# Persuasion Cash Game

Teams create proposals to spend a real $100 cash stake, test and refine their ideas through cross-team mingling, and pitch in 30 seconds before a secret vote decides the winner.

**Time:** 45 minutes. Source specifies 30 to 60 minutes; set to 45 minutes for groups up to 24.
**People:** 6 to 24. Parallel teams of 3 to 4 participants (or up to 5 if needed to absorb an odd remainder); pairs or trios during cross-team mingling

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Compare and test persuasion techniques across individual brainstorming, one-on-one negotiation, and short public presentations.
**Use it when:** Use in influence, negotiation, or communication workshops where participants need to experience how arguments change between individual chats and high-stakes group pitches.
**Skip it when:** Skip when organizational policies forbid distributing cash, when no budget exists for the stake, or when competitive cash rewards would disrupt team dynamics.

## Materials and tools

- One genuine $100 bill (or alternative cash stake)
- Scratch paper (one sheet per participant)
- One blank 3x5 inch index card per participant
- One pen or pencil per participant
- One flip chart and marker

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange seating into small team tables with open floor space between them.
2. Place scratch paper, index cards, and pens at each seat.
3. Position the flip chart stand where all participants have an unobstructed sightline.

## Say this to open

Here is a genuine $100 bill. One of your teams will take this bill at the end of our session to spend it. Your job is to invent a plan for spending it that convinces the rest of the room to vote for you. Take two minutes to silently write your own spending idea on your scratch paper.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce cash and brainstorm individually (4 minutes)

Display the $100 bill, pass it briefly so participants verify it is real, and speak the opening script. Direct everyone to work silently and individually to write down one compelling idea for spending the money. Give a 30-second warning before time ends.

### 2. Select team pitch in small groups (8 minutes)

Divide participants into teams of 3 to 4. If numbers do not divide evenly, form teams of 3 and 4, or allow one team of 5. Each member presents their spending idea. Teams select one idea to back or combine elements into one proposal. If deadlocked, conduct a quick vote by show of hands or by writing choices on scratch paper.

### 3. Persuade across teams in one-on-one pairs (8 minutes)

Ask participants to stand and pair with someone from a different team. Each person pitches their team's proposal and tries to win the other's vote. If counts are uneven or someone cannot locate an outside peer, form a trio. Call out every two minutes to switch partners so participants complete up to four quick exchanges.

### 4. Refine pitch and rehearse 30-second presentation (6 minutes)

Teams return to tables to compare notes from their conversations. Prompt them to identify objections and appealing angles. Teams adapt their proposal to broaden support, give it a short title, and select a spokesperson to deliver a strict 30-second pitch.

### 5. Deliver 30-second presentations (5 minutes)

Call on each team sequentially. Time each pitch strictly and stop speakers at exactly 30 seconds. Write the title of each proposal and its assigned identification number on the flip chart as presentations conclude.

### 6. Conduct secret ballot and tally (4 minutes)

Distribute index cards. Direct each person to write down the number of the single best idea from another team. Remind everyone that voting for their own team voids the ballot. Collect cards, hand them to two volunteers to sort and tally, and ask the room to guess the outcome.

### 7. Announce winner and award stake (2 minutes)

Announce vote totals starting with the lowest count. Reveal the winning proposal, congratulate the team, and immediately hand the physical cash stake to the winning team members.

### 8. Debrief persuasion dynamics (8 minutes)

Facilitate a focused debrief using the provided questions. Manage time strictly, taking one to two succinct answers per prompt to complete the discussion within the eight minutes.


## Debrief questions

- What adjustments did you make to your pitch after hearing reactions during one-on-one conversations?
- How did your persuasion approach differ between the informal one-on-one chats and the 30-second presentation?
- Did the winning vote depend more on the specific outcome promised or on how the speaker delivered the pitch?

**Finished output:** A ranked list of team proposals with vote counts and the physical award of the cash stake to the winning team.

## Remote

Show the real cash stake or verified digital transfer account on camera. In step 2, place participants into numbered breakout rooms of 3 to 4 people. In step 3, run four successive 2-minute randomized breakout pair sessions so people cross-pollinate ideas. Return everyone to their team rooms for step 4. In step 5, bring all attendees back to the main room and spotlight each team speaker with an on-screen 30-second timer. In step 6, run an anonymous digital poll with settings that hide running counts, instructing attendees not to select their own team.

## Hybrid

Form fully remote and fully in-person small teams to ease collaboration. During step 3, pair remote participants in virtual breakout rooms while in-person participants mingle across the room. Broadcast the in-person 30-second pitches through the main conference room camera and microphone, and project remote pitches on the room display. Collect all final votes via a single anonymous mobile or web polling tool so every participant votes under identical conditions.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may co-present in pairs or delegate speaking duties to a willing teammate.
- Any participant may submit a blank index card or skip the ballot without disclosure.

## If the session gets stuck

**A team cannot reach consensus on a single idea during step 2.**

Direct the team to take an immediate blind vote on scratch paper or flip a coin so they do not lose pitch preparation time.

**A participant votes for their own team on the secret ballot.**

Announce before collecting cards that self-votes are disqualified, and have the tally volunteers discard any ballots marked with the voter's own team number.

**An odd number of participants prevents even pairing during the mingling rounds.**

Form one trio where each member takes a turn pitching, or have a spare participant partner with the facilitator.


## Terms used here

- Cash Stake: Physical currency provided by the facilitator to give the activity tangible real-world consequences.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed as 'Cash Game: Persuasion' by Sivasailam (Thiagi) Thiagarajan in Thiagi GameLetter (November 2006).

Retained Sivasailam Thiagarajan's core 13-step mechanic, $100 cash incentive, team ideation, cross-team mingling, 30-second pitch limit, and secret ballot tally from the November 2006 Thiagi GameLetter. UWT consolidated the flow into an 8-step structure, established bounds for 6 to 24 participants, added explicit pairing rules for odd participant counts, harmonized remote timing across four 2-minute breakout iterations, and set specific hybrid guidelines.

[thiagi.net](https://thiagi.net/archive/www/pfp/IE4H/november2006.html)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/tgl-november-2006/