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Random Pair Generator is an unscored slide that shuffles everyone in the room into pairs, groups, teams or a knockout tournament when you click Shuffle. Use it when you need discussion partners, breakout groups or a quick contest, and want the split to be fair and fast.

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Random Pair Generator at a glance

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Create a Random Pair Generator slide

1

Add the slide

In the editor, click New slide, then search for Random Pair Generator in the slide type picker.
2

Add a question

Type a short prompt in Your question, for example “Find your partner for the next activity”.
3

Choose a group type

Under Group type, pick Pairs, Groups, Teams or Tournament. For Groups, set People per group. For Teams, set Number of teams.
4

Add names if you have a list

Type or paste names into Names, one per line, or click Import names from a file. Leave it empty if everyone will join on their phone. Once the list has names, a line under Group type shows what a shuffle would make, for example “With 5 names: 2 pairs (one of them has 3 people)”. With Categories of people on, this box is replaced by one box per category (see the next step).
5

Mix categories if you need to

Turn on Categories of people to mix people from different categories, such as new starters and experienced staff, in every pair, group or team. The single Names box is then replaced by one box per category, named after it, for example Names in New starters, so you add each person to their own category’s box.

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Present a Random Pair Generator slide

Click Preview to try it first, then Present. Participants join with the access code on screen. On their phone they tap Join, and their name appears on the big screen with everyone else in the list. The line above the list shows the group type and how many people are in.
  1. When everyone is in, click Shuffle or press Enter. Each pair, group or team appears as a card, such as Pair 1 or Team 2.
  2. To remove someone from the list before you shuffle, click the cross next to their name.
  3. Click Shuffle again (or press R) for a new random split, or Back to the list (or press B) to clear the results and return to the list of names.
  4. Click Copy results (or press C) to paste the groups into a spreadsheet or a document.
Each phone shows that person’s partner, group or team, so nobody has to hunt for their name on the big screen.

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Run a tournament

With Tournament, the shuffle draws a knockout bracket. When the numbers do not fill the bracket exactly, some people have no opponent in round 1 and go straight to round 2. The line above the list tells you how many before you shuffle.
  1. After each match is played, click the winner’s name on the big screen. The winner moves on to the next round. Clicked the wrong name? Click the other one.
  2. When the final is decided, the big screen shows the winners. Click Show all matches to see the full bracket again.
Each player’s phone shows who they play against, and whether they won or lost each match.

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Random Pair Generator settings

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Ideas for using Random Pair Generator

  • Classroom: pair students for peer marking or a think-pair-share discussion.
  • Training: put new starters and experienced staff in mixed groups with Categories of people.
  • Workshops: split a room of 30 into 5 teams for a design challenge.
  • Icebreakers: pair strangers at an event for a two-minute introduction.
  • Fun contests: run a rock, paper, scissors tournament.

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Random Pair Generator vs. Random Group Maker

Random Pair Generator makes unnamed pairs, groups, teams or a tournament in one shuffle. Random Group Maker places people into groups you name, such as tasks or roles, and reveals them one group at a time.

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Frequently asked questions

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What happens if there is an odd number of people?

In Pairs, one pair gets 3 people. In Groups, sizes differ by one at most and nobody ends up in a group on their own. In Teams, team sizes differ by one at most.

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What if someone joins after the shuffle?

The big screen shows how many people joined late. They are added the next time you click Shuffle again.

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How many people can play in a tournament?

Up to 64. With more than 64 people on the list, the slide shows a warning and the shuffle does not start.

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Is it the same as the Tournament Bracket slide?

No. The Tournament Bracket slide lets the audience vote on options in a knockout. In Random Pair Generator the players are the people in the room, and you click the winner of each match. Have a question? Contact our support team: if you’re logged in, use the chat bubble in the bottom-right of your dashboard; otherwise contact us here or email hi@ahaslides.com. Want to connect with other users? Join the AhaSlides community to share tips, request features, and see how others engage their audiences.