
I was, um, incorrect. Even better: This is back when I worked in an office, and later I entered the
office Oscar pool — and in effect predicted Titanic would win zero Academy Awards. I came in
dead last in the pool.
I now consider my total, stubborn failure to understand the alleged merits of Titanic to be a
defining marker of my personality.
February 10, 2020, from TAoN No. 36
This week’s icebreaker is from the excellent Amy Santee:
What material are you most like? (E.g.,

plastic, porcelain, dirt, silk, stone etc.)
I’m still mulling my own answer to this one. As Amy adds: “The interesting thing about this
question is that it forces you to really focus on one or two or maybe three major qualities of
yourself.” And the more you think about it, the more other dimensions might come into play,
leading to answers like blue porcelain or 20,000 year old granite or sparkling water …. “We're
all so complex,” Amy concludes, “but this provides a fun and challenging exercise." I agree!
January 27, 2019, from TAoN No. 35:
This week’s icebreaker is extracted from this icebreaker guide I read on Medium. In general, the
guide is a little too calculated and practical for my taste, but it’s worth a look. And this question
jumped out to me as a really great one:
If you did not have to sleep, how would

you spend the extra 8 hours?
December 27, 2019, from TAoN No. 34:
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Becky Terry:
If you weren't doing your current job,

what would your dream job be?
Becky, a CPA, explains she’s found this to be great question to liven up networking events: “One
guy said he would have been a concert pianist, and proceeded to the piano to prove that it
might have been a reality. My dream job? A National Geographic photographer.”
I love it. (I’d be a radio DJ — although I’d need a degree of freedom that probably no longer
exists, outside of public/indie radio. That’s why it’s a “dream” job!)
December 8, 2019, from TAoN No. 33:
This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Lassie:
What thing from nature are you?

(Excluding animals. )
“There are so many interesting responses,” Lassie reports. Including: stone at the bottom of a
river; a smoldering ember; a geyser; a vine; moss; an unattached leaf. “It really seems to get
people thinking hard. I say I am dirt — dirt can take on many different qualities under different
situations, and it’s the stuff from which plants grow, so there is an element of creativity to it."
Nice. I’m going to go with “weed” for me. Thanks, Lassie!
November 14, 2019, from TAoN No. 32:
This week’s icebreaker comes from an episode of the podcast Startup. It’s an old episode (the
podcast has concluded), and it deals with Gimlet Media getting acquired by Spotify. In one
crucial meeting leading up to the acquisition, the head of Spotify asked the Gimlet founders:
What would you do if I gave you a billion
dollars?
His point (as I see it) was to get a better sense of the nature of the Gimlet folks’ ambitions —
and to prod them to think at a bigger scale. As one of the Gimlet founders says: “Of all the
questions we prepared for, we did not prepare for that.” (The Spotify guy says he asks the
question often, and good answers are rare.)
All that said, of course this question can be extracted from the context of a startup, or work.
October 31, 2019, from TAoN No. 31:
This week’s icebreaker is stolen from the smart and talented writer Matt Klam. (I don’t think
he’ll mind; we’ve always gotten along.) Here it is:
If you could do something that you don’t

do because it’s bad for you, but you
could do it without any repercussions —
what would you do?
As it happens, this thought exercise led to some trouble, which you can read about here if you
wish. I don’t want to wade into that, beyond saying that I like Matt, and I like this question.
October 22, 2019, from TAoN No. 30:
This week’s icebreaker is adapted from the latest episode of a podcast called Scene By Scene
with Josh & Dean. Basically this is comix artists Josh Neufeld and Dean Haspiel discussing the
movie American Splendor. It’s extremely fun.
Toward the end of every episode, Dean always has a question for Josh (and their guest, in some
cases), inspired, however loosely, by something from the movie scenes they’ve just talked
about. The questions are always provocative. I’ve modified the most recent one to this:
Have you ever quit doing something that
you used to be really passionate about?
Do you regret it? Or are you happy you
quit? Either way: Do you think you’ll
ever take it up again?
September 29, 2019, from TAoN No. 29:
This week’s icebreaker comes from an anonymous friend of the newsletter, who credits a
sample question from a college admission interview process. (I’ve tweaked a bit.)
Imagine you could devote a year to

researching someone’s biography. Who
would your subject be?
I think my answer would be P.T. Barnum. (And yes, I know about the existing books.)
September 12, 2019, from TAoN No. 28:
This week’s icebreaker comes from Art of Manliness podcast producer Jeremy Anderberg.
If you had to take a bath in a food,

which food would it be?
“It’s my favorite icebreaker question; I've used it dozens of times,” Jeremy reports. “Answers
range from chocolate to cheese to my own answer: mashed potatoes and gravy. Answering
involves considerations of liquid vs solid, textures, etc. Some people ask about champagne
showers.” I’d say champagne doesn’t count as food. But mashed potatoes and gravy? Anyway,
a very weird and very fun one!
August 27, 2019, from TAoN No. 27:
This week’s icebreaker comes from Michael Shiloh:
What question do you wish people

