--- title: "How Well Do We Know Each Other" description: "Participants write three statements about themselves with only one truth and two lies. Small groups guess the single true statement, tallying points for accurate deductions or successful bluffs." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/how-well-do-we-know-each-other-workshopbank/" --- # How Well Do We Know Each Other Participants write three statements about themselves with only one truth and two lies. Small groups guess the single true statement, tallying points for accurate deductions or successful bluffs. **Time:** 15 minutes. UWT suggested pacing based on the 4-step WorkshopBank game flow. **People:** 4 to 24. Small groups of 3 to 6 participants. A total of 7 forms one group of 3 and one group of 4. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Test interpersonal assumptions and surface novel facts among colleagues using a structured guessing mechanic. **Use it when:** Opening a meeting when colleagues have basic familiarity and benefit from a light, gamified reconnection. **Skip it when:** Groups where participants do not want to share personal anecdotes, or high-friction teams where deception games cause discomfort. ## Materials and tools - 3 sticky notes per participant - 1 pen or marker per participant - 1 score sheet per small group (or digital chat/scratchpad) - Timer for the facilitator ## Before participants arrive 1. Arrange tables and chairs to seat groups of 3 to 6 participants. 2. Place sticky notes, writing utensils, and a score sheet at each table. ## Say this to open Grab three sticky notes and a pen. On separate notes, write three statements about yourself. Exactly one must be true, and two must be completely made up. Make all three sound plausible so your group has to think twice. You do not need to share sensitive personal matters. Keep your claims light and neutral. ## How to run it ### 1. Write statements (3 minutes) Participants work individually to write three statements on separate sticky notes. One statement is true; two are false bluffs. Example: Note 1: 'I have run a marathon.' Note 2: 'I know how to juggle.' Note 3: 'I speak fluent Japanese.' Anyone wishing to pass on personal sharing may write three statements about a public topic or neutral company trivia. ### 2. Set up turns and scoring (1 minutes) Direct each group to choose an initial presenter and a scorekeeper. Explain the scoring rule: group members vote together on which statement is the single truth. If the group guesses correctly, the guessers earn one point. If the group guesses wrong, the presenter earns one point. If a group prefers not to compete, they can play without tracking points. ### 3. Present and vote (8 minutes) Participants take turns presenting in an agreed order (such as clockwise or alphabetical by first name). The presenter displays their three notes and reads all three aloud without revealing the answer. Other members discuss briefly and cast a joint vote on the count of three. The presenter reveals the truth, the scorekeeper records the point, and turns rotate until everyone has presented. ### 4. Debrief (3 minutes) Bring the whole room back together. Invite responses from two or three volunteers across the room to share notable takeaways before moving into the main agenda. ## Debrief questions - Which statement was the hardest to spot, and what made it sound plausible? - What assumptions about each other led your group to guess incorrectly? **Finished output:** Each participant shares three brief claims; groups uncover one true fact per person, with or without a final score tally. ## Remote Create breakout rooms of 3 to 6 people. Designate one person in each room as scorekeeper to track points in the chat. On their turn, the presenter pastes three numbered statements into the chat at once. Teammates submit their vote (1, 2, or 3) in the chat on the count of three. The presenter reveals the truth and the scorekeeper logs the point. ## Hybrid Seat in-person members around a shared camera and microphone. Remote participants post their three statements in the shared video meeting chat while in-person members read theirs aloud and display them to the camera. Designate one participant to record scores in a shared document or meeting chat visible to both cohorts. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may use work-related facts or hobby trivia to avoid disclosing personal life details. - Any participant may act as scorekeeper and voter without presenting their own statements. ## If the session gets stuck **A participant struggles to invent believable lies on the spot.** Suggest making a small tweak to a real story, such as changing the location, the year, or the outcome. **Group discussions take too long before voting.** Set a strict 30-second discussion cap per round before calling for an immediate count-of-three vote. ## Terms used here - Bluff: A plausible false statement written to mislead guessers. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in WorkshopBank as an icebreaker titled 'How Well Do We Know Each Other'. Retains the WorkshopBank mechanic of one truth and two lies with a group versus presenter scoring system. UWT added explicit group sizing to handle odd totals between 4 and 24, clarified turn orders, and specified scorekeeping procedures for remote and hybrid environments. [WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/how-well-do-we-know-each-other) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/how-well-do-we-know-each-other-workshopbank/