Either or questions

Quick this or that questions for teams and meetings

Updated September 2026

Either or questions are the quickest icebreaker there is. Two options, one choice, no wrong answers. They take seconds to answer, so everyone joins in, and they often start the best debates of the week.

Here are 90 either or questions (also known as this or that questions) for teams at work, sorted by theme. Want one picked at random? Try our icebreaker generator.

How do you play either or?

Read out a question. Pick one from the lists below.
Everyone answers at once. Type it in the chat, raise a hand, or point to a side of the room.
Ask a follow-up. Pick one or two people and ask why. This is where the fun starts.
Repeat three to five times. That's about five minutes for a team of 5 to 15.

Follow-up questions that turn a pick into a conversation

A one-word answer is a start. A good follow-up turns it into a story. Try these:

Why that one?
Has your answer ever changed?
What would it take to change your mind?
Who here do you think picked the other option?
What's the best example of your choice?

Either or questions for work

💼 Work style

⏰ Early start or late finish?

📝 To-do list or keep it all in your head?

🎧 Music while you work or total silence?

📞 Call or message?

🗓️ Busy calendar or empty calendar?

🧘 Deep focus for hours or lots of short bursts?

🏠 Work from home or work from the office?

📧 Inbox zero or 4,000 unread?

🪑 Standing desk or comfy chair?

🗣️ Think out loud or think then speak?

📋 Detailed plan or figure it out as you go?

☕ Meeting over coffee or meeting over lunch?

🎯 One big project or lots of small ones?

📣 Present to the whole company or write a report nobody reads?

💻 Tech questions for software teams

⌨️ Tabs or spaces?

🌗 Dark mode or light mode?

🖱️ Mouse or trackpad?

🐛 Fix the bug now or write the ticket first?

🖥️ One big monitor or two smaller ones?

⌨️ Keyboard shortcuts or clicking around?

📱 Android or iPhone?

🗃️ Hundreds of open tabs or close them as you go?

🔔 Notifications on or notifications off?

🧪 Write the tests first or write them after?

📓 Paper notebook or notes app?

🔋 Charge at 20% or charge at 1%?

🧑‍💻 Pair programming or solo coding?

🚀 Release on a Friday or never on a Friday?

⚡ Quick-fire everyday picks

☕ Tea or coffee?

🌅 Sunrise or sunset?

🐶 Dogs or cats?

🏖️ Beach or mountains?

🌞 Summer or winter?

📚 Book or film?

🛁 Bath or shower?

🌧️ Rainy day in or sunny day out?

🎂 Cake or pie?

🧦 Odd socks or matching socks?

🛏️ Make your bed or don't bother?

📸 Take the photo or be in the photo?

🕰️ Always early or always just on time?

🎁 Give presents or receive presents?

🍔 Food and drink

🍕 Pizza or burger?

🥞 Pancakes or waffles?

🍫 Sweet or savoury?

🌶️ Mild or extra hot?

🍟 Chips or crisps?

🥐 Big breakfast or skip breakfast?

🍣 Cook at home or eat out?

🍦 Ice cream in a cone or in a tub?

🥗 Healthy lunch or treat lunch?

🧀 Cheese board or dessert menu?

🍿 Sweet popcorn or salty popcorn?

🥤 Still water or sparkling water?

✈️ Travel and weekends

🧳 Pack light or pack for every possibility?

🗺️ Plan every detail or go with the flow?

✈️ Window seat or aisle seat?

🏙️ City break or countryside escape?

⛺ Camping or hotel?

🚗 Road trip or flight?

🏛️ Museums or markets?

🎢 Theme park or spa day?

🌍 Somewhere new or a favourite place again?

🛌 Lazy Sunday or busy Sunday?

🥾 Hike up the hill or take the cable car?

🎉 Big party or small get-together?

🎬 Films, music and games

🎬 Comedy or thriller?

🍿 Cinema or sofa?

🎵 Live music or a perfect studio recording?

📺 Binge the whole series or one episode a week?

🎮 Video games or board games?

🦸 Superheroes or wizards?

📖 Read the book first or watch the film first?

🎤 Karaoke star or karaoke audience?

🎧 Podcasts or music?

🃏 Play to win or play for fun?

🎭 Spoilers are fine or spoilers are a crime?

🕺 First on the dance floor or last on the dance floor?

🦄 Silly and hypothetical

🐉 Dragons or unicorns?

🦸 Invisibility or flying?

🧙 Wizard or superhero?

🏴‍☠️ Pirate or ninja?

⏳ Visit the past or visit the future?

🤖 Robot assistant or talking pet?

🐧 Live with penguins or live with meerkats?

🌊 Explore the ocean or explore space?

🦖 Pet dinosaur or pet dragon?

🍫 Chocolate river or lemonade rain?

🧞 Three wishes now or one wish a year forever?

👑 Ruler of a tiny island or mayor of a huge city?

Tips for running either or questions

Mix easy and divisive. "Tea or coffee?" warms people up. "Tabs or spaces?" starts a debate. Use both.
Keep score for fun. Tally the answers and reveal the team's "personality" at the end.
Use it as a warm-up for your retro. A couple of either or questions gets everyone speaking before you open the board, which makes honest feedback easier. Try it before a Start, Stop, Continue retro.
Don't stop at the answer. The follow-up is where people share something real about themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are either or questions?

Either or questions give people two options and ask them to pick one, like "Tea or coffee?" or "Early start or late finish?". They're also called this or that questions. Because the answer is a single word, they're one of the easiest icebreakers to run.

What's the difference between either or and would you rather questions?

Either or questions are short, everyday choices that take a second to answer. Would you rather questions are longer, usually hypothetical dilemmas that need more thinking time. Use either or questions when you're short on time and would you rather questions when you want a longer discussion.

How do you play either or with a team?

Read out a question and ask everyone to answer at once, by typing in the chat, raising a hand or moving to one side of the room. Then ask one or two people why they picked their answer. Five questions takes about five minutes for a team of 5 to 15.

Are either or questions good for remote meetings?

Yes. They work well on video calls because answers are quick and everyone can reply in the chat at the same time, so nobody talks over each other. You can also run them as a quick emoji vote.

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