Crossed or Uncrossed

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Test assumptions about where relevant information is located during a group problem-solving task.

Use it when: Use during a workshop transition or team challenge to examine how people form hypotheses and test observational data.

Skip it when: Skip if participants feel uncomfortable being scrutinized on body posture, or when people cannot adjust leg or hand posture comfortably.

Group arrangement: Whole circle passing items sequentially to neighbors.

Timing: UWT suggested allocation based on 5 to 15 minute source time band.

Materials and tools

• 2 straight portable items such as markers, chopsticks, or wooden sticks
• Chairs arranged in an open circle with unobstructed floor view

Before participants arrive

1. Arrange chairs in a single circle where all participants have a clear view of each other from head to toe.
2. Check that sightlines to feet and legs are not blocked by tables or bags.

Say this to open

We have a pattern-recognition challenge called Crossed or Uncrossed. I will pass these two markers to the person beside me with a statement. When you receive them, you will declare whether you receive them crossed or uncrossed, then pass them on with your own statement. Your goal is to figure out the hidden rule governing the statements. If you state the wrong word, I will give the correction immediately without explaining why. Keep your theories to yourself so others can test their own observations.

How to run it

1. Introduce rules and demonstrate 3 minutes

   Explain the verbal formula: 'I pass these to you [crossed/uncrossed]. How do you receive them?' Demonstrate the first pass to your adjacent neighbor. Emphasize that participants must choose only between the words 'crossed' or 'uncrossed'.

2. Run first circle circuit 4 minutes

   Pass the two sticks to the first neighbor. The receiver states 'I receive them [crossed/uncrossed].' If their statement matches the rule (their legs or ankles are crossed for 'crossed', uncrossed for 'uncrossed'), say 'Correct.' If not, say 'Actually, you receive them [correct word].' That person then turns to the next neighbor and says 'I pass these to you [crossed/uncrossed].' Confirm or correct their passing word, then have the neighbor answer.

3. Run subsequent circuits with subtle exaggeration 5 minutes

   Continue passing around the circle. If the group struggles, deliberately adjust your own leg posture visibly as you make your statements to provide clearer data points. When a participant realizes the trick, tell them not to state the answer out loud; they simply continue making correct statements when it is their turn. Stop when most participants solve the pattern or time expires.

4. Reveal and debrief 3 minutes

   Reveal the key explicitly: the statement always reflects whether the speaker's legs or feet are crossed or uncrossed, regardless of how the sticks are held. Facilitate a short debrief using two selected questions.

Debrief questions

• Where did you initially focus your attention, and what assumption caused that focus?
• What specific clue or moment caused you to shift your attention to body posture?

Finished output: Discovery of the hidden correlation between verbal statements and physical leg posture, followed by individual reflection on observational bias.

Remote

This game requires direct sightlines to leg posture that standard webcams omit. Online, run a related alternative: pass a virtual object sequentially on a call roster where the rule is tied to visible posture, such as folded arms or hands resting flat on the desk. The sender names the next participant, says 'I pass this to you [crossed/uncrossed],' and the facilitator confirms or corrects using the arm posture rule.

Hybrid

Hybrid delivery creates unequal visual data because in-person participants can see legs while remote webcams usually frame only head and shoulders. To maintain fairness, adopt the arm-crossing rule for both room and remote participants, with cameras angled to show torsos and hands.

Access and participation choices

• If any participant has limited leg mobility or prefers not to sit with crossed legs, establish crossed arms or hands flat on the lap as the secret physical marker before starting.
• Participants may decline to hold or pass the physical sticks; a neighbor can handle the items while the participant simply speaks the verbal formula.

If the session gets stuck

Someone announces the secret aloud early and ruins the puzzle for others.

Remind everyone immediately: 'If you crack it, keep the rule secret. Prove you know it by making your statements correctly on every turn.'

The group becomes frustrated after a full round without guessing the rule.

Exaggerate your own posture noticeably: conspicuously cross both legs high when saying 'crossed', or place both feet wide apart and planted firmly on the floor when saying 'uncrossed'.

Terms used here

• The Key: The hidden rule or correlation required to solve a lateral thinking puzzle.