Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: f823daf0f25ebef13aca1eb8d874ca8ebb2dfca12dfd99b7a42f6513cbc438af

# Never Have I Ever

Participants take turns stating an activity they have never done, while anyone in the group who has done it raises a hand or steps forward. The group maps shared experiences and uncommon backgrounds without scoring or forced disclosure.

**Time:** 20 minutes. Matches the lower bound of the 20 to 30 minute duration noted in the source documentation.
**People:** 4 to 20. Whole group seated or standing in a circle where all participants can see everyone simultaneously.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Identify shared experiences and distinct life backgrounds across the group through a quick structured prompt-and-response routine.
**Use it when:** Use during early team formation or the opening minutes of a workshop when people need a low-friction way to learn unexpected facts about peers.
**Skip it when:** Skip when groups lack psychological safety, when personal boundaries are tight, or when evaluative workplace hierarchies make personal disclosures risky.

## Materials and tools

- One printed or projected sample prompt list for facilitator reference
- Timer or stopwatch

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange chairs or open floor space in a single circle so everyone has an unobstructed line of sight.
2. If using a theme (such as work or education), write the boundary theme on a board visible to all.

## Say this to open

We will run a short round of Never Have I Ever to discover common experiences and unique stories in the room. When it is your turn, complete the sentence 'Never have I ever...' with something true for you that you have truly never done. If anyone else in the circle has done that thing, raise your hand or stand up for three seconds, then sit back down. Keep statements professional, light, and focused on everyday life or work. You can always pass your turn to speak, and you never have to signal if you prefer to keep an experience private.

## How to run it

### 1. Set boundaries and model prompt (3 minutes)

Explain the mechanics, the physical response rule (raise a hand or stand up), and privacy boundaries. Provide one neutral workplace or daily life example, such as 'Never have I ever sent an email to the wrong person.' Ask everyone who has done that to raise their hand to verify the mechanic.

### 2. Run first circle rotation (7 minutes)

Begin with the volunteer next to the facilitator and proceed clockwise around the circle. Each participant has 15 seconds to say one prompt: 'Never have I ever [action].' Group members who have done it raise a hand. If someone cannot think of an item or prefers not to speak, they say 'Pass' and the turn advances immediately. Continue until everyone has had one turn.

### 3. Run second focused rotation (6 minutes)

Conduct a second round around the circle. Encourage participants to offer statements linked to the day's broad theme, such as learning, travel, or work habits. Maintain quick pacing without allowing extended storytelling between turns.

### 4. Debrief shared patterns (4 minutes)

Bring attention back to the full circle. Facilitate a short discussion addressing 3 to 4 volunteer responses on group commonalities and surprises.


## Debrief questions

- Which statement revealed a common experience that surprised you?
- What did you notice about the diversity of backgrounds or interests across our group?
- How does seeing unexpected similarities affect how we collaborate on projects?

**Finished output:** A shared mental map of commonalities and unique life experiences across the cohort, completed with zero required private documentation.

## Remote

Run in gallery view with all webcams active. When a statement applies, participants use the video platform raise-hand feature or post a designated reaction emoji in their video window. The facilitator calls out the speaking turn order via the chat box.

## Hybrid

In-person participants form a circle facing the room camera and screen. Remote participants appear on the main monitor. Both groups signal affirmative responses by raising a physical hand high enough to be seen on camera, or remote members use digital hand-raise while an in-room monitor calls out counts.

## Access and participation choices

- Offer raising a hand, standing, nodding, or holding up an index card as equivalent response actions for participants with mobility constraints.
- Allow any participant to say 'Pass' on their turn without providing an explanation or alternative.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant shares an overly personal, sensitive, or inappropriate statement.**

Intervene immediately in a neutral tone: 'Let us keep our prompts focused on everyday work, learning, or common hobbies,' and move the turn to the next person.

**Participants start telling long anecdotes after someone responds, stalling the round.**

Acknowledge the interesting topic and prompt: 'Keep that story ready for the break; let us keep the circle moving so everyone gets their turn.'


## Terms used here

- Prompt mechanic: The rule where a speaker names something they have not done, triggering a physical signal from anyone who has done it.

## Participant material: Suggested Statement Reference

Work and Study:
- Never have I ever sent an email to the wrong person.
- Never have I ever fallen asleep during a lecture or webinar.
- Never have I ever worked in three or more distinct career fields.
- Never have I ever turned in a project right at the deadline minute.

Everyday Life:
- Never have I ever traveled alone to a foreign country.
- Never have I ever read a full book in a single day.
- Never have I ever run a competitive race or marathon.
- Never have I ever assembled furniture without reading the instructions.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in the Participatory Methods collection as an icebreaker activity adapted from the traditional conversational game.

Retained the traditional party-game parlor mechanic adapted for participatory workshops as described in Participatory Methods records. Established explicit turn lengths (15 seconds), passing rules, professional boundary modeling, and a 20-minute schedule structured across two rotations and debrief.

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/never)

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/never-have-i-ever/)

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/never-have-i-ever/#)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/never-have-i-ever/