would ask you?
“You can imagine various variations on this,” he adds, “but I think this captures the essence.”
Agreed. I’m definitely going to use this.
August 12, 2019, from TAoN No. 26:
Today’s icebreaker comes from Jason, from New York (childhood home Knoxville, TN):
Of the places you have lived or spent

significant time, which one had the most
pleasing view out the front door/main
window/etc for you and why?
Jason explains that he “thought of it on a recent trip back to my hometown, where I stayed in
an Airbnb instead of my childhood home. If felt very interesting to see the sunset that felt
mostly familial but yet a little odd.” I like this a lot. It makes me remember a lot of views, and
makes me want to make sure I appreciate the one I have now.
July 31, 2019, TAoN No. 25:
Today's icebreaker comes from artist Amy C. Evans:

Who is your pick for the most
underrated character in a movie or TV
show?
I asked Amy for her answer, but she wouldn’t tell me! What’s yours?
July 18 2019, TAoN No. 24:
Today's icebreaker comes to me via Tom Weis:
Tell me about a time when you changed

your mind.
Tom mentioned this to me in conversation the other day and I knew I'd have to use it, but
there's a bit of a back story. He teaches at RISD, and this came up in the course of a
collaboration between RISD industrial design students and West Point cadets. Then-department
head Charlie Cannon brought the two groups together with a set of five questions originally
devised by Barry Frew. This is the last of Frew's five prompts — and my favorite. (The others
are: Tell us your name; where you are from; about your family structure growing up; about your
family structure now.) Charlie adds that the family-structure questions "encouraged people to
share personal information without feeling invasive," and that taken together the responses
helped encourage an "emotional candor" within the teams.
Having said all that, I think this last one works pretty well on its own. Thank you Tom and
Charlie!
July 4 2019, TAoN No. 23:
This week's icebreaker comes from Dave Adair. "For years," he writes, "I've enjoyed asking
friends and strangers":
If you're going to win the lottery, would

you rather win $10 million, or $100
million?
He explains: "Most people look cross-eyed and ask, 'Is that a trick question??' I ask it because I
think $10 million would make you comfortable without ruining your life, while $100 million
might ensure that you couldn't really trust new people you meet, and guarantee a stream of
financial requests that could be overwhelming. More interestingly, the question leads to
conversations about what people really care about if money is not an issue." Thanks, Dave!
June 20, 2019, TAoN No. 22:
Today's icebreaker comes from Whitney Teubner. It might be my all-time favorite, and it has a
bit of a back story. But first, here it is:
Imagine you are backpacking through a

remote jungle and the guide you are with
has you spend the night with a native
tribe. During the evening they treat you as
if you were their guest of honor. They put
on a show for you and cook you a giant
feast . . . part of which includes human
flesh. A delicacy for them. Would you eat
it? Or, at the very least, would you be
curious to know what it tasted like?
Whitney adds: "I like phrasing it this way because it gives people a complete 'out' to try it:
They’re dinner guests so it would be rude NOT to... You really get good responses that way.
Some people are flat out 'no's and others have conditional questions (where did the meat come
from?, etc.)."
The back story is that Whitney used a version of this as an actual icebreaker at a group lunch I
was part (most attendees didn't know each other) some years ago — and I loved it, and have
since used a variation of it myself in various situations. I suspect this one may not be for
everybody, but I hope you'll agree that it's quite original! (Thanks for letting me share it,
Whitney!).
June 13, 2019, TAoN No. 21:
Today's icebreaker comes from Noel Franus:
If you could live in the setting of any book

or movie, without necessarily being
involved in the story, which would you
choose?
"Lots of people choose Lord of the Rings," Noel reports. My answer would probably be Stranger
Than Paradise — but that's my answer to almost any movie-related question. Or maybe I'd
choose something from Almodóvar. Nice colors in his worlds. Anyway: Thanks, Noel!
May 30, 2019, TAoN No. 20:
Today's icebreaker comes from Marco Romano, who actually sent in a few ideas. This was my
favorite:
If you could be one other person, who

would that person be and why?
This seems like one that could be played with: Maybe being another person, but just for a
week, or a day, or an hour. How would your answer change? (And for those who resist this
question: Who would you be if you absolutely had to be another person?) Fun. Thanks, Marco!
May 23, 2019, TAoN No. 19:
I have a backlog of icebreakers to share, but this recent idea grabbed me. Via the Smarter Living
newsletter from The New York Times:
One of my favorite party games is to ask a group of people this simple question:
What is your oldest or most cherished

