# Numeric Networking

Pairs or trios interview each other to find true facts they all share that match increasing integers, starting at one. Groups record their shared numbers and compare how high they reached.

**Time:** 10 minutes. UWT suggested plan of 10 minutes (sources note a fast-paced game under 5 minutes; 10 minutes allows setup, discussion, and whole-room review).
**People:** 4 to 24. Pairs or trios seated next to each other.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Surface shared experiences and common traits among participants using sequential numbers as prompts.
**Use it when:** Use as a brisk opening mixer at conferences, workshops, or training sessions where people need to start talking to nearby neighbors.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the group is working on private, sensitive issues where light conversational trivia feels out of place or intrusive.

## Materials and tools

- One piece of scrap paper per group of two or three
- One pen or pencil per group

## Before participants arrive

1. Place scrap paper and a pen near each seat or table cluster.
2. Ensure people can turn to face one or two neighbors easily.

## Say this to open

Turn to one or two people beside you. Your goal as a team is to find true statements that apply to everyone in your small group, matching sequential numbers starting at one. For instance, for number one, you might all own one car. For number two, you might each have two siblings. You must start at one and climb as high as you can in five minutes. Write down each item as you confirm it.

## How to run it

### 1. Form groups and explain rules (2 minutes)

Ask participants to pair up or form trios with people sitting immediately adjacent. Announce the rules clearly: groups must identify an exact shared number attribute for 1, then 2, then 3, in unbroken numerical order. Distribute paper and pens to each group.

### 2. Discover shared numbers (5 minutes)

Start the five-minute timer. Groups interview each other to find their shared numerical facts. If someone does not wish to answer a specific question like family size or personal possessions, the group simply tests a different topic for that number. Signal when one minute remains.

### 3. Tally and survey highest scores (2 minutes)

Stop the conversations when time expires. Call out numbers starting from three or four: 'Who reached three? Who reached four? Who reached five or higher?' Identify the group or groups that reached the highest verified number and ask them to read their list aloud to the room.

### 4. Brief reflection (1 minutes)

Facilitate a fast whole-room reflection. Hear from two volunteers on what surprised them or what strategies helped them find common ground quickly.


## Debrief questions

- What was the most surprising common fact your group uncovered?
- Which number took the longest conversation to find, and why?
- How did the requirement to find an exact number change how you asked each other questions?

**Finished output:** A handwritten list per small group documenting shared commonalities matched to consecutive numbers.

## Remote

Split participants into breakout rooms of two or three. One person opens a shared scratchpad or chat thread to type their verified numbers from one upwards. Bring all rooms back after five minutes and ask each room to type their highest completed number into the main chat.

## Hybrid

Pair in-person participants with each other in the room. Pair remote participants into digital breakout rooms. For the comparison, invite both room mic volunteers and chat submissions from the virtual groups.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may choose any category of facts (such as work habits, hobbies, books read this month, or food preferences) to avoid sensitive personal topics.
- Anyone may choose to serve as the group scribe without sharing personal life details.
- Participants who prefer not to participate in small-group banter may observe and assist the facilitator with timing.

## If the session gets stuck

**Groups get stuck early on a specific number like two or three.**

Remind them to change topics rapidly. Suggest work habits, commute times, devices owned, or pets instead of focusing solely on family background.

**An odd number of participants leaves one person without a partner.**

Form a trio immediately rather than leaving an individual alone. A trio of three people works under the exact same rules.


## Terms used here

- Numeric attribute: A factual statement about a person that includes a specific count, such as owning two bicycles or speaking three languages.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, where the activity is attributed to Mark Collard.

Retained core mechanic of finding common sequential numeric facts from one upwards in small groups, as recorded on Playmeo. UWT added explicit structure: 10-minute schedule, safety boundaries for personal disclosure, hybrid/remote adaptations, and debrief prompts.

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

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

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fast-paced-icebreaker-game-for-conferences-numeric-networking/