--- title: "Mood Check" description: "Participants privately select three adjectives from a fixed list to describe their reaction to a shared event, predict the overall group tally, and review the anonymous counts together." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/pfp-july-2001/" --- # Mood Check Participants privately select three adjectives from a fixed list to describe their reaction to a shared event, predict the overall group tally, and review the anonymous counts together. **Time:** 20 minutes. Suggested UWT running time based on the full procedure described in the source article. **People:** 6 to 24. Individual voting, individual prediction, followed by whole-room discussion ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Surface emotional reactions to a shared change or experience anonymously before discussing root causes and practical responses. **Use it when:** Use when a team has undergone a major shift, simulation, or merger, and people need a safe, structured way to acknowledge mixed or negative reactions without being put on the spot. **Skip it when:** Skip when the group has not shared a specific event or change, or when participants need to negotiate concrete action plans rather than evaluate their emotional climate. ## Materials and tools - Two printed copies of the Mood Check Word List per participant - One pen or pencil per participant - One collection box or opaque folder - One calculator and tally sheet for the facilitator - One whiteboard, flipchart, or shared slide to display final counts ## Before participants arrive 1. Print two copies of the Mood Check Word List for each participant. 2. Write the 16 words on a flipchart or board, kept covered until the reveal step. ## Say this to open Think back over the change we have been navigating. In front of you is a list of sixteen words. In a moment, you will privately circle the three words that best describe your current reaction. Your paper will be collected anonymously without anyone checking your answers. ## How to run it ### 1. Introduce and reflect (3 minutes) Distribute one copy of the Mood Check Word List face down. Read the opening script. Ask participants to pause in silence for one minute to reflect on the recent shared change or event before marking anything. ### 2. Select private words (3 minutes) Instruct participants to turn over the sheet and circle exactly three adjectives that reflect their current reaction. When finished, have them fold their paper once and drop it into a central collection box. Anyone who prefers not to mark words may fold a blank sheet and deposit it. ### 3. Predict group reactions while tallying (5 minutes) Hand out the second unmarked copy of the word list. Ask participants to predict the whole group's top three reactions by writing 1, 2, and 3 next to the words they expect to be the most common. While they write, the facilitator tallies the collected sheets using a calculator or hash marks. ### 4. Reveal counts (4 minutes) Uncover the tally board. Announce the word list one item at a time, reading the word, pausing, and stating the total count of circles it received. Highlight the top three overall selections. ### 5. Debrief patterns (5 minutes) Lead a brief whole-room debrief focusing on surprise, commonality, and constructive next steps. Take three or four voluntary observations from the room. ## Debrief questions - Which result surprised you most when comparing your prediction to the room's actual tally? - What shared concerns or patterns become clearer now that we see the numbers? - What is one practical step our group can take to address the most frequent feelings shown here? **Finished output:** An anonymous group tally of reactions to a shared event and an identified list of primary concerns to address. ## Remote Use an anonymous polling tool or digital form configured without name capture. In Step 1, share the 16 words on screen. In Step 2, participants submit their 3 selections via the anonymous form. In Step 3, display a second poll asking participants to guess the top three words while the host exports or views the live totals. In Step 4, share the aggregate bar chart with the room. ## Hybrid Provide remote participants with a link to an anonymous digital form while in-person participants submit paper ballots into a physical box. The facilitator or a designated tally assistant enters paper counts into the digital tally so both cohorts see one combined aggregate chart on screen simultaneously. ## Access and participation choices - Provide large-print copies of the word list for participants with visual strain. - Allow participants to submit a blank folded sheet or abstain from the poll without explanation. ## If the session gets stuck **Tallying the paper slips takes longer than expected, leaving participants waiting in silence.** Ensure the prediction task occupies the room, and use a pre-printed tally sheet with all 16 words listed alphabetically to mark five-bar hash marks rapidly. **A participant circles more or fewer than three words.** Count all marked words on that slip without identifying the submitter, or if a sheet has too many marks, record the first three legible selections. ## Terms used here - Framegame: A reusable activity structure whose format stays the same while the subject matter changes. ## Participant material: Mood Check Word List Review the words below. Circle exactly three adjectives that best describe your current feeling toward the recent change or event: - Angry - Betrayed - Challenged - Confused - Cooperative - Dynamic - Enthusiastic - Excited - Expanding - Global - Growing - Indifferent - Optimistic - Powerful - Uncertain - Uninformed ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Play for Performance (July 2001), edited by Sivasailam Thiagarajan and published by Workshops by Thiagi, Inc., describing the game 'Mood Check' by facilitator Lori. The source newsletter issue (Play for Performance, July 2001) featured the debriefing activity 'Mood Check' under the Debriefing Games section. UWT preserved the exact 16-word vocabulary list, the two-phase marking and prediction mechanic, and the anonymous tally reveal. UWT added explicit step timers, standard access choices, remote and hybrid workflows, and formal debrief questions. [The Thiagi Group](https://thiagi.net/archive/www/pfp/IE4H/july2001.html) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/pfp-july-2001/