Would You Rather

Purpose

Would You Rather poses playful dilemmas that force a choice and reveal thinking styles. Participants must commit to one option and explain their reasoning, which naturally generates debate, laughter, and insight into how others think. It is one of the fastest ways to go from silence to animated conversation.

At a glance

• Group size: 4–50
• Duration: 10 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
• Facilitation style: Facilitator-led with group discussion
• Setting: In-person or virtual

How to run

1. Prepare 5–8 "Would you rather" questions in advance. Mix lighthearted with thought-provoking.
2. Pose the first question. Participants choose by moving to a side of the room, raising hands, or using a poll.
3. Ask 1–2 volunteers from each side to explain their choice.
4. Move to the next question.
5. Optionally end with a question related to the workshop topic.

Materials needed

• Prepared list of questions
• Optional: slides with the questions displayed

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Questions too trivial: Add stakes to generate debate.
• Questions too personal or dark: Avoid scenarios involving harm or embarrassment.
• No defence round: The value is in hearing the reasoning — don't skip it.
• Running too many rounds: 5–8 questions is ideal.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Allow alternatives to physical movement (hand-raising, chat voting).
• Avoid culturally sensitive dilemmas.
• Works well virtually with poll tools.
• Ensure questions are lighthearted enough that no one feels judged.

Variations

• Work-themed: "Would you rather never attend another meeting or never send another email?"
• Impossible choice: Both options are clearly bad — forces creative reasoning.
• Debate mode: Each side gets 30 seconds to argue their case before a re-vote.

When NOT to use this

• When participants are dealing with serious conflict.
• In very formal settings where debate-style interaction is inappropriate.
• If the group is extremely large (100+) and there is no poll tool available.

Source & further reading

• Based on the classic parlour game "Would You Rather."
• Adapted for facilitation and team-building by workshop designers globally.