# imPERFECT One half of the room rapidly sketches ten everyday items under strict time limits while the other half looks away. Partners then identify the rough drawings without spoken hints to test whether basic sketches convey meaning without perfection. **Time:** 15 minutes. Based on the 5 to 15 minute running band in the TrainerBubble source. **People:** 4 to 24. Room divided into two equal groups; evaluated in pairs. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Demonstrate that basic, rapidly produced work often meets functional communication needs as effectively as time-consuming, detailed work. **Use it when:** Use during time management, prioritization, or process design sessions when participants struggle with over-refining drafts, perfectionism, or missed deadlines due to excessive detail. **Skip it when:** Skip when the session topic explicitly demands technical drafting precision, safety-critical accuracy, or formal visual standards. ## Materials and tools - One flipchart easel and flipchart paper (or digital slide deck for remote delivery) - One thick marker to write prompt words - One sheet of blank A4 paper per drawing participant - One pen or pencil per participant in the room - One cover sheet or large card to conceal words on the flipchart ## Before participants arrive 1. Position the flipchart easel in the center of the room. 2. Arrange chairs so half face toward the flipchart and half face directly away from it. 3. Write the ten prompt words vertically down the flipchart sheet: Apple, Square, Rectangle, House, Chair, Circle, Tree, Lightbulb, Triangle, Person. 4. Cover the word list completely using a blank cover sheet or clips so no words show before the round starts. 5. Place one sheet of blank A4 paper on the desks of the drawing side. Ensure all participants have a pen or pencil. ## Say this to open Welcome. Half of you face the chart and will be drawing. The other half face away and will sit quietly for two minutes. If you are drawing, grab your pen. I will reveal ten words, one at a time, for about seven seconds each. Your job is to sketch each item rapidly so someone else can recognize it later. Do not write letters or numbers, just sketch. ## How to run it ### 1. Set up roles and seats (2 minutes) Divide participants into two equal groups: sketchers facing the easel and guessers facing away. If there is an odd number, place the extra person as a timer or partner two guessers with one sketcher. Confirm sketchers have a clear view of the easel. Remind guessers to face away from the easel and not turn around. ### 2. Rapid sketching run (3 minutes) Uncover the first word (Apple). Give participants roughly 7 seconds to sketch. Slide the cover sheet down to reveal the next word. Continue down through all ten words: Apple, Square, Rectangle, House, Chair, Circle, Tree, Lightbulb, Triangle, Person. Call 'stop' after the final item. ### 3. Pair matching and decoding (4 minutes) For in-person groups, instruct sketchers to bring their paper across to a partner facing away; guessers take a pen and write their guess beside each sketch without talking. For remote groups, send pairs to breakout rooms where the sketcher holds their paper to the webcam and the guesser types guesses into chat. For hybrid setups, match in-person pairs together and remote pairs together. Partners compare guesses against the actual word list when finished. ### 4. Room tally and reflection (6 minutes) Ask pairs for a quick show of hands in person or a chat reaction online: how many pairs got 9 or 10 items correct? Note that almost all sketches communicated clearly despite rushed lines. Lead a short debrief using two questions with 3 to 4 whole-room responses. ## Debrief questions - How did the visual quality of the drawing affect whether your partner understood what it was? - Where in your everyday work do you spend extra time trying to make something perfect when a rough draft would do the job? - What is one practical sign that tells you a piece of work has reached 'good enough' to move forward? **Finished output:** A pair-verified tally of recognized quick sketches and a shared practical definition of 'good enough' standard for task delivery. ## Remote Run in a video meeting tool. The facilitator uses a private slide deck link or direct messages sent only to sketchers in the main room. Sketchers draw on plain paper at home for roughly 70 seconds total (about 7 seconds per item). Split participants into breakout pairs. The sketcher holds their paper up to their webcam while the partner writes all 10 guesses into the meeting chat. ## Hybrid Pair in-person sketchers with in-person guessers, and remote sketchers with remote guessers. Display words on the in-person flipchart while displaying the digital slide deck to remote sketchers via direct message or private link. In-person pairs check papers directly; remote pairs verify via webcams and chat. ## Access and participation choices - Participants who prefer not to draw can take the guesser role, operate the flipchart cover sheet, or manage the 7-second pacing interval. - Participants can opt out of group tally sharing and review their results privately within their pair. ## If the session gets stuck **Guessers try to turn around or peek at the easel while words are revealed.** Remind participants that peeking spoils the test for their partner. Stand in the aisle between the groups to block line of sight. **A sketcher writes the letters or name of the object instead of drawing it.** Remind sketchers before starting that text is disqualified. An acceptable sketch is basic shapes, like three lines for a triangle or a circle with a small stem for an apple. ## Terms used here - Good enough standard: The level of completion or visual fidelity required to fulfill a specific operational purpose without unnecessary polish. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in TrainerBubble training materials under the title 'imPERFECT - Free Energiser'. Original authorship is not specified in source materials. Retained the core mechanic from TrainerBubble: splitting a room so half rapidly sketch ten prompted words from a flipchart and half decode the rough drawings. UWT added explicit hybrid and remote operational procedures, synchronized timing standards, pen distribution for guessers, and structured time management debrief questions. [TrainerBubble](https://www.trainerbubble.com/downloads/imperfect/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/imperfect-free-energiser/