Common Ground
Small groups race to discover five things they all have in common that are not obvious, then share their most surprising match.
- Time
- 10 to 15 minutes
- People
- 6 to 40
- Where
- In person or Virtual
- You need
- paper and pen or a shared note per group
How to play
- Split everyone into groups of three to five, using breakout rooms on a video call.
- Explain the goal: find five things every member shares that nobody would guess from a quick chat.
- Rule out easy answers such as working at the same company or living on the same planet.
- Give the groups five to seven minutes and have one person write down the list.
- Bring everyone back and ask each group to share its list, starting with the most surprising item.
Tips
- Suggest starter areas like favorite foods, first concerts, hidden talents or places visited.
- If a group gets stuck, allow one item that all but one person share.
- Wrap up by asking whether anyone found a new connection they want to follow up on.
Variations
- Uncommon ground: each person must also find one thing that is true only for them.
- Mix and repeat: reshuffle the groups for a second round to connect more people.