Robot Command

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Demonstrate the gap between intended instructions and literal execution during remote or physical collaboration.

Use it when: Use when onboarding teams or running communication workshops where remote colleagues must articulate step-by-step procedures clearly.

Skip it when: Skip when participants lack desktop space or standard household stationery, or when the group needs deep strategic planning rather than basic communication drills.

Group arrangement: Pairs; if there is an odd number, one trio operates with one commander and two parallel robots.

Timing: UWT suggested 20-minute allocation based on source note of a 15 to 30-minute band.

Materials and tools

• 2 blank sheets of paper per person
• 1 pen or marker per person
• Target shape reference card per pair (provided in participant materials)
• 1 timer for the facilitator

Before participants arrive

1. Confirm each person has paper and a pen at their workspace.
2. In remote sessions, distribute the target reference card privately to the designated Commander in each pair before the exercise starts.

Say this to open

Today we will test how words translate into physical action. You will work in pairs. One person is the Commander, and the other is the Robot. The Commander gives verbal commands to recreate a secret geometric pattern on paper. The Robot can only do exactly what is said, taking every word literally without guessing intent. Robots cannot speak or ask questions. Let us see how close the final drawing comes to the source.

How to run it

1. Set roles and rules 3 minutes

   Explain the mechanics and split the room into pairs. Assign Participant A as the Commander and Participant B as the Robot. Deliver Target Pattern 1 secretly to Participant A. Participant B places a blank page and marker ready on their desk. If working in an odd-numbered group of three, designate one Commander and two independent Robots.

2. Run round one 5 minutes

   Start the 5-minute timer. Participant A gives step-by-step verbal instructions to draw the target pattern. Participant B follows commands strictly and literally. Example: If the Commander says 'draw a line,' the Robot may draw a tiny squiggle or a line off the page unless length, direction, and position are stated. Participant B may not speak, ask questions, or show their paper until time expires. Stop at the bell.

3. Swap roles and run round two 6 minutes

   Pairs switch roles: Participant B becomes the Commander and receives Target Pattern 2; Participant A becomes the Robot with fresh paper. Start the timer for 5 minutes. Apply the same constraints: literal interpretation, no robot questions, and no camera revealing until the round ends. Announce time when 1 minute remains, then call stop.

4. Compare results and debrief 6 minutes

   Direct both partners to hold their drawings up to each other or to their webcams beside the target cards. Bring the room together. Ask 2 or 3 participants to describe where literal interpretation diverged most sharply from intent. Close by highlighting how to state coordinates, bounds, and step sequences explicitly.

Debrief questions

• Where did your partner take a phrase literally in a way you did not anticipate?
• What specific reference frames or coordinates made instructions easier to follow?
• How can you apply this literal precision to handoffs or delegation in your team?

Finished output: Pairs produce two hand-drawn sketches based purely on verbal instructions and compare them side by side with target patterns.

Remote

Split pairs into breakout rooms. The facilitator sends the target pattern link or direct message image to the Commander only. Robots draw on paper on their physical desk with cameras turned on. To debrief, everyone returns to the main room and holds their sketch up to their webcams.

Hybrid

Pair in-person participants together and remote participants together whenever possible. If pairing across modes, place the remote partner as Commander on a laptop screen facing the in-person Robot. The Robot angles their workspace away from the screen so they cannot see shared target files.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may choose to draw digitally on a basic screen drawing tool if physical paper or manual drawing is difficult.
• Any participant who prefers not to draw or speak may act as an Observer-Timekeeper for a pair, noting specific command ambiguities without penalty.

If the session gets stuck

The Robot keeps asking clarifying questions like 'Where on the page?'

Remind Robots that their character has no speech synthesizer or questioning logic; they must silently wait or execute based only on the words spoken.

The Commander shows the pattern to the webcam or leans over to show the paper.

Remind Commanders that visual sharing breaks the constraint; instruct them to angle their target sheet out of line of sight.

Terms used here

• Robot: The participant who follows verbal instructions literally without inferring missing details or intent.
• Commander: The participant holding the reference pattern who provides directional spoken cues.