This or That

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.

Group arrangement: Pairs for discussion and whole group for movement and counting; odd numbers form one trio.

Timing: Playmeo lists this as a 5 to 15 minute activity; UWT sets a 15-minute plan covering three question rounds and a short debrief.

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.