Video Transcript for Not A Knot
presented by Mark Collard
So please stand in a place where you can see what I have set up on the ground. You will notice what I have on the ground apart from the cute little witches’ hats, which is not actually part of the exercise so let me remove that. That was really… I know. This is where all the big ones come from. If you water them they get big.
Alright. Alright. So we have gathered around this piece of rope which I have twisted and contorted in a particular way. Here is your task as a group, and this won’t take very long, and then maybe possibilities for change.
But I have actually created this on the ground to give you one of two choices. Don’t say anything right now. I don’t need a response just yet but just hear me out. But I’m going to ask you to consider as you’re looking at it right now when I get down on my knees and I pull the two ends of the rope slowly, that once I pull them all the way, do I end up with a knot or not. So is it a knot or is it not a knot?
There’s only two results. It’ll either be one completely straight line or it’ll end up in some form of knot. You don’t get any prizes for guessing what the knot is if in fact it turns out to be a knot.
So have a look at it now, don’t say anything, because in a moment I’m going to ask you to make a choice, to elect, because on one side of me I’m going to ask all those people who think that it’ll end up as a straight line to stand on one side, opposite standing the group of people who believe this would be a knot.
No one ever gets to touch it. You’re welcome to look at it from all sorts of angles. So over the course of the next 10, 15 seconds do whatever you need to do in your mind without touching it, move your position to be ready for when I ask you to make that election. Is it a straight line or will it turn in to be a knot?
So go ahead. Do what you need to do. I’m going to pull both ends at the same time. Yup, I’ll just do it, jiggle it. So feel free to move your position if you need to. Don’t talk to anybody else. This is a personal choice.
Alright, does anyone need more time? Okay, at this point if you believe that by pulling on both ends slowly and gradually we end up with a straight line I’d like you to stand to my left. If you believe that after pulling it we end up in a knot you’ll be on my right. These are the folks who believe what?
(Straight.)
Straight line, no knot, and over here we do have a knot.
(Figure eight knot)
No, not on this occasion. Alright, has everyone made an election? Alright, roughly, maybe 50/50, maybe one or two more people on the straight line side compared to the knot side.
Okay. Listen carefully now to what I’m about to say, is that I’m going to ask you now to share with one or two people who already have a similar belief to you to confirm that you’re on the right side. So take now no more than 30 seconds to discuss why you believe you’re on the right side.
(people discussing Not a Knot)
Okay. Remembering at any point in time you can choose to change your mind. So here’s the next step. Again, listen carefully to what I’m about to say. If you need to, avert your focus from the rope to me.
Now and this is going to work out relatively even because there’s about the same number of people on both sides, your objective now individually is to find one person who sees the world differently to you and to convince them that your belief is correct.
You’ll have only two minutes. You can’t touch it. You can’t replicate it in any way, but people from this side are going to find someone from this side and vice versa, have a conversation. Each of you are looking to convert them to your side, to have them change their beliefs.
This is not the end of the exercise, there’s still more to come, but this is the next step towards the revealing of the truth. Go. Take two minutes. Find someone. Don’t touch it.
(people discussing is a knot to not a knot)
Okay, start to wrap your conversation and return to the side… or return to the side that now… don’t touch… So again on my left-hand side are all those people…
(I’m not really sure… is it a not a knot)
All people on my left-hand side are those folks who believe it will end up in a straight line. It’s okay to have moved. And then on this side are the people who believe it could be a knot. Now it could be just me but I have a feeling we’ve had some converts. Hands up those folks who were on one side have now just moved. A couple of people. A couple of people. Okay, that would be the difference.
Alright. Does anyone need more time? They feel that they are confident in their position… You know, some of you have to be wrong. There is only two results here. Someone has to be wrong.
(I’m wrong all the time.)
Here’s what’s about to happen. I’m slowly going to pull these two ends apart. As I do that if you see something that changes your mind swap sides immediately. You are not required to stay where you are if the truth is obvious.
Alright. So, acknowledge where you are right now and then you’ll also acknowledge where the truth lies. Is everyone ready?
(Yes.)
Remembering you can change it in… Oh, a last minute swap. Last minute swap. Did he make the right move though? Let’s find out.
Alright. Sometimes it gets a little caught up so I may have to jiggle it a little bit. Is everyone ready? Alright.
(It’s still a knot. It’s still a knot.)
(No, it’s not, it’s not, it’s not.)
