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Team Competition

Team Trivia

Compete in teams to answer trivia questions

Run a quiz round with your team, keeping score across mixed categories. It works as a social hour or as a break partway through a long workshop.

Mixed categories are what make it work as a team activity. A quiz drawn from one field lets a single specialist answer everything, which leaves everyone else spectating.

How to run it

  1. Split into small teams.
  2. Work through the questions, allowing brief discussion.
  3. Keep score visibly.
  4. Total up at the end.

Running a quiz that works for a team

  • Keep teams to three or four so everyone participates in the discussion.
  • Mix categories deliberately, so different people get to contribute.
  • Avoid questions tied to one country's culture if your team is international.
  • Vary the difficulty, including some questions most teams will get.
  • Keep it to twenty or thirty minutes, which is where attention typically starts to drop.

Frequently asked questions

What team size works best for trivia?
Three or four people. Larger teams mean quieter members stop contributing to the discussion, which removes the point of playing in teams at all.
How do I make it fair for an international team?
Mix categories and avoid questions that assume one country's television, sport, or schooling. Otherwise the same people are advantaged every round.
How long should a team quiz run?
Twenty to thirty minutes. Longer quizzes lose energy, and it is better to finish while people are still enjoying it.