1. Sit in a circle, including yourself.
2. Announce that each person’s task is to identify the ‘key’ which unlocks the secret to a game.
3. Use an index finger to touch each of the top of your fingers of your other hand, starting from your pinky saying “JOHNNY” with each touch.
4. After touching the top of your index finger, sweep down the webbing between it and your thumb saying “OOPS” and then touch the end of your thumb saying “JOHNNY.”
5. Reversing your direction, sweep back down and up the webbing and say “OOPS,” then finally touch the top of every finger again saying “JOHNNY” each time.
6. Invite a series of volunteers to repeat exactly what you did.
7. Here’s the key: interlock your fingers together in front of you once you have finished.
8. Unless a person interlocks their fingers at the end, they will not have unlocked the secret key.
9. As each person makes an attempt to uncover the key, congratulate those who get it, and encourage those who do not.
10. Continue to offer more and more obvious clues until everyone has identified the key.

Video Transcript for Johnny Oops
presented by Mark Collard

You’ll be familiar with this perhaps or not.

Okay… good example of sensitivity. Very good. So you could probably do it but let’s find out.

Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.

(You’ve done it the wrong way)

Would you like to do it? Listen carefully.

(Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Oops, Johnny Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.)

No. Okay. I’ve just woken you all up, haven’t I? Because you thought you had it so you never bothered to listen. Alright, who else would like to give it a go? You got it, Tim.

(Okay, here we go. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Oops, Johnny Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.)

No. Alright. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Oops, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.

(Okay.)

You want to give it another go?

(Yeah.)

Sure, Tim.
(Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Oops, Johnny Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.)

I laughed, it’s very funny, but no. Okay. Try it again? Alright. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Oops, Johnny Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny. You want to give it a go, Beth?

(Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Oops, Johnny Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.)

Not quite, but I applaud your creativity because I know what you were all looking for. Alfie and then we’ll come over here.

(Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Oops, Johnny Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.)

No, not quite right. Roz.

(Alright. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny Oops, Johnny Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.)

Perfect. It’s perfect. All of us feel very good then, Roz, very very good. Again if you’re in the space of I have no clue and I thought I had it, you’ll have it in a couple of minutes. We will give you more and more clues. Would you like… Beth.

(Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.)

Roz, what do you reckon? Oh she did. She got it. She got it. That’s okay. You definitely had it, Beth. I just wanted to… check. That’s alright. Give it a go.

(Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.)

Yes. Got it. Nailed it slam dunk exactly as I did it. Some else would like to give it a go? We’re about to make the clues bigger. Yes.

(Johnny, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Johnny…)

It was perfect. That was exactly the way I did it. She got it. Alright. For all those who have it and it is working for you, on three we should all do it together. Okay?

(Are we going to give it away…?)

No, not really. Again we’re trying not to give too much away but we’re all going to do it together, okay? On three. One. Two. Three. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.

Okay, would you like to give it a go, Tim?

(I think I know but I’m just going to point at something. Before it wasn’t exactly the same. Her hand was around the other way to yours.)

Okay, okay, alright, but for those who are in the know does that matter?

(No!)

(No? Really? It was exactly the same.)

It was exactly the same.

(But her hand was facing the wrong way.)

No, no. You didn’t get it. One more time.

(Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.)

Yeah, I’ll give you that one. I’ll give you that one. Okay.

(I think he may have done it before, I just don’t know if he knew that he ____.)

Yeah, I think it might have just been a fluke on that occasion. Yes. Alright, for all those who know it we’re going to make it very obvious now. On three. One, two, three. Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Oops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny.

(I knew it was either this or this.)

Alright.

So what’s the key on this occasion? Scratching. Scratching. It was only… You got it. Roz was the first to get it.

So the key regardless of where my hand was and I must say I always start like this and I realised no, I meant to do it like this. It doesn’t matter but it may be that it does. That could be the key.

It could also be the particular hand or that I swap from side to side or the way my legs are crossed.

