# One Up, One Down Participants deduce an unstated pattern by predicting which of three calls matches a person in the room. The facilitator confirms or corrects each guess until the group uncovers the physical key. **Time:** 10 minutes. Playmeo records 5 to 10 minutes. 10 minutes allows ample turns for groups up to 24. **People:** 4 to 24. Whole group seated in a circle facing one another. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Test hypotheses aloud and refine assumptions based on immediate feedback. **Use it when:** Use during a transition or warm-up to demonstrate how easily people overlook obvious visual cues when searching for complex patterns. **Skip it when:** Skip if the group finds parlor guessing games irritating or if participants feel uncomfortable with people observing their posture. ## Materials and tools - No physical props required. ## Before participants arrive 1. Seat participants in a circle or horseshoe arrangement where everyone has an unobstructed view of everyone else. ## Say this to open We have a quick observation puzzle. There are only three possible calls in this game: 'One up, one down', 'Two up', or 'Two down'. I will indicate someone in the room, or someone will volunteer a call about themselves. Your goal is to work out the hidden rule behind the calls. If you figure it out early, keep the secret to yourself and just play along. You may pass on any turn. ## How to run it ### 1. Introduce the three calls (2 minutes) Share the opening script. Write the three valid calls on a board or speak them clearly: 'One up, one down', 'Two up', 'Two down'. Remind participants that anyone who spots the rule should demonstrate it correctly without blurting out the explanation. ### 2. Test predictions around the circle (5 minutes) Point to a participant, or indicate yourself, and state the call that matches their current arm position. The facilitator solution: arms or hands raised above the waist or touching the upper body count as 'up', while hands resting in the lap, at sides, or on the floor count as 'down'. Ask a volunteer to guess the call for the next person. Confirm whether the guess is correct or incorrect without explaining why. If someone guesses wrong, immediately state the true call and move to another person. ### 3. Exaggerate cues and reveal (2 minutes) If the group has not identified the pattern, deliberately shift your own posture between calls. Put both hands behind your head for 'Two up', drop both hands into your lap for 'Two down', or scratch your chin with one hand for 'One up, one down'. Once several people catch on, ask one discoverer to explain the rule to the whole room. ### 4. Debrief pattern recognition (1 minutes) Ask the group 1 or 2 debrief questions. Collect 2 or 3 quick observations about what made the puzzle simple or difficult to spot. ## Debrief questions - Where did your attention go first when trying to identify the pattern? - What assumptions made the puzzle harder than it actually was? **Finished output:** The group identifies the hidden physical rule connecting the three calls to arm and hand positions. ## Remote Run on video with gallery view enabled. All participants must keep webcams framed to show their torso, hands, and head. The facilitator calls on participants by name. Attendees can speak their guess or type it in the text chat. ## Hybrid Ensure the in-person room camera captures full seated bodies of room participants. Remote attendees pin the active speaker or view gallery mode. Alternate turns strictly between one in-person speaker and one remote speaker so neither group dominates. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may pass at any time during their turn without giving a reason. - Anyone who prefers not to be the subject of observation can opt out by signaling the facilitator, remaining as an active guesser only. - Participants with limited arm or shoulder mobility can declare their own neutral baseline or choose to have calls evaluate the facilitator only. ## If the session gets stuck **A participant blurts out the secret early and ruins the puzzle for others.** Acknowledge that they found the answer, then invite them to act as the official co-judge for the remaining guesses. **The group becomes stuck and frustrated looking for verbal or mathematical codes.** Provide an exaggerated physical demonstration. Stand up, place both hands in the air, announce 'Two up', place both on your knees, and announce 'Two down'. ## Terms used here - Lateral thinking puzzle: A problem-solving challenge that requires looking away from expected complex explanations toward simple, overlooked facts. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in the Carrum Girl Guides collection of logic games and Playmeo activity database. Author and origin are unverified. Retained the core three-phrase guessing mechanic and the hidden arm-position solution from the Becky logic games guide and Playmeo records. UWT added explicit time allocations, a consistent definition of up versus down arm positions, hybrid turn-taking rules, and mobility and pass options. [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/one-up-one-down) [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/one-up-one-down/) [carrumgirlguides.com](https://carrumgirlguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logic-games-from-becky.pdf) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fun-lateral-thinking-puzzle-for-groups-teams-one-up-one-down/