The Handshake is a Group Division Technique

The handshake is an innovative random group splitting technique that can be tailored to the number of teams you need to group.

Begin by asking everyone in your group to think of a number, and keep it to themselves. Your choice of number will be determined by the number of small groups you wish to create.

So, if you want four groups at the end of this exercise, ask them to think of the numbers 1, 2, 3 or 4. The idea is for everyone who is thinking of the same number to find one another and gather as one group.

With a number in mind, invite each person to approach another and engage mutually in a very friendly shaking of hands. Each person should only shake their own hand (and arm) the number of times of the number they are thinking, and then firmly stop shaking.

The key to this banter is for each person to hold their arm firm when he or she accomplishes the required number of shakes.

So, as a demonstration, if you are thinking ‘three’ and I’m thinking ‘two,’ we will happily shake together for the first two shakes, and then suddenly my arm and hand will go stiff, and prevent any further mutual shakes. At that point it will be obvious that we are not on the same wavelength and belong to different groups.

Explain that when someone finds a ‘match,’ those two people should stick together and continue to seek out other similar-hand-shaking people, until all of their kind have been found and joined the group.

During the exercise, it is not allowed to speak or extend the fingers to indicate the chosen number. Invite people to continue interacting with others until every one discovers their group, and the required number of groups has been formed.