Better Than BingoActivity slides
Better Than Bingo · Activity Slides
Common Ground, No Cheating
Uncover three things the group shares, with the obvious answers taken off the table.
8–12 min3+ peopleSmall groups
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Facilitator prep · Do not project yet
Set the room up for success.
Materials
- None
Before you begin
- Choose two or three obvious answers to ban
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Facilitator language · Do not project yet
What to say
“Find three things everyone in your group has in common. You may not use the obvious facts that brought you into this room.”
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Facilitator notes · Do not project yet
Keep it comfortable and useful.
Make room for everyone
- Allow people to pass on any line of inquiry.
- Keep prompts broad and non-biographical.
- Do not reward groups for finding more personal commonalities.
Watch out for
- Do not let the activity become a hunt for trauma or marginalization.
- Avoid competitive scoring based on uniqueness.
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For the group
Here’s what to do.
- 1
Form groups of three to five.
- 2
Name the banned answers—for example employer, city, job field, or attendance at this event.
- 3
Give groups six minutes to find three genuine commonalities.
- 4
Ask each group to share only its most unexpected answer.
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Prompt 01
What routine do you all protect?
Take a moment to think. Passing or writing instead is always okay.
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Prompt 02
What harmless opinion do you share?
Take a moment to think. Passing or writing instead is always okay.
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Prompt 03
What skill did you learn outside formal training?
Take a moment to think. Passing or writing instead is always okay.
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Prompt 04
What is something all of you would happily skip?
Take a moment to think. Passing or writing instead is always okay.
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Wrap it up
One last thought.
- Which connection would you not have guessed?
- What question helped your group move past obvious answers?