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Team Tool

Group Splitter

Split people into random groups

Add names to get started

Paste a list of names and split them into groups at random. Useful for classrooms, workshops, and any situation where letting people choose their own teams produces the same groupings every time.

Random assignment is doing real work in a group setting. Self-selected teams reliably reproduce existing social clusters, which is usually the opposite of what a group activity is for.

How to use it

  1. Paste or type your list of names, one per line.
  2. Choose how many groups you want, or how many people should be in each.
  3. Generate, and re-run if a grouping is unworkable for reasons the tool cannot know about.

Making group work actually work

  • Keep groups small. Three or four people is usually the point at which everyone still participates; beyond six, some members reliably disengage.
  • Assign roles within each group, such as note-taker and timekeeper, so contribution does not default to whoever is most confident.
  • Re-randomise between activities rather than keeping the same groups all session, so people work with a wider range of others.
  • Give a clear deliverable and a time limit. Open-ended group tasks tend to fill the available time without producing more.
  • Handle uneven numbers deliberately rather than leaving one group a person short without saying so.

Frequently asked questions

What group size works best?
Three or four for most activities. It is small enough that everyone contributes and large enough for genuine discussion. Above six, participation reliably drops off.
What happens if the numbers do not divide evenly?
Groups are made as even as possible, with the remainder distributed rather than concentrated, so you will not end up with one group far smaller than the rest.
Why use random groups instead of letting people choose?
Self-selected groups reproduce existing friendships and leave the same people out each time. Random assignment mixes the room, which is usually the point of the exercise.