Quick Description
In pairs or small groups have the players have a conversation where the last word (or line) said is the first word (or line) of the player responding.
How to Play
This games can be played as a performance game, a teaching activity or a debrief technique.
Have everyone get into pairs. One player begins talking based on the prompt.
The other players must use the last word said by the player as the first word of the thing they say.
- Player A: I noticed how much I wanted to say something good.
- Player B: Good answers can drive our behavior and can often pull us out of the moment. I felt the same thing, it was frustrating.
- Player A: Frustrating yes and effortful.
- …..and so on…
After working with that constraint for a while, try moving to the next activity: Last Line.
In this version instead of saying the last word the previous speaker said, you repeat the whole last line (or phrase).
Allow yourself the adjust the line or phrase slightly to make more sense.
Notes
- As a performance game, it can be played with multiple players. Sometimes if the player does not say the last word (or phrase) they have to make an excuse in the scene to leave the stage.
- As a teaching game, it can highlight how challenging it is to listen to the very end of the person who is speaking.
- As a debrief activity it can slow down the debrief and surprising richness to the conversation.
Variations
When working on Zoom, WebEx, MS Teams or any other video platform, you can demo the activity in the main room then send pairs of people to breakout rooms to play it on their own.
Last Letter, First Letter: This is just as it seems, the last letter of what a person said must be the first letter in response.
Disclosure: I often play this game when in a business meeting to keep me on my toes. So the next time you and I talk, see if you can tell if I’m doing it.
Origin
I learned this game years and years ago when I first started learning improv games. I probably learned it from Rebecca Stockley.
What this video description from Dr. Barbara Tint
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