Icebreakers · Get-to-Know-You

Things in Common

Builds a sense of unity by the time the whole group converges.

IcebreakerRapportPersonal Sharing

Duration: 15 min
Participants: 5–10
Energy: Low
Difficulty: Beginner
Materials: None
Prep time: 5 minutes

2 min read · Delivery: Offline

Overview

Purpose. Builds a sense of unity by the time the whole group converges.

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 8 or more, in person.

Facilitator preparation

No materials to gather; just read through the steps once before you run it.

Room setup. Open enough floor space for pairs and small groups to merge as the activity progresses.

Virtual setup. Run this over video call using a sequence of breakout rooms that double in size each round.

Hybrid setup. Mix remote and in-room participants into each merged group as it grows.

Materials.

How to Conduct

Split participants into pairs.
Give pairs a few minutes to find three things they have in common, encouraging them to go beyond obvious things like “we both work here.”
Have each pair join with another pair to form a group of four, and find two things that whole group of four has in common.
Continue merging groups, four into eight, eight into the whole room, each time narrowing down to fewer shared things, until the whole group agrees on at least one thing everyone has in common.
Share that final, whole-group commonality out loud.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE GROUP

A few participants may hang back at first; let them opt in when they're ready rather than forcing a turn.

Trainer's Reference: pushing past the obvious answers

Encourage groups to steer away from surface-level answers, “we're all in this room,” “we all work here,” as the groups get bigger; the more specific and genuine the shared trait, the more satisfying the final reveal. If a group gets stuck, prompt them with: ‘What's something true for everyone here that most people wouldn't guess?’