Introduction to Team Building Activities

Team building activities are stimulating problem-solving tasks designed to help group members develop their
capacity to work effectively together.  Many team building and initiative tasks are like kids games, others are novel,
complex tasks and designed for specific needs.   More elaborate initiative tasks can involve ropes courses, night-
time activities, and exercises lasting over several days.

Team building activities are often used in meetings, presentations, workshops, training seminars, education
programs, corporate training, with college, high, middle, elementary and pre-school school groups, sport teams,
teacher training, youth work, and in therapeutic and correctional settings.  Team building exercises can be adapted
for virtually any setting, young or old, large or small, and across cultures.

Much depends on the role played by a facilitator.  Different team building activities facilitated in different ways with
different groups can and will lead to a wide variety of different experiences and different outcomes.   In the hands of
an excellent facilitator, even the most simple game can become a significant experience for participants; with a poor
instructor, even with the most well-designed activity can go wrong.

An important part of team building exercises is participants' reflection and discussion about the activity, how they
approached the situation, and possible points of learning.  For example, a group could be videoed during an activity
and the video watched, analyzed, and discussed, to help extract potential learning from team building exercises.

Toxic Waste

 This is a popular, engaging small group initiative activity which

always provides a rich teamwork challenge for about 30-45 minutes. 
Involves thinking, imagination, action, fantasy, risk and an attractive
solution.
 Can be done with adolescents or adults.
 The challenge is to move the toxic waste contents to the
"neutralization" container using minimal equipment and maintaining
a safe distance within a time limit.
 Moderately difficult - avoid using with groups who are still in the
early stages of group development.  Works best towards the end of a
program and/or after the group has come together and dealt with
basic teamwork issues.
 Can be done indoors or outdoors; outdoors is more dramatic because water can be used as the "toxic waste"
instead of balls.

Set-Up

 Use the rope to create a circle at least 8 ft in diameter on the ground to represent
the toxic waste radiation zone. The larger the radiation zone, the more difficult
the activity.
 Place the small bucket in the center of the radiation zone and fill it with water or
balls to represent the toxic waste.
 Place the large neutralization bucket approximately 30 to 50 feet away. The
greater the distance, the more difficult the activity.
 Put all other equipment (i.e., bungee, cords, and red herring objects (optional))
in a pile near the rope circle.

Directions
  The challenge is for the group to work out how to transfer the toxic waste from the small bucket into the
large bucket where it will be "neutralized", using only the equipment provided and within a time frame. 
The waste will blow up and destroy the world after 20 minutes if it is not neutralized.
 Anyone who ventures into the radiation zone will suffer injury and possibly even death, and spillage will
create partial death and destruction.  Therefore, the group should aim to save the world and do so without
injury to any group members.
 The rope circle represents the radiation zone emanating from the toxic waste in the bucket.  Emphasize that
everyone must maintain a distance (circle radius) from the toxic waste wherever it goes, otherwise they will
suffer severe injury, such as loss of a limb or even death.
 Give the group some planning time with no action e.g. 5 mins.  Then start the clock and indicate it is time
for action, e.g., 15 or 20 mins.

Facilitator Notes

 Toxic Waste is not an easy exercise and most groups will benefit from some coaching along the way.
 The solution involves attaching the cords to the bungee loop, then guiding the bungee with the strings to sit
around and grab the toxic waste bucket. Then with everyone pulling on their cord and with good
coordination and care, the toxic waste bucket can be lifted, moved and tipped into the empty neutralizing
bucket.
 If someone breaches the toxic waste zone, indicated by the circle, enforce an appropriate penalty e.g., loss
of limbs (hand behind back) or function (e.g., blindfolds if a head enters the zone) that lasts for the rest of
the game.  If a whole person enters the zone, they die and must then sit out for the rest of the activity.
 If the group struggles to work out what to do, freeze the action and help them discuss.
 If the group spills the waste entirely, make a big deal about catastrophic failure (everyone dies), invite them
to discuss what went wrong and how they can do better, then refill the container and let them have another
go.
 Ideas for varying the level difficulty of the activity:
o Adjust timeframe
o Adjust distance between the buckets
o Include obstacles between the buckets
o Include red herring objects in available equipment

Processing Ideas

 There are invariably plenty of key communications and decisions during the exercise that provide for
fruitful debriefing.
 The exercise will tend to naturally expose processes and issues related to many aspects of teamwork,
including cooperation, communication, trust, empowerment, risk-taking, support, problem-solving,
decision-making, and leadership.
 Can be videoed for subsequent analysis and debriefing.
 How successful was the group? e.g., consider:
o How long did it take?
o Was there any spillage?
o Were there any injuries? (Often in the euphoria of finishing participants will overlook their errors
and seem  unconcerned about injuries and deaths caused by carelessness along the way.  Make
sure there is an objective evaluation of performance - it is rarely 'perfect'.)
 How well did the group cope with this challenge? (e.g., out of 10?)
 What was the initial reaction of the group?
 What skills did it take for the group to be successful?
 What would an outside observer have seen as the strengths and weaknesses of the group?
 How did the group come up with its best ideas?
 What did each group member learn about him/her self as a group member?
 What lessons did the group learn from this exercise which could be applied to future situations?
  More information on Facilitation and creative debrief and processing tools

Variations

 Can be used as a staff selection or group assessment exercise.

