Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: e8dcbf89b6dd53dd805d95751e2198825d5f845e73db6bc854b1858d219b4418

# Human Bingo

Participants mingle to discover colleagues who match specific factual prompts on a grid card. They collect names in matching squares to complete a straight line of five.

**Time:** 15 minutes. 15 minutes total matches the standard 5x5 grid duration documented in source records.
**People:** 8 to 24. Open floor mingle with one-on-one paired interactions

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Identify shared experiences and individual backgrounds across the group through brief one-on-one conversations.
**Use it when:** Use during orientation, project kickoffs, or cross-functional team gatherings where participants do not know one another well.
**Skip it when:** Skip when group members already know each other intimately, or when the team needs deep task-oriented decision making rather than social introduction.

## Materials and tools

- One printed 5x5 Human Bingo card per participant
- One pen or pencil per participant
- Countdown timer

## Before participants arrive

1. Print one Human Bingo grid sheet per person. Clear an open central space in the room so participants can move freely.

## Say this to open

Please take a bingo card and a pen. Your goal is to mingle and find people who match the prompts on your sheet. When someone matches a square, write their name in that box. Each person can only sign or be written on your card once, and you cannot sign your own card. Once you complete a row of five, shout Bingo.

## How to run it

### 1. Distribute cards and explain rules (2 minutes)

Hand out one 5x5 bingo sheet and pen to each person. State the core constraints: one signature per person, you cannot sign your own card, and diagonal, horizontal, or vertical lines of five all count.

### 2. Mingle and collect names (8 minutes)

Signal the start of mingling. Participants walk around and initiate quick one-on-one checks against their grid squares. When someone meets a prompt, record their name in that box. Circulate to keep energy moving and clarify prompts if needed.

### 3. Call bingo and verify line (2 minutes)

When a participant completes a line of five squares, they shout Bingo. Pause play briefly. Have the claimant read the five prompts and the names listed. Confirm with those individuals that the prompts are accurate.

### 4. Group debrief (3 minutes)

Reconvene as a full group. Ask two participants to share one surprising fact they learned about a peer. Close the activity.


## Debrief questions

- What was one surprising fact or skill you discovered about a colleague?
- Which prompt proved the hardest to find a match for across the room?

**Finished output:** A completed bingo card showing verified participant names across matching prompt squares.

## Remote

Distribute a digital copy of the 5x5 grid via a shared link or PDF. Open rapid breakout rooms of 2 or 3 people for 2 minutes each. Repeat across 3 to 4 rounds. Participants type names into their digital document or mark off squares.

## Hybrid

In-person participants mingle on the physical floor while remote participants use 1-on-1 breakout rooms. Pair remote participants with an in-room ambassador carrying an open tablet if cross-mingling between settings is required.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may sit at a stationary table while others visit them, avoiding sustained standing.
- Any participant may decline to answer a prompt or decline having their name recorded on a peer card.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants repeatedly ask the same person to sign multiple squares to finish quickly.**

Remind the room firmly that each peer may only sign a given card once.

**A participant cannot find anyone who matches a specific prompt on their line.**

Remind them that lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, and encourage them to pivot to an alternate row.


## Terms used here

- Free Space: The center square on a traditional 5x5 bingo card that counts as automatically completed for everyone.

## Participant material: Human Bingo 5x5 Card

HUMAN BINGO (5x5 Grid)
Rules: Find a person who matches a description. Write their name in the square. Each person may only sign your card once. You cannot use your own name. Complete 5 in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) to call Bingo!

Row 1:
[ Born in the same month as you ] [ Is an only child ] [ Has never been on a plane ] [ Drinks black coffee ] [ Dislikes chocolate ]

Row 2:
[ Plays a musical instrument ] [ Has met a celebrity ] [ Has climbed a mountain ] [ Walks or bikes to work ] [ Has a tattoo ]

Row 3:
[ Is left-handed ] [ Has worked here 5+ years ] [ FREE SPACE ] [ Has never broken a bone ] [ Has lived in another country ]

Row 4:
[ Prefers tea over coffee ] [ Can bake a cake from scratch ] [ Loves spicy food ] [ Has visited 3+ continents ] [ Speaks 2+ languages ]

Row 5:
[ Is a vegetarian ] [ Can whistle loudly ] [ Has a pet dog ] [ Wears glasses or contacts ] [ Does not have social media ]

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Icebreaker-Games.org as a digital and printable card generator for the traditional mixer game Human Bingo.

Retained the exact 5x5 grid prompts, line-completion mechanic, single-signature constraint, and timer duration from Icebreaker-Games.org. UWT added structured step minute breakdowns, opening script, accessibility options, and debrief discussion prompts.

[Icebreaker-Games.org](https://icebreaker-games.org/human-bingo-cards)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/free-human-bingo-card-generator-printable-virtual-instant-pdf/