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Count The Beans

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Jar filled with hundreds of beans, featured in the classic team estimation game Count The Beans

Count The Beans

Team estimation game to improve group decision-making skills.

  • Simple
  • Powerful metaphor
  • Promotes critical thinking
  • Fosters creativity

Step-by-Step Instructions

This team estimation game explores the fascinating dynamics of group decision-making in an engaging way. Count The Beans transforms a simple team-building task into a powerful learning experience about collaboration and consensus-building. Perfect as a teambuilding activity, it naturally generates meaningful discussions about how groups make decisions while participants discover the benefits of pooling their collective wisdom.

Count The Beans – Team Estimation Game
  1. In advance, fill a large jar with as many dry beans, candy or other small items as possible and tightly twist the lid on.
  2. Place the jar in full view of your group, and prepare to issue a series of graduated challenges.
  3. Ask each individual to estimate the number of beans in the jar, and record their answer on paper.
  4. Next, each person joins with another to form a pair to compare notes and calculate a new consensual estimate.
  5. Continue to repeat this process with ever-increasing group sizes, recording a new consensual group estimate each time.
  6. Eventually, ask the whole group to agree on one final estimate and then compare this figure with the correct answer.
  7. Discuss what your group noticed about this process and what it may mean in terms of decision-making and successful teams.

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Add your Comments...

Have you played this activity? What worked, what didn't work? What type of group? Do you have useful advice for other users? Do you know a fun variation?

Comments (2)

  1. prosivendola

    Hello Mark,
    I have never played this one but I would like to try for a group of 25 people.
    Any suggestions on how to build up the challenge in this case?
    Could I maybe, instead of starting individually, start in pairs so they guess together, then ask them to form teams of 5 and let them compete amongst the 5 teams for the final guess? Would that make sense, from your experience?
    Thanks for your feedback!!
    Irene (Barcelona, Spain)

    Reply
    • Mark Collard

      Irene, yes, I like your idea of graduating the size of the teams. It would also be interesting to compare the variations between the guesses of the pairs, the fives, and then the whole group. I’m gonna predict that the consensus answer of the whole group will be closer to the truth 🙂

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