Common Ground Challenge
The Common Ground Challenge is a team building activity that takes 10–15 minutes and works with small groups or breakout rooms. It strengthens team cohesion by revealing hidden similarities and accelerating bonding in new team formations.
What is the Common Ground Challenge?
In this activity, small groups identify as many things as possible that all members have in common. The catch: similarities must be non-obvious and non-trivial. "We all work here" or "we are all human" don't count.
The exercise pushes teams past surface-level conversation and into unexpected shared experiences, habits, or preferences. It's useful in onboarding cohorts, cross-functional workshops, and new team formations.
How do you run the Common Ground Challenge?
Divide participants into groups of 3–5 people. Give them this brief:
"You have 7 minutes to find as many non-obvious things as possible that everyone in your group has in common."
Clarify what counts:
✅ "We've all worked remotely from another country"
❌ "We all work at the same company"
After 5–7 minutes, bring everyone back and have each group share their top 3 most surprising overlaps. You can add a competitive element by awarding points to the most original commonality.
Why it's great for a team
Most team building activities stay superficial. This one works because it forces deeper conversation quickly.
In a short window, teams discover unexpected shared experiences, break down assumptions between colleagues, build fast rapport in new groups, encourage equal participation, and create natural follow-up conversations.
Perceived similarity accelerates trust and rapport. When people realize they have more in common than expected, collaboration flows more easily. This is especially valuable in cross-functional or newly merged teams where people may initially feel distant.
How to organize it effectively
The most important factor is enforcing the "non-obvious" rule. If you don't set the bar clearly, teams default to safe, generic similarities and the impact drops.
Upfront, exclude answers like "we all have laptops," "we all work here," or "we all use Slack." Push groups toward surprising or specific overlaps.
Keep the time pressure visible. Urgency drives better energy and sharper focus. In larger groups, use breakout rooms. For in-person sessions, ask teams to physically cluster.
During share-back, highlight the most original commonalities to reinforce the behavior you want.
Used early in a workshop or offsite, the Common Ground Challenge turns a room of individuals into a group that feels more connected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Common Ground Challenge?
The Common Ground Challenge helps participants discover unexpected similarities. It fosters connection by guiding teams to uncover shared experiences, interests, or traits beyond the obvious.
How does the Common Ground Challenge work as an icebreaker?
By actively searching for commonalities, individuals quickly find points of connection. This makes it easier to build rapport and trust within a new or existing group, bypassing typical small talk.
What are the benefits of using this activity for team building?
This activity strengthens team cohesion by highlighting shared humanity and breaking down perceived barriers. It promotes better communication and empathy as team members learn to appreciate each other's diverse backgrounds while recognizing their unifying aspects.
How many people can participate in the Common Ground Challenge?
The activity scales easily, from small teams of 5–6 people to large gatherings divided into smaller sub-groups. Its structure works whether you have a handful of participants or a hundred.
What kind of similarities does the activity aim to find?
The activity encourages finding shared hobbies, travel experiences, values, life stages, or quirky preferences. The goal is to go deeper than obvious traits and uncover "hidden" connections that don't emerge during regular interactions.