Stop Counting Off (Do This Instead to Divide Groups)

Try This Fingernail Trick to Divide a Group

the Lazy Facilitator Episode 08

We’ve all been there, counting off 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, or picking two captains. Urgh.

These systems kind of work to divide groups, but they’re boring, predictable, and rarely create fair or balanced teams.

As a lazy facilitator, I have just one rule: If I can divide groups and have fun doing it, that’s what I’m going to do. Low effort, high impact, instant results.

Split Into Two Teams?

For example, if I need two teams, here are a couple of my go-tos.

• Cross your arms, left over right or right over left, boom, two teams.
• Or the last digit of your phone number, odd or even, done.
• Dog person, cat person, team sorted.

Split Into Multiple Teams?

And if I need multiple teams, how about:

• The birth month, January through December? You’ve got 12 groups instantly.
• Or birth order, eldest, middle, or youngest child. Simple.

There are a gazillion ways to form teams – take a look at Getting Into Teams for dozens more fun and simple ways to create random teams.

The Fingernail Trick

But here’s my favourite lazy trick, and people love this one: ask everyone to simply look at their fingernails.

Watch what happens.

Some people will curl their fingers in towards their palms, while others will extend their hands outward as if to view the back of their hands.

Two teams, no explanation needed.

And it always gets a laugh because people can’t believe that others do it differently.