Pass It On!

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Evaluate and prioritize critical guidelines or practices on a specific topic through rapid elimination and structured comparison.

Use it when: Use during a training or strategy session when a team needs to focus on core standards, team operating principles, or meeting guidelines.

Skip it when: Skip when the subject requires exploratory discovery rather than ranking predefined items, or when participants lack common context on the topic.

Group arrangement: Subgroups of 4 to 6 seated in small circles around tables (a group of 3 is permitted if total count requires it)

Timing: Source specifies 30 to 40 minutes depending on complexity; 35 minutes selected as standard run time.

Materials and tools

• One preprinted deck of 25 to 50 topic cards per subgroup of 3 to 6 people (see participant_materials for a 30-card sample deck)
• Flipchart or whiteboard and dry-erase markers
• Countdown timer
• Small tokens or stickers for group prize scoring (optional)

Before participants arrive

1. Print and cut out one card deck of 25 to 50 topic items for each table of 3 to 6 participants.
2. Arrange chairs into circles around tables to allow smooth card passing and a clear center pool.
3. Write the overall topic and prompt clearly on the main presentation board.

Say this to open

Today we will examine guidelines for productive meetings. Each table has a deck of 30 guideline cards. You will deal them out, evaluate the cards in your hand, and pass your lowest-priority card to the left on my call. You will narrow down your hand until you hold just one critical guideline.

How to run it

1. Introduce topic and deal cards 5 minutes

   State the focus topic and explain that cards contain candidate guidelines or characteristics. Form subgroups of 4 to 6 (a group of 3 is fine if numbers require it, such as a total room of 7). Give each table one shuffled deck. Direct participants to deal out all cards evenly among members until the deck is fully distributed. Some players may hold one card more than others.

2. Pass least important cards left 7 minutes

   Ask players to inspect their hands and choose their single least important card. Call aloud: 'One, two, pass it on.' On 'pass it on,' everyone passes that card to the person on their left. Repeat this cue exactly 6 to 8 times while gradually increasing your pace. Stopping condition: halt after 8 passes, which guarantees every participant has reviewed at least 8 distinct cards.

3. Discard to center down to one card 6 minutes

   Instruct players to shift mechanics. When you call 'One, two, pass it on,' players now place their single least important card face up in the center pool instead of handing it to their neighbor. Call the cue repeatedly at a brisk pace until each participant holds exactly one card.

4. Rapid center pool swaps 4 minutes

   Tell players they have a brief chance to trade. On your count of 'One, two, pass it on,' any player may discard their held card face up to the center and grab a preferred card from the pool. Run 3 to 4 fast rounds of this swap. Then call a final halt.

5. Share final choices within table 6 minutes

   Have each person around the table read their retained card aloud using the frame: 'This is the card I kept and this is why I think it is important.' Tablemates listen without debating. Each player takes roughly 45 to 60 seconds.

6. Cross-table comparison and whole-room debrief 7 minutes

   Ask tables to report which cards they kept. Note matching selections across tables on the flipchart. Award optional tokens or stickers as a prize to the table holding the most cards shared by other groups. Pose one or two whole-room debrief questions to assess current group practices against these priority cards.

Debrief questions

• Looking at our final retained items on the flipchart, which of these practices does our team do best right now?
• Which of these selected items represents our greatest gap or area to improve?
• What made certain cards easy to discard immediately during early rounds?

Finished output: A visible flipchart list of participant-selected core guidelines and identified organizational strengths and growth priorities.

Remote

Run in breakout rooms of 3 to 6 people. Provide a digital whiteboard template (such as Miro or Mural) configured with labeled zones: private hand areas for each player, passing staging zones, a shared center pool frame, and a summary area. Participants drag discarded virtual cards to a neighbor's staging area on cue, later discard into the center pool frame, and paste final selections into the summary area.

Hybrid

Keep in-person and remote participants in separate subgroups. In-person tables pass physical card decks. Remote tables use identical digital card boards. Bring both streams together for step 6, recording final selected cards from both formats onto the central digital board visible to all.

Access and participation choices

• Provide high-contrast large-print cards for easier reading under time limits.
• Participants may pass silently by reading card titles aloud or pointing without delivering personal explanations.
• Anyone uncomfortable with rapid physical card handling may partner with a tablemate to manage discards.

If the session gets stuck

A participant hesitates and holds up the table passing cycle.

Remind the room that early passes are quick triage, not binding lifetime commitments. Encourage trusting immediate first instincts.

Two participants grab the same card from the center pool during the swap phase.

Rule that the person whose hand touched the card first retains it, or invite one to pick a closely related alternative from the open pool.

Terms used here

• Center pool: The face-up pile of discarded cards in the middle of each subgroup table available for optional swaps.
• Framegame: A reusable interactive game structure that can carry different educational contents or topics.