An active listening exercise your group will remember
Telling people to listen better changes nothing. Giving each of them one piece of a picture that only words can share, and a clock, changes how they listen for the rest of the day. That is Pixtory, the story mode of Unlock.
- Communication skills trainers
- Coaches
- New-team kick-offs
- Leadership programmes
What you run
The game that does this
Unlock
Everyone holds a piece. Only talking puts it together.
- In the room
- Online
- Phone or laptop
- Your own content
Unlock
4 – 1,000 participants · 20 – 90 min · 8 credits per participant
In Pixtory mode each participant receives one image from a bigger story and can only describe it, never show it. The team has to find the order. Two picture sets, Windmill and Traffic, and multiple rounds so the group can reflect, plan and do it better.
Everything about UnlockHow the session goes
Before, during, after
Step 1
Before
Create a Pixtory session and rehearse it once with your own phone. Decide whether teams will talk face to face, in breakout rooms or in the chat; the exercise works in all three, and the differences are worth discussing.
Step 2
During
Each participant sees only their own image. Give teams a fixed time to agree the order and submit. Run a second round: the scoreboard shows whether the group actually changed how it communicated, not just whether it was faster.
Step 3
After
Debrief on the behaviours: who summarised, who asked for detail, who assumed. Then connect it to a real situation the group faces, such as handovers, briefings or customer calls.
Debrief
Questions that turn the game into learning
- 1How did you decide who spoke first, and did that help?
- 2What question did someone ask that made your picture clearer?
- 3What did you assume other people's images looked like?
- 4Where at work do you only get one piece of the picture?
What it costs
96 credits = $96
12 participants × 8 credits for Unlock, for a 30-minute exercise with two rounds. A rehearsal with two people is free.
- Sessions with up to 2 participants are free
- 100 free credits when you sign up
- You pay only for the people who actually join
Questions
How long does a Pixtory exercise take?
Twenty to forty minutes for two rounds and a short debrief. It fits as a module inside a longer communication workshop.
Can I use my own pictures?
Yes. Unlock runs on your own image set at no extra cost, so the story can be about your product, your process or your values.
Does it work one-to-one?
Pixtory needs a team of at least four. For one-to-one coaching conversations use Expressive, the picture-card game.
Rehearse it for free before your first real group
Sign up in two minutes, get 100 free credits, and rehearse any game as often as you like — sessions with up to 2 participants are always free.