# Mirror Neurons

Participants pair up, reveal and act out a secret movement cue card simultaneously, celebrate whether they match, exchange cards, and switch to new partners to count their total matches.

**Time:** 8 minutes. Playmeo recommends up to 5 minutes of active play; UWT allocates 8 minutes to include setup instructions and a brief closing reflection.
**People:** 4 to 24. Rapidly rotating pairs across an open standing space

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Give people a low-stakes physical warm-up that prompts brief, one-on-one exchanges across a whole group.
**Use it when:** Use at the start of a workshop or after a long seated presentation to get people standing and meeting multiple peers quickly.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the meeting requires immediate quiet focus, when physical space is tight, or when participants prefer not to do spontaneous physical gesturing.

## Materials and tools

- One action prompt card per person (drawn from a prepared set of matching gesture cards)
- Optional score tally scratch sheet and pen per person, or mental tally

## Before participants arrive

1. Print or write out action prompt cards using the supplied template. Ensure cards are prepared in duplicate or triplicate so matches are possible.
2. Clear an open floor space where participants can walk freely and face partners.

## Say this to open

Take one card and keep your action secret. When you meet a partner, count to three together, then perform your action at the exact same moment. If your actions match, celebrate with a high-five or a quick wave. If they differ, share a fist-bump or a nod. Keep a mental count of your matches. Swap cards with your partner, then find someone new. You can step out or observe at any point.

## How to run it

### 1. Distribute cards and explain the rules (2 minutes)

Hand one action card face-down to each participant. Explain the steps: meet a partner, count 1-2-3, act out the card, note if it is a match, swap cards, and find a new partner. Clarify that physical contact like high-fives is optional; hand gestures or nods work equally well.

### 2. Run pairing rounds (4 minutes)

Signal the start. Participants mingle, form pairs, count to three, reveal their gestures, acknowledge match or non-match, trade cards, and separate to find another person. Remind participants to track their running tally of successful matches. If someone has an odd-person wait, they can partner with the facilitator or join a pair to make a trio where two out of three can match.

### 3. Call time and check tallies (1 minutes)

Call halt. Ask everyone to pause and show fingers indicating how many matches they found during the rounds.

### 4. Debrief (1 minutes)

Conduct a quick whole-room debrief using one or two prompt questions. Take two brief volunteer responses to keep to time.


## Debrief questions

- What did you notice about your reaction when you matched versus when you showed different gestures?
- How easy or difficult was it to reset quickly and engage with the next partner?

**Finished output:** Every participant completes several rapid partner interactions and tracks a personal match count, with an option to pass without sharing scores.

## Remote

Assign each person a secret action code via private direct message before the round. In the main video room, call two names at a time into the spotlight. On the count of three, both turn on cameras and act. The room records whether it matched. Alternatively, run 30-second breakout rooms where pairs act simultaneously, exchange prompt words via chat, and return to the main room for reshuffling.

## Hybrid

Keep remote participants in their own digital breakout rotation and in-person participants pairing on the room floor. Cross-pairing creates dead air while holding devices. Compare match tallies between the remote group and the physical room during the whole-room check.

## Access and participation choices

- All physical contact (high-fives, fist-bumps) is voluntary; non-contact signals like two thumbs up, peace signs, or head nods are explicit alternatives.
- Actions can be performed seated or using subtle hand motions for anyone with limited mobility.
- Anyone wishing not to perform can serve as the round timer or scorekeeper without declaring a reason.

## If the session gets stuck

**An odd number of participants leaves one person wandering without a partner.**

The facilitator can jump in as an active player, or form a temporary trio where all three reveal together.

**Participants reveal their cards visually instead of acting them out.**

Remind the room to keep cards tucked in their pocket or turned face-down and only perform the physical movement.


## Terms used here

- Mirror Neurons: A playful thematic reference used by the original author to highlight how people react to and reflect another person's actions.

## Participant material: Action Prompt Card Set

Print and cut these 8 actions (reproduce each card 3 times for a group of up to 24):
1. Air Guitar: Strum an imaginary electric guitar vigorously.
2. Disco Point: Alternate pointing one index finger up to the sky and down to the hip.
3. Superhero Pose: Stand tall with hands on hips and chest out.
4. Robot Walk: Move arms and head with stiff, mechanical 90-degree angles.
5. Swimming Crawl: Make overhand front crawl strokes in the air.
6. Cheerful Wave: Vigorously wave both hands beside your ears.
7. Binoculars: Put two hands shaped like circles up to your eyes.
8. Catch a Fish: Pretend to reel in a heavy fishing line with both hands.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo resources; Playmeo attributes the activity to Mark Collard.

The core mechanic of revealing actions, matching, exchanging cards, and tallying matches is retained from Playmeo. UWT added explicit non-contact alternatives, neutral action prompt text cards to remove the dependency on proprietary commercial decks, an odd-number pairing protocol, and structured timing.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/energizer-warm-up-games/mirror-neurons/)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/energizer-warm-up-games/mirror-neurons)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/interactive-group-energiser-for-quick-connections-mirror-neurons/