Identical slips matter
Hand-torn slips are never the same size, and people notice. A slightly larger slip gets picked, a creased one gets avoided, and if the names are written by hand the handwriting itself gives things away. Printed slips on identical rectangles remove all of that.
Print on 100gsm or heavier. Standard copier paper is thin enough to read a name through under a bright light, and the fold line only helps if the paper is opaque.
Running the draw
Everybody draws, nobody looks until all slips are gone. If someone has their own name, every slip goes back and the whole thing is redrawn, which is the only approach that does not leak information. With more than about fifteen people, a self-draw happens often enough that you should expect one.
A drawing order rule helps: the organiser draws last. If the organiser draws first and ends up with their own name, the redraw has to happen before anybody has seen anything, which is simpler.
The organiser record sheet
The second sheet is a grid of giver and receiver that the organiser fills in as names are drawn, or prepares in advance for a remote team. It lets you answer the question people actually ask, which is who has me, without you having to remember. Keep it somewhere nobody else will see it.
Drawing for a remote team
The organiser assigns pairings on the record sheet, writes each name on a slip and sends it individually. It means one person knows everything, which is a trade-off, but it beats a video call where everyone pretends not to look at the chat.
Questions
- How many draw slips print on one page?
- Sixteen identical slips per A4 or Letter sheet, each with a fold line. Type your names once and the generator fills the page.
- What happens if someone draws their own name?
- Put every slip back and redraw the whole hat. Swapping one slip quietly tells at least two people something they should not know about the draw.
- Can people read a name through the paper?
- Not on 100gsm or heavier. On standard 80gsm copier paper a name can show through under a bright light, so print the slips on something thicker.
- How do I run a draw for a remote team?
- Use the organiser record sheet to assign pairings yourself, write each name onto a slip and send them individually. One person knows all the pairings, which is the trade-off for nobody being able to peek.