The Group Mind Read Game

These instructions are for use on Zoom but can be adapted to other platforms. It's a very simple and fun activity but does require a nimble set of hands on Mentimeter. As with most interactive activities online, having cameras on makes a huge difference so if you don't already know how to encourage this, look into that. These are the basic instructions but many variations are possible including some that could be used to explore topics such as cultural differences and bias.

F = Facilitator's script

FT = Facilitator to track

T = Tech instructiions. For small groups and low-stakes casual meetings it may be possible for the facilitator to run their own tech but it will be distracting and is better to assign to another adept person.

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T = Have a Mentimeter link pre-prepared which is set to reveal the results as a word cloud on your command. Be ready to screen share the results when the facilitator announces the "reveal". 

F- We're going to take a few minutes to play a game. That word makes some people uncomfortable so what might help is to know you can relax, nobody has to speak and nobody will be singled out or assessed or anything. You will see in the chat a Mentimeter link. It will help if you have that open and ready to type in. Has everyone got that open and ready? Wiggle your fingers if you need some help. (On a very large call the protocol might be to dm the tech person if you need help.)

F- Ok you have that ready but for now let's be together here in gallery view. The way the game will work is I'll give you a word, and then you let your brain associate and arrive on a word or words that are related. Then you will choose the word you thought of that you guess the most people on this call will pick and enter that word into the link. The objective is group think or universality. Mentimeter will instantly create a word cloud of all the answers and our collective goal is for the cloud to be as small as possible.

F- So for example If I say "news", your brain might give you the words, "paper, breaking, weather etc." and your job is, based on your sense of this group, to guess which word most people will associate and enter that. Then Mentimeter will do it's magic, your submissions are anonymous, and we'll eagerly await the reveal of the word cloud that gets generated. We'll do it a few time for the fun of it and to see if we can get better with practice.

T- Gets ready to screen click on results and screen share them.

FT- Reads the room for readiness.

F- Ok we might not be any good at this but that's fine, let's just have a go. Your word is bridge.

FT- Reads the room for participation timing and mood. Give people plenty of time, especially for this first one, to enter something.

F- Oh how cool! I can see you all busy deciding and typing. It can be hard to choose. Ok just pick one, you have 15 more seconds and then we get to see the results.

FT- Waits. Have fun with the suspense and the build up!

F- Ok now we get to see the results! 

T- Screen shares results for about 20 seconds or in snych with facilitator's comments

FT- Comments on results. Congratulates on group think. Reads the room to see if they still want to look at results. Picks a word in the word cloud to be the next word and announces it.

T- Resets the link and stops screen share. 

F- Ok people time to read each other's minds again. The word is x, use your super powers...

FT - Reads room. Repeats the reveal and feedback process as many times as desired. 

(Options for deepening or variations are many if you have the time. You could request observations and shares from the group, either as talk on video and/or comments in the chat. You could pose different contexts to see if people might answer differently in those contexts or have them imagine they were a different person from a group with a different collective relationship to the word. There's just a lot of potential here.)