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: 8cc9690d9e2b93d2fdae6c7afa8b3fed7e7262756e9d0cb9b0ddae67da937459

# The 20 Dollar Game

Partners hold a currency bill or two-sided reference card so each person sees only one side, quizzing each other on visual details to reveal how routine familiarity creates blind spots. They switch partners for a second round and debrief the operational costs of automatic habits.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Source describes two short rounds of questioning and a debrief; UWT timed as a 15-minute complete run.
**People:** 4 to 24. Pairs facing each other

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Demonstrate how routine exposure reduces active observation of familiar objects and workplace tools.
**Use it when:** Use at the start of a training session on quality control, active observation, compliance, or safety inspection to highlight habitual oversight.
**Skip it when:** Skip when group members are uncomfortable displaying personal money, or when the group lacks access to identical currency or physical reference cards.

## Materials and tools

- One twenty-dollar bill (or equivalent paper currency note) per pair of participants
- Spare currency notes provided by facilitator as backups
- Digital countdown timer visible to room
- Optional printed Two-Sided Reference Card (one card per pair, or digital PDF file for remote rooms)

## Before participants arrive

1. Verify currency notes or printed two-sided reference cards are ready at the facilitation desk.
2. Arrange seating or standing room so pairs can directly face each other without viewing the opposite side of their partner's card or bill.

## Say this to open

Take out a twenty-dollar bill per pair, or pick up a reference card from my table. Hold the item between you by its opposite corners so you see one side and your partner sees only the other side. Do not flip it around. We are going to test how well you observe an item you handle almost every week.

## How to run it

### 1. Pair up and position currency (3 minutes)

Form pairs facing each other. If there is an odd number, the facilitator joins as a partner. Instruct each pair to hold a single bill or reference card by its corners so each person sees only their side. Explain that questions must be based only on verifiable visual facts on the side facing the questioner. Point out the prompt sheet on tables if inspiration is needed.

### 2. Round 1 questioning (3 minutes)

Start the 3-minute timer. Partners alternate asking specific factual questions about the side facing them, such as counting text occurrences, naming illustrations, or quoting exact words. The answering partner responds immediately without peeking. The asker confirms the visual detail on their side and awards one point for each correct answer. If partners disagree on a fact, they verify it together after the round without scoring.

### 3. Switch partners and reset (2 minutes)

Stop the clock. Direct participants to stand, walk across the room, and form a new pair. Instruct pairs to grip the bill or card by its edges as before. Give participants the option to view the reverse side of the bill during this second round.

### 4. Round 2 questioning (3 minutes)

Start the 3-minute timer. Partners run a second rapid round of questioning, scoring points for immediate accurate responses. The questioner reveals the correct visual detail immediately when an answer is missed or disputed.

### 5. Structured debrief (4 minutes)

Call time and bring the whole room together. Guide a group discussion using the debrief questions. Limit live vocal responses to four participants to fit the allotted four minutes, inviting others to add brief examples in notes.


## Debrief questions

- Which specific visual detail surprised you most by being unfamiliar?
- In your day-to-day work, what standard tools, forms, or environments do you navigate on autopilot?
- What operational risks occur when people stop actively looking at familiar systems?
- What concrete habit can help you verify details on items you interact with daily?

**Finished output:** A shared inventory of operational blind spots where daily routine causes people to miss critical visual details.

## Remote

Send remote pairs to breakout rooms. Each pair opens the digital PDF of the Two-Sided Reference Card. Partner A looks only at Page 1, and Partner B scrolls to look only at Page 2. Partners alternate asking factual questions about their assigned page via audio chat without switching tabs or looking at the other page.

## Hybrid

Pair in-person participants with in-person partners using physical bills or cards. Pair remote participants with remote partners in digital breakout rooms using the Two-Sided Reference Card PDF. Both settings follow the same 3-minute questioning rounds and reconvene in the main room for the combined debrief.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may use the printed Two-Sided Reference Card instead of handling cash.
- Anyone may decline to handle personal money or pass on keeping score without explanation.
- Partners may describe visual elements aloud if fine print or low vision creates difficulty.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant carries no cash or prefers not to display personal money.**

Distribute a facilitator-provided bill or hand out a printed copy of the Two-Sided Reference Card.

**Participants debate subjective impressions like facial expression or artistic tone.**

Remind pairs that questions must cover objective, verifiable facts like spelling, numbers, building shapes, or word counts.


## Terms used here

- Jolt: A short experiential activity designed to provide an immediate realization about human behavior.

## Participant material: Sample Question Prompt Sheet

These prompts are optional suggestions to inspire your questions. Ask only about verifiable facts visible on your side:
- How many times is the denomination numeral printed on your side?
- What specific building, portrait, or seal is shown?
- Which direction does the person or figure face?
- What exact sentence or motto is printed across the top or bottom?
- What specific letters appear in the serial sequence or border?

## Participant material: Two-Sided Reference Card (Digital and Printable Alternative)

--- PAGE 1 (SIDE A) ---
UNITED WE TRANSFORM INSPECTION BADGE
Serial Number: UWT-8842-X
Header: OFFICIAL VERIFICATION CREDENTIAL
Center Icon: Five-pointed star inside a double circle
Left Margin Text: Form 104-B Approved for General Distribution
Right Margin Text: Standard Protocol Compliance Verified
Bottom Text: Valid across all registered field locations worldwide.
Corner Digits: 20 printed in four outer corners

--- PAGE 2 (SIDE B) ---
EMERGENCY FACILITY DIRECTORY
Building Name: Operations Command Center North
Center Image: Four-story brick structure with 12 front windows and a central clock tower showing 3:00
Top Banner: SAFETY FIRST, COMPLIANCE ALWAYS
Lower Box: Helpline 1-800-555-0199
Footer Text: Do not remove this card from designated workstation.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in the February 2003 issue of Play for Performance, published by Workshops by Thiagi, Inc.

Retained the currency-observation game mechanic from the Jolt in Thiagi's Play for Performance (February 2003). Added a non-monetary two-sided reference card with full text for remote breakout rooms and for in-person groups who do not handle cash. Added structured timing, debrief caps, and specific dispute rules.

[thiagi.net](https://thiagi.net/archive/www/pfp/IE4H/february2003.html)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/pfp-february-2003/