Who Am I?

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Practice systematic deductive questioning and short one-on-one information exchanges across a whole group.

Use it when: Use as a mixer at the start of a session or after a long seated presentation to get people moving and talking.

Skip it when: Skip when room space does not allow easy movement or when participants lack a shared base of recognizable cultural or public figures.

Group arrangement: Dynamic pairs; participants take turns asking each other up to three questions before rotating to a new partner. With an odd group size, one temporary trio forms where members take turns asking questions.

Timing: Playmeo lists 5 to 10 minutes; 10 minutes provides structured distribution, active mingling, and brief reflection.

Materials and tools

• 24 pre-written index cards or adhesive labels with recognizable figures
• One roll of masking tape if using index cards
• One marker for adjustments

Before participants arrive

1. Write one well-known name on each card or adhesive label.
2. Ensure the mingling area has clear pathways for movement.
3. Place masking tape on card edges so they attach quickly.

Say this to open

Each of you will get a card attached to your back. Do not look at your card. Your job is to figure out who you are by asking questions that can only be answered with 'Yes', 'No', or 'I do not know'. When you pair up, take turns asking each other up to three questions before you move to someone new. For example, ask 'Am I a living person?' rather than 'Where do I live?'

How to run it

1. Attach cards and explain rules 2 minutes

   Distribute cards by taping one onto each participant's back without showing them the name. Read the opening script aloud. Clarify that when paired, each person takes a turn asking up to three questions of their partner, answering only 'Yes', 'No', or 'I do not know'. After both ask questions, they rotate. If odd numbers occur, one trio forms where all three take turns.

2. Mingle and deduce 5 minutes

   Invite participants to stand and mingle. Participants pair up, read each other's back labels, and take turns asking up to three yes-or-no questions. When both participants have asked their questions, they thank each other and find new partners. In a trio, all three rotate questioning. Continue until most participants believe they know their identity or time expires.

3. Check guesses and reveal 1 minutes

   Call time. Direct participants to pause where they are. Give everyone ten seconds to state their guess silently or to a nearby partner, then take the card off to check whether their deduction was correct.

4. Debrief questioning strategy 2 minutes

   Gather the full group. Ask one or two volunteers to share what types of questions narrowed down the field fastest. Highlight the shift from broad categories to specific identities.

Debrief questions

• Which broad category questions helped eliminate large groups of identities fastest?
• How did the rule limiting you to three questions per partner affect how you chose what to ask?
• When did you realize it was time to switch from general traits to a specific name guess?

Finished output: Every participant tests deductive questions to identify their assigned figure and reveals their card at the finish.

Remote

Run in an online meeting by sending each participant a secret identity via direct message. Instruct all participants to hide their self-view so they do not see their own name. Have the facilitator rename each participant on screen to their assigned secret identity. Send participants into rotating two-minute breakout pairs to take turns asking their three yes-or-no questions. If the group has an odd number of participants, create one breakout room of three where all three take turns asking questions of each other.

Hybrid

Keep in-person participants paired with in-person participants in the room, and remote participants paired in video breakout rooms. Mixed pairings across physical and digital spaces disrupt back-label visibility. If an odd number of remote participants is present, assign one breakout room as a trio where participants rotate turns asking questions. Keep both tracks synchronized on the same countdown timer.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may hold their card facing outwards in front of them or place it on a hat or forehead instead of having items attached to their back.
• Participants with limited mobility may sit at fixed stations while mobile participants rotate to them.
• Any participant may choose to act as a roving answerer without wearing an identity card.

If the session gets stuck

A participant has never heard of the person written on their card.

Provide a replacement card immediately with a simpler, universally known figure without penalty.

Participants answer with open-ended hints or shrugs instead of strict yes or no answers.

Pause the room briefly to remind everyone that only 'Yes', 'No', or 'I do not know' are permitted responses.

Terms used here

• Yes/No question: A closed question that can strictly be answered with an affirmative or negative response without descriptive explanation.