# Ubuntu Cards

Pairs race to identify the single matching image between two cards, then converse to discover a non-obvious personal commonality. After each short conversation, partners swap cards and rotate to a new person.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Playmeo suggests 5 to 10 minutes for card rounds; UWT allocates 15 minutes to include setup, instructions, and a structured debrief.
**People:** 4 to 24. Mingle in rotating pairs; one triad forms if the participant count is odd.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Identify shared personal traits across unfamiliar participants using a visual pattern match as an entry point.
**Use it when:** Use at the start of a workshop, kickoff, or orientation when people need a low-stakes way to meet several colleagues quickly.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants cannot see or handle small visual cards, or when proprietary matching card decks are unavailable.

## Materials and tools

- One deck of Ubuntu Cards (or an equivalent projective-plane deck such as Spot It or Dobble with at least one card per person)
- Digital timer or chime

## Before participants arrive

1. Ensure an open floor area where participants can freely stand, mingle, and pair up.
2. Count out one card per participant from the deck before starting the clock.

## Say this to open

Take one card and keep it face down for a moment. Each card has multiple small symbols. Any two cards in this deck share exactly one matching symbol. In each round, you will pair up, reveal your cards, race to spot the single matching image, and then spend two minutes finding something you both have in common beyond the obvious. Look past surface facts like working in the same department or wearing sneakers. Aim for shared experiences, unusual habits, or background details like birth order or past pets. After each chat, you will swap cards and find a new partner.

## How to run it

### 1. Distribute cards and demonstrate (3 minutes)

Deliver the opening script and hand one card to each participant. Bring up one volunteer to demonstrate. Hold cards side by side showing the multi-image faces. Scan the cards together and call out the matching symbol aloud once spotted. Then model discovering a non-obvious commonality by asking a quick question such as whether either of you has broken a bone or visited a specific city.

### 2. Run first pairing round (3 minutes)

Ask everyone to pair up. If the count is odd, form one triad where all three players compare cards. On your signal, partners show their multi-image sides and race to spot the single common symbol within the first 30 seconds. Once spotted, pairs spend the remaining 2.5 minutes conversing to find a non-obvious commonality. At the chime, instruct them to thank their partner, swap cards, and part.

### 3. Run second pairing round (3 minutes)

Direct participants to find a new partner. Pairs reveal their new cards, race to name the matching symbol in the first 30 seconds, and spend the remaining 2.5 minutes discovering a fresh non-obvious commonality. Sound the chime at the end of the round. Prompt participants to swap cards and look for a partner they have not spoken with yet.

### 4. Run third pairing round (3 minutes)

Participants complete a final round with a third partner using their swapped cards. They spot the shared symbol in 30 seconds and spend 2.5 minutes uncovering another commonality. Sound the chime to end the round and call the room back to a central circle.

### 5. Whole-room debrief (3 minutes)

Convene the whole room. Invite 3 to 4 volunteers to share one surprising commonality they uncovered. Conclude with debrief questions on how focusing on the card game shifted the conversation.


## Debrief questions

- How easy or difficult was it to uncover a commonality that was not immediately obvious?
- Did focusing on the cards make starting a conversation with a new person easier or harder? Why?

**Finished output:** Each participant completes three paired exchanges, identifying at least one non-obvious shared trait per partner.

## Remote

This activity depends on physical cards based on projective geometry. For online delivery, the facilitator holds up two Ubuntu Cards directly in front of the webcam or shares a clear high-resolution photo showing two cards on screen. The facilitator pairs participants in the main room. In each round, the assigned pair races to spot the matching symbol and types it into the chat to avoid latency issues. Once the match is verified, the facilitator sends that pair into a private breakout room for 2 minutes to discover a non-obvious commonality while the next pair plays in the main room. Alternatively, if breakout logistics are impractical, use the related conversation alternative: put pairs into randomized breakouts for 2.5 minutes with the prompt to uncover three non-obvious commonalities without cards.

## Hybrid

To preserve the visual card mechanic fairly, run a hosted camera setup rather than mixed in-person and remote pairs. In-person participants pair up and swap physical cards as described in the steps. Remote participants work in parallel on the video call, where a co-facilitator displays pairs of cards via spotlighted webcam or digital slides for remote pairs, who type their matches into the chat and then enter remote breakouts for their 2-minute commonality chat. Reconvene both tracks together for the final debrief.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants who prefer not to stand or walk may remain seated while mobile partners rotate to them.
- Participants may pass on personal disclosures and choose everyday topics like favorite foods, sports, or weather preferences.
- For participants with low vision, partners can describe the symbols on their cards aloud, or pairs may bypass the card game and proceed directly to conversation.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants get stuck naming superficial facts like 'we both work in this office.'**

Remind the room to look for non-obvious commonalities, such as shared childhood pets, birth order, or unusual hobbies.

**A pair cannot spot the matching symbol within 30 seconds.**

Remind them that every card pair has exactly one match, but advise them to stop searching after 30 seconds and proceed straight into the conversation.


## Terms used here

- Ubuntu Card: A card from a specialized 54-card deck where any pair of cards shares exactly one visual image in common.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo documentation by Mark Collard, which attributes the physical Ubuntu Cards resource to Ryan McCormick at High 5 Adventure Learning Center.

Retained the core mechanic from Playmeo and Mark Collard: identifying the single visual match between cards, chatting to find non-obvious commonalities, and swapping cards to rotate. UWT structured the rounds into explicit 30-second spotting and 2.5-minute conversation segments, added concrete examples to the opening script and demonstration, specified exact hybrid webcam presentation rules, and provided access choices.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/ubuntu-cards)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/ubuntu-cards/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/connection-building-activity-for-shared-discovery-ubuntu-cards/