The Other Side

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Practice close observation and test recall of details on familiar objects.

Use it when: Use as a warm-up on attention to detail, observation skills, or inspection training before document review.

Skip it when: Skip when participants lack physical currency or physical objects with detailed printed faces.

Group arrangement: Pairs facing each other across a desk or table

Timing: UWT suggested duration based on Thiagi 5-point challenge format

Materials and tools

• 1 paper currency note (such as a US dollar bill) per pair, or a double-sided printed card with comparable detail
• Scratch paper and pen per pair for tracking points

Before participants arrive

1. Arrange chairs in pairs facing each other.
2. Verify that each pair has one bill, playing card, or printed token available.

Say this to open

Find a partner and take one dollar bill between the two of you. You will have 30 seconds to inspect both sides together. Then, one person will hold the bill upright between you so each person sees only one side. You will challenge each other to spot true and false details.

How to run it

1. Pair up and inspect the object 3 minutes

   Form pairs. If someone is without a partner, form a trio where two players team up against one or take turns scorekeeping. Give pairs 30 seconds to inspect both sides of their bill or card closely. Then direct one partner to hold the bill upright by its narrow outer edges at eye level between them, so each player sees only their own side.

2. Explain scoring and statements 2 minutes

   Explain turn rules: Player A looks at their side and makes a single factual claim about it. The claim can be true or false. Player B guesses whether the statement is true or false. If Player B guesses correctly, nobody scores. If Player B guesses incorrectly, Player A scores 1 point. Statements must have only one fact (for example, 'The serial number starts with a letter', not compound claims).

3. Play the challenge rounds 6 minutes

   Players alternate turns making statements and guessing. Partners switch who holds the bill if hands get tired, keeping the same faces toward each player. Play continues until one player reaches 5 points or until time is called.

4. Debrief observation habits 4 minutes

   Bring the room together. Invite three pairs to share observations using the debrief questions.

Debrief questions

• Which details were easiest to invent or falsely claim without your partner noticing?
• How did your confidence about a familiar everyday object compare to your actual recall of the reverse side?
• What visual cues helped you determine whether your partner's statement was genuine or fabricated?

Finished output: Completed paired observation challenge with a tracked score to 5 points.

Remote

Send each pair into a breakout room. Provide a two-page PDF with side A on page 1 and side B on page 2. Partner A opens only page 1; Partner B opens only page 2. They alternate making true or false claims over audio.

Hybrid

In-person pairs use physical currency or cards. Remote participants pair with another remote participant and use the two-page digital asset in a private video breakout room.

Access and participation choices

• Provide high-contrast enlarged printouts of currency or cards for participants with low vision.
• Participants can serve as scorekeeper or observer if they prefer not to hold objects or guess.

If the session gets stuck

A player makes a compound statement that is half true and half false.

Remind players that each turn allows only one simple assertion. Have the speaker rephrase it into a single fact before the other player answers.

One person drops or bends the bill while holding it upright.

Place the bill in a desktop paperclip stand or small tabletop cardholder between them.

Terms used here

• Compound statement: A sentence containing multiple claims combined, which makes it partly true and partly false.