Lateral Thinking Puzzle for Creative Minds - Crossed Or Uncrossed
Lateral Thinking Puzzle for Creative Minds - Crossed Or Uncrossed is a team reflection exercise for reflection and learning: it helps participants reflect on experience and turn observations into learning.
How to run it
- Each person aims to identify what the ‘key’ is to unlock the secret to this puzzle.
- Sitting with your legs crossed, start by passing two sticks to the person on your left (or right) and say “I PASS THESE STICKS TO YOU CROSSED. HOW DO YOU RECEIVE THEM?”
- As your neighbour receives the sticks, they are required to respond that they are either receiving them crossed or uncrossed (there is only two options.)
- Then, invite your neighbour to repeat your example, and pass the sticks to their neighbour, and so on.
- For example, the sticks you receive may, in fact, be crossed, but you will say “I RECEIVE THEM UNCROSSED” if at that moment your legs are uncrossed.
- As each person passes the sticks and attempts to uncover the key, correct any flawed responses.
- Crossed or Uncrossed?
- Lateral thinking puzzle to unlock creative problem-solving skills.
- Crossed or Uncrossed is a lateral thinking puzzle that invites participants into an engaging journey of discovery and insight.
Run this exercise live
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What participants need now
Materials:
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Prompts to use +
Each person aims to identify what the ‘key’ is to unlock the secret to this puzzle.
Sitting with your legs crossed, start by passing two sticks to the person on your left (or right) and say “I PASS THESE STICKS TO YOU CROSSED. HOW DO YOU RECEIVE THEM?”
Then, invite your neighbour to repeat your example, and pass the sticks to their neighbour, and so on.
Run this with your AI assistant +
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.
Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Lateral Thinking Puzzle for Creative Minds - Crossed Or Uncrossed. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Each person aims to identify what the ‘key’ is to unlock the secret to this puzzle.; Sitting with your legs crossed, start by passing two sticks to the person on your left (or right) and say “I PASS THESE STICKS TO YOU CROSSED. HOW DO YOU RECEIVE THEM?”; Then, invite your neighbour to repeat your example, and pass the sticks to their neighbour, and so on.; . Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.
Origin unverified
- Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Playmeo; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Playmeo.)
- What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
- No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
- Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.