Geared Up

1. Form pairs.
2. Ask the taller person of each pair to separate from their partner and form one large circle facing out.
3. Invite their partners to face them forming a new concentric circle facing in.
4. Explain that you will soon announce a series of numbers that will trigger a unique action for each partnership of two people facing each other.
5. For example:
   1 – Perform a High 10 with your partner, using the backs of your hands.
   2 – Switch places with your partner (inside to outside circle and vice-versa.)
   3 – Each person steps two spaces (people) to their left.
   4 – Spin full 360 degrees on the spot & finish facing one another.
   5 – Perform a High 5 with left hand and Low 5 with right hand.
6. Practice each of these commands several times, starting with the first two or three commands before eventually introducing all five.
7. When ready, start announcing a series of up to six of seven numbers in quick succession, eg 2, 4, 5, 2, 1, 4.
8. As your group gains familiarity and competence with the commands, extend the series up to 20 numbers in succession before taking a short break and starting a new round.
9. Continue playing for up to 20 minutes or until your group is exhausted.

In my experience, as simple (and fun) as this group game is, the hardest part is the setup. Over the course of many years, the following steps are as fail-proof as I can make it.

Your ultimate goal is to end up with two concentric circles, one circle of people facing out and the other facing in towards the first. It’s a good idea to share this vision with your group beforehand, so they can understand what’s expected of them.

Invite everyone to find a partner, and then ask the taller of the two to stand aside from their partner and form a large circle (with all of the other tall folk) facing out.

Having watched this first circle form, now ask the shorter folks to effectively form a second concentric circle by standing in front of their partner, ie facing into the circle.

You should now have two concentric circles, two groups of people facing one another. Easy, eh?

Announce that you will soon call out a series of numbers, 1 through 5. Explain that each number represents a particular action that they are to perform as accurately and as fast as possible, most of the time involving the person standing in front of them.

This is to suggest, the person standing in front of them now (their original partner) will not always be their partner.

From here, it’s time to describe each of the different actions associated with the five numbers. To save you the thinking, here are five examples:

• 1 – Perform a High 10 with your partner, using the backs of your hands.
• 2 – Switch places with your partner (inside to outside circle and vice-versa.)
• 3 – Each person steps two spaces (people) to their left.
• 4 – Spin full 360 degrees on the spot & finish facing one another.
• 5 – Perform a High 5 with left hand and Low 5 with right hand with partner.

My strategy is to develop familiarity with these numbers and their associated actions by starting with 1 , 2 and 3 first, and practising these for a few rounds.

Then, when you consider your group has grasped these three actions, introduce number 4 and finally, number 5. Go slowly, and allow ample time for your group to build their speed and accuracy.

When ready, announce that you plan to announce a series of numbers, one after another, and each person’s goal is to respond as quickly and accurately as they possibly can. There’s no particular penalty for getting it wrong, or being too slow – focus everyone’s efforts on having fun and interacting in a positive way.

Here’s what it might sound like: “OK, ARE YOU READY?” …ONE,” then wait two seconds and say “THREE” then wait a few seconds and say “FIVE,” and so on, you get the idea.

With practice, you can launch into a longer series of numbers, such as “2, 2, 3, 5, 4, 1, 2, 5, 4, 1,” etc.

For fun, announce the numbers so quickly it is nigh impossible for anyone to complete all of the actions quickly or indeed accurately. Expect the game to end in total confusion and chaos, but with a lot of smiles and laughter.

If you have an odd number of people, ask one person to assist you by announcing the numbers, or invite a colleague standing by to get involved. This is one of those games where it’s hard for you to get involved.

In the early rounds, be sure that your group is familiar with all of the commands and actions. Build slowly and gather pace when it is clear your group is ready.

If there is an action your group is struggling with, change it. Indeed, consider asking your group to come up with some suggested ways to modify it to make it more successful.

In case it’s not obvious, this is a wonderfully FUNN game. Success is not about ‘getting it right.’ It is purposefully interactive and fun and chaotic, with an emphasis on the latter.

