Odd One Out
Three things on the screen. Argue for a different one being the odd one out.
You show three things and groups have to justify each one being the odd one out — all three, not just the obvious one. It is four minutes of proper thinking, it has no right answer, and the third justification is always the interesting one.
Three things on the screen. In your groups, make a case for each one being the odd one out. All three. There's no right answer — I'm interested in the argument, not the conclusion.
Before anything about analysis, framing or challenging assumptions — and any time a room needs to think rather than move.
Props: None
Run this when…
If none of these is your room, pick another.Before a session on problem-solving or analysis
A group who jump to the first answer
A quiet slot that still needs energy
How to run it
Written to be glanced at mid-room, not memorised.
- Groups of three to five at tables.
- Show the first three things. They must argue for each one being the odd one out.
- Two minutes per set. The third justification is the hard one and where the thinking happens.
- Take one argument from a couple of groups, then move on.
- Run three sets, getting less obvious each time.
- Finish by asking which was hardest — it is always the one with no obvious category.
Running it well
Only the host sees these. Participants never do.
- Insist on all three. A group that stops at the obvious answer has done a puzzle; a group forced to justify the third has done the actual exercise.
- Do not adjudicate. The moment you say an argument is right, every group starts guessing what you want instead of thinking.
- Sets that share no obvious category work better than clever ones. Three unrelated objects force real invention.
Watch out for
Space, safety and the traps worth knowing before you start.
- Nobody moves, so it works at any table layout.
- Groups can stall on the third one. Two minutes is a real limit — move them on rather than letting a group sit stuck.
Already seated
Nobody has to stand for this one.
Entirely seated and built for table groups.
On a video call
The cards work as they are. This is what changes about how you call it.
Everybody argues in the chat rather than in breakouts, with the three things on the shared screen. You get every argument instead of one per group, and reading three of them out loud takes less time than going round the rooms. Rule out the obvious answer yourself once somebody posts it.
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
- Remote or in person
- Props
- None
- Big screen
- Required
- Teams
- Individual only