This game begins with asking all the group members to empty their pockets, wallets, bags or any coins that they have, then placing it on a table in front of them. Then each person is instructed to create a logo for themselves using the coins they placed. Each participant would then explain their logo to the group and why they made it to represent themselves. This activity not only helps in self-awareness of the participants but also it allows the participants to get to know each other on a more personal level.
This game is a perfect icebreaker for both small and large groups. This activity begins with each participant closing their eyes and think of all the best moments in their lives. Any moment whether it would be being alone, with family, or with friends also included are personal success, professional success, or life adventures as long as it was a highlight of their lives. Next step would be to narrow down those highlights, while their eyes are closed the participants are asked to choose which 30 seconds of their lives they want to relive if they only had 30 seconds left to live. Then the leader of the activity would ask each person of the group to share what moment they want to relive and why they would want to relive it. The first part allows participants to reflect on the goodness of their lives, the second part will let them get to know their group mates more intimately. The game allows the participants to get a feel of the passion, love, and personalities of their co-workers.
If you have an upcoming conference or meeting and your looking for some team building games to energise your group after lunch or during presentations then try this quick 10-20 minute activity. It will definately get everyone working together and communicating as they try and solve the Human Knot
The goal of this challenge is to figure out how to untangle the human knot without letting go of each others hands.
This game will work for all ages and can work for any size group and can be conducted indoors or out.
Human Knot Game
Goals of the Human Knot Game:
Team building and communication
Problem solving
Ice-breaker or get to know others better
Setup for the Human Knot Game:
This game is versatile in that multiple group sizes can play. Form groups of about 10 people each. Have each group standing, facing towards each other, in a circle. Each person should be standing shoulder to shoulder. First, instruct everyone to lift their left hand and reach across to take the hand of someone standing across the circle. Next, have everyone lift their right and reach across to take the hand of another person standing across the circle. Make sure that no one is holding hands with someone standing directly beside the person.
How to Play the Human Knot Game
To play, the groups must communicate and figure out how to untangle the knot (forming a circle of people) without ever letting go of any hands. If you wish, this icebreaker can be played competitively, in which the facilitator says “Ready.. Set.. Go!” and has all the groups race to become the first group to finish. If any group member lets go of a hand (breaks the chain), then the group must start from the beginning, or you could impose a penalty/punishment for that person (e.g. wear a blindfold).
This game typically takes 15-30 minutes to complete. You can impose a time limit if you wish to make the game more challenging. When you are done with the Human Knot activity, you can ask some debrief questions if you wish, such as “How well did you group work together? What strategies did your group adopt? How did it feel to solve the game?” etc.
Variations
To increase the difficulty level, you can either (1) blindfold some of the players or (2) require that the game be played silently (no talking).