How to Use Password to Enhance Your Next Presentation

Over the Christmas holidays I spent some time binge watching television shows on Netflix and YouTube. One of the things that happens when you binge watch is that it is easy to see recurring themes or patterns in the show. Without the week-long time lag, repetitions are so much more obvious. 
 
One of the shows I binged on was The Tonight Show. I think Jimmy Fallon is so likeable and very funny – easy to watch without worry. One of the patterns I noticed while watching is that The Tonight Show writers have reinvented several old game shows and tweaked them to fit their needs. The contestants and the viewers always seem to enjoy the games so much, even if things don’t go smoothly. This inspired me to try one of my own for a training class.
 
I chose the old game show “Password,” originally on television in the 1960s, but with several revivals in later decades.  In the game, there are two teams, two members each, who attempt to convey a mystery word to each other using only single word clues. The team to guess correctly first is the winner of the round.
 
This is a great game for content review, especially for a class that has multiple sessions over several weeks. The challenge is tweaking it to fit a group with more than four contestants. Here’s how to make it work.

1. Have everyone stand up, partner up, and then pair up with another duo. Participants should now be in groups of four. One duo is the blue team, the other is the red team.
2. Review the directions with everyone (I projected mine on a screen – see photos.)
3. Both Player 2s stand with their backs to your screen, while both Player 1s stand opposite, facing the screen.
4. Project the secret vocabulary word onto the screen.
5. Blue Player 1 goes first, sharing a clue word while Blue Player 2 guesses.
6. After 5 seconds, sound the buzzer (or verbal say “switch”) and have the Red Player give a clue.
7. Continue for three or four rounds.

I had a group of 60 play this with me last week and it worked very well. While we didn’t bother declaring a “winner,” the hint of competition increased motivation and engagement. And having everyone stand up to play provided some movement and increased blood flow to the brain. All in all, this game had lots of benefits and very little prep work. Definitely one I will use again!