Trading Cards

Purpose

Trading Cards is an icebreaker and team-building exercise where each participant creates a personal trading card featuring their name, a self-chosen ‘superpower’, a fun fact, and a small drawing. The cards introduce team members in a playful, memorable way and remain useful as a reference throughout a workshop or project.

At a glance

• Group size: 5–30
• Duration: 15 minutes
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Facilitation style: Playful, individual creation then sharing
• Setting: In-person or virtual

How to run

1. Distribute card templates (1 min). Give each participant a blank card template with fields: Name, Role, Superpower, Fun Fact, and a space for a self-portrait or icon.
2. Fill in cards (7 min). Participants complete their cards. Encourage creativity and humour.
3. Share in pairs or small groups (5 min). Participants exchange cards, read each other’s, and ask one follow-up question.
4. Optional: Gallery (2 min). Post all cards on a wall for everyone to browse.

Materials needed

• Pre-printed card templates (index-card size or A6)
• Coloured markers and pencils
• Wall space or pin board for display

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Forcing superpowers to be work-related. Let people choose anything — “making perfect pasta” is a great superpower.
• Rushing the creation. Give enough time for people to have fun with it.
• Skipping the exchange. The value is in the sharing, not just the making.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Offer alternative fields (“something I’m proud of” instead of “superpower”) for cultures where self-promotion feels uncomfortable.
• Provide large-print templates and thick markers.
• Allow digital card creation for remote or differently-abled participants.

Variations

• Team Trading Cards: Create cards for teams rather than individuals.
• Role-play Trading Cards: Assign fictional characters or historical figures.
• Stats-based Cards: Add ‘stats’ like “Coffee consumption: 9/10, Morning person: 2/10” for humour.

When NOT to use this

• When team members already know each other very well and an icebreaker would feel condescending.
• When time is extremely tight and a simple name round would suffice.

Source & further reading

• Gray, D., Brown, S., & Macanufo, J. (2010). *Gamestorming.* O’Reilly Media.
• SessionLab. Trading Cards icebreaker guide.