Exploring Groups in Our Lives
Exploring “Groups in Our Lives”
Why do we feel closer to some people and keep others at a distance? The Groups in Our Lives exercise (© Intercultural Business Improvement) helps answer that question in just 30 minutes.
Grounded in social identity research, this interactive activity reveals how our desire to belong to a group shapes the way we communicate, form biases, and create stereotypes. Working in pairs, participants experience firsthand how “in-groups” and “out-groups” form – and how focusing on similarities allows them to build trust without excluding others.
The exercise addresses the roots of stereotypes and offers practical tools to navigate cultural differences with greater sensitivity, clearer communication, and confidence in uncertain situations.
Ideal for both small and large groups, it can help trainers introduce and train key intercultural competences and invite them to rethink how we connect with the people around us.
Trainers Guide
Instruction for team leader of 30minute The Groups in Our Lives exercise (© Intercultural Business Improvement).
Exercise Handout
Printed handout for each participant pair.
About the author:
Psychologist Ursula Brinkmann has over 15 years of experience in the intercultural management field. She conducted her doctoral research on First Language Acquisition at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and worked as intercultural management consultant with the internationally renowned Professor Fons Trompenaars at the Center for International Business Studies.
