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: 797244eb21298ef7ee5e4717343f492a433276ac9f7e03d223db55c6a7453400

# Be Prepared

Teams identify the correct answer envelope for a trivia question, tear it open, and rush to complete the surprise physical or creative task hidden inside.

**Time:** 25 minutes. UWT suggested timing for an 8-round game with setup and scoring.
**People:** 8 to 24. 2 to 4 parallel teams of 4 to 6 people seated in circles around a central set of envelopes.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Test group coordination and reaction speed under changing instructions.
**Use it when:** Mid-meeting energy drops or conference sessions where teams need a fast, active group game.
**Skip it when:** Quiet reflective sessions, spaces with strict noise restrictions, or meetings where participants cannot move freely.

## Materials and tools

- 8 to 12 small envelopes per team (labeled on the front with answers)
- 1 task slip printed and placed inside each envelope
- 1 facilitator trivia question sheet matching the envelope answers
- 1 scoreboard or flip chart with marker

## Before participants arrive

1. Substantial advance preparation: select 8 trivia questions and matching answers.
2. Print matching task slips from the participant materials section.
3. Seal or tuck one task slip into an envelope labeled with the corresponding answer.
4. Prepare identical sets of labeled envelopes for every team (for example, 3 teams require 3 identical sets of 8 envelopes).
5. Place each team's envelope set fanned face up in the center of their seating circle.

## Say this to open

In the center of your team's circle is a set of envelopes. Each envelope has an answer written on the outside. I will read a trivia question. Work together to identify the right answer, grab that specific envelope, open it, and immediately complete the task inside. The first team to complete the task correctly scores a point.

## How to run it

### 1. Form teams and explain rules (4 minutes)

Divide participants into teams of 4 to 6. Direct each team to sit around their assigned table or floor circle. Explain that teams must wait until the full question is read before touching an envelope. If a team opens the wrong envelope, they cannot open another until the round concludes.

### 2. Run trivia and action rounds (15 minutes)

Read question 1 aloud clearly. Teams confer, locate the matching answer envelope, open it, and perform the instruction inside. As soon as a team finishes, their designated caller raises a hand and calls out their team name. Verify the task completion and award 1 point on the flip chart. Repeat the sequence for rounds 2 through 8.

### 3. Tally scores and acknowledge winners (2 minutes)

Count up points on the flip chart. Acknowledge the winning team and thank all teams for quick coordination.

### 4. Debrief team coordination (4 minutes)

Gather whole-room attention while participants remain in their team clusters. Ask two debrief questions. Take one or two brief reflections from different teams.


## Debrief questions

- How did your team decide who took which role once the task slip was revealed?
- What created delays between knowing the trivia answer and executing the physical task?

**Finished output:** Completed series of rapid trivia tasks with scored round winners.

## Remote

In video breakout rooms, provide each group a password-protected digital document or slide deck where each slide corresponds to an answer and is locked by that answer word. Once unlocked, the slide displays the task. A team member returns to the main room chat to paste the completed prompt or signal completion.

## Hybrid

Hybrid play splits competitive balance due to physical manipulation versus digital file access. Run remote participants as their own dedicated virtual teams with digital password-unlocked slides, while in-person teams use physical envelopes. Facilitator monitors both the physical floor and remote chat simultaneously.

## Access and participation choices

- Include roles for reading, verifying, checking envelopes, or timekeeping so high-mobility physical actions are not mandatory for every participant.
- Participants may pass on physical demonstrations without explanation by delegating the demonstration to consenting teammates.

## If the session gets stuck

**A team tears open multiple envelopes trying to guess the right answer.**

Enforce a one-envelope limit per question. If the first opened envelope is wrong, the team sits out the remainder of that question.

**Two teams finish the task at nearly the same second and dispute the winner.**

Award 1 point to each team if the finish is too close to call.


## Terms used here

- Task slip: A small printed prompt inside an envelope that commands a quick team action or display.

## Participant material: Sample Trivia and Task Set (8 Rounds)

Round 1:
Question: What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?
Answer on envelope: Diamond
Task slip inside: Everyone in your team must stand, link elbows in a circle, and recite the alphabet up to the letter J together.

Round 2:
Question: Which planet is known as the Red Planet?
Answer on envelope: Mars
Task slip inside: Build a paper airplane from scrap paper and fly it across your circle.

Round 3:
Question: What is the capital of Japan?
Answer on envelope: Tokyo
Task slip inside: Arrange your team in exact order of birth month from January to December without speaking aloud.

Round 4:
Question: How many legs does an octopus have?
Answer on envelope: Eight
Task slip inside: Have all team members balance on one foot while singing the chorus of Happy Birthday.

Round 5:
Question: What gas do plants absorb from the atmosphere for photosynthesis?
Answer on envelope: Carbon Dioxide
Task slip inside: Every team member must touch four different blue objects in the room and return to the circle.

Round 6:
Question: Which ocean is the largest on Earth?
Answer on envelope: Pacific
Task slip inside: Choose one person to strike a statue pose while the rest of the team holds an invisible photo frame around them.

Round 7:
Question: What instrument has 88 keys?
Answer on envelope: Piano
Task slip inside: Hum a well-known song together until the facilitator guesses it correctly.

Round 8:
Question: What chemical element has the symbol Au?
Answer on envelope: Gold
Task slip inside: Have all team members form a human chain and bow together toward the center of the room.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo documentation, where the activity is attributed to Mark Collard.

Retained the defining mechanic from Playmeo (teams answer trivia by opening a corresponding envelope to find and execute a hidden task). The proprietary downloadable 'Print+Play template of 30 x Zany Small Group Tasks' is unavailable in open corpus evidence, so UWT supplied an original complete 8-round sample question and task set, explicit time limits, accessible participation guidelines, and scoring rules.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/be-prepared)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/be-prepared/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/team-challenge-game-invites-groups-to-think-fast-be-prepared/