S2025E11 - 2026 E11 Lead with Empower Podcast

Episode 11 of the "Lead with Empower" podcast, features Zachary Morello and Dan Jaskot from Empower Leadership discussing the challenge of efficiently and effectively splitting large groups into smaller working groups. This is a common challenge for teachers, corporate leaders, and others who run programs or activities.

The speakers emphasize that the reason for splitting groups, especially with youth, is to help students get out of their social comfort zones, strengthen the community, and build skills necessary for the future when they will inevitably have to work with new people. This practice helps them to be more comfortable being uncomfortable, a skill needed for future transitions like college or the workforce.

The methodology for splitting groups should also be situational; for activities involving sensitive discussion topics, it might be better to keep friends together with people they trust. However, in most other programs, especially with students who are already with their peer groups in school, the goal is often to separate the groups to encourage new skill development.

Here are some tactics discussed for splitting groups:

● Verbal Numbering (One, Two, One, Two): The "old school" method of numbering off is deemed inefficient and often leads to confusion and restarts.

● Bring Them Together to Split Them Up: This tactic involves asking a group to pair up (or form small groups), allowing them to naturally choose their friends first, and then using a quick method to separate the groups.

● Elbow Connection: Partners stand with connected elbows, and a leader separates them by asking those with a free right hand to go one way, and those with a free left hand to go another. This process can be very fast.

● Closest/Furthest Birthday: Partners separate based on whose birthday is closest or furthest from the current date.

● Other Partner/Group Separation Methods: Other ways to split pairs or groups include using alphabetical order (first or last name), height, or the number of siblings.

● "Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert" Grouping: To split a group into four, people are asked to form groups of four (again, often by default with friends) and then designate one person as the breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert person (based on personal eating habits); each category then forms a new, separate team. This adds a fun element and humanizes the leader.

● "Silent Lineup" by Birthday: The entire group is instructed to silently line up in order of their birthday, from January 1st to December 31st, communicating only nonverbally. The line can then be split in half to form two teams. This tactic keeps the group on their toes and allows the leader to gather "intel" on potential group dynamics or leaders.

● Dynamic Duo Name/Unique Handshake: For staff or corporate groups, pairs are asked to come up with a "dynamic duo" name or a unique handshake before being split into teams.

● Flipping the Script: Once the group expects to be split up after forming small groups, a leader can surprise them by announcing that they will work with their self-selected group (bring them together to keep them together). This prevents participants from deliberately partnering with people they dislike just to get separated.

● For older groups (college, professional, and sports), it is important for the leader to know their people and intentionally create teams with a mix of strengths, such as combining analytical, thoughtful individuals with those who are quick to take action. Giving adults a first activity with their self-selected or department-based teams can highlight inefficiencies, which the subsequent mixed groups can then correct.

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