Meet & Connect · Welcome New People · Build Community
Find Your People
Meet colleagues outside your usual circle by finding people who match a series of useful clues.
Time12–18 minutes
Group size10+ people
FormatPairs, Whole group mingling
MaterialsPrinted or displayed prompt list, Optional note card
What this accomplishes
Participants circulate with prompt cards or displayed clues, finding a different person for each one. Instead of collecting signatures, they trade a quick story, recommendation, or useful detail.
- Create cross-role and cross-grade connections
- Reveal useful experiences and interests
Before you begin
Materials
- Printed or displayed prompt list
- Optional note card
Preparation
- Choose six to eight inclusive clues
- Ask participants not to use the same person twice
- Define a clear movement area
What to say
“For each clue, find a different person it fits and have a real 45-second conversation. You are collecting useful humans and ideas, not signatures.”
How to run it
- 1
Display or distribute the clue list.
- 2
Model one short exchange: ask the clue question and one follow-up.
- 3
Give participants eight to ten minutes to meet different people.
- 4
Signal the halfway point and remind everyone to look beyond their usual colleagues.
- 5
End in trios where each person shares one useful or delightful thing they learned.
Prompts to use
Find someone who has a first-week routine they trust.
Find someone who knows a useful feature in a tool your school uses.
Find someone who has worked in a role or grade different from yours.
Find someone who can recommend a great read, listen, watch, or local place.
Find someone who is trying something new this year.
Find someone you have not had a real conversation with before.
Adapt it to the room
Small group
Give each person two clues and ask them to interview everyone until they find a match.
Large group
Divide the room into zones and switch zones halfway through.
Virtual
Use breakout trios for two rounds, with two clues in each room.
Accessibility & inclusion
- Offer a seated hub where conversation partners rotate in.
- Provide every clue in writing and read the list aloud.
- Allow participants to skip any clue or answer.
- Avoid clues based on family status, health, age, identity, or finances.
Debrief, if useful
Who is someone you may reconnect with later?
What useful knowledge exists outside your usual team?
Why it works—and what can go wrong
Why it works
Specific clues make approaching someone easier, while the required follow-up turns a scavenger format into an actual human exchange.
Watch out for
- Avoid competitive prizes for finishing first.
- Make sure new employees are not treated only as people who need help; include clues that value what they bring.