Broken Telephone
Set up the space: Organize participants into a line or circle where they can pass the message easily from one to another.
How to run it
- Ask participants to sit or stand in a line or circle, depending on the available space.
- The first participant receives an initial message (verbal or visual) and must pass it to the next person.
- The message can only be passed once, without repetition or clarification.
- The last participant says or shows the message they received.
- Repeat the activity with different messages, changing participant order if necessary.
- Participatory Methods Broken Telephone Broken Telephone is a participatory activity where participants verbally or visually pass along a message through multiple people until it reaches the final participant.
- Define the purpose: Demonstrate how messages can change when communicated through several people.
- Prepare materials: Simple phrases, words, or images to initiate the message.
- A spacious area for participants to form a line or circle.
- Set up the space: Organize participants into a line or circle where they can pass the message easily from one to another.
Run this exercise live
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Prompts to use +
Ask participants to sit or stand in a line or circle, depending on the available space.
The first participant receives an initial message (verbal or visual) and must pass it to the next person.
Repeat the activity with different messages, changing participant order if necessary.
Participatory Methods Broken Telephone Broken Telephone is a participatory activity where participants verbally or visually pass along a message through multiple people until it reaches the final participant.
Define the purpose: Demonstrate how messages can change when communicated through several people.
Prepare materials: Simple phrases, words, or images to initiate the message.
Run this with your AI assistant +
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.
Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Broken Telephone. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Ask participants to sit or stand in a line or circle, depending on the available space.; The first participant receives an initial message (verbal or visual) and must pass it to the next person.; Repeat the activity with different messages, changing participant order if necessary.; Participatory Methods Broken Telephone Broken Telephone is a participatory activity where participants verbally or visually pass along a message through multiple people until it reaches the final participant.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.
Origin unverified
- Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Participatory Methods; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Participatory Methods.)
- What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
- No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
- Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.