Connections

Help your group members find some unexpected common ground.

Supplies needed: A blank piece of paper and a pen for each participant.

Activity: Challenge group members to find new and interesting things they have in common with each other—shared life experiences, talents, dreams, accomplishments, and so on. They will do this by following these rules:

  • Everyone will find a partner and attempt to find something they share in common.
  • This "connection" must be something specific and distinctive, not something general that would be shared by several people in the room.
  • This "connection" must be new—something you didn't know about the other person.
  • Participants will find a new partner every two minutes.

After several rounds (between 10-15 minutes total), have everyone re-gather as a group. Give volunteers time to share some of the funniest or more surprising "connections" they discovered.

Examples:

  • Good: Joan and I both know how to juggle.
    Bad: Joan and I are both female.
  • Good: Greg and I have read the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy.
    Bad: Greg and I both love to read.

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