🎭 Icebreaker

This or ThatThe 60-Second Team Icebreaker

Coffee or tea. Early bird or night owl. Books or movies. A fast, low-stakes way to warm up a meeting, onboard a new starter, or get a remote team talking.

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Icebreaker
Live preview · Pairwise
This or That: Get to know your team!
☕ Coffee
🍵 Tea
🌅 Early bird
🦉 Night owl
📚 Books
🎬 Movies
Submit Vote →
Results update in real time
✓ No signup required ✓ Results in real time ✓ Share by link or QR ✓ Free up to 100 responses

What's in this template

Three classic pairings ready to go — coffee or tea, early bird or night owl, books or movies. Keep them, or swap in your own pairs to suit the group.

Q
This or That: Get to know your team!
1
☕ Coffee
2
🍵 Tea
3
🌅 Early bird
4
🦉 Night owl
5
📚 Books
6
🎬 Movies

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Why icebreakers work better as a poll

Nobody has to speak first

Going round the room puts the quietest person on the spot. A poll lets everyone answer at once, which is why remote and hybrid teams get better participation from it.

The results are the conversation

The interesting part isn't the answer, it's the split. A 50/50 result on early bird versus night owl tells a manager something genuinely useful about the team's working rhythms.

It takes seconds, not minutes

One tap per pairing. You can run it in the first minute of a call without eating into the agenda.

It works for any group size

Six people or sixty, the format is the same and nobody waits their turn.

Run one in three steps

1

Keep or swap the pairings

The three included work for most groups. Swap in your own for a specific team, season, or event.

2

Share the link

Drop it in the meeting chat or show a QR code on screen. No account needed to answer.

3

Show the results live

Put the results on screen as they come in. The splits are what start the conversation.

The data behind ranked choice

We simulated 660,000 group votes to measure how often single-choice voting picks a different winner. With five options the plurality winner held no outright majority 84.3% of the time, and the two methods disagreed in 28.7% of votes. The gap widens as options increase.

Read the full study → · methodology and code published.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a this or that poll?
Click Use This Template, keep or replace the pairings, and click Create Poll. Share the link in your meeting chat. No signup and no cost.
What are good this or that questions for work?
Pairs that reveal working style land best: early bird or night owl, call or message, plan ahead or improvise, work from home or office. Save the divisive food ones for social settings.
Do people need an account to answer?
No. They click the link and tap their choices. No login, no email address, and no app to install.
How long does it take to run?
Under a minute for three pairings. Most teams run it in the first minute of a call while people are still joining.
Does this work for remote teams?
Particularly well. Round-the-room icebreakers are awkward on video calls with lag and talking over each other. A poll lets everyone answer simultaneously and shows the result instantly.
Can I use it for onboarding?
Yes. It's a common way to introduce a new starter to a team without putting them on the spot to talk about themselves.
How many pairings should I include?
Three to five. Beyond that it stops feeling like a warm-up and starts feeling like a form.
Can I see individual answers?
Only if you enable name collection. By default responses aren't attributed, which usually gets more honest answers on the sillier pairings.

Warm up your next meeting

Free, no signup, ready in 60 seconds.

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