Beat Them Round
Two people race round the circle in opposite directions. One seat is going spare.
Everyone stands in a circle with one gap. Two people set off round the outside in opposite directions, and when they pass each other they have to greet each other properly before carrying on. Whoever reaches the gap first takes it. It is over in seconds and the room is loud immediately.
Circle up, and leave one gap. Two people go round the outside in opposite directions. When you pass each other, stop, shake hands and say hello properly. Then keep going. First one back to the gap takes it, the other one goes again.
The room needs waking in under two minutes and there is space to walk around a circle.
Props: None
Run this when…
If none of these is your room, pick another.The first thing after a long sit-down
A morning start before anyone has spoken
Any room that needs noise fast
How to run it
Written to be glanced at mid-room, not memorised.
- Get everyone into a circle with one clear gap in it.
- Pick two people either side of the gap. They set off in opposite directions round the outside.
- When they meet, they stop, shake hands and say hello before carrying on.
- Whoever gets to the gap first stays there. The other one goes again with a new opponent.
- Run five or six rounds, faster each time.
- Stop while people still want another go.
Running it well
Only the host sees these. Participants never do.
- The greeting in the middle is the whole joke. Without it this is just running, and with it the room gets a two-second stand-off every round.
- Pick the first two yourself and pick people who will commit. A tentative first round sets a tentative tone for the whole thing.
- Keep the rounds coming. The gap between them is where the energy leaks away, not the running itself.
Watch out for
Space, safety and the traps worth knowing before you start.
- People run without looking. Say walking pace, clear the chairs back, and mean it if the floor is hard or the room is tight.
- Anyone who would rather not run can be the one who calls the start of each round.
Seated version
“Everybody stand up” is not a neutral instruction. Offer this alongside, not instead.
Two people at opposite sides of the circle wave and swap seats instead, greeting whoever they pass on the way. Same shape, no running.
Run it yourself
Free for thirty days, no card. Put it on the projector and step through it — nobody in the room needs a phone.
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- Where
- Needs a room
- Props
- None
- Big screen
- Required
- Teams
- Individual only