This or that questions
This-or-that questions are the most reliable icebreaker for a cold room, because the answer costs nothing. Nobody has to be clever, funny, or vulnerable — they just say “beach” — and once everyone has spoken once, the next question gets real answers. That is why facilitators reach for either/or questions with new teams, large groups, and rooms that are tired at 9am.
They also produce arguments faster than any other format, which is the actual point. “Ketchup in the fridge or the cupboard?” has split entire departments. Run these as a rapid round with no follow-ups, or pick one and let the room fight about it for three minutes. Both work; just decide which one you are doing before you start.
Coffee or tea?
65 questions in this set — nothing repeats until you have seen them all. No sign-up, no limits.
65 this-or-that questions
Classic this-or-that questions
- 1Coffee or tea?
- 2Early bird or night owl?
- 3Mountains or beach?
- 4Books or movies?
- 5Call or text?
- 6Sweet or salty?
- 7Cats or dogs?
- 8Window seat or aisle seat?
- 9Summer or winter?
- 10Cook at home or eat out?
- 11Pizza or tacos?
- 12Music or podcasts?
- 13Camping or hotel?
- 14Big party or small dinner?
- 15Superpower: flying or invisibility?
- 16Time travel: past or future?
- 17Always slightly early or exactly on time?
- 18Remote work or office?
- 19Star Wars or Star Trek?
- 20Android or iPhone?
- 21Breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast?
- 22One long vacation or several short ones?
- 23Keyboard shortcuts or mouse everything?
- 24Meetings with cameras on or off?
- 25Rewatch an old favourite or try something new?
This or that for work
- 1Deep work morning or deep work evening?
- 2Inbox zero or inbox chaos?
- 3Standing desk or sitting desk?
- 4Ship fast or ship polished?
- 5Written update or quick call?
- 6Open office or private room?
- 7Whiteboard or spreadsheet?
- 8Detailed spec or figure it out as we go?
- 9Bug fixes or new features?
- 10Pairing or solo focus?
- 11Long retro or short retro?
- 12Recurring meeting or ad-hoc when needed?
- 13Notifications on or notifications off?
- 14Dark mode or light mode?
- 15One big monitor or two smaller ones?
- 16Thread or channel?
Impossible this-or-that questions
- 1Never be late again or never be tired again?
- 2Lose all your photos or lose all your playlists?
- 3Read minds or be unreadable?
- 4Perfect memory or perfect sleep?
- 5Unlimited time or unlimited money?
- 6Always know the truth or always be believed?
- 7Skip the commute forever or skip meetings forever?
- 8Speak every language or play every instrument?
- 9Never feel awkward or never feel bored?
- 10Restart your career or restart your education?
- 11No internet for a month or no coffee for a year?
- 12Famous for something small or unknown for something huge?
- 13Live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
- 14Always say what you think or never have to explain yourself?
Food this-or-that questions
- 1Pineapple on pizza: yes or absolutely not?
- 2Crunchy or smooth?
- 3Ketchup in the fridge or in the cupboard?
- 4Cereal before milk or milk before cereal?
- 5Well done or rare?
- 6Sparkling or still?
- 7Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?
- 8Soup as a meal or soup as a starter?
- 9Leftovers cold or reheated?
- 10Sauce on the side or sauce on everything?
Facilitator tip
Run this-or-that as a poll, not a round-robin. Ask everyone to answer at once — hands up, thumbs, or all typing in chat on a count of three — and you get every voice in the room in fifteen seconds instead of four minutes. Then pick the closest split and ask one person from each side to defend it. That is where the actual conversation is.
Frequently asked questions
What are this-or-that questions?+
A this-or-that question offers exactly two options and asks people to pick one, with no third choice and no explanation required — “coffee or tea?”, “ship fast or ship polished?”. They are also called either/or questions or forced-choice questions. The format is popular as an icebreaker because the answer takes one word, which makes it nearly impossible to opt out of.
How many this-or-that questions should I ask?+
Five to eight in a rapid round, or one if you want a debate. The format is fast enough that a round of six takes about ninety seconds with ten people, which fits comfortably at the start of any meeting. Past ten questions it starts to feel like a quiz, and attention drops.
Do this-or-that questions work for large groups?+
They are the best option for large groups, because you can collect every answer simultaneously instead of going one by one. Hands up, reaction emoji, or a chat message on a count of three all work. A group of fifty can answer six questions in two minutes, which no other icebreaker format can do.
What makes a good either/or question?+
A near-even split. If 90% of the room picks the same option, nothing happens; if it splits 50/50, you get an argument. The best ones here are ketchup storage, cereal versus milk order, and cameras on or off — all reliably divisive and all completely harmless.
Use these in your next retro
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