Two truths and a lie ideas for work.

How to play two truths and a lie at work

1. 1.

   Give everyone a minute to prepare

   Or send it ahead

   Thinking of three statements on the spot is hard. Ask people to write theirs before the meeting, or give everyone a minute and point them at the ideas on this page.

2. 2.

   Say all three, in any order

   Keep a straight face

   Each person says their three statements. The lie shouldn't always be the last one, and the truths are best when they sound unlikely.

3. 3.

   Everyone guesses at once

   Then the reveal

   On a video call, ask everyone to type 1, 2 or 3 in the chat at the same moment, so nobody follows the first guess. Then the person reveals the lie and tells the story behind one of the truths.

4. 4.

   Keep a score, or don't

   Five people in about ten minutes

   A point for every right guess, and a point for the speaker for everyone they fooled. With a bigger team, do a few people per meeting rather than everyone at once.

Playing it with a remote team

On a call, the chat is your friend: simultaneous guesses keep it fair and fast. Ask people to put their three statements in the chat as a numbered list, so nobody has to remember them while they listen.

For a team across time zones, play it in the team chat over a day or a week. Each person posts their three statements as a message with three reactions, one per statement; everyone votes when they're online, and the reveal comes the next morning. It's a good way to welcome someone new: their two truths and a lie on their first day tells the team more than an introduction would.

Two truths and a lie ideas about skills

Things you can or can't do. Easy to make up and hard to guess, because anyone might have learned anything.

1. 1I can solve a Rubik's cube.
2. 2I can type without looking at the keyboard faster than most people talk.
3. 3I can juggle three balls.
4. 4I can whistle with my fingers.
5. 5I taught myself to play an instrument from online videos.
6. 6I can name every capital city in Europe.
7. 7I've never learned to ride a bike.
8. 8I can draw a decent portrait in five minutes.
9. 9I can say 'hello' in more than ten languages.
10. 10I can cook one dish perfectly and nothing else.
11. 11I can do a handstand.
12. 12I once won a spelling competition.
13. 13I can recite the first page of a book from memory.
14. 14I can't swim.
15. 15I can touch my nose with my tongue.
16. 16I know how to knit.
17. 17I can read music but can't play anything.
18. 18I can fall asleep anywhere in under a minute.

Two truths and a lie ideas about things you've done

Small stories that sound unlikely. The best ones are true and the team is sure they're the lie.

1. 1I've been on live television.
2. 2I once got lost in a city for a whole day.
3. 3I've run a half marathon.
4. 4I met a famous person and didn't recognise them until later.
5. 5I've been to a concert alone.
6. 6I once slept in an airport.
7. 7I've seen the northern lights.
8. 8I was in a school play and forgot all my lines.
9. 9I've climbed a mountain over 3,000 metres.
10. 10I once won a prize in a raffle I don't remember entering.
11. 11I've ridden a camel.
12. 12I've been stuck in a lift for more than an hour.
13. 13I once ate something so spicy I had to leave the table.
14. 14I've built a piece of furniture without the instructions, and it held.
15. 15I've been to a wedding where I didn't know anyone.
16. 16I once went a whole year without buying new clothes.
17. 17I've performed on a stage in front of more than a hundred people.
18. 18I've stayed awake for more than 24 hours.

Two truths and a lie ideas about work

About jobs you've had and how you work. Good for a new team, since everyone learns a little about each other's path.

1. 1My first job was in a restaurant.
2. 2I once replied-all to the whole company by mistake.
3. 3I've worked in three different countries.
4. 4I had a job where I had to wear a costume.
5. 5I've never worked a job I found through a job ad.
6. 6I once fell asleep in a meeting.
7. 7I've changed careers completely at least once.
8. 8My first computer was older than some people on this call.
9. 9I once had a job interview in a car.
10. 10I've worked a night shift.
11. 11I studied something completely unrelated to my job.
12. 12I've given a presentation without slides because my laptop died.
13. 13I've worked for a company of more than 10,000 people.
14. 14I once sent an email to the wrong person and it worked out for the better.
15. 15I've worked from more than ten different cities.
16. 16I keep every notebook I've ever used at work.

Two truths and a lie ideas about food and habits

Everyday things. Low stakes and surprisingly hard to guess, which makes them good for a quick round.

1. 1I've never had a cup of coffee.
2. 2I eat the same breakfast every day.
3. 3I don't like chocolate.
4. 4I put salt on fruit.
5. 5I wake up before 6am without an alarm.
6. 6I've never seen a single film in a famous film series.
7. 7I keep my phone on silent all the time.
8. 8I've eaten insects on purpose.
9. 9I can't stand the sound of chewing gum.
10. 10I read the last page of a book first.
11. 11I have more than 50 plants.
12. 12I've never broken a bone.
13. 13I name my houseplants.
14. 14I've watched the same show from start to finish more than five times.
15. 15I sleep with socks on.
16. 16I've never been on a rollercoaster.

What makes good two truths and a lie statements

• The truths sound made up. "I've been on live television" is a great truth because nobody believes it. "I like pizza" gives the game away.
• The lie sounds true. Pick something you could have done, from the same kind of life as your truths. A lie that's too wild is easy to spot.
• Nothing private. Keep it to skills, experiences, work and habits. Family, health, relationships and money don't belong in a work game, even as a lie.
• Short enough to remember. One sentence each. The story can come after the reveal, for whoever wants to hear it.

How we picked these

We wrote these for teams at work and grouped them by subject: skills, things you've done, work, and food and habits. Every idea could be true for someone, none asks anyone to share anything private, and none assumes much money or travel. Use them as they are, change a detail to make one true for you, or keep one as your lie.