36 Hot Take Questions To Spark A Friendly Debate - Polly

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45 Hot Take Questions to Spark a Friendly Debate

There’s nothing like hot takes, controversial yet low-stakes statements thrown out for debate, to energize a team meeting. These 45 questions can get you started.

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Hot takes: illustration of people debating Ever wanted to cause a bit of chaos in your Slack channels? Enter hot takes — a fun way to get people talking about controversial opinions, debating who’s right, and finding out more about each other.

In this guide, we’ll explore:

What hot takes are
Why hot takes are a great for team building
Some great examples of hot takes
A shortcut to hosting engaging hot takes games in Slack

Let’s get started!

What is a hot take?

A hot take is a statement that’s provocative enough that people can’t help but weigh in with their thoughts. It’s usually a controversial opinion that has no factually right or wrong answer, which means you can debate endlessly on who is “right.” When they’re thoughtfully planned, hot takes open the door for plenty of conversation and connection.

Here’s what makes hot takes so much fun:

🤐 They’re usually controversial.
📣 They’re open for debate.
👍 They’re often about something many people can relate to.
✔️ They’re interesting to talk about.

We usually see hot takes in areas like entertainment, sports, hobbies, and food. They usually feature unpopular opinions, so much so that they‘re similar to memes and often divide opinion.

“Pineapple belongs on a pizza” is a popular one, because people often have strong opinions on whether it does or doesn’t. Statements like “Star Wars is awful” or “Facebook Gaming is better than Twitch” are also likely to get people talking, because people usually have a preferred streaming service or a take on whether the Star Wars franchise is brilliant or not.

The hot takes the land are widely relatable. Try to avoid anything that requires niche knowledge (unless you know your audience), so you can keep your game more inclusive. Always keep your group in mind when you’re thinking of which hot takes to share — tailor it to people’s sense of humor, how well you know them, and their own personal opinions and experiences.

Liven up your virtual syncs with icebreakers for the entire org

Why hot takes are a great for team building

"How was your weekend?"

Beyond being a stale question, you might not want to share sometimes. Maybe you spent the entire weekend as a couch potato binge watching the new season of Bridgerton or House of Dragons (no shame in that!). But, after a few weeks of answering, this question can feel more like something to check off the agenda, rather than a genuine question.

Hot takes, however, give people an outlet to share something new about themselves with the rest of the team. It opens up brand new opportunities for rapport and team building because you get to see people in a brand new light, which ultimately help us be more productive at work.

Not to mention, most of us have controversial opinions about the silliest little things (and we're not afraid to share them).

36 interesting hot takes to debate with your team

Hot takes: illustration of people talking and using a tablet Most of us see the hot takes in online media outlets like Buzzfeed or in tweets, or presented to us as fact by friends, family members, or people that want to spark a reaction. They can also be used as a fun social game — and work well as a way to bring your team members together by debating non-serious topics.

Let’s take a look at some hot takes ideas for some popular categories.

🐶 Animal hot takes

Want your team members to get into a debate over whether cats or dogs are better? Here are some fun animal themed hot takes you can try.

1. Sloths aren’t as cute in real life.2. Cats make better companions than dogs.3. Small animals are great pets for small children.4. Pugs are ugly.5. Most of us would have a pet tiger if we could.6. Spiders get a bad reputation.

🍎 Brand hot takes

Explore people’s favorite streaming services, technology brands, and football teams with some of these hot takes that have you debating all things brands.

7. Samsung is better than Apple.8. Nike is the best sports brand.9. Apple Music is better than Spotify.10. Wendy’s has the best social media presence.11. Taco Bell is the best fast food outlet out there.12. Amazon Prime Video is better than Netflix.

📺 Entertainment hot takes

Are romantic comedies terrible? Who’s really the best Marvel character? Get people talking about music, movies, gaming, and TV shows with these entertainment hot takes.

