Tips · DIY cards
How to make your own conversation cards people want to answer
A homemade deck can be better than a bought one, because you know the table. Here is how to write questions that work out loud, sort them by depth and turn them into cards.
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.
Who taught you a work or school habit you still use, and what was it?
Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng work o school habit na gamit mo pa rin, at ano yun?
Some habits come from people who modeled them first. Their way of doing things can quietly become part of yours.
May habits na galing sa taong nauna lang magpakita. Tahimik mong nadadala yung style nila hanggang maging part na rin ng style mo.
In short
The idea
Write short, specific, open questions that anyone at the table can answer, ask for a story or a choice rather than a fact, and read each one aloud before you keep it. Sort them into light, medium and deeper piles, then print them on card stock or write them by hand.
Thirty to fifty good questions is plenty for a deck. Cut any question that makes you wince, any that only one person could answer, and any that sounds like a test.
Good for
Tips
- Write specific, open questions, one per card.
- Mix choices, stories, fill-in-the-blanks and make-believe.
- Sort into light, medium and deeper piles, and play them in that order.
- Read every question aloud and answer it yourself before keeping it.
- Print on heavy card stock at playing-card size.
Decks for this
What makes a good conversation card
A good card is easy to start answering and hard to finish. It has a low floor, so anyone can say something, and a high ceiling, so someone who wants to can tell a whole story.
- Specific beats general. “What do you do to relax?” gets a shrug. “What do you do in the first ten minutes after you get home?” gets a picture.
- Open beats yes-or-no. “Do you like travel?” ends in one word. “What’s a trip you still think about?” doesn’t.
- Stories beat opinions. “Tell us about a time…” invites memory; “What do you think about…” invites debate.
- Short beats clever. If it needs reading twice, it’s too long for a card.
- Kind beats edgy. A question that makes someone defend themselves will kill the round.
Four question formats that work
Mix these so the deck doesn’t feel repetitive:
- The choice: two options and a “why”. Good for openers and big groups.
- The story: starts with “Tell us about…” or “When was the last time…”.
- The fill-in-the-blank: an unfinished sentence, like “The smell that means home to me is…”.
- The make-believe: a small what-if that shows how someone thinks, like inventing a holiday.
Sort them light to deep
Put every question into one of three piles. Light: anyone can answer in a sentence, no risk. Medium: asks for a memory or a small piece of yourself. Deeper: about hopes, changes, things that matter. Play the piles in that order, and mark them with a corner color or symbol so you can see which is which.
A good deck for a mixed group is mostly light and medium, with a handful of deeper cards for late in the night. If you’re making cards for a couple, a family or a church group, write for that table specifically. Our question lists are a good place to see the range.
Themed decks are fun to make: a deck for a best friend’s birthday, full of questions about your shared history; a deck for a family reunion, with questions about grandparents and old houses; a road-trip deck of quick choices; a deck for a couple’s anniversary that ends with a few big ones. A theme makes writing easier, because you know exactly who will be at the table.
Test every question out loud
Read each question aloud as if you were asking a friend across the table. You’ll hear what doesn’t work: the one that sounds like a job interview, the one that only makes sense to you, the one that assumes everyone has a partner, a sibling or a happy childhood. Rewrite or cut.
Then answer it yourself. If you can’t think of an answer within a few seconds, most people won’t either.
Better still, play a test round with two or three friends before the real night. Watch which cards get people leaning in and which get a polite pause, and swap the dull ones out. Every good deck has been through a few rounds of this.
Keep a running list on your phone, too. The best questions often come from real conversations: something a friend asked that made the whole table go quiet, or a question your kid invented. Write it down before you forget, and it becomes a card.
Printing and making the cards
The simplest deck is index cards and a good pen. For something sturdier, type the questions into a document as a grid of cards about the size of playing cards (2.5 × 3.5 inches, or 63 × 88 mm), print on heavy card stock, and cut along the lines. Rounding the corners with a corner punch makes them feel finished.
Put one question per card, in a large, readable font, and leave space at the bottom for a small depth mark. If your table speaks two languages, print both on the same card, the way every Kumustahan card has English and Tagalog. For ready-made sheets, see printable conversation cards.
Or write them in the app
If you’d rather not print, Kumustahan Premium includes a Card Maker: you write your own questions, with an optional reflection on the back, file them into your own decks and play them like any other deck, mixed in with the built-in cards or on their own. It’s handy for a group that keeps adding its own inside jokes and traditions.
The questions
Examples of questions that work on a card
Real cards from the app, grouped by the formats above, to show what each one looks like in practice.
Specific, not general
4 questions
Small, concrete questions that still open up.
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Which small outside task do you secretly like doing, like buying something, picking something up, or dropping something off?
Anong maliit na task sa labas ang secretly gusto mong gawin, like bumili, kumuha, o maghatid ng something?
Back of the card
A small task outside can feel strangely satisfying. It gives the day a tiny mission with a clear finish line.
May small task sa labas na strangely satisfying. Parang may tiny mission yung araw, tapos malinaw kung kailan tapos.
-
Describe your ideal electric fan or aircon setting.
I-describe yung ideal electric fan o aircon setting mo.
Back of the card
Temperature preferences can become a whole personality. Comfort has settings, and everyone defends theirs a little.
Yung temperature preference, minsan personality na rin. May settings ang comfort, at may kanya-kanya tayong ipinaglalaban.
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If you were too tired to think, what would you order?
Kapag pagod ka nang mag-isip, ano yung o-orderin mo?
Back of the card
The no-thinking order is its own kind of comfort. It is the choice that carries you when your brain is done.
