How can outdoor activities train different leadership styles? This next activity although challenging will foster cooperation and communication between participants in a fun and entertaining way!
Duration:
30 minutes
Preferred location:
outside, preferably in a place with obstacles in it (for ex. forest).
Working method:
teambuilding, teamwork – focusing on cooperation and communication (groups of 5/6 people maximum).
Materials:
ropes and blindfolds.
Purpose:
improving communication in groups, improving teamwork, being more aware of how leadership works.
Instructions
- create paths using the ropes to define the limits;
- then, make teams of 6; in each team, ask the participants to divide roles; one person should be guided, and the others should give the instructions; however, the people giving instructions can only say one word each; they have to choose who says “right”, “left”, “forward”, “stop” and “rotate”;
- once all the roles are assigned, the person being guided should stand at the start of the path and put on the blindfold; the goal of the game is to reach the endpoint while being guided by the other team members;
- no communication besides the words mentioned above is allowed; if the person being guided steps on the ropes, they have to start over; the fastest team wins;
- make multiple rounds, alternating the person who is being guided.
Debriefing
when all rounds are finished, you can facilitate a reflection on how the activity was for the group. Here are some questions to guide the process:
- how did you find the activity (easy, hard); how come?
- what worked in the group?
- did you prefer being guided or guiding others?
- how was the communication working in the group?
- if you could do this activity again, what would you do differently?
Possible alternatives
add obstacles and words like “down” and “up”, to make it more challenging in the case of a bigger group.