How it works
These 10 things in common icebreaker questions are prompts for a group game: small groups look for ten things that every member shares, and the obvious ones do not count. Each card is one place to look.
Read the full guide
The game in three steps
Split the room into small groups and give each a pen. Read a card: "A thing all of you have lost at least once." Each group talks until every member shares one answer and writes it down, then you press Next card. The first group with ten reads its list out.
Common ground icebreaker questions by topic
Press Topic for Food, Places, Habits, Skills and hobbies, Likes and dislikes or Odd ones. Easy cards match fast. Medium ones take a few questions: "A word in another language that all of you know."
Tips
- Rule out the obvious before you start: being in this room or having two ears does not count.
- With a single small group, skip the race and see how many matches ten cards bring.
Questions and answers
How does the ten things in common icebreaker work?
Small groups get a set time to find ten things that everyone in the group has in common, and one person writes them down. Obvious answers are ruled out. When time is up, each group shares its most interesting finds.
Why use prompts when a group could just talk?
A blank page stalls. A prompt such as A place where every one of you has sung out loud gives the group a question to ask each other, and the matches they find are better stories than what everyone is wearing.
Can one person answer these cards?
No, and that is the point. Every card names something a whole group shares, so nobody can answer alone. For questions that each person answers alone, use the main icebreaker deck.