Uncommon Commonalities
Uncommon Commonalities is a get-to-know-you game in which small teams list things that every member of the team has in common, and only the items no other team has listed count. Because shared items are struck off when the lists are read out, teams have to dig past the obvious 'we all work here' to find unusual things they share. playmeo, the activity database run by Mark Collard, publishes the same mechanic under the name Commonalities.
Facilitation script
- 1
Form teams of four to six, hand out paper and explain the rules with one or two example items.
3 min - 2
Teams list everything all their members have in common.
6 min - 3
Teams read out their lists in turn; duplicated items are crossed off by every team that has them.
4 min - 4
Count the surviving items, name the winner and ask two or three teams for their most surprising commonality.
2 min
Tips
Give one or two examples of the kind of item that survives, such as 'we have all broken the same bone' or 'none of us can whistle', so teams aim beyond job and location from the first minute.
Keep the read-out brisk and decide borderline matches yourself in a second, since arguing over whether 'has a dog' equals 'has a pet' kills the pace.
The conversation during the listing phase is the real point, so do not shorten it below five minutes.
Common pitfalls
Teams larger than six, where finding anything true of everyone becomes slow and the quieter members stop contributing
No examples given, so every list is 'we are human, we work here, we have phones' and almost everything is cancelled
A read-out that drags because every near-match is debated, which loses the energy the game created
Teams probing for commonalities in sensitive areas such as health, family or beliefs; say at the start that anyone can decline a question
Stopping at the score without asking what people found, which wastes the connections that were just made
Variations
Without scoring: skip the crossing-off and ask each team to present its three most unusual commonalities, which is quicker and suits groups that dislike competition. Pairs: two people have three minutes to find five things in common that are not visible, then introduce each other by one of them. Remote: use breakout rooms and a shared document per team, then have teams paste their lists into the main chat at the same moment and strike duplicates together. Large groups: with more than about eight teams, have each team read only its five best items to keep the read-out short.
Where it fits
When to use it
People from different departments, sites or organisations sit together for the first time
You want small groups to talk about themselves quickly without anyone presenting to the whole room
The teams formed for the icebreaker will go on working together and need a first shared experience
A light competitive element suits the group and the moment
You have 10 to 20 minutes and nothing but paper
When not to use it
Fewer than eight people: there are not enough teams to compare lists, so use Two Truths and a Lie instead
You want the whole room to see what it shares at a glance: Common Ground, where people step forward on a statement, shows that better
The group already knows each other well: a deeper question round such as Check-In Questions will add more
You want people to meet as many others as possible: Human Bingo or 3 Question Mingle keeps everyone circulating
The setting is formal or tense and a scoring game would feel out of place
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Uncommon Commonalities?▾
Uncommon Commonalities is an icebreaker in which small teams list things all their members share and then compare lists with the other teams. Items that appear on more than one list are crossed off, so only unusual shared traits score. It takes 10 to 20 minutes and needs only paper and pens.
How big should the teams be?▾
Four to six people works best. Smaller teams find commonalities too easily, and in larger ones it becomes hard to find anything that is true of everybody. You need at least two teams, and three or more makes the crossing-off more interesting.
What counts as a commonality?▾
Anything that is true of every member of the team: experiences, preferences, family facts, skills, things nobody has done. Obvious items are allowed but will probably be cancelled by another team. The facilitator decides quickly whether two differently worded items are the same.
Can you play Uncommon Commonalities online?▾
Yes. Put teams in breakout rooms with a shared document for five to eight minutes, then bring everyone back and have the teams post their lists in the chat together. Strike duplicates as a group and count what remains.
What is the difference between Uncommon Commonalities and Common Ground?▾
In Common Ground the facilitator reads statements and people step forward if they apply, so the whole room sees what it shares. In Uncommon Commonalities the teams generate the items themselves through conversation and are rewarded for the rare ones. The first is faster and more physical, the second produces more actual talking.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from playmeo (Mark Collard), published as 'Commonalities'.