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: dd2a28b899628d3f2dd6cf47bc742950358046f2959d28b1c8c50fa9b3dfabca

# Have You Ever?

Participants form a circle with one fewer spot than people, and a person in the center calls out a life experience starting with 'Have you ever...?'. Anyone who answers yes vacates their spot to find a new open one across the circle while the center person also claims a spot.

**Time:** 12 minutes. UWT standard 12-minute structure based on the observed 5 to 15 minute energizer format.
**People:** 6 to 24. Single circle around one central caller

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Surface common experiences and shared interests across a group through active movement.
**Use it when:** Use as a physical energizer during warm-ups, group introductions, or after prolonged periods of seated work.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the physical space is too cramped for safe walking, when running or scrambling for seats creates fall hazards, or when the group needs confidential small-group dialogue.

## Materials and tools

- Chairs or flat spot markers (floor tape, cones, or poly spots), exactly one fewer than the total number of participants

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange chairs or spot markers in an inward-facing circle.
2. Ensure there is one fewer chair or spot marker than the total number of participants in the room.
3. Clear bags, cables, and obstacles from the center and perimeter of the circle to maintain clear walking paths.

## Say this to open

We are going to play a movement warm-up called 'Have You Ever?'. One person stands in the middle without a spot. They ask a question starting with 'Have you ever...?', such as 'Have you ever baked bread from scratch?' If your answer is yes, stand up and walk to a vacant spot that is not immediately next to you. The person in the center will also try to claim an open spot. Whoever is left without a spot will ask the next question.

## How to run it

### 1. Circle setup and initial demonstration (3 minutes)

Direct everyone to claim a spot or chair in the circle. The facilitator stands in the center with no chair. Explain the safety rules: walk rather than run, do not tackle or push for a spot, and do not move to the immediate left or right neighbor's chair. Run one practice round using a light question such as 'Have you ever owned a cat?'

### 2. Main question rounds (6 minutes)

The person remaining in the center asks a fresh 'Have you ever...?' question. All participants who can answer yes must leave their position and find an open spot at least two seats away. The person in the center attempts to sit or stand on any vacated spot. The participant left without a spot steps into the middle for the next round. Continue rapid rounds. If a center person prefers not to speak or gets stuck, they may pass the center role to an eager volunteer.

### 3. Final round (1 minutes)

Announce the final round. Bring one extra chair or spot marker into the circle so that the final caller also receives a seat once everyone moves.

### 4. Reflective debrief (2 minutes)

Invite two or three volunteer responses to the debrief questions while everyone remains seated in the circle.


## Debrief questions

- What common experience surprised you the most across the room?
- How did seeing who moved change your understanding of someone here?

**Finished output:** Completion of multiple question rounds where participants identify shared personal experiences.

## Remote

Run in an online video room. All participants turn on video with cameras on. The caller in the virtual center spotlight asks a 'Have you ever...?' question. Everyone who answers yes types 'YES' into chat or uses a designated reaction emoji, then turns their camera off for three seconds before turning it back on. The caller names the next caller from the participants who answered yes.

## Hybrid

Hybrid delivery is not equivalent due to physical chair scrambles. To include both, keep all participants seated and use an online polling tool or camera toggling for remote participants while in-person participants raise hands or stand up. The center question alternates between in-person and remote speakers.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants with mobility constraints can claim designated permanent spots and signal 'yes' by raising a hand or holding up a colored card while someone else swaps positions on their behalf.
- Participants may choose not to move or disclose an answer by remaining silent and seated without question.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants run aggressively or collide trying to reach an open chair.**

Pause the activity and enforce a walking-only rule. Remind the group that the objective is identifying connections, not high-speed competition.

**A participant stranded in the center freezes or feels anxious about what to ask.**

Remind them of the swap rule: they can ask for a volunteer to take the center spot, or offer them a prompt sheet with simple ready-made questions.


## Terms used here

- Poly spot: A flat rubber or vinyl disc placed on the floor to mark a standing location without creating a tripping hazard.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, where it is presented by Mark Collard as a warm-up energizer.

Retained core mechanics from Playmeo observation (circle arrangement, one person in center without a spot, 'Have you ever...?' prompt, moving to non-adjacent spots, volunteer swap rule). UWT added explicit safety guidelines (walking only), exact timing, debrief prompts, and remote/hybrid accommodations.

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

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

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fun-icebreaker-game-for-group-connections-have-you-ever/