Today it was the fact that I scratched. And it was just by chance that I happened to do that. I thought that’s going to be my key today because I knew what would happen over here when you all thought that you’ve got it, and it wasn’t about getting it right as much as wanting to add something of value to you to go oh, now I’m going to have to look a little harder, which is what we’re wanting you to do today. We want you to look harder.

I know we’ve asked you to be a participant today, and please don’t stop doing that because it’ll look pretty funny introducing something and no one plays. But clearly there is a professional hat that you throw on at whatever level of leadership that you take on that we invite you to look, to listen, and to feel what we’re doing here and that you are also able to appreciate some of the things that are going through our mind. We make it a little bit more transparent.

So that last one, just scratching under the arm before I start it. I could’ve made it really difficult and made sure you only ever scratched under the left arm, to even go to that level, because some of you didn’t. I’ve decided let that one through to the keeper. That was fine.

This game is just one of many dozens of What’s The Key? type puzzles that invite your group to discover a ‘secret key,’ but is never quite as easy or as obvious as it appears. As they say ‘truth is obvious to those who know it.’

To start, ask your group to sit in a circle – this way, everyone can see what’s going on.

Then, explain that each person’s task is to identify the ‘key’ which unlocks the secret to a game that, in this case, involves a series of nonsensical finger and hand movements.

To start, use your index finger of one hand to touch each of the tops of your fingers of your other hand, starting from the pinky saying “JOHNNY” with each touch. Then, after touching the top of your index finger, sweep down the webbing between it and the thumb saying “OOPS” as you reach the catenary. Then, as you touch the end of your thumb, say “JOHNNY.”

Reversing your direction, sweep back down the webbing and say “OOPS” again, and touch the top of every finger again saying “JOHNNY” each time.

Together, all of these movements should take no more than eight seconds to complete.

It should sound like “JOHNNY JOHNNY JOHNNY JOHNNY OOPS JOHNNY OOPS JOHNNY JOHNNY JOHNNY JOHNNY”

Next, invite several brave souls in your group to repeat exactly what you did. Invariably, they will get it wrong. There will be all manner of attempts, many gallant, but they will all be missing one vital ingredient…

Here’s the key: interlock your fingers together in front of you once you have completed the little ditty and various hand and finger movements.

So, unless a person interlocks their fingers at the end of the ditty, they will not have unlocked the secret key.

Provide gradual clues to allow those who have not got it to get it. To maintain interest, I will always tell people that “…WITHIN FIVE MINUTES EVERYONE WILL HAVE IT, SO KEEP TRYING.”

As each person has a go, congratulate those who get it, and encourage those who do not. That is, if a person does not interlock their fingers at the end, explain that they haven’t got it… yet.

Expect lots of confused looks in the beginning, especially when your group believes that they are imitating your exact moves and words.

Sooner or later, one or two people will catch on to what’s going on. At this point, start to offer more and more obvious clues, such as inviting the clued-in folk to complete the task at the same time as you – this often exacerbates the final interlocking of fingers movement.

Continue until everyone has unlocked the key.

Johnny Oops is an ideal game to play to occupy your group when you’re sitting around a camp-fire, or filling in idle time.

As a lateral-thinking exercise, this game is ideal for sparking a little creative thinking in your group. People have to look beyond what is obvious, and discover another truth. As you can imagine, the connections one can draw from the experience of looking for the ‘key’ to the real world are many. For example, I like to connect the fact that while the ‘key’ is very subtle, it impacts significantly on the solution, in much the same way that subtle glances and mannerisms in a training group or classroom can often have a significant impact on people’s learning.

Please note, the point of lateral-thinking types of activities should not be to frustrate your group beyond enjoyment. They are designed to be fun but don’t play for more than 10 or 15 minutes. Gradually introduce more and more obvious clues so that, eventually, everyone gets the ‘key.’

Ask your group to resist the urge to share the ‘key’ with others once they work it out. Assure everyone that they will ALL know the solution within, say, ten minutes, and it’s more powerful to discover the solution on their own than have someone tell them the answer. Besides, whispering the answer to a neighbour only reinforces the fact that they couldn’t do it without help, and getting it will not change their lives.

