100 ‘question of the day’ examples for work

Workplaces are amazing melting pots of talent, interests, and backgrounds, and all it takes is a good prompt to bring these stories out of the woodwork. Who knew Brian from accounts was a part-time magician?! 

We connect more when we see our colleagues as people, not drones, with shared interests and unique stories to tell. And when we feel bonded with our teammates, motivation rises, along with our ability to collaborate. ‘Question of the day’ is a prompt designed to do just that. Let’s take a closer look! 

What is ‘question of the day’?

‘Question of the day’ is an engaging prompt designed to kick-start conversation among a group of people. It’s ideal for workplaces, classrooms, social gatherings, online forums — essentially, any social space where people need to connect. 

Since it’s open-ended, anyone can get involved, making it a versatile, easy way to engage the team and share ideas. 

How is using ‘question of the day’ helpful at work?

By asking a simple, thought-provoking question, you can spark conversation, engage the team, and help create a relaxed, open environment. Ideal for collaboration, brainstorming, and more. 

• Encourage team bonding: Build stronger bonds between colleagues by passing the metaphorical mic around and letting each person share personal stories. 
• Boost morale: Create an engaged team that’s happy to open up and share ideas. 
• Improve communication: It helps build a culture where active listening and two-way conversations are the norm.
• Inspire creativity: Questions nudge team members to consider different perspectives. Bye-bye groupthink! 
• Reduce stress: Questions offer a light-hearted break from work, alleviating stress. 
• Boost inclusivity: The exercise gives everyone a chance to speak and be heard, promoting a more inclusive work environment.
• Build trust: Strengthen trust among team members by encouraging vulnerability and honesty.
• Improve remote engagement: Loneliness is a real problem amongst remote teams. Questions of the day help everyone feel more connected and engaged through regular, thoughtful interaction. 
• Promote cultural awareness: Boost the team’s appreciation of diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.
• Support onboarding: Help new employees integrate smoothly by building connections with existing team members.

Question of the day Vs. icebreaker question 

‘Question of the day’ is closely related to the icebreaker. Both focus on initiating conversation while laying the groundwork for an open, positive working environment.

But while icebreakers tend to be tied to specific events, like a meeting or workshop session, a ‘question of the day’ is asked daily or more regularly. It’s also more open-ended than a traditional icebreaker, allowing for continued conversation, whereas icebreakers tend to follow an ‘answer and move on’ format. 

So without further ado, here are 100 ‘question of the day’ examples to get the ball rolling. We’ve split these into open-ended questions and questions with answers. 

75 ‘questions of the day’ examaples

These particular ‘questions of the day’ are open-ended. Ask these when you want to encourage the team to open up, share, and continue the conversation throughout the day/allotted time period. 

1. If you could time travel to any period in history, where would you go and why?

2. What would you do if you suddenly found yourself with the ability to speak any language fluently?

3. What’s the most cringey typo you’ve ever sent in a professional context?

4. What’s the most unusual food you’ve ever tried, and did you like it?

5. What’s your theme song when entering a room?

6. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?

7. What three words would be on your gravestone?

8. What’s a skill you’ve always wanted to learn but never had the chance to?

9. If your coffee cup could talk, what would it say about your caffeine habits?

10. What’s the strangest place you’ve ever slept?

11. If you could have any superpower for a week, what would it be, and how would you use it?

12. What’s the most bizarre conspiracy theory you’ve ever heard?

13. If you could create a new sport, what would it be, and what are the rules?

14. What’s your favorite urban legend or myth?

15. Tell us about a work memory that always makes you smile

16. What’s the most unusual job you can think of, and would you ever want to do it?

17. What movie title matches your job role?

18. What’s a talent you have that not many people know about?

19. What gif encapsulates your job role? Share it.

20. What’s the most unexpected compliment you’ve ever received?

21. If your team had a theme tune, what would it be?

22. Which historical figure would you most like to date, and why?

23. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

24. What’s the most unusual gift you’ve ever given or received?

25. Tell us about a fail that you turned into a win

26. Do you believe in ghosts? Why?

27. Which dinosaur is your favorite, and why?

28. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever collected?

29. If you could live in any time period for a year, which one would you choose?

30. What’s the most out-of-character thing you’ve ever done?

31. What’s your favorite smell?

32. What’s the most interesting fact you know?

33. What bit of wisdom would you share with your younger self?

34. Would you rather go back to the age of six or win 10 million dollars today?

35. If you could visit any planet, which one would you choose and why?

36. If there were no risks, would you rather visit the deep ocean or deep space?

37. If you gave a TED talk, what would your topic be?

38. What’s a hill you’ll die on?

39. What’s your favorite painting, and why?

40. What’s your top productivity hack for turning the day around?

41. What’s your office pet peeve?

42. Does your family have any traditions? Share.

43. If you could live in any type of building, what would it be and where?

44. What’s the most creative excuse you’ve ever used?

45. If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

46. What’s the weirdest talent you have?

47. What’s the most unusual combination of foods you like?

48. If you could live in any book, which one would it be?

49. What’s the craziest thing you believed as a child?

50. If you could create a new word, what would it be, and what would it mean?

51. What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever found?

52. If you could have a conversation with your pet, what would you talk about?

53. What’s a unique thing about your hometown?

54. What’s the most unusual piece of clothing you own?

55. If you could teleport anywhere right now, where would you go?

56. If you could be a fly on the wall, where would you go?

57. What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself?

58. If you could have any job for a week, what would it be?

59. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen in someone else’s home?

