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: 979dea33ebf1590db9d1ca425e143c587e378c062218ec458ebdf3e43a581f37

# This or That

Pairs choose between two contrasting propositions and predict what the majority of the room will select. Participants then move to opposite sides of the room to reveal the group count and score prediction points.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Playmeo lists this as a 5 to 15 minute activity; UWT sets a 15-minute plan covering three question rounds and a short debrief.
**People:** 4 to 24. Pairs for discussion and whole group for movement and counting; odd numbers form one trio.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Compare individual preferences with group assumptions through simple forced-choice predictions.
**Use it when:** Use as a warm-up or transition activity to get participants moving, talking in pairs, and noticing differences across the whole room.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the group is working through high-stakes conflict where forced dichotomies or public positioning might polarize participants.

## Materials and tools

- One prepared prompt sheet containing binary choice questions
- Scratch paper and one pen per participant for optional score tracking

## Before participants arrive

1. Clear a path across the room so people can walk freely to the left side or the right side.
2. Label or designate the left side as Option A and the right side as Option B.

## Say this to open

Find a partner near you. If you are in a trio, that works fine too. In each round, I will give you two contrasting options. First, decide which option you personally prefer. Tell your partner your answer. Then predict which option the majority of the entire room will pick. Lock in your prediction with your partner before anyone moves.

## How to run it

### 1. Pair up and explain rules (2 minutes)

Ask participants to pair up. If there is an odd number, form one trio. Explain the sequence: hear two choices, tell your partner your personal choice, tell your partner your prediction of the room majority, then move to reveal the count.

### 2. Round 1 choice and movement (3 minutes)

Read Prompt 1: 'Would you prefer to be poor in a job you love, or rich in a job you hate?' Give pairs 45 seconds to discuss personal choices and lock in their majority prediction. Direct everyone to move to the designated left side for 'Poor in a job you love' or the right side for 'Rich in a job you hate'. Count each side aloud. Anyone whose prediction matched the larger side awards themselves one point.

### 3. Rounds 2 and 3 choice and movement (6 minutes)

Repeat the sequence for two additional prompts from the participant materials, giving 3 minutes per round. For each round, allow 45 seconds for partner sharing and prediction, have participants walk to their chosen side, tally the sides, declare the majority, and let accurate predictors mark a point.

### 4. Debrief (4 minutes)

Bring the full group together standing or seated. Ask two focused questions. Take 2 to 3 brief reflections from volunteers across the room to close within the allotted time.


## Debrief questions

- What made predicting the room's majority easy or difficult?
- Did seeing where others stood challenge any assumptions you had about the group?

**Finished output:** Completion of three prompt rounds with personal scores recorded, or the option to pass without sharing.

## Remote

Run in the main video meeting room. Read the prompt. Send pairs to breakout rooms for 60 seconds to share choices and predict the majority. Return to the main room. Post an anonymous two-option poll or have participants type A or B into chat simultaneously on a countdown. Announce the winning option so individuals can note their points.

## Hybrid

In-person participants walk to the left or right wall. Remote participants submit their choice via an online poll or chat. The facilitator displays the remote poll total on the room screen and adds the room count to determine the overall group majority.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants with limited mobility or fatigue can raise a hand, hold up an A/B card, or point instead of walking across the room.
- Anyone may decline to disclose a preference by remaining neutral in the center and observing without tracking points.

## If the session gets stuck

**A prompt results in an exact tie so there is no majority.**

Declare a tie round where both predictions earn a point, or move directly to the next prompt without points awarded.

**Participants change their prediction after seeing where other people start walking.**

Require pairs to verbally confirm their prediction or write it down on scratch paper before anyone steps away from their partner.


## Terms used here

- Forced choice: A decision format where a person must pick between two specific alternatives without selecting a middle option.

## Participant material: This or That Prompt List

1. Would you prefer to be poor in a job you love, or rich in a job you hate?
2. Would you prefer to always arrive 20 minutes early, or always arrive 5 minutes late?
3. Would you prefer to work entirely alone on a critical task, or work with a large team on a routine task?
4. Would you prefer to receive detailed critical feedback immediately, or receive praise publicly with feedback shared privately later?

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo, where the activity is attributed to Mark Collard.

Retained the core Playmeo mechanic of pairing up, declaring an individual choice, predicting the room majority, moving to physical sides, and awarding points for accurate prediction. UWT supplied the structured 15-minute pacing, opening script, accessibility choices, hybrid workflow, and explicit debrief questions.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/this-or-that)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/this-or-that/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fun-conversation-starter-game-to-spark-discussion-this-or-that/