Guides

This or that questions for work and teams.

A this or that question gives two options and asks you to pick one. It takes seconds to answer, there's no wrong answer, and the reasons people give are often the best part. They make an easy icebreaker for a team meeting, a new group or a quiet video call. Here are 100, grouped by topic, with a few ways to use them.

By Jitto Joseph4 min read

How to use them

  • Round the team. Ask one question and everyone answers in turn. Two or three questions are enough to open a meeting.
  • Ask why. The pick takes a second; the reason is what gets people talking. Allow one follow-up per person.
  • Vote in the chat. For a bigger group, everyone types their answer at the same time, then the two sides explain.
  • Quick-fire. Five questions in a row, answered without thinking. Good for waking up a room at the start of a long session.

Quick-fire

  1. 1.Coffee or tea?
  2. 2.Morning or night?
  3. 3.Cats or dogs?
  4. 4.Sunrise or sunset?
  5. 5.Summer or winter?
  6. 6.Beach or mountains?
  7. 7.Call or text?
  8. 8.Books or podcasts?
  9. 9.Sweet or salty?
  10. 10.City or countryside?

Work

  1. 11.Early start or late finish?
  2. 12.Quiet focus or busy buzz?
  3. 13.Big projects or quick wins?
  4. 14.Plan everything or figure it out as you go?
  5. 15.Written update or quick call?
  6. 16.Inbox zero or inbox chaos?
  7. 17.Lists on paper or in an app?
  8. 18.Present the idea or build the idea?
  9. 19.One long meeting or three short ones?
  10. 20.Monday motivation or Friday energy?

Remote work and the office

  1. 21.Work from home or work from a café?
  2. 22.Camera on or camera off?
  3. 23.Standing desk or comfy chair?
  4. 24.Headphones or speakers?
  5. 25.Desk by the window or desk by the door?
  6. 26.Office snacks or home lunch?
  7. 27.Commute podcast or commute playlist?
  8. 28.Hybrid or fully remote?
  9. 29.Slippers or shoes while working from home?
  10. 30.Office plants or office pets?

Food and drink

  1. 31.Pizza or burgers?
  2. 32.Breakfast or dinner?
  3. 33.Cook at home or eat out?
  4. 34.Chocolate or crisps?
  5. 35.Spicy or mild?
  6. 36.Pancakes or waffles?
  7. 37.Smoothie or juice?
  8. 38.Takeaway or delivery?
  9. 39.Fruit or dessert?
  10. 40.Lunch at your desk or lunch away from it?

Travel

  1. 41.Window seat or aisle?
  2. 42.Plan the trip or wing it?
  3. 43.Road trip or flight?
  4. 44.Hotel or rental?
  5. 45.Museums or markets?
  6. 46.Carry-on only or check a bag?
  7. 47.Hot holiday or cold holiday?
  8. 48.Travel alone or with friends?
  9. 49.Old town or new city?
  10. 50.Souvenirs or photos?

Everyday life

  1. 51.Early bird or night owl?
  2. 52.Shower in the morning or at night?
  3. 53.Phone call or voice note?
  4. 54.Gym or a walk outside?
  5. 55.Tidy desk or creative mess?
  6. 56.Save it or spend it?
  7. 57.Board games or video games?
  8. 58.Movie at home or at the cinema?
  9. 59.Rain or snow?
  10. 60.Weekend in or weekend out?

Tech

  1. 61.Mac or Windows?
  2. 62.Android or iPhone?
  3. 63.Dark mode or light mode?
  4. 64.Keyboard shortcuts or mouse?
  5. 65.Tabs or spaces?
  6. 66.Laptop or desktop?
  7. 67.Paper notebook or notes app?
  8. 68.Wired or wireless headphones?
  9. 69.Emoji reactions or written replies?
  10. 70.Update now or remind me later?

Entertainment

  1. 71.Films or series?
  2. 72.Comedy or thriller?
  3. 73.Live concert or festival?
  4. 74.Read the book or watch the film?
  5. 75.Binge it or one episode a week?
  6. 76.Podcast or audiobook?
  7. 77.Karaoke or dancing?
  8. 78.Classic or new release?
  9. 79.Spoilers or no spoilers?
  10. 80.Sports to play or sports to watch?

Hypothetical

  1. 81.Fly or be invisible?
  2. 82.Time travel to the past or the future?
  3. 83.Speak every language or play every instrument?
  4. 84.Free coffee for life or free lunch for life?
  5. 85.Four-day week or two extra weeks of holiday?
  6. 86.Never answer an email again or never join a meeting again?
  7. 87.Work from a beach or from a cabin in the woods?
  8. 88.Read minds or see the future?
  9. 89.Live without music or without films?
  10. 90.Be famous or be rich?

Team and meetings

  1. 91.Brainstorm out loud or think first and write?
  2. 92.Lead the meeting or take the notes?
  3. 93.Team lunch or team game?
  4. 94.Celebrate wins big or quietly?
  5. 95.Ask for help early or try it yourself first?
  6. 96.Feedback in person or in writing?
  7. 97.Retro with sticky notes or a simple list?
  8. 98.Plan the quarter or plan the week?
  9. 99.Fixed meeting times or flexible ones?
  10. 100.Show the demo or explain the idea?

Common questions.

What are this or that questions?

Questions that offer two options and ask you to choose one, like "Coffee or tea?". They're quick to answer and work well as icebreakers.

How do you play this or that at work?

Ask one question and go round the team, or let everyone vote in the chat at the same time. Ask a few people why they chose what they did; that's where the conversation starts.

Are this or that questions good for virtual meetings?

Yes. They need no setup and no preparation, everyone can answer in a word, and they work just as well typed in the chat as said out loud.

How many questions should you ask?

Two or three to open a meeting, or a quick-fire round of five to wake a group up. Keep it to a few minutes.

Still wondering? Try the demo office and see for yourself.

More guides.

All guides

Give your teama floor to share.

Make your officeTry the demo office

Free for up to 3 people · Runs on Cloudflare