If your employees don’t know each other well, meetings can feel stiff and awkward.
It’s up to you to set the tone from the start by relieving tension and sparking lively conversation.
One way to do this is with ‘this or that’ questions.
A ‘this or that’ question is a simplified form of icebreaker question commonly used to engage your employees at the beginning of a meeting or team-building activity.
To save you time, we’ve put together the following list of over 290+ ‘this or that’ questions.
- Thought-provoking ‘this or that’ questions
- Funny ‘this or that’ questions
- Common fears ‘this or that’ questions
- Pop-culture ‘this or that’ questions
- Food and drink ‘this or that’ questions
- Travel ‘this or that’ questions
- Work-related ‘this or that’ questions
- Physical ‘this or that’ questions
- BONUS: why ‘this or that’ questions aren’t long-term solutions
Thought-provoking ‘this or that’ questions
- Intelligence or strength?
- Security or adventure?
- Sight or hearing?
- Time or money?
- Creative or logical?
- See into the future or change the past?
- Immortality or mortality?
- False hope or irrational anxiety?
- Loner or social butterfly?
- Awkward silence or intense sound?
- Really tall or really short?
- Intense pain for one minute or dull pain for a day?
- Poor and happy or rich and miserable?
- Pause or rewind time?
- Ability to fly or ability to read minds?
- Planning or spontaneity?
- A 99% chance to win €100,000 or a 50-50 chance at €10 million?
- Adult mind in a child body or a child mind in an adult body?
- 1 million Instagram followers or €100,000?
- Be six inches taller or €500,000 richer?
- Happy fool or troubled genius?
- Ugly and clever or attractive and dumb?
- Child forever or adult forever?
- Underdog or favourite?
- Cheat or be cheated on?
- Communism or capitalism?
- Safe and predictable or dangerous and exciting?
- Successful entrepreneur or successful team player?
- Empathic or narcissistic?
- Die slowly without pain or quickly and painfully?
- End war or end world hunger?
- Extreme emotions or emotionless?
- Forget who you are or forget your partner?
- Free healthcare or free education?
- Get €1,000 a week for the rest of your life or €1 million right now?
- Drugs: illegal or legalised?
- Life in prison or death sentence?
- Revive a person or bring back an extinct species?
- Shack in the countryside or mansion in the city?
- Take the red pill or the blue pill?
Funny ‘this or that’ questions
- Toilet paper: over or under?
- Snort when you laugh or sweat when you’re nervous?
- Blink a lot or never blink?
- Brutally honest or indirect?
- Sort by price or sort by rating?
- Boxers or briefs?
- Baggy jeans or skinny jeans?
- Dad dancer or dad joker?
- Comedy hat or comedy tie?
- Reincarnated as a bird or a fish?
- Bad breath or body odour?
- Clammy hands or monobrow?
- Stranded alone or with three enemies on a desert island?
- Famous or infamous?
- Live in dystopia or apocalypse?
- Brain surgeon or rocket scientist?
- Colonise Mars or stay on Earth?
- A pet monkey or a pet pig?
- Never find a seat on the bus or always sit next to a crying baby in the plane?
- Phone calls or voice memos?
- Lots of acquaintances or one good friend?
- Be a king in the middle ages or a normal person in the 21st century?
- Meet Albert Einstein or Charles Dickins?
- Write a best-selling novel or direct a blockbuster movie?
- Always walk backwards or always whisper?
- Be allergic to chocolate or allergic to wine?
- Down five shots of tequila or 5 pints of beer?
- People never laugh at your jokes or people never take you seriously?
- Social media influencer or pop star?
- Hire a stunt double or do your own stunts?
- Watch the same movie forever or listen to the same song forever?
- Be successful and famous or successful and unnoticed?
- Own €100,000 in gold or €100,000 in Bitcoin?
- Always get stuck on the toilet without toilet paper or always run out of hot water in the shower?
- Washing or drying the dishes?
- Dishwasher or tumble dryer?
- Noisy neighbours or a messy roommate?
- Be a teacher in a high school or kindergarten?
