Would you rather is a classic icebreaker format. It presents two options and asks which you would prefer. The options are usually hypothetical. Here, they are workplace situations. The answers are more revealing than they appear.
The meeting dilemmas
Would you rather: Attend a one-hour meeting with a clear agenda and a decision at the end, or a thirty-minute meeting with no agenda that produces a follow-up meeting?
Most people choose the first. The second is more common.
Would you rather: Give a status update to your entire team in a meeting, or write a brief update that everyone reads at their own pace?
Most people choose the second. Most organizations choose the first.
Would you rather: Be the person who always has a fun fact ready, or the person who always says "I can't think of anything" when asked for a fun fact?
Most people choose the first. Most people are the second.
Would you rather: Attend a team building event that involves physical activity, or a team building event that involves a personality assessment?
The answer reveals more about the person than either option.
Would you rather: Be the person who always replies all, or the person who never replies all even when they should?
Both are problems. The first is more visible.
The workplace dilemmas
Would you rather: Work in an office where everyone uses jargon but means it, or an office where nobody uses jargon but nobody says what they mean?
Would you rather: Have a manager who gives too much feedback or a manager who gives none?
Would you rather: Attend five thirty-minute meetings or one two-and-a-half-hour meeting?
The use: Would-you-rather questions work well as icebreakers because they are low stakes, produce clear answers, and generate natural follow-up conversation. The workplace versions have the added benefit of revealing something about how people think about work.