1. Invite your group to sit in a circle, close enough so everyone can see and hear each other.
2. Each person’s task is to identify the ‘key’ which unlocks the secret to the game.
3. Announce that you will point variously at different people in the circle, and your group is challenged to predict which of three positions these people represent:
   – One Up One Down
   – Two Up
   – Two Down
4. To start, point to a random person and ask your group to predict which one of these positions this person represents.
5. Here’s the key: Observe the position of the person’s feet. Two Down means that both feet are on the floor, Two Up means that both feet are off the floor, and One Up and One Down means one foot is on the floor and the other is not, eg legs are crossed.
6. Allow for several suggestions from the group before you reveal the correct answer.
7. Repeat this ‘point and guess’ process multiple times soliciting responses from your group every time.
8. As each person makes an attempt to uncover the key, congratulate those who get it, and encourage those who do not.
9. Continue to offer more and more obvious clues until everyone has identified the key and can predict the outcome many times in a row.

This is one of those classic ‘What’s the key?’ lateral thinking exercises in which the leader focuses on one thing that is particularly subtle and gradually gives away more and more clues until everyone can see it too.

It’s great for filling in some idle time, or for those groups that love a mental challenge.

Start by sitting your group in a circle (so most people can see each other,) and then point your finger to any random individual in the group.

At this point, challenge your group to predict which one of the following three positions this person represents:

1. One Up One Down
2. Two Up
3. Two Down

At this point, all you have to do is point at someone and invite guesses from the group. Remind your group that this is an observation game, so they should look closely.

Spoiler alert – here’s the key…

Observe the position of the feet of the person you have nominated:

• Two Down = both of their feet are on the floor,
• Two Up = both of their feet are off the floor, and
• One Up and One Down = one of their feet is on the floor and the other is not, eg legs are crossed.

Get it?

Rest assured, everyone sitting in the circle will be seated in a manner that matches one of these three positions (of their feet.)

Your group’s task is to identify which one of these three positions the nominated person represents.

After several guesses (both wrong and right) eventually reveal the correct answer before pointing to a new person in the group and repeating the process.

As each person makes an attempt to uncover the key, congratulate those who accurately identify the answer and encourage those who do not.

Most importantly, make your group aware that everyone will know the answer within a few minutes to encourage them to stick with it. This game is not a test of endurance – it’s meant to be fun.

Continue to offer more and more obvious clues until everyone has identified the key and can predict the outcome for several people in a row, if not the whole circle. If you’re playing for much longer than 10 minutes, you need to offer more obvious clues otherwise the fun will quickly evaporate.

If there’s interest, consider introducing one or more variations of this game as described in the Variations tab.

Finally, be sure to review the Leadership Tips tab for useful ideas to present this exercise thoughtfully.

As with all lateral-thinking puzzles/exercises, use sparingly and always, always, with care. In my experience, many people have been scarred in the past from one or more tortuous experiences with ‘lateral thinkers,’ often because the solution didn’t come quickly, and/or one after another, they were always the last ones to get the solution. Therefore, only use one or two at a time, and always ensure that you solve the puzzle within a short time frame.

If you cannot distinguish clearly if one or both feet are on the ground or not, you are well advised to choose another person.

Keep in mind, it is always possible that the position of the nominated person’s feet may change during the guessing segment of the activity. To this end, use this shift in position as a clue to indicate the key.

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.’

Here are three clues that I have found help to speed up the ‘getting’ of the key:

• Focus your group’s attention on you and as, for example, you shift your feet (eg from crossed leg to both feet flat on the floor) announce that you are now Two Down,
• Ask your group to consider what comes in sets of two, eg feet; and
• Observe that two or more people in the circle are in the same ‘club,’ ie their feet are in similar positions.

Ask people 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, heed my comments below…

• Be very careful in your language. Note two important factors in the presentation I describe above:
  – The aim of this simple observation game is to identify what the ‘key’ is while also seeking 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 One Up One Down 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 and cultures.

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

Self-Awareness

• Demonstrating Self-Confidence, Honesty & Integrity
• Experiencing Self-Efficacy

Self-Management

• Controlling One’s Emotions
• Identifying & Managing Stress
• Demonstrating Self-Discipline & Self-Motivation
• Use Planning & Organisational Skills

Social Awareness

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

Responsible Decision-Making

• Demonstrating Curiosity & Open-Mindedness
• Making Reasoned Judgements
• Identifying Solutions
• 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 of thinking laterally and solving fun problems.

In a small way, you could argue that the focus required to successfully identify the key speaks to the benefits of developing one’s resilience and emotional intelligence. For example, it takes something for an individual who hasn’t got the key yet to remain engaged and keep trying. This speaks to resilience and could be purposefully embedded in a program that seeks to build and practice this critical life skill in a fun and engaging manner.

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

• Participant Involvement: As in all lateral thinking exercises, invite those members of the group who think they have solved the ‘key’ to have a go, eg point to a person and invite guesses from the group.
• Who Is? Announce one of the three positions and invite your group to nominate the name of any one or more people who represent this position (including yourself.)
• Whip Around: One by one, work around the circle inviting each person to guess which of the three positions they represent. When ready, ask the rest of the group for suggestions before revealing or confirming which position they represent. Continue around the circle until the position of everyone in the circle can be predicted accurately.
• Guesser Counts: Invite your group to focus on you and suggest which of the three positions you represent. Curiously, in this case, the key is always related to the feet position of the guesser (not you.) So yes, the answer will likely differ between different members of the group. Note, this can be very frustrating to some people because the answer will seem to always change.
• Hands Up: Substitute feet with hands. That is to say, observe the position of the person’s hands. Is one higher than the other, or both up or down? These positions can be tougher to distinguish (and often change midstream) but it is possible.
• Looking for more What’s The Key? chin-scratchers? Try one or more of these – Bang, Your Dead, Black Magic, Crossed or Uncrossed, Dead Or Alive?, Magic Nine Numbers and The Man in the Moon.

Have you heard the saying ‘truth is always obvious to those who know it?’ This couldn’t be more true than in the case of lateral thinking exercises, those annoyingly frustrating brain-teasers that you love as soon as you solve them. So, know in advance that all of you will know the ‘truth’ of this next exercise very soon, but it may take a few minutes to get there. Some will get there sooner than others, and that’s okay. Stick with it, and know that the truth will be obvious to you too…

Hey, just while we’re waiting for [enter reasons for idle time,] let’s see if you can work out this little brain teaser. It will confound most of you right from the start but don’t worry, you will all know how to solve the problem in a few minutes…

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, lateral thinking game:

• How fast did you work out what was going on?
• How did it feel to be one of the last to ‘get it?’
• How did it feel once you got it? What did you say to yourself?
• What strategies did you use to keep engaged to eventually solve the problem?
• When was the last time you felt like this? Was there a positive outcome?
• What might this exercise teach us about diversity and inclusion?