- Soap in your eye or salt in a paper cut?
- Have dinner with Donald Trump or Kim Jong-un?
Common fears ‘this or that’ questions
- Heights or confined spaces?
- Spiders or wasps?
- Gunfight or knife fight?
- Thrown out of a plane or buried alive?
- Locked in isolation or trapped in a crowded room?
- Get chased by a bull or chased by a horse?
- Trek through the desert or the jungle?
- Lose your wallet or your keys?
- Onion-breath or garlic-breath?
- Get stood up or bump into your ex?
- Fingernails on chalkboard or fork on a porcelain plate?
- Rattlesnake or scorpion?
- Rats or maggots?
- Ice bath or sauna?
- Avalanche or tornado?
- Flood or drought?
- Hungry or thirsty?
- Lonely or famous?
- Walk under a ladder or break a mirror?
- Ghosts or demons?
Pop-culture ‘this or that’ questions
- Rom-com or horror?
- Zombie apocalypse or alien invasion?
- Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones?
- Star Wars or Star Trek?
- Harry Potter or The Hunger Games?
- Jazz or Blues?
- Country or Techno?
- Reggae or Pop?
- Brittany or Christina?
- Apple or Android?
- Stand-up comedy or theatre play?
- British or American humour?
- Saturdays or Sundays?
- Summer or Winter Olympics?
- Skiing or snowboarding?
- Laptop or desktop?
- Xbox or Playstation?
- Smart or casual?
- Patterned or plain?
- Bus or train?
- Video games or books?
- Paperback or e-book?
- Card or cash?
- Call or text?
- Spend or save?
- Snoop Dog or Eminem?
- One Direction or The Beatles?
- James Bond or Jason Bourne?
- Sci-Fi or Drama?
- Call of Duty or Battlefield?
- Netflix or Youtube?
- Facebook or Instagram?
- Christmas Day or New Year's Eve?
- Easter or Halloween?
- Ross Geller or Joey Tribbiani?
- Phoebe Buffay or Monica Geller?
- Chandler Bing or Rachel Green?
- Geordie Shore or TOWIE?
- Batman or Superman?
- Marvel or DC?
Food and drink ‘this or that’ questions
- Cows milk or plant milk in coffee?
- Salad or sandwich?
- Takeaway or restaurant?
- Pancakes or waffles?
- Pepsi or Coca-Cola?
- Oranges or apples?
- Pepperoni or chicken pizza?
- Meat or fish?
- Omnivore or vegetarian?
- Sausages or bacon?
- Scrambled or fried?
- Toast or bread?
- Jam or peanut butter?
- Burgers or hotdogs?
- Sweet or savoury?
- Coffee or tea?
- Hot food or cold food?
- Smoothie or soda?
- Sandwich or bagel?
- Starter or dessert?
- Regular or sweet potato fries?
- McDonald's or Burger King?
- Indian or Chinese?
- Rice or noodles?
- Cupcakes or brownies?
- Sweet or salted popcorn?
- Chocolate or vanilla?
- Ice cream or sorbet?
- Ketchup or mayonnaise?
- Pasta or pizza?
- Fruits or vegetables?
- M&Ms or Skittles?
- Savoury or sweet pancakes?
- White or brown bread?
- Coffee with or without milk?
- Well-done or rare steak?
- Street food or Michelin star?
- Christmas dinner or pancake day?
- Tacos or fajitas?
- Wine or champagne?
Travel ‘this or that’ questions
- Mountains or beaches?
- Dawn or Dusk?
- City or countryside?
- Hotel or Airbnb?
- Camping or hotel?
- Backpacking or resort?
- Vacation or workation?
- Holiday with partner or friends?
- Active holiday or relaxing holiday?
- Partying or sightseeing?
- City trip or beach holiday?
- Europe or Asia?
- Disney World or Universal Studios?
- Travel alone or with others?
- Backpack or suitcase?
- Northern Lights or Machu Picchu?
- Winter or summer holiday?
- Australia or New Zealand?
- China or Japan?
- India or Russia?
- Scotland or Ireland?
