Concept Taboo

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Practice describing key concepts without relying on default jargon or prohibited keywords.

Use it when: Use during a training review, team retreat, or workshop energizer when participants need to test their understanding of subject terminology in an active format.

Skip it when: Skip when the group contains participants uncomfortable with timed spoken word games or when evaluating high-stakes technical competence.

Group arrangement: Pairs of competing teams with 2 to 6 people per team; if an odd number of teams forms, one team rotates monitors with another table.

Timing: Source recommends 20 to 30 minutes; 20 minutes fits instructions, two multi-turn rounds across paired teams, and a brief debrief.

Materials and tools

• 1 deck of printed concept cards per paired table (each card has 1 target word and 4 to 5 forbidden words)
• 1 stopwatch or digital countdown timer per competing pair of teams
• 1 score sheet and pen per team
• 1 bell or noisemaker per table (optional)

Before participants arrive

1. Print and cut out the concept cards from the participant materials section.
2. Arrange chairs into paired team clusters so teammates can confer and an opponent can easily monitor cards.
3. Place a card deck, timer, score sheet, and bell at each station.

Say this to open

We are going to play Concept Taboo. One person describes a secret concept to their team without using the word itself or any of the forbidden words on the card. Your team tries to guess the word before the one-minute timer runs out. An opposing player looks over your shoulder to check for forbidden words. If you say a forbidden word or a direct derivative, they ring the bell and that card is lost.

How to run it

1. Set up teams and explain rules 4 minutes

   Divide participants into teams of 2 to 6 people and pair teams against each other. If an odd number of teams forms, have one three-team station where Team A monitors Team B, B monitors C, and C monitors A. Hand one card deck face down to each table. Forbid rhyming or using parts of the target word. Provide one example: for target 'Pyramid' with forbidden words Egypt, sand, pharaoh, say 'An ancient monumental tomb with four triangular faces meeting at a peak.'

2. Play Round 1 6 minutes

   Paired teams alternate 60-second turns for 3 turns each. On each turn, one team member gives clues while an opposing team member monitors the card. The team tries to guess as many cards as possible within 60 seconds. If a forbidden word is used, the monitor calls 'Taboo' or rings the bell, that card is lost, and the giver draws another. Teams score 1 point per correct guess. After 60 seconds, the opposing team takes their turn.

3. Play Round 2 6 minutes

   Teams play another cycle of 3 alternating 60-second turns, rotating to new clue-givers. Continue drawing from the unused cards in the deck. The opposing monitor continues enforcing forbidden word rules and recording points. When the final 60-second turn ends, both teams tally their points across both rounds to determine the round score.

4. Debrief language choices 4 minutes

   Gather the full group. Invite 2 or 3 volunteers from different teams to share which concept was hardest to describe and what workaround phrasing worked best. Keep whole-room reflections concise to conclude on time.

Debrief questions

• Which concept was hardest to explain without its default vocabulary, and what alternate phrasing worked?
• What habits or assumptions did avoiding the forbidden words expose about how we usually communicate?

Finished output: Completed card decks with recorded round scores indicating successful definitions.

Remote

Use a shared online whiteboard or private direct messages to deliver the secret card to the clue-giver and the opposing monitor. The clue-giver speaks over video while their team guesses in the open voice channel or meeting chat. The opposing monitor types 'BUZZ' in chat if a forbidden word is used.

Hybrid

Pair in-person participants with online participants by having the in-person clue-giver face the room camera while an online monitor checks their card via a private screen view. Guesses can be spoken in the room or typed in video chat simultaneously.

Access and participation choices

• Offer the clue-giver role as an option; participants who prefer not to speak under time pressure may serve as timekeepers, scorekeepers, or guessers.
• Allow participants to pass on their turn without explanation by saying 'pass' to the team.

If the session gets stuck

Disputes arise over whether a word variation (like 'decide' when 'decision' is forbidden) is illegal.

Rule that base stems and direct grammatical derivatives count as forbidden words; keep rulings swift to protect the game tempo.

One team member dominates the guessing and talks over quieter teammates.

Remind teams that points only count if guesses come from different team members across rounds, or instruct teams to take turns guessing.

Terms used here

• Circumlocution: Using many words or indirect descriptions to explain an idea when the exact word cannot be used.