Mistaken Identity is a type of icebreaker designed to help people get to know each other at an event. When participants first enter the meeting room at the start of the day, they receive a name card with someone else’s name on it, and are asked to mingle and find that person.
WHEN TO USE IT AND WHY
Mistaken Identity is ideal when you want a quick icebreaker that does not need much preparation.
It can be used effectively in groups of up to around 50 people - but it only works if people do not know each other (by face). As people walk around looking for the person whose name card they are holding, expect them to meet other people and make connections very quickly, with little effort. This will make them all feel at ease, and me more willing to talk to each other and share ideas later on.
It can be used effectively in groups of up to around 50 people - but it only works if people do not know each other (by face). As people walk around looking for the person whose name card they are holding, expect them to meet other people and make connections very quickly, with little effort. This will make them all feel at ease, and me more willing to talk to each other and share ideas later on.
HOW TO?
- Before the meeting, prepare name cards, writing participant’s names on the cards prominently and legibly;
- As participants arrive at the meeting room on the first day, hand out one name card to each (along with any other handouts), distributing them at random - making sure no one gets their own name. Ask them to look for the person whose name tag they are holding. Each participant needs to walk and talk to the other participants while finding the right person, and in the process finding out who else is in the room;
- Allow 10-15 minutes for this process, or end the exercise once everyone has found the person matching the name card they received.
In a relatively short time, all participants get to talk with a few colleagues, and a few cases can then be presented in a plenary (the facilitators only need to make sure there are name tags for all). An alternative is to write the names of the organizations where participants work in small cards (or the cities/towns from where they come, or any other characteristic) and to distribute these at random, asking them all to find the person to whom each card belongs, and in this way inviting them to talk to each other.
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
- Facilitator
- Large name cards with participant names prewritten in large letters
- 20- 50 participants
- 10- 15 minutes
MORE INFORMATION / SOURCE
- UNICEF, 2015. Knowledge Exchange Toolbox. A collection of tools "for anyone who needs to make effective decisions, facilitate or guide effective decision-making processes, or manage or coordinate group work in development that requires the knowledge of multiple persons to succeed." The Mistaken Identity and other tools are found under "Icebreakers".