Triads

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Surface hidden commonalities and practice combining diverse individual capabilities into a single collaborative concept.

Use it when: Use during team launches, cross-department workshops, or network events where people need to recognize shared baselines and combine different skill sets.

Skip it when: Skip when group size is under six, when mobility barriers make rapid standing mingling impractical without prior adjustments, or when participants must keep their backgrounds confidential.

Group arrangement: Individual drafting, then self-assembled trios (or groups of four if headcount is not divisible by three), ending in assigned trios

Timing: UWT suggested 25-minute duration based on Thiagi's multi-round design

Materials and tools

• 1 sheet of letter or A4 cardstock per in-person participant
• 1 wide-tip dark marker per in-person participant
• 1 roll of masking tape or box of safety pins
• Shared digital whiteboard platform (such as Miro or Mural) or video meeting chat for remote/hybrid use
• Room projector or display screen connected to video call for hybrid delivery
• 1 smartphone or laptop per in-person attendee in hybrid sessions

Before participants arrive

1. Clear chairs and tables to provide ample mingling space across the room.
2. Place cardstock, markers, and tape at a central supply table.
3. For remote or hybrid sessions, pre-build a digital board with empty sticky-note clusters for each person.

Say this to open

Take a sheet of cardstock and a marker. Write 'I am a(n)...' at the top, then complete that phrase ten different ways down the sheet using roles, interests, skills, or life backgrounds. Tape it to your shirt so others can read it while standing.

How to run it

1. Draft identity posters 4 minutes

   Participants write ten completions for 'I am a(n)...' in bold marker. Examples include parent, coder, night owl, volunteer, baker. Participants fasten their sheet to their chest using tape or pins. Anyone may choose neutral or work-focused roles rather than private personal details.

2. Assemble by maximum similarity 4 minutes

   Participants walk the room, read each other's sheets, and group into trios sharing the greatest number of matching or overlapping items. If headcount leaves leftovers, create one or two groups of four. Trios verify their overlap and tally shared items.

3. Assemble by maximum diversity 4 minutes

   Call time. Participants disperse and form new trios with as little overlap as possible. If any trio believes they share zero common traits, they must interview each other to uncover at least one shared habit, experience, or preference before time ends.

4. Design a complementary venture 8 minutes

   Facilitator assigns fresh trios by numbering off around the room. Each trio must create a business idea, service, or community project that depends on the distinct skills, backgrounds, or traits of all three members. If one member drops out, the venture cannot operate.

5. Share concepts and debrief 5 minutes

   Invite three trios to present their concept in 30 seconds each, explaining why each member is essential. Facilitator leads debrief using the planned questions.

Debrief questions

• What commonalities surfaced in round one that were invisible before reading the sheets?
• When building the most diverse group, how quickly did you still find a shared trait?
• How did the requirement to use everyone's background shape the venture you designed?

Finished output: Completed ten-item identity sheets and collaborative venture sketches based on combined individual strengths.

Remote

Run via video conference and an online whiteboard. Each participant types their name and ten 'I am a(n)...' statements on an assigned digital frame. In rounds one and two, participants read everyone's cards and move their name tags into trios on the board using open audio. For round four, assign breakout rooms of three to sketch a venture on the whiteboard.

Hybrid

In-person participants wear paper sheets and also take 60 seconds to upload their ten lines to the shared digital whiteboard via phone or laptop. The whiteboard is projected on the room screen. In rounds one and two, participants mingle across both spaces by checking the board and room. For round four, assign mixed trios where in-person members join their remote partner via their laptop headset in a quiet corner or dedicated breakout.

Access and participation choices

• Participants choose what identities or roles to list, keeping items strictly professional or hobby-based if preferred.
• Participants with limited standing mobility may remain seated while other participants circulate to them, or participate directly via the digital whiteboard.
• Any participant may observe or contribute ideas to a trio's venture without presenting aloud during the final share.

If the session gets stuck

Headcount is not divisible by three.

Form one or two groups of four. In round four, the venture must require skills or traits from all four members.

A group in round two insists they share nothing in common.

Prompt them with simple universal categories: favourite beverage, birth order, commute method, or morning routines.

Terms used here

• Triad: A subgroup of exactly three people.
• Complementary diversity: Combining different individual backgrounds so the collective outcome requires everyone's distinct contribution.