Want to Know Your Coworkers Better? Try This

(Mix 93-1)  You've been at your job in Longview, Texas, for quite some time now. You're cordial with your coworkers. You say hi and engage in some small talk, but how well do you know them?

Why We Often Feel Disconnected at Work

In most cases, you don't get to know your coworkers unless you've worked with them for years.

It may feel as if you're on an island sometimes, but that's not the truth. I recently learned that for myself, and that I have more in common with my coworkers than I realized.

The Staff Meeting That Sparked Change

We have regular staff meetings here at the radio station with air personalities, sales representatives, and business office personnel. During this particular meeting, there was a special exercise.

It was designed to get us mingling among other departments in the building and get to know each other.

Here at the station, our jobs are so different, and we're often 'compartmentalized' and we're concentrating on our portion of the business.

Being an air talent and content creator, I'm usually in the studio on the air or working to create an article like this one for you to check out, while our sales reps are out on the streets selling commercial time and lots more, so it's rare we all interact during a normal business day.

How The Exercise Worked

During this awesome exercise, we were broken into groups. Each group was tasked with coming up with five things we all have in common. A task we thought was a bit challenging at first, but once we got into it, it was rather easy.

Once we had our five commonalities, we told the other groups what our five were, and we heard their five. What was funny was to hear the commonalities between all the players and how each group approached it. Some were practical while others were funny, whimsical, and far-reaching.

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I won't tell you which group I was in, but the following is a list of commonalities our independent groups came up with:

Surprising Common Ground We Found

Group 1 commonalities
All like coffee
All have a dog
All have a sibling
All love to eat
All are U.S. citizens
All know someone who has battled cancer
All know someone who has been in an accident caused by a drunk driver

Group 2 commonalities
All work in media
All can drive
All love to vacation
All like football
All love it when 5 p.m. comes around
All love live concerts

Group 3 commonalities
All like to fish
All drive big vehicles
All love movies
All have sisters
All have been on a boat
All work at Townsquare Media
All have been on a cruise
All shower
No one has been scuba diving
All own a gun
All cook at least 3 times a week
All have had at least one surgery

Group 4 commonalities
All have traveled by plane
All can change a tire
All have been to the Pacific Ocean
All have been on stage
All have been to a therapist

Try It At Your Office

Here's a thought: you should give this exercise a try at your next office staff meeting. After all, you're working with these people and probably spending more time with them than your immediate family when you think about it.

Get to know your coworkers. You have more in common than you think.