May comfort din sa order na hindi mo na kailangang isipin. Siya yung choice kapag ubos na utak mo.
-
Share one personal rule that only you seem to understand.
Mag-share ng isang personal rule na ikaw lang yata ang nakakaintindi.
Back of the card
Personal rules can sound strange from the outside. From the inside, they usually have a very clear origin story.
Minsan weird pakinggan ang personal rules sa iba. Pero sa'yo, usually may malinaw yang origin story.
The choice
4 questions
Easy to answer, fun to argue about.
-
Would you rather know the exact weather or the exact traffic before leaving home?
Bago umalis, alin ang gusto mong siguradong alam: lagay ng panahon o lagay ng traffic?
Back of the card
Imagine you check before a day out. What would you pack differently?
Isipin na nag-check ka bago ang lakad. Ano ang iibahin mo sa mga dadalhin mo?
-
In a group hangout, which role do you usually fall into: planner, joker, listener, snack person, or something else?
Sa group hangout, anong role ang usually napupunta sa'yo: planner, joker, listener, snack person, o iba pa?
Back of the card
Group roles can be funny because they appear before anyone assigns them. Somehow every hangout finds its planner, joker, listener, or snack person.
Minsan lumalabas yung role bago pa may mag-assign. Sa bawat hangout, may planner, joker, listener, o snack person talaga.
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Group photo starts. What is your automatic move?
May group photo na. Ano ang automatic move mo?
Back of the card
Group photos bring out instant instincts. Some people arrange everyone, some disappear behind others, and some are ready before the camera is.
May automatic instinct kapag group photo na. May taga-ayos, may nagtatago sa likod, may ready bago pa yung camera.
-
Two choices: unlimited snacks or perfect sleep for one week. Defend your pick.
Dalawa lang: unlimited snacks o perfect sleep for one week. I-defend ang pick mo.
Back of the card
Low-stakes choices still reveal priorities. Snack joy and good sleep are both valid campaign platforms.
Kahit low-stakes, may priorities pa rin. Snack joy at good sleep, parehong valid campaign platform.
The story
4 questions
Questions that ask for a memory, not an opinion.
-
Who taught you a work or school habit you still use, and what was it?
Sino yung nagturo sa'yo ng work o school habit na gamit mo pa rin, at ano yun?
Back of the card
Some habits come from people who modeled them first. Their way of doing things can quietly become part of yours.
May habits na galing sa taong nauna lang magpakita. Tahimik mong nadadala yung style nila hanggang maging part na rin ng style mo.
-
Tell us about a time someone was fair to you in a way you still remember.
Ikuwento yung time na naging fair sa'yo ang isang tao, at natatandaan mo pa rin.
Back of the card
Fairness can be memorable because it gives people room to breathe. It says, I see the whole situation, not only the mistake.
Natatandaan ang fairness kasi nakakahinga ang tao. Parang sinasabi nito, nakikita ko yung buong situation, hindi lang yung mali.
-
What funny experience made you late to meet a friend?
Anong nakakatawang nangyari kaya ka na-late sa pagkikita ninyo ng friend?
Back of the card
Retell the delay as a very dramatic excuse, if you like.
Kung gusto mo, ikuwento ang pagka-late na parang sobrang dramatic na palusot.
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Share one time your timing was really off and it became funny later.
Mag-share ng time na sobrang sablay ng timing mo at naging funny later.
Back of the card
Bad timing can be annoying in the moment and hilarious later. It has a way of turning itself into comedy.
Yung bad timing, nakakainis sa moment pero funny later. Parang kusa siyang nagiging comedy pag binalikan.
The fill-in-the-blank
3 questions
An unfinished sentence lowers the pressure.
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Finish this: I almost panicked when I accidentally sent...
Tapusin ito: Halos nag-panic ako nung accidentally kong na-send...
Back of the card
Wrong sends create instant suspense. The few seconds after realizing it can feel longer than the whole day.
Iba yung kaba ng wrong send. Yung ilang seconds after ma-realize, parang humahaba bigla yung buong araw.
-
Complete the line: I'm chill, but please don't ___.
Kumpletuhin: Chill naman ako, pero please wag ___.
Back of the card
Tiny pet peeves are usually harmless, but they still deserve their moment. Everyone has a small line somewhere.
Harmless lang ang tiny pet peeves, pero deserve din nila ng moment. Lahat tayo may small line somewhere.
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Finish this: our barkada or family always laughs when ___.
Tapusin yung line: Laging nauuwi sa tawanan kapag ___.
Back of the card
Shared laughter becomes part of a group's language. Sometimes one unfinished sentence is enough to bring everyone back there.
Yung shared laughter, nagiging sariling language ng group. Minsan isang bitin na sentence lang, gets na agad.
How to make your own conversation cards
Frequently asked questions
How do you make your own conversation cards?
Write short, specific, open questions, sort them into light, medium and deeper piles, then print them on card stock at playing-card size or write them on index cards. Test each question aloud before keeping it.
What makes a good conversation card question?
It is specific, open-ended and easy to start answering, and it asks for a story or a choice rather than a fact. Anyone at the table should be able to answer without feeling tested.
How many questions should a DIY conversation deck have?
Thirty to fifty is plenty for a few nights of play. Make most of them light and medium, with a handful of deeper questions for late in the night.
Is there an app to make your own conversation cards?
Yes. Kumustahan Premium has a Card Maker where you write your own cards, with an optional back, sort them into your own decks and play them alongside the built-in ones.
Bring a better question to the table.
Free on iPhone and Android. 420 cards free, no account, works offline.