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Straws Question

Ask a question, then everyone draws a straw from the cup — only the marked ones have to answer. It works because the straw decides who talks, not confidence or a raised hand, so even the quietest player might be up next.

15 min4–30 peopleEasyStraws & cupIn-person onlyClassroom ✓
By Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker · Last updated February 19, 2024

What is Straws Question?

Straws Question is a question game hiding inside a raffle: ask the group a question, then everyone draws a straw from the cup, and only the players holding a marked one have to answer. Repeat with a new question as many times as the group can take.

It works because the straw does the choosing, not the room. Nobody's put on the spot by name, and because the marked straws are a small handful of the total, most rounds only pull one or two answers out of the group — enough to keep things moving without turning every question into a full-room interview.

It's a poor fit if you want everyone to answer every question — plenty of players will go a whole session without drawing a marked straw. For that, run a straight round-robin instead and save this one for groups that are fine with some voices staying quiet.

The rules

  1. Gather straws, a cup, and a marker before you start.
  2. Count one straw per player, then mark the ends of a handful of them.
  3. Come up with a list of questions ahead of time.
  4. Put every straw — marked and unmarked — into the cup.
  5. Ask a question, then have everyone draw a straw from the cup.
  6. Whoever draws a marked straw answers; return the straws and ask the next question.

Before you start

  • Group size: 4–30 players. Works for a small circle or a full room — just mark more straws as the group grows.
  • Materials: straws, a cup, and a marker. Any straws and any cup work; a sharpie marker is the only tool that actually matters.
  • Mark 3–4 straws for a group of 10–20. Scale the marked count with the room. More marked straws means more people answer each round.
  • Write your questions first. Bank a full list before you start — nothing kills momentum like writing a question mid-round.

How to run it

  1. Gather your materials beforehand

    Get straws, a cup, and a marker together. The whole setup fits in one hand.

  2. Mark the straws beforehand

    Count out one straw per player, then mark the ends of a handful of them — recommended 3–4 marked straws for a group of 10–20.

  3. Load the cup 30 sec

    Drop every straw — marked and unmarked — into the cup.

  4. Ask a question 15 sec

    Read one of your prepared questions to the whole group.

  5. Draw and answer 1–2 min

    Everyone grabs a straw at once. Whoever's holding a marked one answers the question out loud.

  6. Reset and repeat 8–12 min

    Return the straws to the cup and ask the next question. Keep going as long as the questions hold out.

← the straw decides, not the room's confidence.

Facilitator tips

Write questions with everyone in the room in mindSkip stereotypes and assumptions tied to gender, race, age, or religion — a question that only half the room can answer honestly isn't doing its job.
Keep the wording simpleA question that needs translating loses the room before anyone draws a straw. Plain language beats a clever phrase every time.
Swap gendered questions for open ones"What was your worst date experience?" excludes people. "What was your most memorable dating disaster?" gets the same story from anyone.
Remind the room to listenSay it once, before the first question: whoever draws the marked straw gets the room's full attention, not just its patience.

Why it works

Nobody can dodge by staying quietThe straw decides who answers, not confidence or a raised hand — so the quietest player in the room might be the very next voice.
Everyone half-answers anywaySince nobody knows who'll draw the marked straw, the whole group quietly works out an answer to every question — engagement without the airtime.
Runs on three things you probably already ownStraws, a cup, and a marker. Swap in new questions and you've got a fresh round with nothing new to buy.
HELLO, MY NAME ISJon

"I like that the straw does the picking, not me. It takes the pressure off calling on someone by name, and the room stays looser because anyone could be drawn next."

Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker

Reflection questions

For debriefs and slower groups — a few of these turn the draw into an actual conversation.

  1. What was it like to answer a question with a marked straw?Gets at how it felt to be the one picked, on the spot, in front of the group.
  2. How did it feel when you weren't chosen to answer?Surfaces whether anyone felt left out — worth asking even in a game built on chance.
  3. Did any answer surprise you? Which one, and why?Pushes the group to think back over what they actually heard, not just who talked.
  4. Was there a question you wish we'd asked? What's your answer?Finds the topics the room actually cares about, for next time.
  5. How well do you think this helped the room get to know each other?Names the point of the exercise out loud and asks whether it landed.

If this fits, so will these

Activity

Paper Airplane Challenge

Everyone folds a plane with their name and two questions on it, throws it into the mix, then tracks down whoever wrote the one they catch.

Jon Zajac

Founder & Chief Icebreaker

I started IcebreakerSpot because I believe strong connections are the foundation of successful teams. This site exists to make it easy to find and share the icebreakers and team-building activities that build trust, spark collaboration, and help groups do great things together.

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