The Human Machine

Form groups of 6 to 8 people. Challenge each group to create a machine out of their members by imitating the appearance and action of the machine with as many parts (gears, levers, etc.) as they can devise. The machine should have motion and sound, and include all team members. (If a group is having […]

Helium Stick

Deceptively simple but powerful exercise for learning how to work together and communicate in small to medium sized groups. Helium Stick

Bibbity-Bobbity-Bop

One of my favorites! Played in a circle (minimum 9). You start in the middle to explain and begin the game. The goal is to get somebody to take your place. The game is played in rounds with an explanation of the rules before starting a new round. I usually timebox this game to 10-15 […]

The Human Knot

Getting to know each other better is unavoidable. Tip: This works best if you start with a circle not an oblong as it avoids circles forming within circles. For 10 or more players, I’ve played with as many as 50. The Human Knot

Estimation Game

Credit to @ChrisSims who I first saw running a session like this at an AONW conference. I have used this exercise to help teams understand how a they can reach consensus in estimating work regardless of the differences in experience and skill-set amongst them. Part 1 Divide your room into equal teams (6 – 10 people on a team works well). […]

Check-ins

Open your meeting with a Check-in. This is a really effective method to bring everyone into the meeting to get them mentally present and ready to start. This space creates knowledge and insight about each other and perhaps what else might be here. For example: Tell us about your shoes? Take about 30 seconds to […]