grudge?
You can read about some of the responses writer Tim Herrera got, here. An icebreaker and a
party game aren't quite the same thing, but I think this works. Even better, this idea does
double duty. Because while Herrera argues that you should let go of your grudges, there's an
argument to be made against his intuitive advice.
I've written in an earlier newsletter about the case for an enemies list. But even more on point:
I'm reminded of this interview with Sophie Hannah talking about the upside of a grudge. My
tl;dr gloss: A grudge is not a feeling, but a memory of a story – something useful, not painful,
and potentially even constructive. Write down your deepest grudge and learn from it. Listen
to that interview or check out Hannah's book, How To Hold A Grudge.
May 14, 2019, TAoN No. 18:
Okay, I'm really focused on the book this week — forgive me, I'm excited. I'll get back to more
diverse offerings soon, but let me have my moment! What I'm saying is, this week's icebreaker
is pinched from The Art of Noticing, part of an exercise on interviewing a friend (or loved one or
stranger or even an enemy).
What is your earliest memory?

This is one of many questions cooked up by the amazing StoryCorps project, cited in the book. I
chose this one because it's so simple, yet I think it can work with not only with someone you
just met, but someone you've known for ages. Check out more great StoryCorps questions here
— a really nice resource for those of you who have been enthusiastic about the icebreaker
series and have asked about whether I'll compile them. I might! Meanwhile: There's a whole
section of the The Art of Noticing with exercises designed to help you converse with, listen to,
and connect with others.
May 2, 2019, TAoN No. 17:
This week's icebreaker comes courtesy of John Baglio:
Tell me something about yourself that I

could never tell from looking at you.
A teacher and camp counselor, Baglio says he uses icebreakers all the time, and this rather
simple one is useful because "it leaves the option of going deep, but the person answering
really has control over how exposed they want to be." I like that!
April 18, 2019, TAoN No. 16:
This week's icebreaker comes courtesy of Friend of AoN Richard Nash:
If you could own one building, any

building, what would it be?
Actually, this question came from Richard's daughter, who further stipulated that you cannot
sell the building, but you don't have to live in it full time (although you can, whenever you
want). "I just realized kids ask the best ice-breakers," Richard adds. "She comes up with stuff
like this 10 times a week. I struggle to give a good answer." That's kinda the idea!
April 3, 2019, TAoN No. 15:
This week's icebreaker comes courtesy of Friend of AoN Erin M. Routson:

If you could only use three condiments for
the rest of your life, what would they be?
"I love to ask people this, and then get yelled at because my definition of condiment includes
guacamole," she adds. And while it may sound silly at first, it's actually a subtle test of
creativity, among other things. "It's interesting to see what people think they can use across so
many things, and where their preferences lie." I love it!
March 28, 2019, TAoN No. 14:
I am pleased to report that y'all have sent in a bunch of icebreakers, so I'm a bit behind — but
keep them coming! This week's short & sweet icebreaker comes from my pal Adam Harrison
Levy, a writer/interviewer/educator who has used this one in classes:
What is your secret skill?

He adds: "Standouts: an amateur contortionist (she bent her legs behind her head to
demonstrate to the class), a kid who learned how to handle poisonous snakes while an intern at
a zoo, and a guy who could ride a unicycle." Delightful.
March 14, 2019, TAoN No. 13:
Mark Lehman points to something he saw from @aedison on Twitter:

If you could say one sentence to your pet
and know they would understand it, what
would you say?
(Coincidentally, a few days after I got this suggestion, I heard a Radiolab podcast with a story
about trying to determine if dogs can be "racist". Toward the end, they talked about what
you'd say to your dog if you could understand each other for two and a half minutes.)
March 7, 2019, TAoN No. 12:
I'll get back to your icebreaker submissions next week, but I've got a few others I've saved up,
and wanted to share this one. It comes from Mike Kim on Twitter, via Tyler Cowen's blog.
Tell me about something you love doing

that you’re terrible at. And tell me about
something you really do not like doing that
you’re great at.
February 28, 2019, TAoN No. 11:
Icebreaker of the Week: "I share your enthusiasm for icebreaker questions and wanted to pass
on one I came up with that I've found to work well," a reader tells me:
Would you rather be able to speak every

language in the world fluently, or be able
to play every musical instrument as well as
a virtuoso?
"What makes it great is trying to get people to explain why they would prefer one over the
other. .... Their explanations reveal a lot about their personalities." Nice!
Icebreaker of the Week: "I've found people surprisingly enthused about this one," writes
McKinley Valentine, who has a newsletter called The Whippet:
If you could safely eat any inedible object,

what would it be?
"In my experience," Valentine adds, "you need to give your own example for the other person
to get what you mean by the question. For me it's a lit lightbulb. They seem crunchy and like
they would fill you with goldenness."
I love this one so much.
Dave Sandell suggests:
What are you into now that you never

