Consensus-building Games

Silence

• To begin this game, hand everyone a slip of paper. Tell them to write their birthdays on the papers and then attach the papers to the fronts of their shirts. Divide the players into two teams and group the teams up into separate areas of the room. When you say "Go," the players have to arrange themselves in a line according to the chronology of each person's birthday. For instance, the person born the earliest stands at the front of the line. However, the players all have to line themselves up correctly without speaking to each other. The first team to line up in the correct order wins the game. To make the game more difficult, write a historical event on each paper instead of the players' birthdays and have the players arrange themselves chronologically.

Protect Your Egg

• Start this team-building game by first dividing the players into at least two teams of equal numbers. Hand each team an egg as well as some supplies, including cardboard boxes, toilet paper, scissors and tape. Separate the teams so they can no longer see each other. The teams have 5 to 10 minutes to create an object they can place their egg inside so that when the object falls from a high point the egg remains unbroken. After the time has elapsed, tell both teams to stop. Have each team drop their egg safety device from the same position on a ladder, some 10 feet off the ground. The teams with eggs intact can teach the other players how they came to a consensus.

Spot the Difference

• Begin this game by first gathering some clothing items and accessories such as sweaters, hats, scarves and belts. Divide the players into two teams. Hand one team the pieces of attire and have them leave the room to put the items on amongst themselves. They then return to the room so the other team can survey which items rest on which players' bodies. Once the second team has had about two minutes to look at their opponents, the first team leaves the room again. They switch up the items amongst themselves and then return to the room for the second team to survey them again. The second team has to come to a consensus as to which items switched to which bodies. Remember to write down the items that switched from the first dress-up to the next. The second team then has their turn at putting on the clothes. The team with the most correct guesses wins the game.