If you really wanted to, you could invite each person to ‘record’ how many times they make a mistake. This introduces a form of accountability and then, if necessary, you could survey these results at the end (if you must.)

A cautionary note on safety. Given the proclivity for confusion and chaos and lots of people moving independently of one another, keep an eye out for collisions. If you see a few close calls, halt the action and take a breather.

You could integrate Geared Up as part of a well-designed SEL program to promote and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse people.

Specifically, this activity offers opportunities to explore and practice the following social & interpersonal skills:

Self-Awareness

• Demonstrating Self-Confidence, Honesty & Integrity
• Experiencing Self-Efficacy
• Having A Growth Mindset

Self-Management

• Demonstrating Self-Discipline & Self-Motivation
• Setting Personal & Group Goals
• Use Planning & Organisational Skills

Social Awareness

• Respecting Others

Relationship Skills

• Communicate & Listen Effectively
• Seeking and/or Offering Support
• Build Positive Relationships
• Work Collaboratively
• Showing Leadership

Responsible Decision-Making

• Making Reasoned Judgements
• Anticipating & Evaluating the Consequences of One’s Actions
• Promoting Personal & Collective Well-Being

You can learn more about SEL and how it can support character education here.

There is no specific health & wellness perspective to this activity other than promoting the benefits to one’s well-being of enjoying a good laugh. In a small way, you could argue that the focus required to successfully play this game speaks to the benefits of being mindful, but I wouldn’t push this too far.

If you can think of more explicit ways in which Geared Up could be purposefully integrated into a health and wellness program, please leave a comment at the base of this page.

• Speed Trials: Once your group gets super confident with the commands, announce the numbers in quick succession. If it all ends in confusion, that’s okay.
• More Numbers: Obviously, you can introduce one or more additional numbers (6, 7, 8…) and actions to make the game more challenging. For example, 6 is bob up and down on the spot, and 7 is saluting your partner, etc.
• Auditorium Ready: Announce a series of actions that do not require interaction with other people. This version is ideal for groups situated in tight spaces or online. For example:
  1 – Raise your right hand and put it back down.
  2 – Turn your head to the left and then back forward.
  3 – Put both hands on your head and then back down.
  4 – Stand up and sit down.
  5 – Turn head to the right and then back to forward.
• Pass The Object: Involve the use of soft tossable items such as beanie toys or pool noodles. Create one or more actions that require these items to be passed or tossed to a partner, ie in front of or to the left or right of oneself. Expect chaos, but lots of energy and fun.
• Do It Yourself: The sky’s the limit when it comes to the set of different actions you could create for each of the five numbers. Ask your group to suggest their own, perhaps even in advance of knowing how these actions will be used.
• Take a look at Vortex for a similar highly interactive game with get-to-know-you-better benefits.
• If you love this game, be sure to take a look at Bobsled Teams to enjoy another highly interactive chaotic group game.
• Open the Virtual Adaptation tab to learn how to present this activity online.

• Take a look at the Auditorium Ready variation (see Variations tab) above which makes this exercise suitable for use with a virtual audience, ie no partners are necessary.

Today we are going to work on developing some new skills and work on developing those new skills as more is being asked of us. I promise it will be fun, but it won’t necessarily be easy…

What is an expectation you have of yourself or others that doesn’t serve you or them? Today we are going to be looking at expectations, where those expectations come from, and how to decide if it serves our community better if we let go of or change some of those expectations…

Coupled with one or more reflection strategies, here are some sample questions you could use to process your group’s experience after playing this fun & chaotic game:

• Did you have fun? What made it fun, or not?
• Were you more successful the more you practised?
• When you made a mistake, what did you say to yourself?
• What did you observe from the group when a mistake was made?
• Considering your expectations in the beginning of the game, id you surprise yourself?
• Generally speaking, what happens when we don’t meet expectations?
• Is there anything we can do – more often than not – to meet expectations?