Group Building Games

Survival Lists

• Survival exercises are a classic means of understanding a given group better and encouraging better communication. The group is given an imaginary scenario. Often, this scenario involves the group being stranded in a harsh environment---such as a desert island--- with only a limited set of resources, but variations can exist. So, for example, the group might be told they have a flashlight, some rations and a cell phone. The group is challenged to decide which resources are most important, given their situation, and which are less so.

  Once the resources are explained, the group has a limited period of time in which to discuss each resource and create a list, ranking each resource in order of preference. Here, each member can put across their opinions as to where each item should go. As the Wilderdom Store web site points out, the game teaches the benefits of compromise and exposes how each member acts in a potentially stressful group situation.

Video Scavenger Hunt

• This is a variant on the classic scavenger hunt game, and helps to build a group's organizational skills. The group is divided into small teams and given a video camera and a vehicle, along with a list of things to capture on tape. This list could include anything non-dangerous that a group could potentially film. So the team might have to film an exotic animal, a cop talking to a member of the team, or a busking musician, for example. The team gets a point for every item on the list they successfully film within a set time limit, which shouldn't be more than a few hours. The last twist is that each team can only use five minutes of tape, so it has to be careful about wasting film.

  Once all of the teams return with their films, the points are added up as the group watches each video in turn.

Earthball

• This sporty game is designed to get groups to work together. To play, a group simply needs a ball---a volleyball or beach ball works best. The idea is that the group keeps the ball in the air for as long as possible, using their heads, feet or arms. However, no-one can hit the ball twice in a row, and if the ball drops to the ground, that's the end of the attempt.