At the AGTC Meetup Event on 4/11/24, Jeff Meyer facilitated Conquer the Numbers, which is a fun virtual rendition of the Ball Point Game. The objective of the game is to get as many numbers through the team as possible, within 90 seconds. Jeff explained the few simple rules which included:
- Numbers are conquered one at a time and participants take turns in sequential order
- When the time-boxed sprint is up, the team has 60 seconds to inspect and adapt
- The team has 30 seconds to provide a rough estimate of how many numbers they will conquer in the next round
We played 4 rounds, with the objective being the same for each round (getting as many numbers through the team as possible).
It sounded simple, until we learned about the exceptions. Everyone had to participate, and they had to remain silent when it wasn’t their turn to speak. When a participant spoke, they could only share their number and nothing else. A participant could only have a turn if all the others have taken a turn before them. Jeff shared a fun twist – if the number was divisible by 4, instead of saying the number, we were to clap. If we failed any of these exceptions, talked simultaneously, or made a counting mistake, we had to start over again.
It took us a few rounds to find our groove, but we continued to make improvements each round. You’ll have to watch the video to see the methods we came up with. No spoilers here! 
In the debrief section, we spoke about teams moving through Tuckman’s model. We were a new team and learned how to collaborate with each other. This activity also modeled the importance of focus. With distractions, we faulted on our numbers and had to start over. Communication was also important – we respected and welcomed each other’s thoughts and ideas as we strived to improve together.
Overall, this is a short and simple game to facilitate, with fantastic take-aways for the team. Jeff shared this Miro board for game play reference. How do you think you might Conquer the Numbers with your team?
Connect with Jeff: LinkedIn
Conquer the Numbers Scoring Template: MIRO