Five pointed Star

Objectives
Communication | Collaboration | Team Strategy

Group Size
Medium Large

Materials
Long (20 50 ft) rope, blindfolds

Set Up
Lay the rope on the ground in the shape of a circle. It is helpful if the two ends of the rope are tied together (otherwise, it is too simple).

Directions
The 5 Pointed Star begins with participants gathering around a rope on the ground in the shape of a circle. Participants are instructed to pick up the rope with both hands and then shape the rope into a 5 pointed star, with all the overlaps and criss-crosses (just like the kind you drew in elementary school). The team must take 4 minutes to come up with a plan and while they are talking they cannot start moving. It sounds easy enough, but inevitably some eager person starts taking action during planning time - that is when the penalties start flying: blindfolds, ankles tied together, walk backwards everywhere you go, etc. Then the team must implement their plan (move) without talking, then plan again, then move again. Once they have moved through the four sequences and formed the best star possible they lay the rope on the ground and examine their handiwork.

Debrief Questions
1. How did you work together? 2. What worked well? 3. What was challenging? 4. What did you learn about yourself? 5. What did you learn about the group?

Make a vehicle with your team and explain the same to audience

Community Project - Asteroids

Description
Set-up: Make a dozen or so loops out of rope, approximately 2-4 feet in diameter each. You want to have one loop for every person in your group. The activity: Team members have a community project to complete. i.e. big carnival, sports tournament, etc. and need the help of many community agencies/organizations- represented by the circles. Each team member must come up with ideas regarding whose help they will need to make the event successful. When a team member suggests a person or organization who's help they may need, they are given a circle. Once each team member has a circle, they must place both of their feet "inside the cylinder created by the circle" (in other words starting at the ground and going infinitely high-but don't give them those instructions) . If everyone is within their circle you are ready to begin. Ask everyone to switch to a new circle. When the group is in transit, take one circle away. Once everyones feet are inside the circles, call out for the group to switch and take another circle while the group is in transit. Advise the group that removing circles can represent people or organizations that can no longer help with the event, and the group must try to pull it off without them. Participants will begin to become crowded within the circles (be sure to leave a large one for the end). Eventually groups may figure out that only their feet must be within the circle, and they may sit around the large circle with their feet piled up within it.

LEADERSHIP Learning to Lead TEAM BUILDING

Team building exercises are different from ice breakers. Ice breakers assist members of a group to get to meet one another for the first time. Whereas, team building is a cooperative effort by members of a group to achieve a common goal. Teambuilding occurs when a group of people with complementary personal strengths commit to achieve certain focused performance results. A challenging exercise which

requires all the elements of teamwork - communication, goal-setting, planning, cooperation, creativity, task orientation, and problem solve.

Team building activities can allow the group to recover from disunity, frustration and conflict. They also help sensitize the team members to behaviors that may contribute toward or obstruct group problem solving. Behaviors cover such things as good communication, problem solving skills, trust, taking advantage of the strengths and weaknesses of each team member and understanding the "others" point of view.

Activities:

Helium Stick Spider Web Broken Squares What is a team?

Helium Stick

Deceptively simple but powerful exercise for learning how to work together and communicate in small to medium sized groups. Line up in two rows which face each other. Introduce the Helium Stick - a long, thin, light rod. Ask participants to point their index fingers and hold their arms out. Lay the Helium Stick down on their fingers. Get the group to adjust their finger heights until the Helium Stick is horizontal and everyone's index fingers are touching the stick. Explain that the challenge is to lower the Helium Stick to the ground. The catch: Each person's fingers must be in contact with the Helium Stick at all times. Pinching or grabbing the pole in not allowed - it must rest on top of fingers.

Reiterate to the group that if anyone's finger is caught not touching the Helium Stick, the task will be restarted. Let the task begin.... Warning: Particularly in the early stages, the Helium Stick has a habit of mysteriously 'floating' up rather than coming down, causing much laughter. A bit of clever humoring can help - e.g., act surprised and ask what are they doing raising the Helium Stick instead of lowering it! For added drama, jump up and pull it down! Participants may be confused initially about the paradoxical behavior of the Helium Stick. Some groups or individuals (most often larger size groups) after 5 to 10 minutes of trying may be inclined to give up, believing it not to be possible or that it is too hard. The facilitator can offer direct suggestions or suggest the group stops the task, discusses their strategy, and then has another go. Less often, a group may appear to be succeeding too fast. In response, be particularly vigilant about fingers not touching the pole. Also make sure participants lower the pole all the way onto the ground. You can add further difficulty by adding a large washer to each end of the stick and explain that the washers should not fall off during the exercise, otherwise it's a restart. Eventually the group needs to calm down, concentrate, and very slowly, patiently lower the Helium Stick - easier said than done. Time Total time ~25 mins