- Iceland or Greenland?
- Hawaii or Maldives?
- Palm trees or pine forest?
- Hire a car or use public transport?
- Plan your holiday or wing it?
- Mainstream destination or off the beaten track?
- Plane or ferry?
- Economy or business class?
- Leave the plane first or wait until everybody else has left?
- Burner or tanner?
- Cap or sunhat?
- Sandals or flip-flops?
- SPF15 or SPF50?
- Beachfront restaurant or backstreet cafe?
- Shopping or sunbathing?
- Ocean or pool?
- Night owl or early bird?
- Climb a mountain or relax on the beach?
- Take a taxi or take the bus?
Work-related ‘this or that’ questions
- Working hard or hardly working?
- Email or phone call?
- Brainstorming session or solo research?
- Introvert or extrovert?
- Packed lunch or cafeteria?
- Productive in the morning or afternoon?
- Silent or lively office?
- Open-plan or closed office?
- Excel or buckle under pressure?
- Organised or chaotic?
- Tidy or messy desk?
- Excel or Word?
- Slack or Asana?
- Voice call or video chat?
- IOS or Windows?
- More money and longer hours or less money and more free time?
- Work from home or in the office?
- Work until later with breaks or leave earlier without a break?
- Team leader or team player?
- Dream job and retire in 50 years or terrible job and retire in 10 years?
- Great boss and terrible job or terrible job and great boss?
- Smart or casual at the office?
- Uniform or no uniform?
- Higher salary or more holiday days?
- Message with or without emojis?
- Extra mile or bare minimum?
- Early bird or night owl?
- Teacher’s pet or class rebel?
- Work to music or work in silence?
- Office party or staff lunch?
- Work later or start earlier?
- More or fewer team meetings?
- Small or large teams?
- After-work drinks or a movie at home?
- Relaxing or action-packed weekend?
- Motivated by money or recognition?
- New office chairs or new desks?
- Take criticism well or badly?
- Easily distracted or always focused?
- Feel confident or insecure at work?
Physical ‘this or that’ questions
- Tiny hands or massive feet?
- Flexible or strong?
- Bald or mullet?
- Couch potato or fitness fanatic?
- Hairy hands or hairy feet?
- No hair or no eyebrows?
- Green or blue eyes?
- Blondes or brunettes?
- Glasses or contact lenses?
- Tattoos: yes or no?
- Winter or summer fashion?
- Shoes or barefoot?
- Gloves or mittens?
- Beard or clean-shaven?
- Make-up or au naturale?
- Designer fashion or cheap reproduction?
- Three arms or three legs?
- Tanned with wrinkles or pale with smooth skin?
- Big nose or big ears?
- Four feet or eight feet tall?
- Always shout or always whisper?
- Long or short nails?
- Long or short hair?
- Curly or straight hair?
- Nerd or jock?
- Heels or flats?
- Pyjamas or underwear?
- Superhuman strength or healing powers?
- Jeans or leggings?
- Eight feet taller or two feet shorter?
- Mohawk or comb-over?
BONUS: why ‘this or that’ questions aren’t long-term solutions
Sure, ‘this or that’ questions are useful weapons to have in your arsenal, but they’re useless as a standalone team-building strategy.
To build a team that’s capable of achieving your company mission, you’re gonna need more than flimsy one-liners. You need to invest huge amounts of time in organising purposeful team-building events.
That means:
- Finding a venue
- Calculating budgets
- Reaching out to workshop facilitators
- Organising a catering team
- Arranging transport
- And much more…
And that’s precisely the problem: organising a team-building event is extremely time-consuming. Every moment spent planning is a moment you and your team could have spent completing tasks and making money.
That’s why companies like Google, Hotjar and Shopify ask Surf Office to organise their team-building events for them.
At Surf Office, we take care of everything—and when we say everything, we mean everything. We’re talking accommodation, food, icebreaker games, group activities agendas, transport, photography, music—you name it.
If you’re ready to build a team that’s more motivated, aligned and engaged, contact Surf Office today so we can start organising your next team-building retreat.
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