(Ok, you could sell a twelve dollar steak knife…)
Alright. You guys still on this side, you still believe it’s a knot?
(I stuck to my guns.)
I’ll presume that you do know this is not a knot, that you just hadn’t bothered to move. Alright, what is it folks, a knot or not a knot?
(It’s not a knot.)
It’s not a knot. Okay. So we can now very easily just point to… oh, well you were right, we were wrong, whatever it is.
(Let’s do that.)
And we could do that, because isn’t that what we do as humans is that we don’t like being wrong, we like to be right for all the right reasons, and better than that we like to point at other people who were wrong or particularly those who don’t have the same belief systems as us, the same values, and so on and so on. You could point to many different topics, controversies, conflicts in the world that are based around knot or not a knot.
The key is the process. So would anyone, maybe a couple of you, just share what was the ways that you tried to convince somebody else that they saw the world the wrong way? What were some of the ways?
(Blind confidence.)
Blind confidence. So that you thought…
(I’m so sure. I’m 100% sure it’s going to be a knot.)
So just your assurance you’re hoping would be enough for them to change their mind.
(Yeah. It didn’t work.)
Didn’t work. Okay. Tim.
(I have a background in rock climbing and rope access and I was pretty confident it was going to create figure 8 knot and… I was wrong.)
So what do you say to yourself about that now?
(I’ve got to double-check my knots before I climb.)
Yes. I would be.
(people chattering)
So the concept, the general concept would be that looks can be deceiving.
(Yes.)
Half and half at the beginning that believed it wasn’t and another half that thought it was. And even as it became clearer and clearer that it wasn’t, we still stuck to the same side. And that happens a great deal in life as well.
Even when it’s absolutely obvious that you are wrong, I’m still going to… No, no… I’m going to be stubborn about this and hold my ground. And look, there’s a lot to be said for that on occasion, but then there’s an impact of that, isn’t there?
Who moved? So why did you move?
(So I had no facts to base my original decision. I just made…)
It’s a hunch.
(Yeah, I was like there’s so many winds, surely one of them will turn into a knot I nearly got convinced but I thought no, be stubborn.)
So you stayed here then.
(Yeah. And then once I got the facts, once I could actually watch it, then I quickly moved.)
Great.
(I just needed some more facts.)
Great. So facts versus opinion.
(Yeah.)
And like that’s been a huge issue in the last 12 months around this whole concept of fake news…
(It’s a fake rope.)
It’s a fake rope. It’s just a mirror, Tim. It’s just a mirror. It’s not real.
This is such a terrific puzzle, I often doubt myself in the middle of it, and I know the answer!
In advance, and out of sight of your group, lay a length of rope in a pattern exactly as shown in the diagram above. To be sure you have it correct, it should be possible for you to pull on the two ends of the rope slowly, to result in a straight, untangled line, ie not a knot.
When ready, invite your group to gather around the rope. Ask them to study the rope and the way it is laying carefully for one minute, but they should not touch it, or poke it with anything. Visual only.
Then, set your group a challenge: to achieve consensus on whether the rope will end up in knot (or not) when the two ends are pulled slowly apart from one another. It’s as simple, and as easy as that.
Most groups will quickly form two groups – those who believe it will form a knot, and others who do not.
Initially, when faced with this result, and in an effort to achieve consensus, ask each person to ‘cross the floor’ and speak with someone from the other side to understand their viewpoint. Suggest that if the argument seems valid, then each person is entitled to change their mind and swap sides.
Continue to encourage your group to take whatever steps are necessary to achieve consensus. Some will, some won’t. No need to push it, unless exploring the process of seeking a consensus is your sole objective.
At some point, your group will be keen to seek a resolution. Pick up the two ends of the rope and slowly pull them away from each other, until…. voila – not a knot.
There will be cheers and anguish all at the same time, expect a real potpourri of emotions. Your group is now ready to reflect on their process, and in particular, the way in which they sought consensus, or perhaps, reached only a compromise.
Take a look at some suggested processing questions in the Reflection Tips tab.
Really fantastic activity that brings out great conversations on how we come make decisions and how we come to create our beliefs and how far we are willing to stand by those beliefs. This translates into much wider conversations and events in our greater world as well.
Depending on how you also run the activity can offer perspectives on how we share our values, observations, thoughts and opinions. It can also help offer some insight in our powers of persuasion.
Very simple demonstration that can lead to very powerful and meaningful conversations and thoughts on how on can perceive the world.