Peer Introductions

Purpose. Forces genuine one-on-one mingling before the group reconvenes.

When to use. In the first 15 minutes of a session, once names are known and the group is settling in.

Best for. Groups of 15–20, in person.

• Gather: one piece of paper per participant.

Room setup. Enough open space for participants to mingle freely.

Virtual setup. This works best in person. If you must run it virtually, use breakout rooms for a series of quick one- on-ones instead.

Hybrid setup. Give remote participants an equal way to take part, mirroring the in-room mingling through paired breakout calls.

Materials. Paper for each participant

1. Give each participant a piece of paper.
2. Explain the challenge: each person needs to collect one interesting fact from six different people, writing each one down as they go, along with who it came from.
3. Set a time limit, 10 minutes works well, and let the group mingle.
4. Once everyone has 6 facts, or time is up, bring the group back together.
5. Go through participants one at a time; for each person, invite whoever collected a fact about them to share what they learned.

Learning outcome. Participants leave having had six real one-on-one conversations, not just a single round of introductions.

• Paper for each participant
• Debrief questions ready
• Timer set for 15–20 min
• Open floor space for mingling