Getting to know your colleagues can be tough, especially if you work remotely. That’s why so many companies and organizations use icebreaker poll questions. Ideally, learning more about your teammates makes it easier for everyone to feel comfortable speaking up in a group and offering feedback. With any luck, your teammates will also find common ground, which makes the work experience a lot more enjoyable.
Choosing the right poll questions is key. They shouldn’t be too personal. Focus on likes, dislikes, skills, and other neutral topics. While we can’t guarantee an argument won’t break out about the best sports team or TV show, these poll questions are a fun way to get to know each other.
How to conduct team polls
Conducting your poll depends on whether you’re hosting an icebreaker during a meeting or gathering information to share later. If you’re doing it in person, ask a teammate to choose a number, then read the corresponding question on the list. For virtual polls, create a survey and use analytics tools to create fun statistics, like “49 percent of the company prefers the 49ers.”
It’s a good idea to let people skip questions if they feel they’re too personal, or don’t have an answer. Whether you ask in person or in a survey, make the option available to keep everyone comfortable.
Perfect poll questions
These poll questions will help you get to know your colleagues better, from their personalities to their work style.
Icebreakers
Use these questions to learn more about your colleagues’ personalities and lives:
- What’s your favorite hobby?
- Are you an introvert, an extrovert, or a combination?
- How many places have you lived?
- What kind of pets do you have?
- Did you have a childhood nickname?
- What’s your favorite kind of food?
- What would your dream vacation involve?
- What is your favorite sports team?
- Do you speak any other languages?
- Are you an optimist or a pessimist?
- Would you prefer a Netflix binge or a night out on the town?
- What’s the best concert you’ve ever seen?
- Where would you love to live someday?
- What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
- Which movie or TV show has been your favorite this year?
- Have you ever met a celebrity?
- What do you like to read?
- What’s your favorite meme?
- Who’s your favorite artist?
- Where would you time travel, if you could?
Meeting questions
These questions can help you get a sense of how your team is feeling and functioning at work:
- What’s your main goal for the year?
- If money were no object, what would you want to see in the break room?
- How’s your current energy level, on a scale of 1 to 10?
- How would you rate your leadership skills?
- What’s one skill you’d like to improve in the coming months?
- What do you think is key to a good work environment?
- Do you prefer collaborative work or solo work?
- What has been the highlight of your week/month so far?
- What time of day is best for staying focused?
- What kind of team outings would you like to have?
- How would you describe your job duties?
- How do you know when you’re stressed or burned out?
- What’s your favorite part of the job?
- Where do you need more support at work?
- What kind of workplace noise level do you prefer?
- What’s one thing you’d love to do at this job?
- What’s your favorite thing to do on break?
- When you first started working, did you think you’d end up in this industry/company?
- Which skill is your strongest suit?
- Would you work from home if you could?
Work-from-home questions
Working remotely is flexible and convenient, but it means missing out on some key details about your teammates—especially if you’ve never met in person. Try these questions for remote workers:
- What’s your work-from-home uniform?
- What’s the most surprising thing about your off-camera area?
- What’s the biggest challenge about working remotely?
- What’s your favorite thing about working remotely?
- Do you work with music, TV, or other background noise?
- Do you prefer Slack or Zoom?
- Do you work at a desk, on the couch, in cafes, in libraries, or other locations?
- Where would you work remotely, if you could choose anywhere in the world?
- Do you have a desktop or laptop?
- What’s the weather like in your area now?
- What’s your biggest distraction?
- How many browser tabs do you have open right now?
- How many monitors do you use?
- What’s the most interesting thing in your remote office?
- Do you use handwritten or digital notes?
- What’s the most useful tool you use for your job?
- What is one thing you miss from working in person?
- What kind of transportation would you use to get to an in-person job?
- Do you do chores on your breaks?
- How do you signal to yourself that the workday is over?
Tips and tricks
The previous poll questions are nearly all open-ended, which is great for in-person polls and short-answer surveys. Don’t feel like you’re limited to open-ended questions, though. Whether you’re taking advantage of your survey software’s question types, or asking in person, there are plenty of ways to vary your questions.
For example, try multiple choice questions, like “Which mythological creature would be the best pet? A: Dragons, B: Unicorns, C: Goblins, D: Trolls.” Yes/no and either/or questions can be fun, especially in work-appropriate versions of “Would You Rather?”
Use Voiceform for your poll questions
When you want to poll your teammates online, Voiceform’s survey platform will help you get the feedback you need. Whether you want to find out how many of your employees would prefer a pet unicorn, or how you can improve the work experience, our feature-rich poll question options, analytical tools, and intuitive interface makes your job easier. Book a demo today!
