Activity - Communication skills - Follow all instructions

Follow All Instructions – Listening & Assumptions Activity

This quick, surprising activity highlights how people often act before fully listening. It’s ideal for kicking off training sessions on communication, attention to detail, or team instructions. Participants usually laugh — and then reflect — when they realize what they missed.

Purpose

To demonstrate how easily people jump to conclusions without carefully listening or reading. Helps reinforce the importance of pausing, processing, and following instructions fully before acting.

What You’ll Need

• One printed copy of the “Follow All Instructions” sheet per participant (see below)
• Pens or pencils

Instructions

Distribute the handouts face-down. Ask participants not to turn them over until you say so. Emphasize that they should read the instructions carefully before doing anything.

Then say: “When I say go, turn your paper over and begin. Follow the instructions exactly as written.”

Most participants will immediately start doing the steps… without fully reading the last instruction.

At the bottom of the page, they’ll find something like: “Now that you have read all the instructions, do not do any of the tasks above.” That’s the twist — and the learning moment.

Debrief & Discussion

• How many people completed all or most of the tasks before reaching the final instruction?
• What made you act before finishing the full list?
• What does this tell us about how we listen or follow instructions in real life?
• Where might this type of assumption or shortcut cause problems at work?

Trainer Tips

• Make it lighthearted — some may feel slightly embarrassed by the twist. Keep the tone fun and supportive.
• Time the activity strictly and do not hint at the trick.
• This is a strong opener for communication, customer service, or task accuracy workshops.

Optional Variation

• Group Challenge: Run the same activity in teams and observe how they influence each other’s behavior or rush to finish first.

 INSTRUCTIONS

1. Write all of your teams initials at the top right hand corner of this sheet.

2. Write your first name on your sheet of paper.

3. Write the total of 3 + 16 + 32 + 64 here: __________________

4. Underline instruction 1 above.

5. Check the time by your watch with that of one of your neighbor’s.

6. Write down the difference in time between the two watches at the foot of this page.

7. Draw three circles in the left hand margin.

8. Put a tick in each of the circles mentioned in 6.

9. Sign your signature at the foot of the page.

10. On the back of the page, divide 50 by 12.5.

11. When you get to this point in the test, stand up, then sit down and continue with the next item.

12. If you have carefully followed all these instructions, call out ‘I have’.

13. On the reverse of this page, draw quickly what you think an upright bicycle looks like from overhead.

14. Check your answer to Item 9, multiply it by 5 and write the result in the left hand margin opposite this item.

15. Write the 5th, 10th, 9th and 20th letters of the alphabet here: ___________________

16. Punch three holes with your pen here : o o o

17. If you think you are the first person to get this far, call out ‘I’m in the lead’.

18. Underline all the even digits on the left hand side of the page.

19. Draw triangles round the holes you punched in Item 15.

20. Now you’ve finished reading all the instructions, obey only 1, 2, 20 & 21.

21. Stand up and say, “We’re the greatest team in the World!”

Explore Related Training Material Packages

This activity works well alongside our Emotional Intelligence Training Material Package and Presentation Skills Training Material Package. For more free exercises, visit our Free Games & Activities Library.