This or That Questions for Work

66 this or that questions for the first five minutes of a meeting, a team call or a class. Every one is safe to ask a coworker: no politics, money or personal life. Put the game on the big screen with Present full screen. See the list ↓

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Keyboard: ← or → to pick

Quick this or that ice breaker questions

Easy openers for a new team or a group that barely knows each other. Nothing here needs context, so anyone can answer in a second.

  1. Espresso or Latte?
  2. Lake house or City apartment?
  3. Sweet breakfast or Savory breakfast?
  4. Podcast or Audiobook?
  5. Crossword or Sudoku?
  6. Summer vacation or Winter vacation?
  7. Early morning or Late night?
  8. Book or Movie version?
  9. Pizza Friday or Taco Tuesday?
  10. Sunrise walk or Sunset walk?
  11. Comedy or Thriller?
  12. Plan the weekend or Keep the weekend open?

This or that questions about work habits

How people like to work, which is useful to know. Teams often learn who wants quiet focus time and who would rather talk things through.

  1. Hardest task first or Easiest task first?
  2. Paper notebook or Notes app?
  3. One big screen or Two smaller screens?
  4. Tidy desk or Creative mess?
  5. Headphones on or Open to chat?
  6. Short breaks often or One long break?
  7. Plan the day the night before or Plan the day over coffee?
  8. Keyboard shortcuts or Mouse all the way?
  9. Dark mode or Light mode?
  10. Answer emails right away or Answer emails in batches?
  11. Work from a café or Work from the couch?
  12. Deadline sprint or Slow and steady?

This or that questions for remote teams

For video calls and chat threads. Light questions about working from home that remote teams recognise right away.

  1. Video call or Phone call?
  2. Real background or Blurred background?
  3. Chat message or Quick call?
  4. Slippers or Shoes?
  5. Home office or Kitchen table?
  6. Pet cameo or Kid cameo?
  7. Mute by default or Unmute by default?
  8. Emoji reactions or Written replies?
  9. Async updates or Daily stand-up?
  10. Coworking day or Full week at home?

This or that questions about meetings

A little self-aware humour about meetings, good for the start of one. Ask the organiser to answer first.

  1. Short meeting or No meeting, just an email?
  2. Whiteboard or Slides?
  3. Walking meeting or Sitting meeting?
  4. Take notes or Share the notes?
  5. Lead the meeting or Join the meeting?
  6. Brainstorm out loud or Write ideas first?
  7. Agenda sent ahead or Figure it out live?
  8. Monday kickoff or Friday wrap-up?
  9. Snacks at meetings or Meetings that end early?
  10. Present or Ask questions?

This or that questions for the classroom

For the start of a lesson, a brain break or the last minutes before the bell. Students can stand on one side of the room for each answer.

  1. Math or Art?
  2. Pencil or Pen?
  3. Front row or Back row?
  4. Group project or Solo project?
  5. Recess or Lunch?
  6. Field trip or Movie day?
  7. Read the book or Watch the video?
  8. Science lab or Library time?
  9. Spelling test or Math quiz?
  10. Morning class or Afternoon class?
  11. Gym or Music class?
  12. Write a story or Draw a comic?

This or that questions about team life

Snacks, parties and outings. A good way to settle the next team event, since the answers double as a vote.

  1. Team lunch or Team trivia?
  2. Office plants or Office pet?
  3. Birthday cake or Birthday donuts?
  4. Escape room or Cooking class?
  5. Shout-out in the meeting or Thank-you note?
  6. Holiday party or Summer picnic?
  7. Snack drawer or Fruit bowl?
  8. Matching team shirts or Matching team mugs?
  9. Volunteer day or Sports day?
  10. Celebrate wins big or Celebrate wins quietly?

How to play this or that in a meeting

In the room

Show a question on the screen. People raise a hand for the first option, or move to the left or right side of the room. Ask one person from the smaller side why.

On a video call

Share your screen with the game in full screen. Ask everyone to type 1 or 2 in the chat at the same time, so nobody copies. Read out the split before moving on.

In a team chat

Post one question each morning in Slack or Teams and let people react with two emoji. It keeps a remote channel friendly without taking anyone's time.

In class

Students stand up for one option and stay seated for the other. It gets everyone moving and works with any of the lists above.

Which this or that questions to skip at work

An icebreaker should make everyone comfortable, including the newest person in the room. Leave out questions about politics, religion, money, health, bodies, dating and drinking. They can put people on the spot or split a team before the meeting starts.

Avoid questions with a "right" answer for the job, like "deadline or no deadline", which can feel like a test. And keep it short: two to five minutes is enough. For parties after work, the funny this or that questions go further, and the full list of this or that questions has sets for friends and family.

Questions people ask

How long should a this or that icebreaker take?

Two to five minutes. Five questions with a quick show of hands is enough to warm up a meeting; ten works for a workshop or a first day.

Does present mode work on a video call?

Yes. Share your screen, then press Present full screen above the cards. Use the arrow keys or click a side to move to the next question. Press Esc to leave.

Are these questions OK for students?

Yes. The classroom set is written for school, and every other set here avoids topics that could single anyone out.

Can I copy the questions into slides?

Each set has a Copy button. Paste the list into your slides, an agenda or the meeting chat.