About Now
A simple sixty second guessing game.
At A Glance
Individuals standing as a part of their group will sit down when they estimate sixty seconds has elapsed since the starting command of “now.”
What You Need
- A comfortable, open space for people to sit on the ground
- A time piece with a second hand
- 5 – 10 minutes
What To Do
Bunch your group together in front of you with sufficient room for each person to sit on the ground, but don’t sit down yet! With a time piece at the ready, instruct your group to sit down when they believe exactly 60 seconds has elapsed. Note, there is no talking permitted during the exercise, so that individuals assume full responsibility for when they believe the sixty seconds as expired.
Obviously, it will be necessary for people to not look at their watches as they perform this task, ie if the temptation is too great, ask that all watches be removed. Also, you are well advised to check that the area you are playing in does not have a clock on the wall (but that’s another story).
The time starts ticking when you call out “NOW”, and off they go. It’s extraordinary how quick some people believe one minute will pass, or how long. Purely out of interest, note the person(s) who sits at or closest to the sixty-minute mark.
Observe how group pressure plays a part in people’s decision-making processes. It will look like corn popping in reverse – a few early sits, then a few more, then a flurry of them for an extended period, and then some late ones. And then of course, there’s always a few tough, residual corns that just refuse to pop (and get burned)!
Variations
- Same deal, but this time the group can communicate with each other all they like, before and during the exercise, with the objective of having everyone sit at the same time. Emphasis is on seeking consensus, as well as achieving a group-sit as close to one minute as possible.
- Stand your group in a line at the edge of a wide space, and ask them to walk to the other side at a pace which will have them cross a designated line at exactly sixty-seconds.
If you know of a cool variation to this exercise, please add a comment…
-
Who am I?
Hi, I'm Mark Collard.
This blog shares some of the most successful group games, team-building activities & programming tips I know.
--| FREE ACTIVITY eBOOK |--
Enter your name and email address in the form below to receive a FREE 30 page ebook which features ten of the BEST ice-breakers & group games I know!
Share: Tell others about this site...
@markcollard