Unique thing in common

Choose someone you don't know that well.

With your partner find the 3 most unlikely / weird / dramatic things you have in common.

Instruct to find many things and then keep deciding which ones are the most interesting. Choosing things you like, have done, hobbies, pet peeves, quirks, etc. This will help people avoid obvious visible things (both have curly hair). The goal is to come up with the most surprising things.

This exercise can help smart & introverted types overcome the reluctance to engage because it taps into a bit of competitive spirit (to find the weirdest thing)

After everyone does this, ask each pair to choose one to share with the group (they don't need to share them all). Give them time to select which one they want to share.

Variation
* Do same exercise in a larger group (have pairs find another set of pairs or in groups of 3)
* In small groups list things in common and things that only one person has in the group (I have not tried this one) -- See https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/common-and-unique