# Wishes Participants write session wishes on cards, exchange them, and run repeated pairwise comparisons to reveal high-priority group desires. **Time:** 20 minutes. Source specifies 15 minutes for card generation and pairing, plus 5 minutes for debriefing. **People:** 10 to 24. Whole room, pair rotations, and two stationary mediators. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Surface participant expectations and identify high-priority group preferences through pairwise comparison. **Use it when:** Use at the start of a workshop, training, or planning session to discover what attendees want from their time together. **Skip it when:** Skip when the session agenda and learning objectives are strictly fixed and non-negotiable, or when the group has fewer than 10 people. ## Materials and tools - One blank 3x5 index card per participant - One pen or pencil per participant - Timer or stopwatch for the facilitator - Digital whiteboard tool with editable cards for remote or hybrid delivery ## Before participants arrive 1. Clear open floor space where participants can walk and pair up easily. 2. Designate one table or corner as the Mediator Station. ## Say this to open We are going to find out what matters most for our time together today. Write one concise, anonymous wish for this session on your card. For instance, you might write 'frequent breaks' or 'direct application to my job.' Keep it brief and legible. Do not write your name. ## How to run it ### 1. Draft wishes and brief mediators (3 minutes) Say the opening script. Appoint two participants to act as mediators. Give every writer a blank index card and pen. While participants write for two minutes, brief the mediators privately: when pairs cannot agree which wish is more appealing, the mediator hears both sides and picks the winner. Have mediators brainstorm likely wishes while waiting. ### 2. Shuffle and trade cards (1 minutes) Ask all writers to stand, hold their cards text down, and circulate. Have them trade cards continuously with different people for 30 seconds without reading them. Call stop. Everyone should now hold an anonymous wish card that they did not write. ### 3. Run pairwise selections (10 minutes) Tell participants to pair up and compare cards. Each pair decides which wish is more popular. The partner whose wish is not chosen crosses out their wish and copies the winning wish onto the other side. Both find new partners. If a pair cannot agree, they consult a mediator. If two cards have the same wish, partners discuss its value while waiting for others. If a card's back wish is rejected, that player joins the mediator to discuss workshop wishes. ### 4. Read top wishes and debrief (6 minutes) Call time. Ask three volunteers to read the active wish on their card. Ask others to raise their hands or step forward if they hold that same wish, or if they find it more important than their own. Facilitate two debrief questions with the room. ## Debrief questions - What are the benefits of implementing this wish during our session? - What should the facilitator do to help realize this wish? - What can you as participants do to help realize this wish? **Finished output:** A visible collection of participant priorities with agreed actions for the facilitator and participants. ## Remote Set up a shared digital board with private card frames. Participants write an anonymous wish on a digital note. The facilitator shuffles notes onto a main board. Assign participants to two-minute randomized breakout rooms in pairs to compare notes. The partner whose wish is not selected crosses out their text and copies the winning wish onto a fresh digital note. Rotate pairs three to four times. Mediators wait in the main room to resolve ties. ## Hybrid Run the card tournament entirely on a shared digital board. In-person participants use laptops or tablets. During pairing rounds, designate even-numbered breakout rooms for remote-only pairs and odd-numbered breakout rooms for hybrid pairs where an in-person person joins a remote person via headset. Remaining in-person participants pair face-to-face. Mediators monitor the board and main room to resolve ties. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may pass on drafting a wish by requesting a prewritten card with a standard topic like 'practical examples.' - Participants with mobility limits can remain seated while rotating partners approach their table. ## If the session gets stuck **A pair gets stuck in debate and cannot pick a winner within two minutes.** Remind them of the time limit and send them immediately to the Mediator Station for a quick binding decision. **An odd number of circulating participants leaves one person standing alone.** Direct the unmatched participant to the Mediator Station to discuss current cards until another pair finishes. ## Terms used here - Mediator: A participant designated to make a fast binding decision when a pair cannot agree which wish is more popular. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Thiagi GameLetter (July 2012), 'Opener: Wishes' edited by Sivasailam Thiagarajan. Retained the 'Wishes' opener mechanic from the July 2012 Thiagi GameLetter, including card shuffling, pairwise elimination, mediator roles, and specific rules for identical cards and eliminated backs. Fixed setup contradictions, aligned remote note handling with the cross-out rule, and defined explicit hybrid pairing rounds. [The Thiagi Group](https://thiagi.net/archive/www/pfp/IE4H/july2012.html) [The Thiagi Group](http://thiagi.net/archive/www/pfp/IE4H/july2012.html) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/tgl-july-2012/