Common Ground

How to Play

Setup

1. Arrange participants into small groups of 4–6. If you have a large crowd, create multiple groups.
2. Provide each group with a flipchart page (or large sheet of paper) and markers. For a digital setup, assign a shared document or whiteboard per group.
3. Display or announce examples of "too obvious" commonalities that do not count (e.g., "we all work here," "we’re human," "we’re wearing shoes").
4. Set a visible timer for 10 minutes.

How to Play

1. Introduce the objective: Each group must discover as many genuine, specific things that every member of the group has in common—beyond the obvious.
2. Give groups 10 minutes to talk, probe, and list their commonalities on the flipchart or shared document. Encourage them to verify each item truly applies to everyone in the group.
3. Suggest exploration areas to spark ideas: upbringing and places lived, languages, hobbies and sports, travel experiences, music/art/reading, food preferences, pets, skills, childhood experiences, favorite seasons/holidays, learning goals, volunteer causes, quirky habits.
4. As time ticks down, remind teams to prioritize clarity and specificity (e.g., “All have hiked a mountain in the last 3 years” vs. “We like the outdoors”).
5. When time is up, each group counts its valid items.
6. Quick share-out: Each team reads 3–5 of their most interesting commonalities. The facilitator can ask brief follow-up questions to spark connections.
7. Determine the winner by the highest number of valid commonalities. Optionally recognize uniqueness (e.g., most surprising item).

Rules

1. Only list items that apply to every member of the group.
2. Obvious or universal facts do not count (shared employer, species, being in the same room, wearing standard clothing, etc.).
3. Be specific and verifiable; vague statements may be challenged (the facilitator has final say).
4. Combine similar items thoughtfully—no double-counting (e.g., “all play an instrument” and “all played piano” may be counted as one if it’s the same fact).
5. Respect boundaries—participants may pass on any topic; keep the tone curious and inclusive.
6. Time is fixed. Writing must stop when the timer ends.

Tips

• Model one strong example and one weak example before starting.
• Encourage open-ended questions (“Tell me about…”) to uncover deeper overlaps.
• Assign a scribe and a timekeeper in each group to stay organized and fast.
• Prompt specificity: add time frames, frequencies, or contexts ("in the last year," "as kids," "at least once a month").
• After the game, debrief for 3–5 minutes: What surprised you? What can we leverage for future collaboration?

Variations

• Virtual/Hybrid: Use breakout rooms and a shared doc; show a countdown timer on screen.
• Thematic Rounds: Focus on a theme (e.g., learning, wellness, travel) for 5 minutes, then open category for 5 minutes.
• Lightning Round: 5 minutes total; then 1-minute tie-breaker for top teams.
• Collaborative Mode: No winner—set a collective target (e.g., 10+ specific commonalities) and celebrate all groups that reach it.
• Uniqueness Bonus: Award +1 point for each item that no other group found.