60. If you could instantly master any musical instrument, what would it be?

61. What’s the most unusual hobby you’ve ever tried?

62. If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?

63. What’s the strangest coincidence you’ve ever experienced?

64. What’s top of your to-do list this year?

65. What’s an unethical experiment that would have a positive impact on society?

66. What was your favorite stuffed animal growing up?

67. What do you think is the hardest thing about being an adult?

68. Who do you most admire?

69. What’s something you were completely certain of before finding out you were wrong?

70. If you could have a full year off, paid, how would you spend it?

71. Who is the most misunderstood villain?

72. Do you have any odd superstitions?

73. What’s one thing every office should have?

74. Describe your ideal weekend.

75. If you could switch places with any celebrity for a day, who would it be?

25 ‘questions of the day’ examples with answers 

Ask these when you want to help the team bond, lighten the mood, and offer a break from work. 

Top tip: If you’d like to spark further conversation, make them office, team, or industry-themed. 

1. What is the capital city of Australia?

Answer: Canberra.

2. Who wants the Krabby Patty Formula?

Answer: Plankton.

3. What is the chemical symbol for gold?

Answer: Au.

4. Which planet is known as the Red Planet?

Answer: Mars.

5. What is the largest organism in the world?

Answer: Armillaria solidipes, aka honey fungus, aka ‘a mushroom’.

6. Who was the first President of the United States?

Answer: George Washington.

7. What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?

Answer: Diamond.

8. Who is the most followed person on Instagram?

Answer: Cristiano Ronaldo

9. Which element has the atomic number 1?

Answer: Hydrogen.

10. In which year did the Titanic sink?

Answer: 1912.

11. Who painted the Mona Lisa?

Answer: Leonardo da Vinci.

12. What is the capital city of Canada?

Answer: Ottawa.

13. How many continents are there on Earth?

Answer: Seven.

14. What is the smallest country in the world?

Answer: Vatican City.

15. Who discovered penicillin?

Answer: Alexander Fleming.

16. What is the longest river in the world?

Answer: The Nile River.

17. Which planet is closest to the sun?

Answer: Mercury.

18. What is the square root of 64?

Answer: Eight.

19. In what year did World War II end?

Answer: 1945.

20. What is the main language spoken in Brazil?

Answer: Portuguese.

21. Who is the author of ‘1984’?

Answer: George Orwell.

22. Who is Bart Simpson’s nemesis?

Answer: Sideshow Bob.

23. Which country is known as the Land of the Rising Sun?

Answer: Japan.

24. What is the largest ocean on Earth?

Answer: The Pacific Ocean.

25. Who developed the theory of relativity?

Answer: Albert Einstein.

Quick tips for encouraging engagement 

Question of the day is quick and easy. But not everyone is a social butterfly — here are some pointers for getting the more reserved team members to open up. 

1. Create a welcoming environment

Make sure everyone feels comfortable and valued. Reiterate that there are no wrong answers and step in to keep the tone positive and light. Ultimately, you want to build a culture of respect where everyone feels heard and appreciated.

2. Be consistent

Post your question of the day regularly. Whether it’s daily, weekly, or bi-weekly, consistency helps participants anticipate and look forward to the exercise. In time, you could even get team members to come up with their own questions.

3. Choose engaging topics

Choose questions that are thought-provoking and relevant to the group. And definitely tailor them to your team’s interests and specialisms.

4. Lead by example

Roll up your sleeves and get involved! When people see you joining in with abandon, they’re more likely to follow suit.  

5. Use a range of platforms 

The more flexible you are, the higher your chances of getting everyone on board. Share your questions through multiple channels like emails, social media, group chats, or bulletin boards. Make it easy for people to join in in a way that works for them. 

6.  Participation gets prizes!

Offer small rewards or recognition for participation. This could range from a simple shout-out to a small prize for the best answer. 

7. Make it engaging 

Use multimedia like images, videos, or polls to make your questions more interesting to read. 

8.  Follow up

Show interest in participants’ answers by asking follow-up questions or starting discussions based on their responses. This keeps the conversation going while helping team members feel extra valued. 

9. Be patient 

Participation might start slowly, but with time and consistency, more people will start to join in as they get used to the format. Keep the process fun and pressure-free.

Invest in collaboration tools for a connected team 

Once the team’s warmed up and ready to roll, make sure they have good collaboration to keep the connected culture alive. From Cacoo’s virtual whiteboard to Backlog’s interactive version charts, bug tracking, and more — whether your team’s remote or in-house, they’ve got everything they need to stay in touch and on track. Give both a try for free today!