ColourBlind

• Have the group sit down and put on blindfolds.
• Explain the objective and rules of the activity – answer any questions.
• pass out items – I use 5 sets of 5 wooden toys, with 3 or 4 of them missing.
• Ask the group to pass each toy around the circle until every toy is handed out, and everyone has at least one toy.
• Remind the team that their goal is to identify each set of toys, how many toys are in each set, and which toys are missing from the sets.
• Chaos!
• Let the team go on without making a plan for a few minutes – experience the frustration and the confusion of not having a leader or a plan.
• If the team does not redirect their efforts towards selecting a leader and a plan, then give them a little prompt.
• Watch as things begin to fall into place, and the team begins to work together.
• Debrief – “What happened?” “Describe the process” “How is this like life?” etc.

For many groups, this activity erupts into a lengthy discussion about the challenges of working together, the need for strong leadership, and more.

Very powerful tool!

Here’s a picture from a recent ropes course program

We were called down to the National Mall to run a rotational team building program for 80 staff from the CGK Foundation.  The main goal of the program was to create a sense of unity among the interns and staff of this international organization through the use of a rotational-style of recreational team building event.

The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation was established in 1980 by Charles G. Koch. The mission of the Foundation is “to advance social progress and well-being through the development, application, and dissemination of the Science of Liberty.”

The culminating challenge of the day was “The Pipeline Initiative” in which the group was split into three teams that had to share resources and ideas to create a 35 foot aqueduct of PVC pipes, joints and gutters. The teams built a structure that suspended the aqueduct high enough off the ground that a marble could roll down the entire length of the apparatus without stopping.

Here is a short video of the project – enjoy!

If you’d like to learn how to run your own Pipeline Challenge, check out our description of the activity on Teampedia.net

From time to time we highlight a team building game or problem-solving initiative that has been particularly successful, popular, or just plain fun. These activities are easy to set up, take very little skill or experience, and require little or no specialized equipment. If you try an activity and you like it, let us know! And if you would like to learn what it takes to be a team building facilitator, check out our Training page on the website…

Good Luck!

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Silent Opera

This activity was ‘borrowed’ from another excellent online team building resource – www.teampedia.net – a ‘wiki’ that has been set up to collect great team building activities.

Objectives:
Communication, collaboration, team strategy

Group Size:
Small to Large

Materials:

• 10 – 20 Objects (Cones, Balls, Hoola Hoops, etc.)
• Blindfolds
• Rope Boundary
• Activity Description

Set Up:
Select one volunteer to be blindfolded (this person will be “the collector”) and one volunteer to give vocal instructions. The remaining members of the group are not allowed to speak. Set up the room and position participants according to the diagram below.

Directions:
This activity works on alternative methods of communication. Inform the group that the blindfolded member can speak, but will need to be told what to do in order to accomplish a given task. The person in the middle can only look at the large group but must tell the blindfolded member what to do. The large group will know the task and must communicate that to the middle person without speaking and without crossing the barrier represented by the rope. Lastly, inform the large group of the task (the more specific the task, the more challenging). Tasks may include: collect as many objects as possible or collect specific objects (by color, shape, type, etc.)

Variations:

• multiple collectors

Debrief Questions:

• What happened?
• What was the biggest challenge and why?
• What was it like to be – collector – speaker – actors?
• How is this activity like – school – work – life?

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Silent Opera Diagram