The Polly Blog
If you’re in charge of leading a team meeting, event, or interactive group activity, you’ve got to brush up on how to use good poll questions. We’re not talking about work-related poll questions just for productivity sake (though they also have their place). Instead, we’re talking about the nonsensical and silly poll questions that get people laughing, smiling, exchanging, and bonding.
After the ups and downs of the last year or two, everyone can use a little lighthearted moment to break the ice and feel at ease. Here are some of our favorite poll questions to bring the team together.
This article will help inspire you to create four types of just-for-fun poll questions for your next call.
52 Fun poll questions
The power of fun poll questions should never be underestimated. It lets audience members know that you welcome their participation and gets the energy up before you get down to business. Let's look at word cloud, "this or that," multiple choice, and open-ended questions,
Word cloud
Word clouds make fun poll ideas because participants get to see an animated, visual representation of how people answered.
When you generate a word cloud, you get to watch how people vote in real-time as the size of the words and responses grow with each entry and vote. Here are some of our favorite questions for word clouds:
1. Which famous actor would you select to narrate your autobiography?2. What’s the one fashion trend that makes you cringe every time?
3. If you had to live without one food for the rest of your life, which would it be?
4. Which Netflix show is seriously overrated?
5. Who did you most look up to growing up?
6. What’s the best modern invention you can’t live without?
Multiple-choice questions
Respondents tend to love multiple-choice polls because they can be less pressure than open-ended ones. This style of poll questions also makes it easy to gather responses quickly anytime you’re in a time crunch. Here are some questions to inspire you:
7. Would you rather live the rest of your life in extremely hot or freezing temperatures?- Take me to the desert
- Baltic is best
- Harry Potter invisibility cloak
- Flying
- Time travel
- Reading minds
- Early bird
- Night owl
- 1980
- 1860
- 1970
- Other
- I brush my teeth one minute before it starts.
- I talk loud and drive everyone in the room crazy.
- Business on the top, pajamas on the bottom.
- I always forget to mute myself.
- Mushrooms
- Pineapple
- Capers
- Tomatoes
- Janice
- Chandler
- Phoebe
- Joey
- Pizza
- Tacos
- Chicken wings
- Fish and chips
Open-ended questions
An open-ended format encourages more discussion over the more rigid multiple-choice questions or more casual icebreaker questions.
Open-ended questions provide space for respondents to offer imaginative or personal answers. When there’s an opportunity to express their preferences more in-depth, it gives the whole team clues about who their coworker is, their likes, dreams, and quirks.
Here are some of our favorite examples that help get the team chatting; feel free to copy them right into your custom Polly templates!
15. Who on the team is so charming they could host their own talk show?16. What was a type of food that you hated as a kid but love as an adult?
17. Would you ever take a trip to the moon if given the opportunity?
18. What’s an article of clothing you owned and LOVED at the time that makes you cringe now?
19. Would you rather have hands for feet or feet for hands?
20. What’s the weirdest item you own that you’re also the proudest of?
21. What was your favorite vacation you took as a child?
22. What’s a family tradition you practice that other people might find weird?
23. What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?
24. If you could have any celebrity come to your house for dinner, who would it be, and what would you cook for them?
25. What’s your favorite dad joke?
26. What’s your hidden talent?
Icebreaker questions
If you want the team to get fired up in an engaging debate, try these icebreaker questions. While an icebreaker is anything that sparks conversation, this set of polling questions is designed to put friendly opinions on semi-controversial topics front and center.
27. What’s more satisfying: a salty or sweet breakfast?
28. The best way to travel is always: plane or train?
29. Vacation or staycation?
30. Fresh or canned pears?
31. If you had to cancel one tomorrow: Netflix or Prime?
32. When you’re cooking dinner, are you listening to music or podcasts?
33. Popsicles or ice cream?
34. Laundry or dishes duty?
35. Is the best part of the day sunrise or sunset?
36. Is it better to get a handwritten letter or a surprise visit?
37. If you had to pick just one forever: iced coffee or hot coffee?
38. Would you rather watch a scary movie or a funny movie?
39. Favorite way to unwind: TV series or films?
40. How you’re cooling down: air conditioner or fan?
Hot takes
Hot takes also spark debate. They can also include statements that (innocently) stir the pot as team members decide whether or not they agree, then defend their answers. For example:
41. Social media makes everyone less social.42. Pickles taste good with almost everything.
43. Batman is the all-time best superhero.
44. I'd take the mountains over the beach any day.
45. No breakfast can top Sunday morning waffles.
46. PCs and Androids simply can't stand up to Macs and iPhones.
47. Society would lose nothing if in-person shopping completely vanished.
48. Cats are much better pets than dogs.
49. PowerPoint is the best presentation tool.
50. A Kindle can never replace the feeling of reading a real book.
51. Carrot cake is underrated.
52. Talking on the phone is better than texting.
Add a little fun to your poll questions
Fun poll questions can get people out of their shells and liven up the group atmosphere. What’s more, encouraging people to participate in a fun, low-stakes activity helps promote inclusivity!
The questions help take the edge off, which is especially nice for new hires and remote teams.
These lighthearted moments quickly become a favorite moment to look forward to in the day and create talking points for later. This is the best opportunity for each member’s personality to shine through; even for more timid members who don’t usually speak up.
These spirited poll questions will help bring the team together, and Polly makes it easy to get them into every interaction with its easy-breezy format. Use Polly for free and play around to experience all the perks and your team will thank you.
Written by Briana Biancolin
