Icebreakers · Discussion Prompts

Fun Hypothetical Questions

Gets creative thinking flowing while staying completely low-risk.

IcebreakerDiscussionLight Debate

Duration: 20 min
Participants: 1–5, 5–10, 10–20, 20–50, 50+
Energy: Low
Difficulty: Beginner
Materials: Minimal
Prep time: 5 minutes

2 min read · Delivery: Offline · Virtual

Overview

Purpose. Gets creative thinking flowing while staying completely low-risk.

When to use. As a flexible warm-up, or to fill a few spare minutes before a session officially starts.

Best for. Any group size, in person or virtual.

Facilitator preparation

Prepare a bank of at least 30 imaginative “if you could…” prompts in advance. See Trainer's Reference below for a starter list.
Decide whether you'll go around the room one at a time, or split into small groups of 3–6 first.

Room setup. Cluster seating into small islands of 3–6 people, spaced enough apart that groups don't overhear each other.

Virtual setup. Run this over video call using breakout rooms for small groups, and the main room for whole- group sharing.

Hybrid setup. Give remote participants an equal way to take part, for example a shared digital whiteboard or chat thread mirroring the in-room discussion.

Materials. A prepared question list

How to Conduct

Decide whether you'll go around the room one at a time, or split into small groups of 3–6 first.
Ask one “if you could…” prompt (see Trainer's Reference below for a starter list).
Give the person, or each person in turn within their small group, a few seconds to answer.
Move to the next prompt, or the next person, and repeat.
Continue for as many rounds as time allows.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE GROUP

Expect a little shyness in the first 30 seconds, followed by a quick warm-up once one or two people go first.

Trainer's Reference: a ready-to-use prompt bank

Here are eight “if you could…” prompts to start with:

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

What would you name a boat, if you owned one?

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

If you could instantly become an expert at one skill, what would it be?

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or fictional, who would it be?

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

If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

If you could relive one day of your life exactly as it happened, which day would you pick?

After the activity

DEBRIEF QUESTIONS

What part of “Fun Hypothetical Questions” felt easy, and what part felt harder than expected?
Which answer from someone else surprised you the most, and why?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS