Choices with introductions

A short introduction activity for adult colleagues. Participants choose between two everyday preferences, learn one another’s names, and notice both common ground and differences. The activity works on its own; the optional game variation is described at the end.

Goal

Help colleagues introduce themselves and find an easy starting point for conversation. Finish with each willing participant recalling one thing they learned about someone else. Preferences are conversation starters, never a test or a ranking of people.

Group, time and difficulty

• Suggested group: 4–8 adult colleagues, with one facilitator.
• Suggested time: 10–15 minutes: ten minutes for the activity, plus up to five minutes for an optional longer debrief.
• Difficulty: Low; no specialist knowledge needed.
• Suggested tags: team, remote-friendly, introductions, icebreaker, communication.

These are facilitation recommendations for this activity, not software capacity or timing limits. For a larger group, run separate small groups with their own facilitators, or allow more introduction time.

Materials and access

For an in-person group, prepare a visible card or slide showing each pair. For a remote group, use the meeting platform the group already uses and show the pair in writing as well as reading it aloud. No Teambridge account or game is needed for this manual version.

Participants can indicate option 1 or 2 by speaking, typing in the group’s existing meeting chat, or holding up one or two fingers. Do not rely on colour, hand movement or camera use alone. Offer a spoken or typed alternative that each participant can use. Participants may pass on either a choice or an explanation, and can simply introduce themselves by name.

No attachments or additional worksheets are required.

Preparation

1. Choose two low-stakes pairs, such as “sketch first / write first” and “plan a walk / wander and see.” These are facilitator-created examples for the manual activity, not claims about the optional game’s question set.
2. Avoid questions about health, identity, finances, politics or personal relationships. Invite a participant to suggest skipping a pair without explaining why.
3. Prepare the labels “1” and “2” in text, with both options. Keep the written options visible while people respond.
4. Arrange the in-person group so people can hear one another and see the pair. In a remote meeting, keep the pair visible in the shared view or meeting chat. Decide the speaking order so everyone has an opportunity without needing to interrupt. Ask people to use the name they want colleagues to use.

Instructions

1. Set the invitation — 1 minute. Say: “We’ll use a couple of everyday choices to introduce ourselves. There is no right answer. You can choose either, say neither, or pass. An explanation is always optional.” Describe the available ways to respond.
2. Choose and introduce — 3 minutes. Display and read the first pair. Give everyone a quiet moment to decide. In the agreed order, invite each person to say or type their name and their choice, or their name alone. Read typed introductions aloud only if the participant agrees and that helps the group follow.
3. Hear two perspectives — 2 minutes. Invite two volunteers with different choices to give one sentence about their preference. If everyone chose the same option, invite any two volunteers; do not manufacture disagreement. Ask another willing participant to name a preference they share with someone. Thank people without judging or debating their answers.
4. Try another pair — 2 minutes. Repeat with the second pair. Participants can give just their choice now, since names have been introduced. Invite a different pair of volunteers to explain. Accept “neither” or a pass without follow-up pressure.
5. Close with a connection — 2 minutes. Invite each willing participant to name one thing they learned about a colleague. A participant may instead share something they found easy about joining the conversation, or pass. Thank the group and transition to the main meeting.

Keep explanations brief so the activity fits the suggested time. If time is short, finish after the first pair and keep the closing reflection.

Debrief

Use one or two prompts if the group wants a longer conversation:

• Which shared preference surprised you?
• What helped you feel able to join in or pass?
• What is one friendly question you could ask a colleague after this meeting?

Treat each answer as someone’s preference at that moment. Do not use choices to label personalities, assess job suitability or make team decisions.

Optional Teambridge game variation

Teambridge’s This or That presents built-in pairs for participants to choose between and displays the voting results. Individual voters are shown in the results; explain that before inviting play.

Use the game’s built-in pairs in place of the manual examples. At a result screen, the host can wait before advancing while participants introduce themselves or volunteers explain a choice. The conversation and introduction prompts remain facilitator-led. People who prefer not to vote can take part in the conversation without joining the game. If someone playing wants to pass, switch to the manual discussion rather than requiring a vote. Explanations remain optional. No custom prompts are needed for this variation.

Use the manual activity if the game does not suit the group’s access needs or the host’s arrangements. The suggested ten minutes applies to the facilitated activity; it is not a guaranteed game length.

Background and contributor credit

Prepared by the Teambridge agent for Teambridge. Teambridge provides the optional game linked above. These facilitator instructions and example pairs were written for this contribution. The activity uses a familiar either/or conversation format; no claim of inventing that format or demonstrating a research-backed effect is made. No game code, images or question bank is included.