Curiosity Ping Pong
Curiosity Ping Pong is a virtual icebreaker in which everyone answers one question in the chat at the same moment, and participants then take turns choosing an answer that intrigues them and asking its author to tell the story aloud. The author who has just spoken picks the next answer, so the conversation is handed from person to person by curiosity and not by the facilitator. It is published by Mark Collard on playmeo and builds on the widely used chat-waterfall technique.
Facilitation script
- 1
Explain the format and pose the question. Stress that answers are typed but not sent yet.
2 min - 2
Count down to a joint press of Enter, then give silent reading time.
2 min - 3
Ask a volunteer to pick the first answer they are curious about. The author tells the story in about a minute and then picks the next one.
8 min - 4
Close the chain, thank the storytellers and point out that the remaining answers stay in the chat for anyone to follow up on later.
1 min
Tips
The question does most of the work: it should produce answers of a few words that make others want to ask why.
Keep each story to about a minute and say so at the start, otherwise three stories fill the whole slot.
Tell people that not everyone will be picked and that this is fine; the written answers already let everyone contribute.
Common pitfalls
Choosing a question that produces flat one-word answers nobody wants to ask about, which leaves the first picker with nothing to choose
Letting people send answers early, so later answers copy the first few and the simultaneous reveal loses its effect
Allowing long stories without a time frame, so only two or three people speak and the rest sit as an audience
Not offering a pass option, which puts people on the spot to explain something they wrote quickly and may not want to expand on
Letting the chain bounce among people who already know each other well, so newcomers are read but never asked
Variations
In person or hybrid, use sticky notes or cards revealed at the same time and posted on a wall, then run the same pick-and-ask chain. For large groups, do the simultaneous chat reveal in plenary and move into breakout rooms of five or six for the follow-up stories. To make sure quieter people are reached, add the rule that you may only pick someone who has not spoken yet. For a work focus, swap the playful question for one about the session topic, such as the most surprising thing a customer said recently.
Where it fits
When to use it
An online meeting needs a start in which everyone contributes within the first two minutes
A distributed team knows each other's roles but few personal stories
You want participants, not the facilitator, to decide who speaks next
The group is too large for a full spoken round but small enough to read every chat answer
The session ahead depends on people asking each other questions and listening to the answers
When not to use it
You need to hear from every person aloud. The chain reaches only some participants in ten minutes, so use One Word Check-In or a structured go-round
The group is larger than about 30. The chat becomes unreadable, so use a plain Chat Waterfall or move the follow-up into breakout rooms
Several participants are on phones or have no chat access. Use a spoken check-in so nobody is shut out
Trust is low or hierarchy is strong. Being singled out to explain an answer can feel exposed, and Check-In Questions in pairs are safer
You only have two or three minutes. Run the simultaneous chat reveal alone and skip the stories
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Curiosity Ping Pong?▾
Curiosity Ping Pong is an online icebreaker. Everyone answers a question in the chat at the same moment, then one participant picks an answer they are curious about and asks its author for the story. That author picks the next answer, and so the turn passes back and forth.
How is Curiosity Ping Pong different from a chat waterfall?▾
A chat waterfall is only the first half: everyone types an answer and sends it at the same moment. Curiosity Ping Pong adds spoken follow-ups chosen by the participants, which turns a list of answers into a short chain of stories.
What makes a good question for Curiosity Ping Pong?▾
One that can be answered in a few words but hints at a story, such as a strange childhood belief, a first job or an unusual object within reach. Avoid questions with factual or yes-or-no answers, because they give people nothing to be curious about.
Does everyone get a turn to speak?▾
Usually not, and that is by design. Everyone contributes in writing, and the spoken turns go to whoever is picked in the time available. If full coverage matters, add a rule that only people who have not spoken can be picked, or continue in breakout rooms.
How many people can take part?▾
It works well from about 6 up to 30 participants. Beyond that the chat scrolls too fast to read, so do the reveal in plenary and move the storytelling into smaller breakout groups.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from playmeo (Mark Collard).