 Can be used with large groups (with multiple kits and divided into small groups).
 The toxic waste bucket can be used upside down, with a ball balanced on top.
 The activity can be framed in many different ways, e.g., instead of waste, it could presented as a desirable
substance, such as a life saving serum which needs be carefully transported (suggested by Rohnke &
Butler, 1995, pp.178-179). 
 Divide the group into leaders and workers.  Leaders can talk but not touch equipment. Workers cannot talk
but can touch equipment.
 Lends itself to being metaphorically structured and isometrically framed to suit specific training contexts
(e.g., see "Computer Disinfectant" by Gass & Priest in  Gass, 1995, pp. 151-154) and "Disseminating Raw
Materials (Toxic Waste)", activity #57 in Priest & Rohnke 2000).
 For added drama, the toxic waste can be floated on a platform in a swimming pool (Priest & Rohnke 2000).
 A chemical reaction can be created by putting baking soda in the neutralization container and vinegar in the
toxic waste container.  When combined, they froth.
 Object Retrieval is a variation in which a group needs to retrieve a heavy object from the middle of a circle,
without touching the ground in the surrounding circle (Rohnke, 1994).

 2 x toxic waste receptacles (1 small, 1 large bucket)

 1 x rope to create a circle for the radiation zone
 1 x bungee cord loop
 8 x cords
 8 x pit balls or use water (to represent toxic waste)
 Blindfolds (optional)
 Red herring objects (optional)

Summary

Equipped with a bungee cord and rope, a group must work out how to transport a bucket of "Toxic Waste" and tip it
into the "neutralization" bucket.  Toxic Waste can be used to highlight almost any aspect of teamwork or leadership.

Time

Total time ~30-50 minutes:

~5 minute briefing
~5 minutes group planning time, no action
~15-30 minutes of active problem-solving
~10 minutes discussion/debrief

Group Size

 Group sizes of approximately 7 to 9 are ideal, but the activity can be done with as few as 4 or as many as
12.
 Pipeline/Gutter Ball
Description of a Teambuilding Activity

Description

 This is a group problem solving & communication exercise

 This activity involves moving marbles or different sized balls or even water down lengths of half pipe or
1"/2"gutters. The trick? Each participant has only one short length of pipe each, and the start and finish
points can be separated by an obstacle course!
 Can be done with children of upper primary age, teenagers and adults
in a variety of settings both indoors and outdoors.
 Choose this activity when you need to energize the group into a team,
or to emphasize the importance of each member's actions in a team.

Directions

 As facilitator, you can control how hard or easy to make this task.
You can take them over obstacles, down stairs, around trees, etc. If,
for example, the group is in the forming stage, put only one minor
obstacle in the path and create opportunity for fairly instant
experiential success of teamwork. If the team is functioning
cohesively, make the obstacle course longer and harder and more
physically challenging in order to deepen their experience of what
they can achieve together.
 Brief the participants on the start line and the finish point (a
distinctive container is helpful), and give them any extra rules you
may wish to add to the task, such as: every person must carry the
marble at least once; participants need to take turns in a certain order;
or both feet must remain on the floor at all times-get creative if you want to add challenge.
 Give the group the pipes and the marble and 5 minutes planning time.
 Allow the group several attempts if you have the time and they have the motivation, or keep it to one
attempt and draw out the key points in the debrief

Variations

 Challenge the group to see how fast they can get the marble through the obstacle course.  Time the group,
and ask them to "tender" for how fast they think they can really do it. Then give them another go. Requires
debriefing.
 For added problem solving under pressure, do not give the pipes and marble to the group during planning
time.
 Can be done indoors with a height factor involved. Explain that the marble is stuck to a point on the wall
with blue tack and their job is to 'rescue' it and bring it down safely to a container on the floor. Use the
gutters more like a ramp, and perhaps give one less gutter than the distance. Once they are set up, allow the
marble to be released from the blue tack.
 Frame the activity in terms of a new project which the team needs to respond to both efficiently and
effectively, for example: a new client with specific needs; a tender to be put together by a deadline; or a
marketing strategy idea that needs to be put into action.

Equipment

 Gutter Ball Kit or

 Pipeline Kit or
  Lengths of half pipe or narrow guttering, marbles or balls or can also be done using water

Time

 5 mins planning
 5 mins to 30 mins action

Brief Description

 A teambuilding activity where each participant gets one short length of half pipe, and the group must work
together to deliver a marble down the pipes from start point to finish. Requires a high level of
communication and teamwork.