# Find the Nail

Participants search an open marked area for a placed nail without revealing its location to others, stepping outside the boundary as soon as they spot it. Three successive rounds explore observation habits, subtle cues, and hidden assumptions.

**Time:** 15 minutes. 15 minutes total. Matches the 5-15 minute band in source records.
**People:** 4 to 24. Whole group moving individually within a marked perimeter, then gathering outside the boundary.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Examine how assumptions shape observation and notice how people handle private information in a shared space.
**Use it when:** Use during a workshop on problem-solving, team communication, or bias when a group needs a tangible demonstration of how assumptions narrow visual attention.
**Skip it when:** Skip when physical space is too tight for uncrowded walking or when working with groups where closing eyes or wandering without mobility aids causes discomfort or safety risks.

## Materials and tools

- 1 large framing nail (or a large blunt metallic bolt for safety)
- Floor tape, rope, or natural lines to mark a 5x5 meter perimeter

## Before participants arrive

1. Mark a clear boundary on the floor (approx 5x5 meters) using existing floor tiles, tape, or rope. Ensure the floor is clear of clutter.

## Say this to open

We are going to do a quick observation activity called Find the Nail. In a moment, everyone will step inside this marked boundary and close their eyes or turn around. I will place an object inside the area. When I tell you to open your eyes, your task is to find it. The moment you spot it, do not point, do not gasp, and do not tell anyone. Walk calmly outside the perimeter and wait.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce rules and run round one (3 minutes)

State the rules and demonstrate walking out calmly without giving cues. Ask everyone to step inside the perimeter and close their eyes or face away. Place the nail openly in the center of the floor. Tell participants to turn around and open their eyes. Each person searches silently. As soon as a participant sees the nail, they step outside the perimeter line and stand facing the group until all participants have exited.

### 2. Run round two with perimeter placement (3 minutes)

Gather the group back inside the perimeter. Ask them to close their eyes or turn outward again. Place the nail in a less conspicuous spot, such as resting directly against the inside boundary tape or in an edge corner. Tell everyone to search. Participants exit across the line as soon as they locate it. Note how search strategies change from the center outward.

### 3. Run round three with unexpected placement (4 minutes)

Invite participants back into the boundary. Have them close their eyes or face away. Place the nail behind your own ear (or resting visibly in your breast pocket or lapel) and stand calmly inside the boundary. Tell everyone to open their eyes and begin searching. Participants continue searching until they look at the facilitator, realize where the nail is, and step outside the perimeter. Stop when everyone is outside or 3 minutes pass.

### 4. Debrief assumptions and cues (5 minutes)

Bring the whole room into a circle around the perimeter. Take 2 or 3 responses for the chosen debrief questions, focusing on the difference between floor searches and looking at people, and how hard it was not to give away the answer.


## Debrief questions

- In round three, what assumption kept you from looking above the floor?
- What non-verbal signals did people give off that tempted others to follow them?
- When you discovered the answer early, what was hard about staying neutral and keeping the discovery private?

**Finished output:** A completed three-round observation exercise with shared group takeaways on unstated assumptions.

## Remote

This exact physical search cannot run online without changing its mechanic. As an explicit remote alternative: use a shared high-resolution digital whiteboard showing a complex office photograph or illustration. The host places a small nail icon on a layer. Participants search the screen with cameras on, private-messaging the host coordinate letters (e.g., 'C4') as soon as they find it, while keeping their facial expressions neutral on camera.

## Hybrid

Run in-person. Remote participants cannot share the physical room search fairly. Pair remote observers with in-person searchers via video call, where remote partners watch room patterns and take notes on non-verbal cues for the debrief.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants who prefer not to close their eyes may face the outer wall with their backs turned during object placement.
- Participants with low vision or mobility preferences can opt to act as neutral spotters outside the perimeter, observing non-verbal cues given by searchers.
- Anyone may pass on speaking during the debrief.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant yells out or points to the nail when they see it.**

Acknowledge the discovery pleasantly, remind the room that the game relies on silent departure, and reset the round with a new location.

**Participants get stuck in round three and stare only at the floor for a long time.**

Stand still and remain in the center. If 2 minutes pass without anyone spotting it, give a short prompt: 'Remember to check the entire space inside the boundary.'


## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, where Mark Collard is credited with the activity write-up.

Retained the three-round progression from Playmeo (conspicuous floor placement, perimeter placement, facilitator ear placement). UWT added defined 15-minute timing, explicit boundary dimensions, non-visual/turning options for closing eyes, a structured debrief sequence, and safety substitutions (such as a blunt bolt).

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/trust-building-games/find-the-nail)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/trust-building-games/find-the-nail/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/trust-building-exercise-for-group-awareness-find-the-nail/