Icebreakers · Get-to-Know-You

Two Truths and a Lie

A classic that reliably produces surprising, memorable reveals.

IcebreakerRapportPersonal Sharing

Duration: 20 min
Participants: 1–5, 5–10, 10–20, 20–50, 50+
Energy: Low
Difficulty: Beginner
Materials: None
Prep time: 5 minutes

3 min read · Delivery: Offline · Virtual

Overview

Purpose. A classic that reliably produces surprising, memorable reveals.

When to use. In the first 15 minutes of a session, once names are known and the group is settling in.

Best for. Any group size, in person or online.

Facilitator preparation

No materials to gather; just read through the steps once before you run it.
Decide in advance which “voting” method you'll use (see Trainer's Reference below).

Room setup. Arrange seating so everyone can see and hear each other clearly.

Virtual setup. Run this over video call using breakout rooms for small-group sharing, and the main room for whole-group sharing.

Hybrid setup. Give remote participants an equal way to take part: a shared chat thread or poll mirroring the in- room voting.

Materials.

How to Conduct

Explain the format: each person will privately think of three statements about themselves, two true and one false, without revealing which is which.
Give participants one to two minutes to think of their three statements. Tip you can share with them: a believable lie is more fun than an obviously fake one.
Go around the group. Each person says their three statements out loud, in any order.
After each person finishes, the rest of the group guesses which statement is the lie, using the voting method you chose in advance (see Trainer's Reference below).
The person reveals which statement was the lie, and can briefly share the true story behind it if the group is curious.
Move to the next person and repeat.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE GROUP

Most groups laugh within the first minute; that's a good sign, not a distraction.

Trainer's Reference: how the “vote” actually works

The classic instructions don't specify how the group should guess. Pick whichever of these fits your room, and decide before you start:

Show of hands: say each statement number out loud one at a time (“who thinks #1 is the lie? #2? #3?”) and have people raise their hands.

Call it out: in a smaller, relaxed group, let people simply shout their guess. Faster, but louder and less structured.

Written guess: in a virtual session, have people type their guess in chat, or use a poll, which is useful if you want a record to revisit later. Whichever method you use, reveal the answer only after everyone has committed to a guess. Revealing too early removes the suspense that makes the activity work.

After the activity

DEBRIEF QUESTIONS

What part of “Two Truths and a Lie” felt easy, and what part felt harder than expected?
What made a statement believable or unbelievable, when you were guessing?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS