Who Are We?

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Form balanced working groups quickly through brief, low-stakes introductory conversations.

Use it when: Use at the start of a workshop when you need to split a room into randomized small groups without calling out numbers.

Skip it when: Skip when working groups require pre-assigned functional roles, intact department teams, or specific domain expertise.

Group arrangement: Full room mingling to assemble into small teams of 3 or 4.

Timing: Participatory Methods specifies 10 to 15 minutes; 10 minutes fits up to 24 participants.

Materials and tools

• Pre-written index cards or paper slips (one per participant, grouped by category)
• One container or basket to hold the cards
• One pen or marker

Before participants arrive

1. Count the total number of participants.
2. Select categories from the participant materials to match your target group size. If targeting groups of three, drop the fourth item from each category. If mixing threes and fours, adjust category card counts to match exact headcount.
3. Write one distinct item on each card.
4. Fold the cards and place them in the container.

Say this to open

Take one card from the container, but keep it folded until everyone has one. When I say start, open your card. Your job is to find the people whose items belong to the same category as yours. Walk up to each other and introduce yourself using this sentence: 'I am [your name], the [card element].' For example, if your card says 'rudder' and someone else says 'sail', you might belong together under 'parts of a boat'. When your group finds all its members, gather together in one spot.

How to run it

1. Draw and review cards 2 minutes

   Hand the container around. Each person takes one slip. Announce the opening script. Once the script is complete, instruct participants to open their cards and clarify the target group size.

2. Mingle and identify teammates 5 minutes

   Participants stand and walk around the room. Each person introduces themselves using their assigned item. Potential teammates cluster together and continue asking others until their cluster matches the required team size.

3. Verify categories and regroup 2 minutes

   Halt the mingling. Ask each formed cluster to state their shared theme and read their items aloud. If someone is misplaced or left over, reassign them to the appropriate open spot.

4. Debrief team formation 1 minutes

   Ask one or two whole-room reflection questions to transition into the next working agenda item. Hear brief answers from two volunteers.

Debrief questions

• How did your group figure out the unifying category?
• What assumptions came up when someone stated an item with multiple possible categories?

Finished output: Participants assembled into confirmed working groups with shared category identities.

Remote

Send each participant a private direct message containing their secret item. Participants unmute in the main room or type introductions into the chat using the sentence pattern. When participants identify teammates, they rename themselves with their category prefix (for example, 'Boat - Alex') so the host can assign them to their permanent breakout room.

Hybrid

Pair each remote participant with an in-person buddy. The in-person buddy carries a mobile device with the remote participant visible and audible, allowing the remote participant to directly introduce themselves and interact with others during mingling. Ensure remote participants also have access to a shared digital board to view confirmed groups.

Access and participation choices

• Participants with limited mobility can stay seated while active minglers circulate to visit them.
• Anyone uncomfortable speaking aloud can show their card text to others instead of reciting the script.
• Passing: A participant can opt out of mingler search and accept direct assignment to the first group that has an open seat.

If the session gets stuck

An item fits more than one category (for example, 'orange' could be a fruit or a color).

Remind groups to confirm all members. If a duplicate fits two teams, have the two groups compare cards and swap to resolve the overlap.

Attendance changed at the last minute, leaving an odd person without a full category.

Add the extra participant as a bonus member to the nearest related group, or remove unneeded cards before distribution.

Terms used here

• Category theme: The common conceptual bucket that connects several distinct items, such as 'musical instruments' connecting guitar, piano, and violin.