~5 minute briefing and set up ~10-15 minutes of active problem-solving (until success) ~10 minutes discussion How Does it Work? The stick does not contain helium. The secret (keep it to yourself) is that the collective upwards pressure created by everyone's fingers tends to be greater than the weight of the stick. As a result, the more a group tries, the more the stick tends to 'float' upwards. Processing Ideas What was the initial reaction of the group? How well did the group cope with this challenge?

What skills did it take to be successful as a group? What creative solutions were suggested and how were they received? What would an outside observer have seen as the strengths and weaknesses of the group? What did each group member learn about him/her self as an individual? What other situations (e.g., at school, home or work) are like the Helium Stick? References Booth Sweeney, L. & D. Meadows (1996). The systems thinking playbook: Exercises to stretch and build learning and systems thinking capabilities. The Turning Point Foundation. Gass, M. A. (1999). Lowering the bar. Ziplines: The Voice for Adventure Education, Summer, 39, 25-27. Gass, M. A. (2001). Lowering the bar. In S. Priest & K. Rohnke (2001) 101 of the best corporate teambuilding activities. eXperientia. Spider Web

ACTIVITY:

Group/Team

TIME:

30 -40 Minutes

PARTICIPANTS:

7 - 15

MATERIALS:

1 large ball of yarn or string

1 roll of duct tape

1 pair of scissors

Purpose: Wonderful problem solving activity for teams. It requires the entire team to manage their differences (size, disposition, strength, intelligence, etc.), it requires commitment, it's very physical without being strenuous, and it's fun, The object of the game is to score points by passing everyone through holes in a spider web without touching the web. (Remember this when building the web. Make openings different sizes. Make sure there is a hole large enough for everyone to go through.) The problem brings up all the standard group/team problem solving issues, quality issues, (what is a web touch?), ethical issues (calling a touch when you see one), and strategic issues (when do we cut our losses). Safety: Do not allow any one to dive though the web. NO HEADFIRST! Stop the action if this is about to happen. When they are lifting someone, remind them to protect the participant's neck and shoulders. Stop action if they are doing anything that you deem dangerous. If the web breaks you may stop the activity and make repairs or start the review. Building the Web: Choose a location with two fixed objects (such as two trees, walls, a hallway, a stake and a tree) 8 - 14 feet apart. If outside, make sure there are not a lot of branches hanging over the site and that the ground is free of hazards. Sometimes you need to use a metal pole and a tree. If you are building a web in-doors, use duct tape on the walls and floors. Watch for it as it may be pulled loose during the activity. Tie and weave the string/yarn between the items you have chosen in a web like fashion.

Make at least two more holes than you have participants in the group. You should make some easier holes (like underneath the web) and some more difficult holes (smaller or higher). It's also good to have two or three extra holes so that the participants have some decisions to make. Add a few extra easy holes. If the web is too easy, you can tell them that some holes are off limits. Make the general structure of the web with one piece of string instead of many pieces tied off. String the web from one object to another, back and forth until you have a structure. When stringing the web, you do not need to tie a knot at each cross of the yarn. You do need to wrap the active string around each stationary string it crosses. Each time you take a turn around the object or stationary string, pull it tight. There should be no slack in the web. Use shorter pieces of the string to divide the large holes into smaller ones. Team Instructions: GOAL: To get the highest final score you can.

The specifications:

A point is scored each time a person passes entirely through an opening in the web without touching it. Once a person goes through an opening, the hole is closed. No one else can go through that hole. If each person in the group scores, all the holes reopen and can be used again to score additional points, if time permits. You may use the openings between the ground and the string, and between the wall and the string. If any person touches a string at any time, all must return to the starting side of the web, the score returns to zero, and all holes are open for scoring. All members of your group must start from the original side of the web. No one may go over or around the web, except when returning to start over. You may not alter the web in any way. Both the coach and the team members are responsible for monitoring touches of the web. Each member of the team is responsible for the safety of all others members of the team. Be sure that the head and shoulders of any person being lifted and/or passed are well supported. Your team's final score is the number of points it has at the end of 25 minutes.

