The Workplace Telephone Game

You know, that childhood game where a message is whispered from person to person, starting out as something like “I like chocolate” and somehow ending up as “Grandpa dances in pajamas”? As kids, we’d play it in school as a fun break, laughing at the hilarious misunderstandings. It’s also used as a calming activity that develops sensory awareness, motor skills, and coordination. But behind the fun lies an important lesson: don’t trust rumors.

But what happens when this game shows up in adult life—at work, in project meetings, or worse, in complex supply chains? Then it’s no longer child’s play, but a potentially costly mistake that can damage your reputation and hurt your bottom line.

The Telephone Game Isn’t Just for Kids

Even though the telephone game is simple and fun, it’s also used in psychological research to study how information spreads and distorts within groups. Studies show that when we pass along information, multiple cognitive processes kick in that can alter the original message.

Filling in the Gaps
Our brains tend to fill in missing details to create a logical and coherent story. This happens unconsciously. We may think we remember something that wasn’t there or add in things that “make sense.” The result? The original message gets expanded with details that were never meant to be included.

Emphasizing What Feels Relevant
We all tend to highlight what matters most to us. When we pass on information, we may unconsciously exaggerate certain details while downplaying or omitting others. The message is colored by our own perceptions and what we find personally meaningful.

Adapting to Group Expectations
In a group setting, we often conform to social norms and expectations. This leads to the message being reshaped to fit the group’s perspective. This is especially relevant in supply chains, where each link interprets information through its own commercial and strategic lens.

Rumors in Business

Studies on rumors show that information passed through many people often ends up as a mix of facts, assumptions, and personal interpretations. That’s exactly what happens in the telephone game: the original message becomes a distorted version of reality. And it mirrors how we handle information in real life—we don’t always remember the facts, but how they made us feel, or how they related to our reality.

From Manufacturer to End Customer

In a professional context, the telephone game can lead to serious challenges and financial losses. The problem arises when a message from the manufacturer gets altered and adapted as it moves through the supply chain. Each step—from manufacturer to distributor, to reseller, and finally to the customer—can shift the message so much that its original intent is lost.

Think of it like this:

• The manufacturer develops a marketing message for a new product, based on solid research and a deep understanding of the target audience, unique selling points, and clear goals.
• The distributor receives the message but tweaks it to suit their own needs and strategies.
• The reseller further adapts the message to align with their brand identity.
• The end customer ends up with a message that barely resembles the original—and is then expected to pass it on within their organization to build internal buy-in for the purchase.

The result? Misunderstandings arise, brand perception weakens, and potential sales are lost. Meanwhile, the marketing team back at HQ is already working on the next campaign—unaware that their best strategy got lost somewhere on the way to the customer

What Can We Learn from the Telephone Game?

While the telephone game is meant for entertainment, it offers some valuable lessons for working life. The most important one: to avoid distorted messages and misunderstandings, we must make things as simple as possible.

Complex messages are more prone to misinterpretation, while simplicity reduces the risk of confusion and ensures the core message stays intact. Simple messages are also easier to understand, remember, and act upon—boosting both clarity and effectiveness.

Simplicity contributes to:

• Consistency: Clear messages strengthen your brand and ensure everyone communicates the same thing.
• Faster decisions: When everyone understands the task, action comes quicker.
• Differentiation: A sharp message highlights what makes your product unique.
• Adaptability: Simplicity makes it easier to tailor the message to different markets without losing the core.
• Customer engagement: Customers need clarity to connect. Simple language helps them relate and engage.

By keeping things simple, you achieve better communication and stronger results—both internally and externally.

Summary

The telephone game reminds us how fragile communication can be—and how easily it can derail. I’ve experienced this myself, both in terms of how messages get distorted and what happens when strategies aren’t given enough time to take effect.

In one case, I worked in an organization where the message traveled from top management to the marketing and sales teams, then to regional managers, team members, distributors, and finally to customers. Along the way, the information kept getting adapted and altered—and to top it off, the message changed again before the previous one had time to settle in the market. It was like trying to push a car into motion, only to stop and start over—again and again. The result? Frustration, lost sales, and eroded trust.

That experience taught me the importance of clear, consistent, and targeted communication. When a message must pass through multiple hands, it needs to be simple, precise, and robust. And perhaps even more importantly: it needs time to work before you start changing course. The farther you are from the end customer, the more time you need to ensure your message lands and resonates. Jumping to conclusions too early creates uncertainty—and uncertainty can kill even the best strategy..

So, whether you’re running a campaign or leading a team, remember: communication is a balancing act. The more layers in your chain, the more patience you need. Clarity, consistency, and a little calm can make all the difference—and save you from ending up with a “dancing grandpa in pajamas” at the end of the line.

Maybe the telephone game is the perfect icebreaker for your next leadership workshop?