Questions · Team retreat

Team retreat questions for the hours between sessions

Conversation questions for a team offsite: the drive up, the long dinner, a reflection session with more time than any normal meeting, and the last morning.

  • 20 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app

Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Getting to know№ 15

When was the last time a meal became a good memory?

Kailan huling naging magandang memory yung isang meal?

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A note

A good meal memory is rarely only about food. It can be the timing, the people, or the feeling around the table.

Hindi lang pagkain ang laman ng good meal memory. Pwedeng timing, kasama, o yung feeling sa paligid ng table.

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The questions

20 questions for a team retreat

Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.

The drive and the first evening

5 questions

Imaginative and easy. Nobody is ready for depth yet.

  1. You wake up on a peaceful island with food and shelter ready. What do you do first?

    Nagising ka sa tahimik na isla na may pagkain at matutuluyan na. Ano ang una mong gagawin?

    Back of the card

    Imagine you find a path across the island. Would you follow it or stay where you are?

    May nakita kang daan sa isla. Susundan mo ba ito o mananatili ka muna sa kinaroroonan mo?

  2. For one afternoon, would you explore a peaceful village, a future city, or a jungle with a guide?

    Saan mo gustong magpalipas ng hapon: tahimik na village, siyudad sa future, o gubat na may guide?

    Back of the card

    Bring home an imaginary souvenir from your visit. What is it?

    Mag-uwi ng souvenir mula sa pagbisitang iniisip mo. Ano iyon?

  3. Imagine a place to stay: tiny with a great view or huge but far from everything. Which do you choose?

    Isipin ang titirhan mo: maliit pero maganda ang view o malaki pero malayo sa lahat. Alin ang pipiliin mo?

    Back of the card

    Put one favorite thing in your new place. What belongs there?

    Maglagay ng isang paborito mong bagay sa bagong titirhan mo. Ano iyon?

  4. With an unlimited budget, what extra room would you add to your home?

    Kung walang limit ang budget, anong dagdag na kuwarto ang gusto mo sa bahay?

    Back of the card

    If the new room had a sign on its door, what would it say?

    Kung may karatula sa pinto ng bagong kuwarto, ano ang nakasulat doon?

  5. In an adventure story, would you be the guide, cook, builder, storyteller, or someone else?

    Sa adventure story, anong role ang pipiliin mo: guide, cook, builder, storyteller, o iba pa?

    Back of the card

    Your character has one familiar object in their bag. What is it?

    May isang pamilyar na gamit sa bag ng tauhan mo. Ano iyon?

Stories at dinner

5 questions

With a long table and no agenda, people tell better stories.

  1. When was the last time a meal became a good memory?

    Kailan huling naging magandang memory yung isang meal?

    Back of the card

    A good meal memory is rarely only about food. It can be the timing, the people, or the feeling around the table.

    Hindi lang pagkain ang laman ng good meal memory. Pwedeng timing, kasama, o yung feeling sa paligid ng table.

  2. Share the first time you did something on your own and felt more capable afterward.

    Ikuwento ang unang beses mong gumawa ng isang bagay mag-isa at naisip mong, "Kaya ko pala."

    Back of the card

    Finish if you like: "That was when I realized I could..."

    Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Doon ko naisip na kaya ko palang..."

  3. Recall a harmless mistake that became a good story later.

    Anong pagkakamali ang nakakatawa nang balikan ngayon, na wala namang nasaktan?

    Back of the card

    What would the title of this story be?

    Ano ang magiging pamagat ng kuwentong ito?

  4. Describe a moment that stressed you out before but makes you laugh now.

    I-describe yung moment na stressful dati pero natatawa ka na ngayon.

    Back of the card

    Some stressful moments lose their sharp edges with time. Once the panic fades, the story sometimes becomes surprisingly funny.

    May stressful moments na lumalambot habang tumatagal. Kapag wala na yung panic, minsan funny story na siya.

  5. Tell us about a small thing you can do now that would have amazed you as a kid.

    Kuwento mo yung maliit na bagay na kaya mo na ngayon na maa-amaze ka kung bata ka pa.

    Back of the card

    Progress can look ordinary from the outside. But younger you might know exactly how big that ordinary thing is.

    Mukhang ordinaryo minsan ang progress. Pero baka alam ng batang ikaw kung gaano kalaki yung ordinaryong bagay na yan.

The reflection session

6 questions

For a facilitated hour. In pairs first.

  1. What difficult situation are you proud of handling?

    Anong mahirap na sitwasyon ang proud kang naharap mo?

    Back of the card

    You can pass or keep the situation private. What did handling it help you notice about your own abilities?

    Puwedeng mag-pass o itago ang sitwasyon. Ano ang napansin mong kaya mo pala matapos mong harapin iyon?

  2. What can you do now that would have surprised you a few years ago?

    Ano ang kaya mo na ngayon na hindi mo inakalang magagawa mo ilang taon na ang nakaraan?

