Activities

Virtual Team Building Events

Activity Description

All Aboard Group Game

The entire group participating in the activity must fit into a circle or square which is on the floor.  After the group has all successfully fitted into the circle or square, the object will then be made smaller. Each time all participants fit into the object, it will then be made smaller and smaller. There will be a point where group members must support each other and work as a team in order to reach the end of the challenge.

Resources:

Rope or shoe laces tied together or square mats in different sizes

Space Required:

Small space either Indoors or Outdoors.

Group Size: 8-15 people per team, depending on the size of the area used.

Total Time: 20 minutes

  • 5 minutes to brief and set up
  • 10 minutes to achieve outcome
  • 5 minutes to review and debrief

How to Facilitate All Aboard Activity

  • Make a large circle with your rope or use the larger mat.
  • Introduce the activity: Your team has been caught on a sinking ship and your team has managed to use the safety raft to travel to the nearest island. The Coast Guard has been notified of your situation and has sent out a rescue ship. The area around the island is full of sharks and the tide is coming in quick. With the island shrinking with every minute that passes, can your team hold on and survive until you are rescued?
  • Get everyone into the circle and count up to 10. Get them to step out of the object and decrease the size. Repeat this several times until the group are no longer able to fit everyone in the area and have to rely on support and teamwork.

Rules of All Aboard 

  • All participating members in the circle or square should have contact with the inside of the rope or circle.
  • After getting everyone inside the object, members must remain inside for 10 seconds. You can also decide to lessen the time or increase it, depending on the group’s abilities.
  • Nobody is allowed to change the rope or object in any way.
  • When a rule is broken, the entire group must start all over again.

Suggested Learning Outcomes

  • Building team work and communication
  • Planning and reaching objectives
  • Improving leadership skills
  • Successfully solving problems

Activity Guidance and Notes

When you begin the activity, have the group attempt an impossible challenge. The group will try and inevitably fail, then make the circle bigger, so everyone can fit inside. After the group successfully completes this challenge, make the circle a bit smaller. Continue doing this until the circle is back to the first challenge, which was impossible. The aim of this exercise is to teach participants how to break problems down and how to set achievable goals. Also, it teaches them how to persevere and learn from the whole experience.

As the exercise progresses and the space gets smaller, make sure all members are comfortable, as everyone will be in close proximity to each other. Make sure to watch and check for safety problems, as members will eventually have to lift each other up and support each other in some way.

Members of the group must display mature behavior, be responsible for each other as well as carry out the exercise in a clam manner. When things do get tight, ensure the group doesn’t fall over and cause injuries. If you find that participants are not following the instructions safely or if you feel they are not prepared, don’t proceed with this activity.

Variation of All Aboard 

There might be a group that successfully and easily completes the exercise. In order to make it more challenging for them, inform those in leadership positions within the group to remain silent. This will help the other participants to step up and take over these roles, improving their confidence.

You might have a group of participants that are younger, so when giving instructions, tell them to ‘touch the circle’, instead of telling everyone to ‘fit inside the circle’. The aim is to see if anyone was listening properly, thus improving listening skills. This move will hopefully help to make the exercise easier to perform and make it less of a physical challenge.

When the circle or square gets smaller and smaller, the group will start to think it is impossible to all fit in. This is where creative thinking, problem solving, and team work comes into play, in order to complete the exercise successfully.

Debrief and Review of All Aboard Activity

Here are some questions to ask the group, which will help them process their experience of the exercise, All Aboard.

  • Did you find the exercise challenging, give your reasons?
  • What do you think is the goal for this exercise? Was there anything that stopped you from being successful?
  • Was the group working together as a team?
  • Progressive goal planning, what do you understand about this? Have you got goals set in your own life?
  • Do you think team work and cooperation was significant in the success of the exercise?
  • Did the group members support each other?
  • What was your plan and how did you develop it?
  • Was there a leader in the group? What do you think the qualities of a good leader are?
  • Was there a moment when things went wrong? How did you handle the situation?

All Aboard Team Building Activity

Basic Details
Property Type : Team Building
Listing Type : Placeholder
Activity Type : Team Building
Focus On : Build Trust, Communication, Collaboration, Having Fun, Leadership
Outcome Based : Yes
Facilities : Indoor, Outdoor
Props Required : Minor
Duration : 16 - 25 minutes
Exertion Level : Medium
Group Size : 1 - 8, 9 - 16, 17 - 30, 31+
Age : Children, Youth, Adults