ACTIVITY 2
TRUE OR FALSE?
Aim: This activity aims to promote mutual understanding, build trust and strengthen communication skills between participants who have different life experiences. It enables them to create a safe environment where they can share their stories, improve their ability to understand others and show empathy. The activity also contributes to creating an atmosphere of belonging and support in the new community.
Material: paper, pencil
Number of participants: 10-12
Time: 40 minutes
Variation of implementation: physical and online

DOCUMENTS
MEDIA
  • PREPARATION
    Each participant needs paper and pencil to prepare three statements about themselves. It is important to provide a comfortable environment for the group to sit in to observe the non-verbal communication in order to ensure a smooth flow. The trainer will prepare his/her own three sentences in advance as a demonstration to illustrate the rules of the game to the participants.
PROCESS
  • Preparation of statements
    Each participant writes three sentences about themselves. Two of them are true and one is false. The statements can be about their life, interests, work, past or present. It is important that the untrue statement seems plausible and is not easily detected. Participants have approximately 10 minutes to prepare for this.
    01
  • Exemple from the teacher
    The teacher will start the activity by presenting three statements himself. He can write them on the board (if available) or simply say them aloud. The other participants ask questions to discover which of the statements is false. They observe his/her reactions and try to detect inconsistencies in the answers.
    02
  • Interaction between participants
    After the teacher's demonstration, the other participants continue in the same way. Each of them in turn states their three statements, while the others try to find out which of the sentences is false. They can ask detailed questions about each statement in order to find out more details and reveal any inconsistencies. The questions should focus on details that may reveal a false statement.
    03
  • Revealing a false statement
    After the questions are exhausted, participants vote on which of the sentences they think is false. Then the person who submitted the statement reveals the truth - telling which of the statements was false and which was true. In this way, the activity continues until all participants are involved.
    04
MODEL EXAMPLE OF A TEACHER
In order to find out which of the sentences is false, participants can focus on asking detailed and specific questions. This can reveal inconsistencies in the statements or determine if the speaker is responding differently to certain questions. Here are examples of questions to ask about each sentence:
  • 1
    'I live in a house in the village' (true sentence)
    Participants can ask questions focusing on specific details about the house and the village to see if the speaker provides consistent and believable information:

    o Where exactly is the village located?
    o How long have you lived there?
    o How many rooms does the house have?
    o What is your favorite part of living in the village?
    o How many people live in your village?
    o What do you enjoy most about the place?

    These questions should not produce any inconsistencies because the statement is true.

  • 2
    “My biggest hobby is rollerblading” (false sentence)
    Since this is a false statement, the participant will have to make up answers. Questions focusing on details that might reveal that the speaker lacks knowledge or enthusiasm for roller skating are useful here:

    o How long have you been rollerblading?
    o Where do you skate most often?
    o How often do you skate?
    o What type of roller skates do you use?
    o When was the last time you roller skated?
    o Does your region or city have any bike paths suitable for skating?

    The speaker could stutter or give inaccurate or superficial answers when answering, which may suggest to participants that the information is false.

  • 3
    ‘I like to travel’ (true sentence)
    For this true sentence, participants may ask questions related to specific trips and experiences:

    o Which country or city have you visited that sticks in your mind the most?
    o How often do you travel?
    o Where are you going on your next trip?
    o What type of travel do you prefer (backpacker style, luxury vacations, sightseeing tours...)?
    o What is the most interesting experience you have had while traveling?
    o Do you tend to visit more foreign countries or do you also travel in the Czech Republic?

    Since the speaker really likes to travel, she will answer in detail, with enthusiasm and without embarrassment, which will help participants to determine that this statement is true.
    A key strategy for participants is to ask questions that elicit details and to pay attention to consistency and willingness to share details. False statements often yield less detailed answers or a lack of enthusiasm.

REFLEXE
After the activity, it is useful to open a discussion where participants can reflect on their impressions and experiences:
  • What strategies did you use to expose the untruth?
    (The aim is to find out what techniques and questions were most effective in identifying the false statement.)
  • Was it difficult to come up with a plausible false sentence? Why?
    (The question is directed at how easy or difficult it was to find a lie that sounded plausible, and what factors play a role in creating plausible lies.)
  • Was it easy to tell an untruth by the reactions of others?
    (This question explores how nonverbal communication and the manner of responding may have helped in detecting the untruth.)
  • What did you learn about the other participants during the activity?
    (Helps to reflect on how the game contributed to a better understanding of each group member.)
  • How did this activity teach you to ask better questions?
    (Focuses on the skill of asking effective, detailed questions.)
  • Do you think this game would have been equally fun or successful with a larger/smaller group? Why?
    (Consider group dynamics and the effectiveness of the activities based on the number of participants.)
  • How does this activity promote trust in the group?
    (Discussion of how sharing information - both true and false - can strengthen bonds between participants.)