thought you would be into? And
conversely, What’s something you used to
be into that you’re not anymore?
He speculates that he may have picked these up from someone else. Whatever the source, I like
'em; thank you Dave!
This week I'm departing from your contributions to pluck one from a recent David Brooks
column. Whatever you make of Brooks' politics, I hope you'll allow that his theme of tips for
cultivating kindness is well-intended. Among his notions for an imagined get-together that
includes people with cultural disagreements:
To start such a gathering, have all

participants go around the room and
describe how they got their names. That
gets them talking about their family, puts
them in a long-term frame of mind and
illustrates that most people share the
same essential values.
January 24, 2019, TAoN No. 7:
Here's one from Jen Mayer: "I like to ask this question, based on the great title from David
Foster Wallace”:
What is a supposedly fun thing that you

did — that you’ll never do again?
(She adds that she has two answers: "1. We took the train from Chicago to San Francisco—
beautiful, uncomfortable and glad that we did it, but I don’t need to do it again! 2. A production
company filmed scenes for a TV pilot in our house—some parts were fun, some weren’t, we got
paid, but too disruptive to do again." Thank you Jen!)
Last time, I mentioned my fondness for creative or unusual icebreaker questions to help when
I'm meeting new students (or anybody else). I asked for your icebreakers and got several good
replies. Here's one from Emerson Dameron (who in turn credits someone he dated years ago):
If you had unlimited resources, what

frivolous thing would you collect? Not
books. It has to be frivolous.
Ask A Thoughtful Question. The other day, Braden Bell had a handy piece in The Washington
Post listing “25 prompts to get teens talking about gratitude.” Teens and gratitude aside, I’m
always interested in icebreaker-type questions (particularly ones I can use when I meet a new
group of students). Several of these qualify. Here’s a good one from the list:
What is something you didn’t like but you

are glad happened?
I’m going to use some variation of that.
Do you have a favorite icebreaker question? I’d love to hear it! consumed@robwalker.net

ICEBREAKERS, Via The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker

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“Icebreaker of the Week” is a recurring feature of the

newsletter The Art of Noticing (robwalker.substack.com). Some are icebreakers I made

[NOTE: This is a read-only document, please do not ask for editing

August 8, 2022, TAoN No. 117

Today’s icebreaker comes from Alex Hidalgo / @ahidalgosre on Twitter:

Using only food: Where did you grow up?

June 27, 2022, TAoN No. 114

Today’s icebreaker comes from reader Elise Granata:

May 16, 2022, TAoN No. 111

Today’s icebreaker is something I overheard randomly. I was listening to an Amazing Radio DJ

If you were a vending machine, what would you

April 18, 2022, TAoN No. 109

Today’s icebreaker is from reader Sofía:

Leading to this question:

“Please tell me about a career milestone you achieved (or

January 24, 2022, TAoN No. 100

This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Jackie Bayer:

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given?

January 10, 2022, TAoN No. 98

[“If my icebreaker is an example of cryptomnesia, I apologise whole-heartedly!” she adds. ;) ]

I love it! Thank you Katherine!!

December 13, 2021, TAoN No. 95

This week’s icebreaker is from reader Daniel Seymour:

What dream have you never forgotten and

November 22, 2021, TAoN No. 92

"What olympic event would you do, if you

November 8, 2021, TAoN No. 90

This week’s icebreaker is from Lee Coursey:

"What is your most memorable experience

October 18, 2021, TAoN No. 88

This week’s icebreaker is from Elias Johnson-Youngquist:

"I learned a while back that they have

October 4, 2021, TAoN No. 86

This week’s icebreaker is from reader David Krug:

Tell me about a person that you met only

September 20, 2012, TAoN No. 84

This week’s icebreaker is from reader Dan C.:

"When were you sure a bad outcome

September 6, 2021, TAoN No. 82

What is a food you’ve tried lately that you

This week’s icebreaker is from my wife, Ellen Susan.

“If you could erase from your brain one

August 2, 2021, TAoN No. 79

“If you could travel anywhere tomorrow,

July 12, 2021, TAoN No. 76

This week’s icebreaker is from reader Mallory Gilmore:

If you could be part of any world record,

This week’s icebreaker is from reader Judi Kauffman:

Tell a lie and a true thing about yourself.

June 16, 2021

This week’s icebreaker is from reader Keith Hester:

If you were alive in [time period X], what

Something I like to consider about people,

Do you believe in destiny, or in the power

What is your most trivial, useless, or flat-

May 3, 2021, TAoN No. 69

This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Caleb Wright.

If you were a boat, what kind of boat would

This week’s icebreaker comes from me:

What’s your favorite-ever celebrity

April 5, 2021, TAoN No. 67

This week’s icebreaker comes from reader Doug Fawcett:

What is your most vivid memory of a