Telephone

Quick Pitch

Telephone is a party game where one player whispers a message to the next, who whispers it to the next — until the final version is revealed and compared to the original.

Hook

One player thinks of a message and whispers it to the person beside them, who whispers what they heard to the next person, and so on down the line. By the time it reaches the last player and gets announced aloud, the message has usually transformed into something completely different and often hilarious. "The purple elephant danced under the moonlight" becomes "The purple pelican danced with the nightlight." Telephone works best with a big group, and the more people in the chain, the wilder the result.

Equipment Needed

None. Telephone requires only players and voices.

Setup

• Gather players in a line or seated close to each other
• Establish which player will start (typically one end of line)
• The first player prepares a message (can be provided or self-created)
• All other players prepare to listen and whisper
• Establish rules about who is the "listener" at the end
• Clear the room of major distractions if possible

Rules

Objective

Pass a message through a chain of players, observing how it changes along the way. The game creates humor through the distortions in the message.

Gameplay

Message Creation:

• The first player creates or is given a message
• Message should be moderately complex but not absurdly difficult
• Examples:
  • "The cat sat on the mat while the dog barked loudly."
  • "I went to the store and bought milk, eggs, and bread."
  • "The purple elephant danced under the moonlight."

Whispering Phase:

• The first player whispers the message to the second player (whispers, not shouts)
• Whispering should be done once, clearly but softly
• The second player whispers what they heard to the third player
• This continues down the line
• Each player passes on what they believe they heard

Final Reveal:

• After the message reaches the last player, the final message is announced aloud
• The original message is compared to the final version
• The differences are noted and laughed about
• The game may continue with a new message

Variations in Play:

• Can play multiple rounds
• Can play with teams competing
• Can track which round/player caused the largest changes

Scoring

• Games typically don't use formal scoring
• Sometimes tracks "best distortion" or "most creative change"
• Can be team-based with accuracy competitions