    Back of the card

    Picture showing your younger self how you do it. What might surprise them first?

    Isipin na ipinapakita mo sa mas batang sarili mo kung paano mo ito ginagawa. Ano kaya ang una niyang ikagugulat?

  3. If a friend said you have changed in a good way, what change would you hope they noticed?

    Kung sabihin ng friend mo na nagbago ka in a good way, anong change ang sana napansin nila?

    Back of the card

    The change you hope someone notices may point to what you have been quietly practicing.

    Yung change na sana mapansin nila baka yun yung tahimik mong pinapractice nitong season.

  4. Name something you want to be known for by people close to you.

    Magsabi ng isang bagay na gusto mong maalala sa'yo ng mga taong close sa'yo.

    Back of the card

    The way you want to be known can reveal what you value. It can also guide one small choice today.

    Yung gusto mong maalala nila sa'yo, may pinapakitang value. Puwede rin siyang gumabay sa isang maliit na choice today.

  5. Name something that matters to you more now than it used to.

    Magsabi ng isang bagay na mas mahalaga na sa'yo ngayon kaysa dati.

    Back of the card

    What matters can change as you grow. That shift is not betrayal; it may be a clearer kind of honesty.

    Puwedeng magbago ang mahalaga habang naggo-grow ka. Hindi agad betrayal yun; baka mas malinaw na honesty.

  6. What do you like more about yourself than you used to?

    Ano ang mas nagugustuhan mo sa sarili mo kaysa dati?

    Back of the card

    Would you appreciate the same thing in another person? Your story can stay private.

    Magugustuhan mo rin ba iyon sa ibang tao? Puwedeng itago ang sarili mong kuwento.

Before everyone heads home

4 questions

One answer each, in a circle, bags packed.

  1. Name one thing that would make next month feel a little lighter.

    Magbanggit ng isang bagay na makakatulong para mas gumaan nang konti ang next month.

    Back of the card

    A lighter month does not have to mean a perfect one. Even one less weight can change how a season feels.

    Hindi kailangang perfect ang mas magaan na month. Kahit isang bawas na bigat, iba na ang pakiramdam ng season.

  2. What would you like to make more time for this month?

    Ano ang gusto mong bigyan ng mas maraming oras ngayong buwan?

    Back of the card

    Imagine an extra afternoon opens up. Would you spend it all on this or leave some time free?

    Isipin na nabakante ang isang hapon. Ilalaan mo ba lahat ng oras dito o magtitira ka pa ng libreng oras?

  3. Finish this sentence: “In this next season, I hope I get to experience...”

    Tapusin mo yung sentence: “Sa next season, sana ma-experience ko...”

    Back of the card

    This sentence can stay small or open wide. Either way, it gives your hope a place to begin.

    Puwedeng maliit lang o biglang lumawak yung sentence. Either way, may starting point yung hope mo.

  4. Which small plan are you looking forward to?

    Anong small plan ang nilu-look forward mo?

    Back of the card

    Looking forward to something simple can help a week feel kinder. Small plans are allowed to matter.

    Nakakagaan ng week kapag may simpleng nilu-look forward. Puwedeng maging mahalaga kahit maliit na plan lang.

How to use them

Before you ask

A team retreat is for the conversations that don’t fit into a normal workweek. The strategy deck can be presented anywhere. What only happens offsite is the long dinner, the drive, the walk between sessions, and those moments deserve better than another round of project updates.

Pace the questions like the trip. On the way there and the first night, keep them imaginative and light; people are tired and still in work mode. Dinner is for stories, especially first times and mistakes that turned out fine. The reflection session can go further because there’s finally time: what each person is proud of handling, what they can do now that would have surprised them a few years ago.

Do the deeper questions in pairs before the whole group, and let people choose what to share back. On the last morning, finish with a short circle about what comes next. People remember how a retreat ended more than most of what happened in the middle.

Good for

  • Annual team offsites
  • Leadership retreats
  • Department planning days away from the office
  • Long drives to a retreat venue
  • Small-team cabin weekends

Tips

  1. Keep reflection questions voluntary and in pairs; a whole-team circle can feel like a performance.
  2. At dinner, seat people next to someone they don’t work with every day.
  3. Leave unscheduled time. Some of the best conversations happen on a walk, not in a session.
  4. Print the questions for facilitators so nobody improvises the deep part.
  5. Collect each person’s closing answer and send the list around afterward.

Team retreat

Frequently asked questions

What questions should you ask at a team retreat?

Light, imaginative questions for the drive and first evening, story questions for dinner, and deeper ones for a facilitated session, like what each person is proud of handling. Finish with what everyone is looking forward to.

How do you make a team offsite meaningful?

Give conversation real time instead of filling every hour with presentations, use questions that invite stories, and do the reflective part in pairs before sharing with the group.

What is a good closing activity for a team retreat?

A short circle where each person answers one forward-looking question, such as a small plan they’re looking forward to or one thing that would make next month lighter.

Bring a better question to the table.

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