Broken Squares

Activity: Group/Team

Time: 30 minutes

Participants: 6 - 18

Materials: A set of broken squares (pattern at the end of the exercise), Team Instructions, Observer Instructions.

Purpose: Get the group working as a team, break the ice. Expose the participants to behaviors that may contribute toward or obstruct group problem solving. Learning Points: Participation and cooperation by all members of a team are essential to attain team and individual goals. It is necessary to understand the objectives of the task at hand. Lack of communication makes the problem-solving process almost impossible. Problem solving requires that team members keep an open mind to a variety of potential solutions. Preparation and Notes for Facilitator: Make the broken squares by using the template below. Draw or enlarge on a copy machine, until each square is about 6 X 6 inches. Cut the squares apart on the lines. Mix them up and then put an equal (or about equal) number of pieces in 5 envelopes. Make sure each group has 5 complete squares or one set. You will need one set for each team of 5 members. If you use card stock 60 lb. or heavier you should be able to use the same squares over and over again. (A good way to recycle old manila folders.) Print Instructions for each team and a set of instructions for each judge/observer. NOTE: Teams must have 5-6 members each.

Each subgroup should congregate in separate locations. For subgroups having six members, ask one person from the sub-group to volunteer to as a judge/observer. Give each judge/observer an instruction sheet. Give each of the subgroups it's set of five broken square envelopes, and instruct the subgroups to distribute one envelope to each of the five participants. (Do not open the envelopes until instructed to do so.). Give each subgroup its copy of the "Broken Squares Team Instruction." Read these instructions to the subgroups. Ask for questions or ask the group questions to ensure understanding. Instruct the subgroups to begin the task. Monitor the subgroups, along with the judge/observers, to ensure that the subgroups follow the rules fairly closely. When the subgroups complete the task or time runs out, have the judge/observer help you lead a discussion of the experience. Ask, "What happened during the process?" Encourage the team to relate this experience to their work situation. Have the entire team develop a set of learning points, which you record on a flipchart. Team Instructions: Each of you has been given an envelope that contains pieces of a puzzle. When the facilitator gives you the OK to begin, you may begin to reach your objective which follows:

Objective: Your team will be successful when there is a perfect square, each of the same size, in front of each team member.

Important: You may use only the pieces provided. No member may speak or gesture in any way throughout the activity. Members may not ask another member for a piece, take a piece from another member, or in signal in any way that another person is to give them a piece. Members may give pieces to other members. Members may not place their puzzle pieces in the center area for other team members to take.

Your team will have up to 20 minutes in which to meet your individual and team goals. Observer/Judge Instructions: Your job is part observer and part judge:

As a Judge, make sure each participant observes the following rules: There is no talking, pointing, or any other kind of communication. Participants may give pieces directly to other participants but may not take pieces from other members. Participants may not place their pieces into the center for others to take. It is okay for a member to give away all the pieces to their puzzle, even if they have already formed a square.

As an Observer, look for the following: How willing were members to give away pieces of the puzzle? Were participants more interested in getting than in giving? Did anyone finish their puzzle, and then withdraw himself or herself from the group problem solving? If so, how did it affect the rest of the team? Did dominant individuals emerge, or did everyone seem to participate equally? Did you detect evidence of frustration? How did it affect the group? What was the critical turning point(s) affecting the teams working together?

Other observations?

Here are your patterns for playing broken squares.

Select here or go to our answer key section to download

a printable image.

What is a Team?

The word 'team' derives from the use of oxen or bullocks shackled together to create a focused, shared force for transporting heavy materials. However, a team is...more than a group of people a team is...a collective of individuals who all contribute to the working of the whole a team...comprises any group of people or animals linked in a common purpose a team is...a group of individuals organized to work together to accomplish a specific objective a team is...built and supported by your community a team is...a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose a team is...a living entity a team is...made up of individual stories a team is...about not having a 'boss' a team is...the best way to continue your learning a team is...a group of people organized to work together a team is...that the members share and work toward a common goal a team is...a relatively small number of people working collaboratively a team is...more than a group of people a team is...a series of people with a combination of skills and knowledge that are complementary to each other with the aim to reach the defined goals. a team is a...cooperative unit a team is...a group of interacting individuals sharing a common goal and the responsibility for achieving it