Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: a3240477224c00ba57a2184643b55d80c026d393cc819685edc1cc60eb93fc28

# Geared Up

Pairs stand in two concentric circles facing each other and execute specific physical commands called out by the facilitator. The group practices coordinating numbered movements that test working memory, reaction speed, and partnership timing.

**Time:** 10 minutes. Playmeo lists 10 to 15 minutes; 10 minutes fits 4 movement commands and a brief round of reflections.
**People:** 4 to 24. Concentric circles of paired participants facing each other; odd participant pairs with the facilitator or acts as caller.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Re-energize a group and practice coordinated reaction to numbered movement cues without verbal discussion.
**Use it when:** Use during a midday slump, after heavy seated work, or between workshop segments when people need physical movement and focus.
**Skip it when:** Skip when space is too restricted for pairs to turn or switch places safely, or when multiple participants cannot perform standing or rapid physical movements.

## Materials and tools

- No special materials required
- Visual chart or whiteboard displaying the numbered commands (optional)

## Before participants arrive

1. Clear an open floor space large enough for two concentric circles where participants have at least an arm's length of clearance in all directions.

## Say this to open

Find a partner and face each other. If you are the taller person in your pair, step into the inside circle facing out toward the room. Your partner forms an outside circle facing in toward you. In this activity, I will call out numbers from 1 to 4. Each number triggers a specific physical move you perform with your partner. Our aim is accuracy and timing, not perfection. You can modify any movement or mirror without hand contact.

## How to run it

### 1. Set circles and introduce moves 1 and 2 (3 minutes)

Pairs form two concentric circles: inside circle facing out, outside circle facing in. Introduce Command 1: Back-to-back High Ten (both partners raise hands and tap the backs of their hands together, or air-tap without contact). Introduce Command 2: Switch Places (partners walk carefully past each other's right shoulder, trading inside and outside positions, and turn to face each other again). Call Command 1 and Command 2 several times in random sequence until pairs respond smoothly.

### 2. Introduce moves 3 and 4 (3 minutes)

Introduce Command 3: Full Spin (both partners spin 360 degrees on the spot and finish facing each other). Introduce Command 4: Diagonal Five (left hand performs a high five while right hand performs a low five, or air-taps). Practice 3 and 4 individually, then mix all four commands in quick succession.

### 3. Speed and sequence challenge (2 minutes)

Call out numbered cues at an increasing tempo. Combine two numbers in one call (for example, 'Command 2 and Command 3!'). Stop the round after two minutes of active practice.

### 4. Group debrief (2 minutes)

Bring the group to a standstill. Facilitate a brief standing reflection on memory, nonverbal coordination, and recovering from errors. Take two or three quick observations from the room.


## Debrief questions

- What helped you and your partner coordinate the movement quickly when the pace picked up?
- How did you adjust when one of you remembered a different move than the other?

**Finished output:** Completion of four physical sequence rounds with a partner.

## Remote

This activity requires in-person concentric circles and partner physical movement. For a remote team, run a webcam alternative: participants stand or sit in gallery view. The caller numbers four individual gestures (1: wave both hands high; 2: duck below frame and return; 3: touch opposite shoulders; 4: clap once overhead). Participants mirror the calls in full gallery view.

## Hybrid

Hybrid delivery is not recommended as a single joined exercise. Have in-person participants form concentric circles while remote participants form a video gallery pod using the webcam gesture variant, or partner remote participants into breakout rooms using audio cues.

## Access and participation choices

- Touch-free alternative: all hand contact moves (Command 1 and 4) can be done as air-taps without physical contact.
- Mobility accommodation: seated participants can execute upper-body versions (Command 2 becomes raising both hands to signal a switch; Command 3 becomes a quick head-turn or arm circle).
- Participants may step out to serve as caller or observer without penalty.

## If the session gets stuck

**Pairs bump into each other when switching places on Command 2.**

Remind everyone to pass by right shoulders and take walking steps rather than lunging.

**An odd number of participants leaves one person without a partner.**

The facilitator pairs with the extra person, or invites that person to co-call the numbers from the center.


## Terms used here

- Concentric circles: Two circular rings sharing the same center point, with one circle nested inside the other.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo database under the title Geared Up, authored by Mark Collard.

Retained the core concentric circle pairing and four explicit movement commands from the Playmeo source (back-to-back high ten, switch places, 360 spin, high/low five). Added explicit step durations summing to 10 minutes, consent-based non-contact modifications, seated adaptations, and a remote gallery alternative.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/energizer-warm-up-games/geared-up/)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/energizer-warm-up-games/geared-up)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fun-circle-energiser-for-boosting-energy-movement-geared-up/