13. Podcasts aren’t worth listening to.14. Harry Styles is the best performer in current times.15. The Oscars are boring.16. Games of Thrones was overrated.17. World of Warcraft is still the best video game ever.18. Marvel movies lack imagination.

👗 Fashion hot takes

Are you pro skinny jeans? Think that terrible hair style from the ‘70s is due a comeback? Debate all things stylish (or not) with these fashion themed hot takes.

19. I miss bootleg jeans from the first time around.20. Crop tops are the best.21. Crocs are a must-have footwear item.22. You can wear denim on denim.23. Everyone should try brightly colored hair once.24. Bro culture has led to some questionable fashion choices.

🍔 Food hot takes

Uncover whether your team members love weird pizza combinations or have some seriously controversial food opinions with these food and drink themed hot takes.

25. Pineapple is the best pizza topping.26. Pop tarts are overrated.27. Deep dish pizza is the best.28. Cheese should be featured in every dish.29. Drinks don’t need glitter on it.30. Nobody truly likes avocados.

Polly will empower you to make better team decisions

✈️ Travel hot takes

Which is the ultimate bucket list vacation location? Are cruises underrated? Explore some travel themed hot takes to get to know your team members better.

31. Everyone should go on a cruise vacation at least once.32. American road trips are overrated.33. There are way more romantic cities than Paris.34. The Great Pyramids aren’t as great as they look in photos.35. Seeing the world should be on everyone’s bucket list.36. You should learn the language before you travel.

🤔 Unique and funny controversial opinions

We can't believe the internet is free. Seriously. We scoured the internet to find the funniest and weirdest (in the best way) controversial opinions people had. These are our top finds:

37. If you don't have your blinker on, your car can't turn.38. Umbrellas are the worst invention ever made.39. Water does taste different.40. Cereal goes in first, not milk.41. Netflix cracking down on password sharing is reasonable.42. The customer isn't always right.43. Checking in luggage is better than bringing a carry on.44. Wearing socks with sandals is perfectly fine.45. Professional athletes are terrible role models.

Run hot takes the easy way with Polly

Illustration of people interacting with each other Often, the hardest part is coming up with statements for your hot takes discussions. You want something that’s controversial, but not likely to ruffle any feathers. It also needs to be interesting or exciting, otherwise there’s not much you can talk about.

Introducing an easier way to avoid overwhelm and surface the perfect hot takes — Polly’s Hot Takes feature. We have more than 110 questions in our library, and each time you use Polly to start a hot take, it’ll share a random question.

Not sure that one’s quite right for the moment? Hit shuffle until you find the perfect hot take to share with your team!

There’s something for everyone in our library, including hot takes like:

Do cats or dogs make better pets?
We should get rid of daylight saving time.
Airplanes aren’t safer than cars, there are just fewer of them.

Each of these gives you a talking point to start with, and you can debate over your answers and let the conversation flow and develop. Often, hot takes don’t have a defined right answer, which gives you plenty of room to challenge, question, and lay out why you think your take is the right one.

Our hot takes social game is easy to set up and run through Slack. Run a new discussion every week in your #watercooler channel, create a dedicated channel for people to get to know each other through our social games, or simply share one randomly to your team channel. Use your hot takes to spark a discussion, engage with your team, and give everyone the chance to have a say on something controversial.

Get to know your team members with a game of hot takes

Screenshot of Polly's hot takes We see people sharing hot takes on social media all the time, and now you can use them as an exciting way to engage with your team members. Connect Polly to Slack, Teams, or Zoom, and set up our hot takes game.

Hot takes aren’t the only way to engage with your team. Add team check-ins, trivia games, and employee appreciation awards to your favorite communication app with Polly. Explore our employee engagement features today and find new ways to inspire, engage, and connect with your team.

Try Polly for free to instantly improve your employee engagement.

Written by Nicola Scoon

Nicola Scoon is a freelance writer that's passionate about employee engagement and better workplace experiences. She draws on her experience in internal communications to help companies create content that empowers, encourages, and motivates people to create better experiences for all.

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