# Have a Guess Participants write two workplace commitments on slips of paper, predict how many others chose similar actions, and tally the redistributed slips on a flip chart. **Time:** 20 minutes. UWT suggested duration. The source provides steps without timestamps. Twenty minutes accommodates reading and tallying up to 48 slips for larger groups. **People:** 4 to 24. Individual reflection followed by whole-room tallying ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Compare individual workplace commitments against the room distribution to check common takeaways and identify distinct practical actions. **Use it when:** At the end of a skill or process training session where participants need to commit to concrete workplace changes. **Skip it when:** When the session is introductory, purely informational without application, or when attendees do not share relevant workplace tasks. ## Materials and tools - 2 blank slips of paper per participant - 1 scratch paper sheet per participant - 1 pen or pencil per participant - 1 flip chart pad and marker pen (or whiteboard and dry-erase marker) ## Before participants arrive 1. Place two blank paper slips, one scratch sheet, and a pen at each seat. 2. Set up a flip chart pad or whiteboard where all participants can read it. 3. Title the chart 'Planned Actions'. ## Say this to open To close our session, please take the two small slips of paper in front of you. On each slip, write one specific action you plan to do differently at work based on what we covered today. Keep each slip to a single concrete behavior. ## How to run it ### 1. Write action commitments (3 minutes) Participants independently write one intended workplace change on each of their two paper slips. For example, a participant might write 'Send an agenda 24 hours before team meetings' on one slip and 'Use a five-minute timebox for status updates' on the other. Participants fold both slips. Collect all folded slips in a container. ### 2. Record private guesses (2 minutes) Ask participants to look at their own scratch paper and privately write a single number: how many other people in the room wrote an action similar to either of their own two points. Remind them to keep this guess private until the tally is done. ### 3. Redistribute and tally (11 minutes) Shuffle and hand two folded slips to each participant. It is fine if someone receives their own slip. Go around the room and have each person read their first slip. Write each distinct action on the flip chart, adding a tally mark when an action matches an existing entry. Next, complete a second round where everyone reads their second slip. Continue tallying until all slips are recorded. ### 4. Compare guesses and debrief (4 minutes) Direct participants to compare their written numerical guess with the final counts on the flip chart. Invite three or four brief responses using the debrief questions to close the session. ## Debrief questions - Looking at the tallies on the board, which patterns or common themes stand out most? - How did your initial guess compare to the actual numbers on the chart? - Did anyone hear a unique commitment that you want to borrow for your own work? **Finished output:** A visible flip chart tally of planned workplace actions and individual comparison of predicted versus actual shared commitments. ## Remote Participants direct-message two commitments to a designated co-facilitator via private chat. The co-facilitator pastes all items into a numbered, randomized pool on a shared slide or digital board. Participants write their numerical duplicate guess on private scratch paper. The facilitator reads each item aloud from the board, merges duplicates into thematic clusters, and records tally marks. Participants then compare the final cluster counts against their private scratch paper guesses. ## Hybrid In-person attendees write on slips and hand them in. Remote attendees send their two points via direct message to a co-facilitator, who transcribes them onto physical slips to mix into the room container. When slips are redistributed, the co-facilitator sends two randomized slips via direct message to each remote attendee. When called upon, remote participants read their assigned slips over the audio system while in-person participants speak into the room microphone. The physical flip chart is kept in full view of the room camera. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may dictate their actions to a peer or facilitator if writing is difficult. - Participants may write 'Pass' on one or both slips if they choose not to disclose an action plan. ## If the session gets stuck **A participant cannot think of two distinct actions.** Allow them to write one action and leave the second slip blank; collect only the written slip and adjust the redistribution count accordingly. **Participants debate whether two differently worded slips represent the same action.** Ask the reader if the core workplace behavior matches an existing line; if the group disagrees, write it as a distinct entry to keep the tally moving. ## Terms used here - Tally mark: A quick vertical stroke used to record counts one by one, typically bundled in groups of five. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in TrainerBubble training materials under the title 'Have a Guess - Free Energiser'. Original authorship is not specified in the source text. Retained the core TrainerBubble mechanic of writing two action points on slips, guessing duplicate frequencies, redistributing the slips, and tallying results on a flip chart. UWT established an explicit 20-minute timeline to ensure up to 48 slips can be read and tallied in groups up to 24. UWT also specified a two-round reading process, added scratch paper to the materials list, provided hybrid and remote protocols, and added access adjustments. [TrainerBubble](https://www.trainerbubble.com/downloads/have-a-guess/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/have-a-guess-free-training-energiser/