That said, be aware that some people will reel at the very thought of trying to solve this sort of puzzle, because it involves ‘lateral-thinking.’ Often, these folk have had very negative experiences in the past with this sort of exercise, ie when the puzzle is worked on for hours, or perhaps the solution is never revealed. So, be prepared that some people will immediately ‘check-out’ of this exercise. To this end, note my comments below…

• Be very careful in your language. Note two important factors in the presentation I describe above:
  – The task is to identify what the ‘key’ is. This exercise has nothing to do with your hand movements or the little ditty – rather, it seeks to sharpen observation skills and heighten awareness of subtlety.
  – Everyone is aware that they will know the answer very soon. This is critical to maintaining interest, lest some people (often those who never ‘get’ these sorts of puzzles) lose interest very quickly.
• Do not present more than one or two of these types of puzzles in a row – seldom do the people who didn’t get it the first time, get it the second time.

You could integrate Johnny Oops as part of a well-designed SEL program to develop your group’s ability to understand the perspectives of and empathise with others including those from diverse backgrounds.

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

Self-Awareness

• Identifying Emotions
• Linking Feelings, Values & Thoughts
• Demonstrating Self-Confidence, Honesty & Integrity
• Experiencing Self-Efficacy

Self-Management

• Controlling One’s Emotions
• Identifying & Managing Stress
• Demonstrating Self-Discipline & Self-Motivation

Social Awareness

• Taking Other’s Perspectives
• Demonstrating Empathy & Compassion
• Understanding & Expressing Gratitude
• Appreciating Diversity
• Recognising Strengths In Others
• Respecting Others

Relationship Skills

• Communicate & Listen Effectively
• Demonstrate Cultural Competency

Responsible Decision-Making

• Demonstrating Curiosity & Open-Mindedness
• 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 tackling a good dose of mental and cognitive stimulation.

In a small way, you could argue that the focus required to successfully discover the key speaks to the benefits of mindfulness, not to mention the development of resilient practices. For example, in regard to resilience, there is no doubt that some people will quickly become frustrated with this type of lateral-thinking exercise. To this end, and as advised in the Leadership Tips tab, I strongly recommend framing this activity as an opportunity to identify and manage frustration and stress with a view to exercising certain resilience-building practices. In advance, during and at the end of the activity, invite your group to reflect on those practices that help people to manage their frustration as much as expand their willingness to seek a solution.

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

• Alternative Keys: There are no limits to the type of secret ‘key’ you may wish to incorporate into this exercise. For example, replace the interlocking of fingers with a subtle clearing of your throat, or crossing your legs at the end, or saying something very specific at the very end, etc.
• More What’s The Key? Puzzles: Bang, You’re Dead, Black Magic, Come To My Party, Crossed or Uncrossed, Dead Or Alive?, Magic Nine Numbers and The Man in the Moon.
• Open the Virtual Adaptation tab to learn how to present this activity online.

• Presenting this exercise online is not much different to being in-person. Just make sure that only one person is presenting at any one time, and naturally, invite your group to switch on their webcams and microphones at the time.
• Beware that your ‘key’ must be visible and/or audible to your virtual audience. To this end, plan ahead – even though you ensured that your key was visible and/or audible to all, direct your group to position themselves in a manner that would allow them to be successfully seen/heard too.

It is said that ‘Truth is obvious to those who know it.’ That is to say, unless you know what’s going on, you feel as if you are the dumbest person in the room. In a few moments, I’m going to present an exercise, the solution of which will be obvious to some of you, but not to others. It is highly likely that if you fall into this latter category, you will quickly switch off, and start telling yourself that you’re not smart. If this sounds like you, hang in there, cos you WILL know the solution very soon…

This next experience was presented to me many years ago around a camp fire, and it immediately piqued my interest. It took me a while to work it out, let’s see how long it will take you…

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

• Did it take you a long time to figure out what the key was?
• How did you feel during the exercise, especially when you didn’t know the key?
• What is the likely outcome when one or more people do not feel a part of the group?
• The ‘key’ in this exercise is very subtle. In your life, what areas of subtlety took you a while to figure out?