Why is it essential to start a retrospective with an icebreaker activity?
Icebreakers are crucial tools at the beginning of a retrospective. They set a positive tone and create a welcoming atmosphere. They help break down barriers between team members — especially in remote or distributed teams — reinforcing camaraderie and easing into deeper discussions.
Icebreakers also encourage participation from everyone, ensuring that all voices are heard from the start, which can lead to more productive and inclusive retrospective sessions.
Neatro proudly features The Question Game, an icebreaker activity with 400+ engaging questions to help you break the ice at the beginning of your retrospectives.
You can also create your own questions and use them in your retrospectives.
Why would I create custom icebreaker questions in Neatro?
Creating custom icebreaker questions in Neatro enhances the retrospective experience by enabling tailored, relevant, and engaging prompts that reflect your team’s dynamics and objectives.
This feature fosters ownership, participation, and inclusivity, as team members contribute their unique perspectives and ideas.
The variety and freshness of custom questions help prevent monotony and keep retrospective sessions dynamic and enjoyable — ultimately leading to more meaningful discussions and stronger team relationships.
Who can create custom icebreaker questions in Neatro?
Note that you need a Facilitator role to create custom icebreaker questions in Neatro. Contributors cannot perform this action.
Click here to learn more about the different roles available in Neatro.
How do I create custom icebreaker questions in Neatro?
First, log in to Neatro: https://app.neatro.io/login
Then select the appropriate Neatro organization and team.
As a Facilitator, go to the Icebreaker Questions section: https://app.neatro.io/icebreaker-questions
This section gathers all your custom icebreaker question collections, as well as those shared across your Neatro organization.
Click the Add collection button to create a new collection of custom questions. Then give your collection a name and click Confirm.
You can now start creating your questions.
For each question card, you can edit the following components:
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The description (text) of the question. Click the “Your question here” text area and start typing.
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The card illustration. You can choose an emoji from the Neatro library or from the Microsoft library.
You can also select a background colour to apply to all cards in the collection.
If you wish to rename your collection, click its name at the top-left corner of your screen and enter the updated name.
To add a new card, click the + icon button.
Neatro also allows you to duplicate a question card. To do so, locate a card in your list, click the three-dot button, and select Duplicate.
When you’re done creating your cards, click the Publish button at the top-right corner of the screen.
On the next screen, you can choose whether to share your collection of custom questions across your entire Neatro organization.
Select the option that suits your needs and click Publish.
You’ve just published your first collection of custom icebreaker questions. Congrats! 🎉
How do I edit, duplicate, or delete a collection of custom questions?
As a Facilitator, go to the Icebreaker Questions section: https://app.neatro.io/icebreaker-questions
You will see the list of your custom collections there.
To edit a custom collection, simply click its name.
To duplicate or delete a collection, click the three-dot icon next to the collection and select Duplicate or Delete, depending on the action you want to perform.
How do I check or change how a collection of questions is shared across my Neatro organization?
As a Facilitator, go to the Icebreaker Questions section: https://app.neatro.io/icebreaker-questions
You will see a pictogram to the left of each collection.
Neatro offers two sharing modes for each collection:
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Sharing with the team only (icon with two people)
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Sharing across the entire Neatro organization (building icon)
In the example above, the “Spring is coming!” collection is accessible only to the team. The “Questions for everyone!” collection is accessible to the entire Neatro organization.
If you want to change the sharing mode of a collection, edit the collection and adjust its sharing settings when publishing it again.
I’m lacking inspiration. Where can I find examples of icebreaker questions?
Feel free to explore our Top 100 Icebreaker Questions here: https://www.neatro.io/blog/icebreaker-questions/